Answer by Diane Eager and John Mackay The account of the rich man and Lazarus is recorded in Luke 16:19-31 and contrasts two very different Jewish people: an extremely wealthy man living an indulgent lifestyle in opulent accommodation, and a poor beggar named Lazarus who suffering from diseased skin (most likely as a result of […]
Answer by John Mackay and Diane Eager The easy bit is that the word “man” refers to an adult human male, and a “woman” is an adult female human. But can we actually give a testable, provable meaning to the traditional words “male” and “female”, or are they just roles allocated for convenience which can […]
Answer by John Mackay Mankind! This word has been a great description down through the years of who we are, and what we were made to be. It is derived ultimately from the old English Mann Cynn, back though several thousand years of traditions in Sanskrit about the hero Manu who survived the big flood […]
Answer Diane Eager and John Mackay Some variations in dog size, head shape, coat colour are just normal ranges of variation that occurs in any living thing, including humans. None of these are evolution. But what about the extreme and unusual differences that have come about through breeding, such as giant Great Dane vs micro […]
The original question was: Recently I heard an evangelical pastor preach a message on Genesis, where he told us that the first verse assumes the existence of God. Is this correct? Answer John Mackay and Diane Eager The first verse of Genesis makes the straightforward statement that: “In the beginning God created the heaven and […]
Answer by John Mackay There are several issues here that must be thought through: How do we know when words are symbolic? For example: one generation said: “That was great!” The next gen said: “That was wicked!”, which then became: “This is epic!” Did they mean the same thing? What clues tell us one word […]
Answer by John Mackay and Diane Eager. These questions arose from a longer criticism of the events described in Genesis 3, especially the verbal temptation of Eve and God’s judgment on the serpent. The main issues raised were: The serpent is described as a wild animal, and according to today’s scientific classification system it was […]
The original question was: Why do people say Moses is the author of Genesis when the book doesn’t even mention his name? Answer by John Mackay Moses is certainly mentioned in four of the first five books in the Old Testament i.e. Exodus Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy. Since his death and burial are recorded in […]
The original question was: Why do people say Moses is the author of Genesis when the book doesn’t even mention his name? Answer by John Mackay and John Osgood In Genesis 11:1-2 we read; ‘And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from […]
The original question was: Why do people say Moses is the author of Genesis when the book doesn’t even mention his name? Answer by John Mackay There is more evidence concerning Moses’s authorship of Genesis that we can consider! The Hebrew Scriptures have always included an introduction to Psalm 90 advising us that Moses is […]