Salvogesis

 “A rose by another name is still a rose.” William Shakespeare put these words in the mouth of Juliet in ‘Romeo and Juliet’: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet is talking about her love. Juliet says that you cannot change the beautiful nature of something by simply renaming it. A rose is still as beautiful even if you call it a turnip or a skunk. These days there are myriad ways that some, even in our churches, are trying to convince us that a rose is something other than a rose. Over the past few years we have heard people telling us that the Bible is not the inerrant Word of God (TSA Doc 1). From this deception they proceed to tell us all kinds of things that should be easily seen as untrue. They are selfish and tell us that we have to look out for ourselves before serving God through others. They tell us that even though the Bible says certain selfish behaviours can be changed, the Bible doesn’t really mean what it s...

Late one night, a burglar breaks into a house that he thinks is empty. He tiptoes through the living room but suddenly freezes in his tracks when he hears a voice say: “Jesus is watching you!” When it becomes quiet again, the burglar creeps forward. And again the voice says, “Jesus is watching you.” The burglar stops dead in his tracks. He is frightened. Frantically, he looks all around. In a dark corner, he spots a… birdcage and in the cage is… a parrot. Gathering his senses, he asks the parrot: “Was it you all this time who said, ‘Jesus is watching me?’” “Yes”, said the parrot. The burglar breathes a sigh of relief, then gaining some confidence he asks the parrot: “What’s your name?” “Clarence,” says the bird. “That's a dumb name for a parrot,” sneers the now confident burglar. “What kind of a silly person would name a bird, ‘Clarence?’” The parrot replies, “The same person who would call his attack dog ‘Jesus’… Jesus is watching you.” Parrots...