Marbaniang, Domenic

The Vedic Age begins with the supposed arrival of the Aryans and the composition of the Rig Veda. Again, there are differences of opinion regarding whether the Aryans really arrived or they were the original inhabitants of the land. For instance, in his History of India, Mountstuart Elphistone wrote, “There is no reason whatever for thinking that the Hindus ever inhabited any country but their present one; and as little for denying that they may have done so before the earliest trace of their records or traditions.”[1] Elphinstone argued this from the absence of any Vedic allusion “to a prior residence, or to a knowledge of more than the name of any country out of India.” However, his arguments do not convince most historians. Keay notes: ..it is certainly curious that the Vedas say nothing of life in central Asia, nor of an epic journey thence through the mountains… The usual explanation is that, by the time the Vedas were composed, this migration was so remote that all memory of it h...

On Monday, July 14, the Church of England voted to allow women to be ordained as bishops. Reuters in London reported: Two years ago, a similar proposal failed narrowly due to opposition from traditionalist lay members, to the dismay of modernisers, the Church hierarchy and politicians. But after a five-hour debate on Monday, the General Synod, the governing body of the Church of England, voted overwhelmingly in favour of an amended plan at its meeting in the northern English city of York. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, commented: "Today is the completion of what was begun over 20 years ago with the ordination of women as priests. I am delighted with today's result." There are others, of course, who consider this move as not being theologically correct. Bishop John Goddard of Burnley is reported to have said that he could not vote in favor of the legislation “out of obedience to God.” “Out of theological conviction, I must vote no,” he said, according to The Press...

Nothing is more harmful than the doubt that the Bible is governed by prejudice. The reason should be clear: doubts about the Bible being prejudiced are bred in a mind that has begun to question the infallibility of Scriptures; but, truth and prejudice cannot stand together. Now, there are some who would say that it is impossible to be unbiased at all; everybody brings some kind of pre-judgment (pre-judice), pre-understanding to a text or event. What we already have believed in determines how we interpret anything else. Thus, women in some cultures would find biblical texts regarding head-covering as axiomatic, while women in other cultures might find them very oppressive. The very fact that there are a number of interpretations (some in defense of affirming that the rule is mandatory; others in defense affirming that the rule is mandatory only in few cultures; some others doubting that the commandment is prejudiced) tells us that pre-understanding has a great bearing upon one’s interpr...

But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. (1Co 11:3 NKJ) The headship that Paul speaks about in 1Corinthians 11 concerns headship within a family. In a family, the head of a woman is her husband. Christ is the head of both the husband and the wife directly; however, the wife is also under the authority of her husband who is under the authority of Christ. This means that the wife has both the authority of Christ and her husband (who is under the authority of Christ) over her. But, the husband is not under the authority of the wife. This also means that only the husband is the head of his wife. All men are not the head of all women. A man is the head of only his own wife; not somebody else’ wife. A woman doesn’t need to submit to someone who is not her husband. She is not under the authority of anyone else except her husband, as far as headship is concerned. For instance, the son of a woman is not the head of hi...

I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also. (Rom 16:1-2) Paul referred to Phoebe as a servant ( diakonos ), a deacon and minister of the church in Cenchrea. The term diakonos in the New Testament is used for people in governmental authority (Rom 13:4), for the apostolic ministry of Paul (Eph 3:7, Col 1:23), for a servant-attitude service of a disciple (Matt 23:11), for deacons (1Tim 3:8), and for servants (Jn 2:5). The context of Romans 16:1-2 indicates that Phoebe was a deaconess or a minister of the church in Cenchrea. She was to be received in a manner worthy of the saints, with respect. The next verse mentions Priscilla and Aquila who are called fellow workers in Christ Jesus (v 3). Women have an important role to play in the ministry of God's kingdom. As ...

Aisha had her nose and ears cut off by Taliban sentence for running away from abusive in-laws TIME Cover Depicts the Disturbing Plight of Afghan Women - TIME . If forgiveness is not a divine virtue, then humanity is lost forever. Doesn't "to have a heart" refer to possessing virtues such as mercy, pity, sympathy, and compassion? Where ruthless and heartless legalism governs the lives of people, fear and terror are widespread and freedom disappears. But, where Justice is coupled with Mercy, there Truth becomes personal, Religion becomes personal, the world becomes personal; devoid of which, the world is the monster, Religion is the monster.

Chapter 31 of Proverbs is one of the only collections of motherly instructions recorded in history. Tradition regards King Lemuel (meaning "belonging to God)  as being King Solomon, in which case the mother would certainly be Bathsheba. However, some even think Lemuel might have been a King of a neighbouring kingdom called Massa. Whatever be the issues related to the background, the wisdom of this chapter is priceless, a final strike that puts the nail of Proverbs into its proper place for a man born to be a leader. Following is a gist of this treasure of wisdom from a mother's heart to her son: Pro 31:2 What, my son?         And what, son of my womb?         And what, son of my vows?  1. A MOTHER'S VISION Lemuel's mother has a dream and a vision for her son. That is one reason why verse 1 records "the prophecy that his mother taught him". It is a prophetic instruction. It is possible that this prophetic instruction was given l...