How you say it.

My church has started some well thought-out training seminars, brief, but targeted, to help people fine-tune their skills in talking about our faith.

The announcement at this morning's assembly was along the lines of: "we are having a training session for people who are not so confident in communicating the gospel. Please put your hand up if you are planning to attend."

Three people did.

I made the observation to the convenor that no one is going to nominate themselves as lacking confidence. I suggested that playing to people's presumed strengths would be better.

Something like: "We are holding some short seminars to help people fine-tune their skills in gospel conversations. If you could contribute your experience and attend that would be wonderful."

This presumes expertise and experience from the get go, rather than presume a deficiency. Anyone who nominated to attend would feel like they were experts giving a hand and not gormless newbies, lazy for the gospel.

Only two religions

 There are but two religions: worship of the creation, and worship of the creator.

The first step is to figure out what you are worshipping. Then establish the grounds for worship of the creator instead of the creation or creature.

And worship? Simply turning to the one worshiped as the orienting ground of your life and thought. The choice in simple terms: dust (the creation) or mind (the living creator).

 But here's the issue with worship of the creature/creation: it is seeking a resolution of the dilemma of the human condition from within the domain that hosts that condition. Like trying to lift yourself by your boot straps. No. The resolution has to come from outside the grand system of corruption that we are in: thus the Creator enters the creation, taking on human nature to overcome the corruption, demonstrated in the resurrection. And as tangible as our life and the creation itself: within the stream of history that we are also in.

Rescue comes really, and only from outside the sinking ship; not by moving its deck-chairs.

Why is Jesus the only way?

Or, Yeshua/Joshua, as his real name is.

Greg Koukl seeks to answer this question, but fails at square 1. But, he's a Calvinist, so can't help himself, unhappily so.

Yeshua is the only 'way' because he is the creator!

The only alternative way would be within the creation, indeed, the creation itself. And the problem is the whole creation is alienated from the creator because man has turned against his creator from the get go.

As the creature in God's image, created to enjoy free fellowship with God, created to steward the great playground of the material creation, when man falls, it all comes down around his ears. So looking for the way in the creation is like doing a burnout in a cul-de-sac. You get nowhere, make lots of noise and smoke in empty show, and destroy stuff.

Yeshua offers new life if we turn and reject the life of rejection of creator (him) and alienation within the creation.

The signal of the alienation and futility of the world adrift is that we are not linked to God: this is in our souls. We know we are not what we should be. We are not with the one who made us because the link is broken. The ancient Jews were told this in the Torah, in distinction to the paganism (the 'worldism') surrounding them: the 'law' that tells us what God is like. But he provided forgiveness then under Torah, and now in Yeshua. Personally.

Go prosper.