Examine the nuances and caveats displayed in Bignell’s four-part blog post , exploring the possible background concerns driving his argumentation, and discuss to what extent you agree with his conclusions Bignell opens his first post with rhetorical questions of self-doubt and objections of critics to the artist’s profession. These include: is it worth it? Is it worth the pain? The frustration? The tedium of practising scales, the grind of auditions, the constant sense of being unappreciated, the nagging suspicion that you have spent the best years of your life learning to do something no one really wants to pay you to do..? “Why not just give up and get a real job?”... Why are you making art? Bignell then notices how artists seemingly need and look for justification in response to these critics, but his third blog post ends in agreement with Hans Rookmaker’s title ‘Art Needs No Justification’, stating that there is no harm in doing art simply because you love it. At thi...

How would you reply if a student asks you this question? It is right to say that Jesus suffered an innocent death on the Cross, and in the place of all, me or you. You are also correct in saying that the cross was a punishment of some sort, though as you stated not a punishment for Jesus’ error, as He was innocent. Scripture tells us that the cross was a punishment for the sin of the world that justified sinners before God (Romans 5:9). However the punishment of Christ’s death on the Cross cannot be considered as God abusing His child, as we see through Scripture and commentaries, the Christian understanding is that Jesus Christ did not let His human body die begrudgingly (as if it were a circumstance out of His control), but willingly, out of choice and compassion for us, His creation. He was the Word who created us who also chose to save us. The majority of what I base my discussion on is found in St. Athanasius’ argument and writing On the Incarnation ( De Incarnatione Verbi Dei...

The God who Speaks - Core Study Response 3 Question:  In the midst of small group a discussion arises about the role of the Bible today. Some talk about how dry and irrelevant they find reading the Bible and how they would much rather God just spoke to them directly. They turn to you and ask what your view of the Bible is? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What do I think of the Bible? Well I agree with Mike Reeves, when he points out that through the Bible we get to know God. How? Because Jesus makes God known, as shown in John 14: “Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?” (John 14:9 - NIV) “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”  (John 14:6 - NIV) and the ...

When I sat in science class about eight years ago, my teacher dissected a cow’s heart in front of us and proceeded to tell us we all had similar hearts pumping blood round bodies right now; leading to my sudden belief in the heart and its functions, and my inability to live without one. Akin to that revelation, has been the revelation of the Trinity to me thus far. If I had never known details of God’s three in one-ness, His triuneness would still not fail to continue making everything that is true possible; since every aspect of God is closely related to His creation and His will for it. Just as I lived ignorantly to my heart’s vital pumping efforts for many years, so have I to God’s truinity. Upon learning of the truth of my heart’s daily efforts to keep me alive, I was first led to awe and wonder. God, in the same way, revealing His existence in being an eternal and simple trinity has left me in wonder and a grown understanding and trust of Him. Being raised up as a Hindu meant...