Eshu, I must have given a wrong impression of myself, I’m definitely evil!

Yeah maybe the JWs are right on the shape of the cross. It’s a point I’m more than willing to concede. However, I’m not going to change my site logo, a stake in the ground would just be confusing.

Incidentally I think I may be blacklisted by the JWs too! Hehe, how terrible for me!

All of us are evil.

Speak for yourself! :-)

Actually, I don’t think you’re evil. In fact I could hardly disagree more with that last statement!

- Ever since I started catching the bus to work every day, I have been blessed with some great books that I have ploughed through.

- It’s true, people do notice when you stay out of gossip.

- Putting in your two cents worth from a Christian perspective is important when people make comments that give you an opportunity to share the gospel (or an aspect of it)

- Working as if Christ were your boss – now there’s a challenge!

Also, I would extend “Pray Throughout the Day” to “Praise Throughout the Day”. Thank God for the little things he does for you and always acknowledge Him in everything you do.

I think if all Christians would seriously take on your principles above, then we could have a much greater impact on our workplaces. So my challenge to readers and to myself is to start being more purposeful in how we go about our lives.

Some Jehovah’s Witnesses came to our house and they were indoctrinated to believe the Greek said such and such a thing. My Dad got out his Greek New Testament and showed it didn’t. What did the JW big wigs do? Blacklisted our house, because they were scared we might convert their members.

Christians should have no such fears as our faith is true.

Our culture seems to go one of two ways (and every religion does this, including atheism):

1) Reject the harsh views of other religions and your own, expecting a fuzzy “we all believe the same” relativism (which is probably another religion anyway).

2) Believing strongly in your views and trying to force views on other people.

The middle line is a to accept we both have different views and only one can be right and discussing the consequences. Our message is about personal faith, not brainwashing.

And in reference to the article, I would love to chat to the person who wrote it, though I think they’re misguided on many points.

By the way, when you hear slaves don’t think Africans shipped off in trade ships, slaves in the Bible did not have such a terrible existance. It was more like a full-time contract (but without an escape clause). Most ancient Greek philosphers were slaves, as they needed a patron. It wasn’t a terrible position.

And if you read v9 you wil see that Paul is harsh on both. Both having authority and being under it can cause sin. I’ve been in workplaces where the employers have been harsh to the employees and the employees have been spiteful to the employers. Marxist/socialist/feminist ideas that those in authority are evil is too simplistic. All of us are evil.

Thanks for your addition!

That sounds like generally good advice. With number 4 however, I’d say that before you start sharing your beliefs with others, it is worth considering how you would feel about someone else sharing their alternative religion with you. If you’d be annoyed to have a colleague share their beliefs on say, Buddhism, you should be slow to start lecturing them on what you believe.

From Ephesians 6:5-8 alone I think you can tell that Paul wasn’t a slave, but someone is a position of relative power!