To the philosopher personhood is a technical term, but person doesn't necessarily equal human. To the biologist human is a biological term you're human if you have human DNA that's it. However, to a Christian person is what is called a moral term. For most Christian theologists person are beings who are part of the moral community and therefore deserve moral consideration.
I bet you think you know a person when you see one, but things are getting more complicated these days. What about a characters from your favourite books or films or CP3O from Star Wars is he a person? Are Alexa, Sira or Cortana persons? What about a 24 week old  a foetus, is that a person. So, you can see this gets tricky. What constitutes a person is at the core of almost every major social debate and issue you can think of. Black live matter, abortion, animal rights, the death penalty, euthanasia. As Christians we need to try at some level, have an understanding of personhood in order that we might begin to understand how we see ourselves and others. Whether as a believer your Interest or job has touchpoints in human rights or computers science and artificial intelligence. Mental health and peoples capacity for decision making and freewill, science or sociology, it really helpful to try and get to the bottom of personhood. Interestingly from a Christian perspective an understanding of personhood starts not with an understanding of humanity but rather with our view of God.

Section 2 of this podcast # "The Five Criteria of Personhood" is adapted from The Open University "Understanding Mental Capacity Course" Part 7 - 2.1 "The Concept of Personhood"
 

Todays introduction was recorded on the path across "Royal Lytham and St Annes Golf Course, here in Lancashire.

In the Christian life, there are different types of Christian experience. How can you tell if what you are experiencing is complete Christian experience? For an insight into this area, we are going to look at just a couple of verses from the Book of James, (James 1: 26-27) There appears to be two types of religious faith described in this passage. The first is a weak and useless sort of Christianity and the second is a pure spiritual life, an empowered and enriching Christian Life and we are going to look at both of these today.

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Welcome

Approaching the Lord and Call to Worship

Introduction

Scriptures (James 1: 19-25)

Message Hearing From God.

We have a very interesting topic in todays podcast. Today we shall be thinking about hearing from God. The big question I shall try and look at this time is how we can discern what God is trying say to us through events and circumstances of life.Or to put it another way, how do we hear from God, in the everyday? In other words what do we need to do in order to clearly hear from God.

Closing Prayer “Come, Holy Spirit” (A Pentecost Prayer), 

(1)   Welcome and Opening Prayer. 

(2)   Call to Worship and Giving Thanks

(3)   Scriptures (James 1: 19-20 & Romans 5: 1-5)

 (5)   James Part 5 – Anger Management (James 1: 18-19)

 We have talked a great deal about the trials of life recently, and what we get if we respond correctly in such times, and also what you get when you don’t. But today I want to consider what the bible teaches actually us to do in order to learn from the difficult phases of life. How should we behave in order to make sure we learn from what life might have throw at us.  What I want us to do is take a morning to look at just these two verses because many say they are two of the most important verses in all of the book of James. There are even some who say these are the two of most important verses in the new Testament when it comes to understanding how we should live the Christian life in the real world.

 (6)  Closing Prayers (Adeline Israel)

 (7)   Sending and Blessing

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Welcome

We have a very interesting topic in todays podcast. Today we shall be thinking about the dangers of blaming God. Does it seem strange to you that people, even people who know the bible people who know what the bible expressly says, still at the same time go against it. They continue to live their lives in contradiction to what it teaches and then they say it is all Gods fault when things go wrong. This isn’t just a recent phenomenon, it’s as old as human nature.

Scriptures. (Gen 3: 1-13) & (James 1: 13-18)

Closing Prayer and Blessing (Eph. 3:17)

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In the first two parts James gives us some basic instructions of what we should do when we face a trial in life. Such things as, counting it as joy, and enduring, as well as asking for spiritual wisdom as we persevere through the challenges we face. But what will be the outcome in our lives if you we do respond properly in that way? 

 In this passage we are given two very contrasting illustrations. In verse 9 he talks about a “believers in humble circumstances”, and in verse 10 he talks about people who are wealthy. By putting those two things together there are obvious contrasts being played upon here. In this episode I want us to look at these two illustrations, and then see what conclusion the writer of these words reaches.

 We are also told in this passage that if our faith is proven to have overcome the trials of life, we will receive “a crown of life”. What is this crown of life we are going to receive? These are the pictures that are being drawn upon here.

 Remember that these extra things I mention today can be added to the blessings I have already talked about over these last few weeks.

Are any of you going through difficult times at the moment. Well remember this, the next time you are going through a difficult time, you won’t just loose something. In reality, you are about to gain lots of things. If the Christian meets the testing times of life with steadfast constancy, then life can become more blessed than ever it was before. The struggle can then become the path to glory, and the very struggle itself can be the glory, and bring glory to God.

Episode 4 - Suppose I Do - or Suppose I Don’t. (James 1: 5-8)

The book of James like a practical course on living the Christian life. Where the analogy of a school or university course breaks down is that at university you first of all get the lessons, then you take the test. James teaches us here that first you get the test and then hopefully you learn the lessons from it. Today’s podcast asks what will happen if you choose not to follow that advise. What happens when a believer doesn’t take the correct posture of heart when facing difficulties or adversity?

Last time I said the consequence of the remaining joyful and persevering was increased spiritual maturity. Therefore, the first thing I should point out is that if you don’t do these things then we won’t become spiritually mature. The consequence of not going through struggles and trials in the right way means you will not spiritually develop as much as you should or could. Is there anything else that will happen if we skip these difficult times, are there any other consequences? It appears to me the writer in these verses is giving us three potential consequences of not responding correctly to the difficult times in life.

But what if you do trust the Lord, in all things? What are the benefits and the blessing of responding correctly to the hard times in life? Well we will find out this time in Episode 5.

Many say the entire subject of the book of James is living through hard times. In fact, that is the heading given to these verses in many of the modern translations on the bible that are available to us these days. What this opening passage is telling its readers in the introduction is to be prepared. Be prepared, because the writer is going to talk about all of life’s experiences from little annoyances right through to those most severe of life events and challenges. Those big life events that are unwanted, un-sought, unexpected, and in on many occasions even unjust. The major catastrophic events are all discussed up front, and some of the common difficulties are subtly alluded too as well.

That does not mean that the experience is going to be fun in any way. It just means we can realize God can and is going to use this situation in our lives to produce something worthwhile. We may know that the Pauls letter to the Romans 8:28 tells us that; “all things work for good for those who love God and are called according to his purposes”? But do we believe it. Do you believe that God will give you everything you need to hang in there However, there is an obvious question that must arise out of that situation. How can I have the wisdom to know what God wants to teach me? 

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you”. (James 1:5)

 Ask God for wisdom, it tells us. You may not always know why you are going through a particular situation but you can ask what it is you are meant to learn from it. Come to me prayerfully and I shall reveal it to you. That’s the promise found here. Well hang in with me as we through the book of James these next few weeks and we will find out. 

God may be doing this to help straighten you out.

Coronavirus (2) Dealing With a Virus in Your Life

(1) Welcome and Introduction.
(2) Scriptures( 1 Pet 1:3-9 & James 1:2-12
(3) Message - Coronavirus (Pt 2) Dealing With a Virus in Your Life
(4) Farewell and Blessing

Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/livingfaitheveryday?fan_landing=true)

(1) Introduction and Welcome.
(2) Bible Readings  Phil 1: 4 and  2 Cor 11: 23-28
(3) Coronavirus - Where is God Now
(4) Farewell and Close