Recently in church someone asked if there is any sin which God won’t forgive. There is one sin which Jesus said will not be forgiven (Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 3:28-30). The exact sin and meaning of this has been debated. However not long before this, one of the churches I’m a part of read over this
Category: Theology
Belief vs. Action
What is more important, believing all the right things and having knowledge and understanding about God and the bible, or beginning to live out life following Christ? Yes, a very basic belief is necessary, but often people press the importance of all kinds of additional beliefs. Even if they’re correct, are they more important than
How Important Is Correct Doctrine? (Part 2)
Which is more important, correct doctrine or unity? You can’t say both because these are at odds with each other. Doctrine is divisive. Nearly 2000 years after Christ, people have yet to agree on a single overall theology or doctrine. There are probably more different doctrinal beliefs in existence now than in the past. (Interestingly
How Important Is Correct Doctrine? (Part 1)
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that…” (James 2:19). Is it possible that demons have more accurate doctrine than we do?
8. Can We Find A Better Way Of Viewing The Future?
8. Can we find a better way of viewing the future? In order to answer a question about what is better, first I must ask what the alternative is. Or in other words, how do Christians view the future presently? Also, I’ll assume by “future” that we are talking about eschatology which is beliefs about
3. Is God Violent? (Part 3)
3. Is God violent? In my previous two posts, I looked at violence in the Old and New Testaments. My conclusion: there is violence in the world and God hasn’t been completely unaffected or uninvolved. However violence is not a core quality of God nor how he prefers to work. God’s plan has always been
3. Is God Violent? (Part 2)
3. Is God violent? In my previous blog I looked at violence in the Old Testament. Now I want to look at violence in the New Testament. Jesus—God incarnate—arrives and begins teaching about God in a seemingly new way. It’s no longer “hate your enemies” but rather “love your enemies”. Is someone mistreating you? Let
3. Is God Violent? (Part 1)
3. Is God violent? I can see this question going in a couple of different directions. First, people often ask about God’s instructions for the Israelites to go to war and kill people—sometimes even women and children—found in the Old Testament. Secondly, does God want his followers to use violent means, if necessary, to promote
Why I’m not a Calvinist
Over time I’ve interacted with several groups which have a Calvinist bent. My interaction with these groups recently has lead me to the desire to write my thoughts concerning the subject. To be clear, while I have done a fair amount of reading, I have not done a specific in depth study of Calvinism. My
Approaching Theology
I have observed that there are a couple of different possible approaches to building one’s theology. One approach is often taken by those who likely have the gift of teaching, those who love to really dig deep into the bible and study as much as they can about God. The bible is taken more as