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?
9. How Should Followers Of Jesus Relate To People Of Other Religions?
9. How should followers of Jesus relate to people of other religions? In our culture today, the popular opinion is that all religions are essentially the same, so it doesn’t really matter what you believe. We should all just get along and not fight because if all religions are the same, what is there to
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
6. What Do We Do About The Church?
6. What do we do about the church? Since I’m a bit uncertain about the meaning of the question stated this way, I will state a couple of similar questions which I hope cover the original inquiry. What is the church? What should the church look like? How should we do church? In my previous
5. What is the Gospel (Good News)?
5. What is the Gospel (good news)? If asked, most Christians would probably recite something along the lines of, “Jesus died for your sins so that you can have a relationship with God and so that you can go to heaven instead of hell when you die.” This is true, but it’s only part of