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
4. Who Is Jesus and Why Is He Important?
4. Who is Jesus and why is he important? It seems pretty clear and universal that Jesus Christ plays a central role in Christianity (though one exception might be the Pentecostals, who focuses on the holy spirit). So, what is the deal with Christ? Probably the most common belief in our culture is that Jesus
2. How Should The Bible Be Understood?
2. How should the Bible be understood? Common answers from modernity have been that the bible is a manual for life, an answer book for every problem, and is completely historically and scientifically accurate. In other words, the bible is like a text book, where you can go to any section and receive training on
1. What is the Overarching Story Line of the Bible?
According to a friend’s blog, Brian McLaren poses 10 questions in his new book “A New Kind of Christianity”. I believe these questions are given as ones which are being asked by many who both claim Christianity and those who are questioning it. So I thought I would provide my thoughts. First, the questions: 1.
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