I recently watched the movie “Do You Believe?”, the most recent release from the Christian film company Pure Flix. The movie follows a dozen people whom are struggling with different life challenges: homelessness, terminal illness, PSTD, neglect, depression, loss, etc. A number of the characters are Christians. Inspirational Theology “Do You Believe?” is solidly in
What the Controversy Over Indiana’s RFRA Was Really About
A couple of weeks ago, Indiana passed a law entitled the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA). (Click here to read the entire text of this short bill.) In a short period between the legislature passing the bill and the governor signing it, the bill became the center of an unprecedented amount of controversy. Since I
Are “Dones” a Major Warning Sign for the Church?
Not long ago Thom Schultz published an article called “The Rise of the Dones“. This article, which has received a lot of attention, is brief and doesn’t contain a lot of meat. Yet I believe Schultz is getting at something important. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he does a great job of communicating why the “dones”
Just Do Something
I’ve heard several different people say something similar recently. It’s something which I think is a good life truth. Here are the quotes: “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” Chesterton “Some is better than none.” Icon for Hire “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” Voltaire I know for myself, I want to do
Follow and Share—The Basics of Following and Sharing Jesus (Live Event)
I am teaching a one evening overview on following and sharing Jesus (a.k.a. discipleship). The focus will be on learning simple ways to share Jesus with others. It is taking place on Wednesday, March 11th at 6:45 p.m. at The Gathering in Carmel (624B S Rangeline Road, Carmel, IN 46032). My hope is that any
Jesus is for the People — Aaron Pelsue Band at The Vogue
Back in December I went to see the Aaron Pelsue Band (often a worship band) play at the Vogue (a local bar and music venue) along with several other hard rock bands. It would probably be difficult for me to describe the atmosphere there. The first band on the bill was a bit rougher in
Which Came First, God or the Bible?
The title of this article is of course a play on the well known question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I think virtually any believer would say that God came first. The question I actually want to get to though is, “Do you believe God because of the Bible, or do you
What If There Were No Old Testament?
What might Christianity look like if we hadn’t canonized the Hebrew scriptures? (In other words, how might Christianity be different if the Old Testament existed but weren’t in the Bible?) How much is modern Christianity influenced by an Old Testament verses New Testament perspective? photo credit: ccsdteacher via photopin cc
A Brief History of Christianity in America
(Note: this is an abbreviated and therefore very simplified version of the history of the western church as I understand it. While I believe my general understanding to be correct, I am not an expert and may have inaccuracy in certain details.) To begin our understanding of Christianity in America, we must go all the
The Book of Job (Including Summary Outline)
It’s easy to follow God when things are good, but how do you handle life when it is difficult? The book of Job is included among the wisdom books in old testament of the Bible. This had confused me in the past as it seemed to be recounting history. Now upon reflection, I realize that