Thoughtful Reflections on Faith and Life
I can imagine a certain segment of the population suggestion that Christian belief is completely irrational. Not just that Christianity is not true but that it does not deserve a seat at the table. Is Christianity a rational worldview? Richard Dawkins, in his best selling book, The God Delusion, argues that it is not. Belief … Read More “Is Christianity a Rational Worldview?” »
The relationship between patriotism toward one’s nation and being a follower of Jesus. There are those who almost equate being a good citizen with being a Christian. Others try to separate them as much as possible, telling church members not to run for political office or even to vote. We must remember that much of … Read More “Patriotism and Christian Faith: An Uneasy Tension” »
You may think that because I am a pastor and that I have numerous theological degrees that I should never struggle with my faith. That’s not true. Every Christian struggles at some point or other. But my struggles may not be what you think. I spend a lot of time interacting online with atheists, agnostics, … Read More “An Honest Confession of Where I Struggle in My Faith” »
There is no lack of books comparing Christianity and Islam. While those books are useful, they tend to compare them as competing religions. It is true that both Christianity and Islam are religions, but they are more than that. They both provide a framework for seeing all of reality. This is called a metanarrative. Duane … Read More “Two Stories of Everything – Review” »
I have no problem with Christians who embrace pacifism. However, I have encountered people people have argued that Christians must be pacifists. To some it is absolutely clear that the Bible teaches non-violence in all situations. I’m not convinced. This is the first of a series of posts on why I’m not a pacifist. But … Read More “Why I’m Not a Pacifist: Part One” »
I encounter a lot of objections to Christianity. While I have read many posts by atheists, the most difficult to my faith are posts by people who label themselves Christians. There are Christians who are embarrassing and there are Christians who are harmful. I’m not prideful enough to assume that I have always provided a … Read More “Don’t Be That Christian!” »
Is it permissible for Christians to meditate? The Bible does speak about meditation, but that meditation is on God’s Word and is not the same as what many people mean when they speak of meditation. By meditation, we usually mean some practice of breathing and muscles to clear the mind and achieve a peaceful and … Read More “Christians and Meditation” »
I have heard from some people with autism that faith can be difficult. I have also heard from parents concerned about how to explain Christian faith to their child with autism. I have blogged previously about autism and faith. What I would like to do now is just talk about my own experience. How can … Read More “My Autism and My Faith” »
One of the most common questions I get is about how people with autism understand faith. At first I tried to guess from my children with autism, which is hard because they are both nonverbal. Now that I have been diagnosed with autism myself, I have a bit more insight. Here are five things to … Read More “5 Things You Need to Know About Faith and Autism” »
I recently had an interesting conversation about the foundation of Christianity. It began with a response to a pastor’s statement that the foundation of Christianity is not the Bible but is Jesus. Some people were deeply concerned about this statement. What is the foundation of Christianity? Jesus or the Bible? In terms of the Bible, … Read More “What is the Foundation of Christianity?” »
A devotion based on 2 Peter 1:16. Peter came from humble beginnings as a fisherman from Galilee. He was called from his nets by Jesus and eventually became a part of Jesus’ inner circle. Despite a record of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, Peter became one of the most important leaders in … Read More “Devotions: 2 Peter” »
The uniqueness of Christianity One of the most common claims is that all religions are the same. This is incredibly false. Each religion has its own claim to being unique. Here are five ways in which Christianity is unique. 1. Christianity is falsifiable. Did the Buddha achieve enlightenment? Did Muhammed receive revelations from Gabriel? Even … Read More “5 Ways That Christianity is Unique” »
It is very popular for Christians to deny that Christianity is a religion. They will say that religion is humanity seeking God and Christianity is God seeking humanity. They will say that religion is the way of death and Christianity is the way of life. Christianity is a relationship and not a religion. That is … Read More “Is Christianity a Religion?” »
I am a Christian. But I was not always a Christian. I grew up in the church but I did not have a personal faith. In my mid-teens I left the church and became an atheist. In my early twenties I became a theist. A few years later I became a Christian. Why do I … Read More “7 Reasons Why I Believe Christianity is True” »
In my spiritual journey I went from being a nominal Christian to an atheist to a theist to a Christian. For this post, I want to focus on the time that I was a theist. Even though I had regained faith in God, I did not want to become a Christian. In no way am … Read More “5 Reasons I Didn’t Want to Become a Christian” »
Is Christianity a religion? I hear a lot of push back on this idea. I hear about the end of religion. I hear that Christianity is a relationship and not a religion. I hear that religion is what happens when you take Jesus out of Christianity. The basic message is that religion is bad and … Read More “Jesus, Religion and Fighting Over Words” »
I have been in ongoing discussions with people about the identity of the God of Christians and the God of Muslims. I argue that Christians and Muslims believe in the same God. I must make it very clear: I am NOT advocating Chrislam. Chrislam is the blending of the religions, seeing them as basically the … Read More “God, Allah and Barack Obama” »
I would like to encourage Christians, especially those interested in dealing with people of other beliefs, to read what others say about Christianity. Read religious studies descriptions of Christianity. Read what atheists, Jews, Muslims, etc. say about Christianity. If you do, you might find that they attribute beliefs or interpretations that you would never take … Read More “Advice to Christians” »
It is important for Christians to understand our Jewish heritage. It is equally important for us to understand our Greek heritage. There is a reason why the New Testament was written in Greek. Even Judaism was greatly influenced by Greek culture (the word synagogue is Greek!). John Mark Reynolds does an excellent job of presenting … Read More “When Athens Met Jerusalem” »
