The year was 165 AD. Marcus Aurelius was emperor in Rome. A devastating epidemic swept through the empire. Some medical historians suspect it was the first appearance of smallpox in the West. Regardless of the actual disease, it was lethal. During the fifteen year duration of the epidemic, between a quarter and a third of the empire’s population…
Read More
Suffering often leaves us wondering, “how is this all going to work out?” Suffering creates a sense of chaos; like the puzzle pieces aren’t fitting together. Elisabeth Elliot relays an amusing story that’s helpful for us. Apparently, her husband Jim was quite the handyman. He had the ability to build many things from scratch. Elisabeth…
Read More
“Glory.” It’s not a word we can define quickly or easily. We know God is glorious (Ps. 106:20; Jer. 2:13). We know we’re supposed to “glorify” God (Ps. 69:30). But what does it mean? Theologians have debated this for centuries, but one of the best directions to move in is consider what glory literally means: “weight.” When something is “weighty” it’s…
Read More
In my last post, I contend that a God who is infinitely more powerful than me would also be infinitely more knowledgeable than me. So if God is infinitely knowledgeable, why couldn’t he have morally sufficient reasons for allowing evil that I can’t think of? Just because I can’t think of any, doesn’t mean an infinitely knowledgeable…
Read More
A truly good God would not want evil to exist.An all-powerful God would not allow evil to exist. Evil exists. Therefore, a God who is both good and powerful cannot exist. So goes the logic. But there is a hidden premise buried inside the argument. The premise is: God does not have any good reasons to allow…
Read More
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.” – Psalm 24:1 I realize what all the advertisements say. They say, “Spend this on yourself because you owe it to yourself; you’ve earned it.” Have you ever noticed this about marketing? “You’ve earned it; you owe it to yourself…
Read More
As a Christian, I have more in common with brothers and sisters in Christ in other countries than I do with non-believing citizens of the U.S. If you’ve never traveled internationally and spent time with believers in other countries, this may be difficult to grasp. If you have been blessed to experience this, then you…
Read More
Biblical Christianity is the one true religion. Some may react negatively to that statement, so let’s all think together about a few objections to it and what might be said in response. “All religions are equally valid and basically teach the same thing.” Are we really willing to agree religions requiring child sacrifice are equally valid to…
Read More
Satan operates under a premise: you will be loyal to God only if He blesses you. Read it… “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are…
Read More
“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15 “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” – John 14:21 “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” – John 14:23 On and on it goes. The repetition of this idea that love for Jesus is expressed through obedience makes…
Read More