The standard Christian response to the question "What is the Bible?" is that the Bible is the Word of God. In other words, the Bible is not just a story about God, its very words and message were inspired by God. The problems begin when you ask us to be more specific. Some will tell … Continue reading Book Review: Who Wrote the Bible? by Richard Friedman
"Did God really say?" is a famous question -- it is the first question asked in the Bible. It is also an infamous question -- it was asked by the Serpent, who represents the deceiver in the Bible. Satan, if you like. With this seemingly well meaning question, the devil threaded the needle that would … Continue reading Learning to ask “Did God really say?” again.
I regularly listen to Pete Enns and Jared Byas' podcast The Bible for Normal People. The two hosts have carved out a helpful niche focusing on why Christians need to put off their overly mystical lenses when approaching the Bible. They acknowledge the difficulties that many Christians encounter when reading they Bible, and they do their best … Continue reading Book Review: How the Bible Actually Works
The book of Esther is famous for being the only book of the Bible that does not mention God. Where is God in Esther? Is He just working "behind the scenes", inferred and "providential", rather than explicit? And is the God of Esther the God of the gospel that we believe in as Christians? I … Continue reading Where is God in Esther?
I am currently reading one of those books that people read in secret. You know, those books that would make us look bad and weak and inadequate if people saw them on our shelves? The title of the book does little to help my ego: How to Win Friends and Influence People. You are probably already drawing inferences about … Continue reading In Defense of Self Esteem and Other Self-Help Needs
I came across this interesting comic on the web (below). A teacher gave her students the following assignment: What is the "Golden Rule" and its source? The answers she got from her students are quite telling. In fact, many atheists use this example to illustrate why they think the Bible is not the Word of God but … Continue reading Is the Bible a Work of Plagiarism?
[By Julie Wang'ombe] Imagine its exam day at a university. Anyone who’s ever been a student, as I currently am, knows that in any class, there’s a ‘colorful’ range of students. The serious; the cavalier; the ‘brilliant without much effort” the “must work twice as hard to do half as well as the average person” … Continue reading When ‘good’ professors fail ‘good’ students and how it relates to Christianity.
Stories are powerful. Unfortunately, that is not a logical conclusion. That's just how stories are. Like music, we don't have to understand the physiology of stories on our brains to declare their power. Stories don't try to convince you, argue with you, reason with you. Good stories don't tell you, they simply show you. They … Continue reading The Powerful Weakness of Stories
There are many reasons to applaud expository preaching. But one reason speaks the loudest to me: The person of God is more important than the personality of the preacher. We are living in the age of sensationalism. There are simply too many competing voices and Christian teachers feel the need to be relevant, creative, catchy … Continue reading Thus Says the LORD!
He stumbles into my courtyard. His hands tightly bound at the wrists in leather straps. His hair is an entangled mess of blood and sweat, yet there seems to be no scratch or cut on his face. I wonder wonder whose blood that is, or where it came from. His knees are buckling with exhaustion. … Continue reading The Truth! Do You Know Him?
It has come to my attention that my last review of Mavuno Church's ongoing series, The Sex Files: Living in an R-Rated World came off to many people as being predominantly [and therefore unfairly] negative. It appeared as if I was out to pick out all the flaws in the sermon and ignore all the … Continue reading Sanctify Them by Your Truth, Father. [“The Sex Files”]
Perhaps you have used the word before, and quite often for that matter. "That's not even biblical", "Give me a biblical basis for your argument", "Is the word biblical in the Bible?" I can't help but wonder, what do Christians mean when they use that word, biblical? I know the form of the word itself … Continue reading Is That Biblical? What Does “Biblical” Even Mean?
It seems that with so much distortion of the Gospel upon our own pulpits, we are faced with a new scenario of having to revisit the Gospel message with people we would rather assume (rather than confirm) are fellow Christians. How does one discuss the Gospel message with a fellow believer without coming off as … Continue reading A Call to Reform our Pulpits – The Gospel Revisited
Alien Citizen 