Grace and Legalism: Two Misunderstood Terms
As with most bad definitions, these distortions have an element of truth at their core, but they over-simplify and distort the larger reality
Obedience to God’s law is not legalism. Obedience to God’s law in an effort to earn favor from God is legalism. Obedience to God’s law in an effort to pile up enough merit to outweigh our demerits is legalism. But a grace-empowered obedience of God’s law is not legalism. What’s the difference? It’s the difference... Continue Reading
Why Does American Religion Increasingly Look So Weird?
A Review of Ross Douthat’s Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics
Douthat argues that two strategies were open to the mainline churches—“accommodation” and “resistance.” Many in both mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic circles sought to accommodate themselves and their churches to the new spirit of the age with naturalistic, political, this-worldly forms of Christianity. But this effort at accommodation largely failed in that there was no... Continue Reading
Feminist Leaders Compared to Religious Right Leaders
Did Feminist Icons "Have it all?"
Somewhere along the way, feminism lost its way, and power became the “be all and end all.” The movement forgot that “having it all” included the personal dimension. Life is not just profession and career. Success is not measured just in paycheck, power, and status. Feminism has lost sight of what it is that women... Continue Reading
Dead is Dead
Without death Easter celebrates a comeback, not a miracle.
Without a realization of Jesus’ death Easter celebrates the unexpected rather than the impossible. Without a real death there isn’t a real resurrection. Without a real resurrection there isn’t a real point in being a Christian—no hope, no future, no perfect new creation. So Jesus’ death matters. It cannot be underplayed and can scarcely be... Continue Reading
Read the Fine Print Before Supporting “Marriage Equality”
Here are just a few of the implications of legally redefining marriage.
Supporting same-sex marriage is saying the law should enforce a new “norm” on how marriage is defined. The law should lead society to adopt this new norm and question anyone who opposes it. In light of the new definition of marriage enshrined in law, those who believe marriage is for a man and woman, with... Continue Reading
Young Adults Lag In Wealth Building
Is the answer to spend more money on programs that benefit children and youth?
Sometimes I wonder what makes reasonable people think that more government action and intervention is the solution to a problem precipitated by government intervention in the economy. I don’t get it. If wealth-building is a problem doesn’t it seem that wealth creation should be the solution? What would happen in we realized that the way... Continue Reading
New England: New Research and Analysis on America’s Least Religious Region
In our lifetime, the South has always been seen as the Bible Belt; New England and the Northwest have been less religious regions.
Every year, Gallup releases a study on the religiosity of America broken down by states (you can see my thoughts on last year’s report here). In recent decades a trend has emerged in the location of the most religious and least religious states. As one might expect, the most religious states are in the South... Continue Reading
From a Symbol of Fear to a Symbol of Faith
We know Jesus was put to death on a Roman cross, but what was it about His death that transformed this symbol of horror into a symbol of hope?
Think on this. Let it sink in. Christ suffered and died on the cross because of sin. Your sin. My sin. Since the fall, sin has been the problem in the world. We do not think much of sin in our day and age. We are beyond such things. Sin is an “old-fashioned” and outdated... Continue Reading
Weeping with those who weep
Despite the number of people affected by suicide, few churches have counseling or grief ministries specifically for survivors
Robert Cheong, the lead counseling pastor of Sojourn Church in Lousville, Ky., said his ministry looks to care for suicide survivors with the gospel much in the same way it cares for anyone who loses a loved one. With a suicide survivor, he tries to address any shame or stigma associated with suicide and answer... Continue Reading
Biblical Support for Christ’s Deity
Indeed, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, is the eternal Son of God who is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
In his excellent book, Without a Doubt, Ken Samples provides a brief list of Scripture texts which attest to the deity of Jesus Christ. This list, as Ken notes, is incomplete, but it is a good start. Here are some texts you may want to study for the next time you encounter a proponent of... Continue Reading