Do Atheists Really Believe in God?
Study shows atheists uncomfortable with the thought of daring God to hurt someone or something, despite professed unbelief in God
According to the skin-conductance tests, the atheists found asking God to harm them or others to be just as upsetting as religious folks did. The researchers also compared the reactions of the atheists when making statements like “I wish my parents were paralyzed” and “I dare God to paralyze my parents.” Atheists were, like believers,... Continue Reading
What to Do When You Can’t See Straight
When we can’t see our situation with clear spiritual vision then we tend to fixate on our earthly circumstances.
If you want to rejoice in the Lord always and not be anxious about anything then you need to see that the Lord is at hand. There is no better place to be reminded of how the Lord is at hand than through his word the Bible. If you feel like the Lord is not... Continue Reading
The War on Generosity
Several examples of recent restrictions on charitable giving
For more than 20 years, Glenn Richter has been collecting food from restaurants and synagogues to donate to the homeless and local soup kitchens. Not anymore. Last year, Nanny-in-Chief Michael Bloomberg banned restaurants from donating leftover food to shelters and soup kitchens. The excuse given by Bloomberg was that the health of the homeless was... Continue Reading
The Preachers’ Daughters Will Be Fine
Thoughts on the new reality show: Preachers' Daughters
Too often, preachers are portrayed as being either afraid of sin, surprised by it, or head-scratchingly befuddled when it appears. Not true. Having a preacher for your dad means having a father who understands that the root of all sin is our fallen hearts and that the remedy for all sin is the perfect work... Continue Reading
5 Hard Truths for Parents
Through parenting God searches your heart, humbles you, and softens you for His service
The biggest temptation we parents face, I think, is to consider our kids as our kids rather than God’s children. Don’t misunderstand me, when I look at my children, I think all the time, Wow, these are my kids, this is awesome. And yet I have to remind myself that they are God’s children more... Continue Reading
Getting history right: Responding to David Barton
Two professors respond to David Barton’s claim they made ‘mountains out of molehills’ in their critique of his research into Thomas Jefferson and his faith
The first order of a Christian scholar is not to present a polemic to help fight the culture war, but rather, the accurate presentation and careful analysis of all the facts, even if those facts show a person or event or theory in a less than favorable light. This is the third and final round... Continue Reading
Why Do We Recite the Apostle’s Creed?
It is a brief and summary form of the Christian faith
I’ll never forget the first time I worshiped in a Presbyterian church. I had been raised in independent Bible churches where it was a given that Christians believed the Bible, while Roman Catholics relied on tradition. We had “no creed but Christ.” You can imagine how I was taken aback when the Presbyterian faithful recited... Continue Reading
What is Fair?
The difference between “fair play” and “fair shares”
Wright and Rogers explain that in the “fair play” vision, inequalities are fair so long as the rules by which people compete for valued goods are fair. In this framework there are winners and losers. When losers lose, as long as the rules are the same, the first assumption cannot be that they lost because... Continue Reading
The Book of Ruth: More Than a Love Story
In providing for His people then, God was also providing for a future deliverer.
We do a great injustice to sacred Scripture by contenting ourselves with quaint stories and life lessons as if they were the prime products of our study of God’s word. The book of Ruth has undoubtedly received its fair share of undervaluation at this point. For example, the theme of marriage occupies much of the... Continue Reading
Living Well with More: Learning to Love (or at Least Accept) My Kids’ Stuff
Living with less stuff requires control, which is the first thing parents give up when we have children
My children and all of their stuff make my life necessarily complicated. Children bring with them more and more and more, of everything, from small plastic objects and reams of artwork to emotional intensity, germs, and joy. I have heard more than one grandparent say that they hesitate to wipe the sticky fingerprints off their... Continue Reading