“Every once in a while in the Samson story up pops a reminder of the fact that Samson is God’s man, set apart for God’s work, and it is God who is overruling the course of Samson’s actions and experience.  It is this part of the Samson story that gives us hope.  We too live... Continue Reading

“The Maker has wired music into the fabric of every soul, even those of us who are not especially musical by nature. It’s not just another way people artistically experience and express their gratitude and awe to God — like painting or journaling or fishing or serving. Throughout the Bible, God’s people — saved by... Continue Reading

There are dozens of questions like this in the book, each one answered with biblical insights and with good sense. I can’t imagine any Christian not being helped by this book. Adam and Ron are clear about the Bible’s prohibition of homosexual activity. They are informed on the latest scholarship. They are discerning when it... Continue Reading

In one section of his book, The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, Thomas Brooks gives some biblical examples of what it means to be weak in faith: those weak in faith have a fair amount of worldliness in their hearts, they fret and worry excessively about troubles and trials, they often think more of their sin... Continue Reading

“Many caregivers report feeling abandoned by their church families.  Once they are unable to get to church on Sunday, they can feel forgotten.  One pastor noted, “Sometimes I think the church has an Alzheimer’s of it’s own,” referring to our tendency to forget those who are no longer present on Sunday.  Many caregivers long for... Continue Reading

Christians have always confessed that Christ is divine – not a being less than or subordinate to God, but God himself.  Heretics in the early church fought against this doctrine; modern-day cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses still rail against it.  But the deity of Christ is one of the fundamental truths of biblical religion.  Jaroslav Pelikan... Continue Reading

“Godly thinking leads to action, and Witmer outlines practical ways this happens. One is simply that we should express our admiration to others. But there is also a dark side to admiration that he addresses here as well. Witmer warns of the weed of covetousness, and points to the seed of contentment to replace it.... Continue Reading

“Sometimes we know exactly why we are in a trial. We knew we were sinning all along, and we were just hoping it wouldn’t catch up with us. It’s just a matter of paying the consequences for our actions. But other times, we may be the victims. There may not be a particular offense that... Continue Reading

There is absolutely zero evidence from early Christianity that Jesus was married.  Not a single historical source anywhere tells us such a thing. The closest any source comes to doing so is a fragmented portion of the third-century Gospel of Philip where we are told that Jesus kissed Mary “on the…”, but the text is... Continue Reading

So what should we make of this book generally and the trajectory of Rob Bell’s ministry specifically? Are we just shortsighted, unable to see how this book is really a super-missional missive written from the frontlines to dislodge comfy Christians entrenched in the church? I don’t think so. There’s no bad news in zimzum, so no... Continue Reading