Today, May 23, 2023, I saw two articles on the Internet concerning the decline of religion (especially Christianity) in the US. The first article reports the results of the General Social Survey, the University of Chicago’s research group NORC, the Pew Research Center, Public Religion Research Institute, and a 2022… Continue reading
Why has the church today gone on the defensive behind the walls of its fortresses protecting its complacent members?
What “weapons” can the church use in its assault on the very gates of hell? Continue reading
Jesus’ teachings often came in the form of parables. He no doubt shared these parables with his hearers on many occasions and perhaps in different contexts. Often the original context(s) of a particular parable has been lost in the mists of yesteryear. The Gospel writers try to place parables within… Continue reading
Authentic doxology is experienced only by those who are lost in love, wonder, thanksgiving, and praise. Too many in our culture are lost in fear, boredom, selfishness, and cynicism. Continue reading
I lament both the lack of knowledge about the Bible in our culture and the various ways in which it is misused within so many churches and in secular society. On one side, we have fundamentalist Christians who insist on the inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible. On the opposite… Continue reading
All her life she had heard that homosexuals could not be saved and were destined for hell unless they repented and allowed God to change them. She had heard such a message from preachers, tv evangelists, friends, and other Christians. And it broke her heart to think that the grandson she so loved was burning in hell because he was gay. Continue reading
In the past few months, I have discovered the value of YouTube for my continuing theological journey. Much to my surprise I found many lectures, interviews, and panel discussions featuring some of the greatest theologians and philosophers of our time. These presentations offer succinct and profound wisdom. I was shocked… Continue reading
(14 minutes) Part Two of this series entitled “You Can’t Go Home Again” ended with the suggestion that Christians should best be envisioned as pilgrims rather than wanderers. Pilgrims are on the move toward a goal. They are not homesteaders, but they do have a destination. If our primary calling… Continue reading
(11 minutes) In part one of this series, we looked at the universal experience of how difficult it is for us to return to our original “homes” after having been absent for some time. We have changed and so have the people of our hometown, but too often we have… Continue reading
(7 minutes) In Thomas Wolfe’s novel You Can’t Go Home Again, author George Webber experiences the painful truth that it’s impossible to return to his hometown and feel “at home.” He has changed, but for the most part, his family and childhood friends are virtually the same. Many of us… Continue reading
