For a reason I cannot explain (I only ever watched the film once), I vividly remember ardent Angels’ fan Roger Bomman gazing into the heavens and asking God for victory for his team on the baseball diamond. He concluded his prayer with the words: “Amen… (then with a shrug) or A-woman.” Watching as a middle …
“I will not be celebrating Thanksgiving this year. Quite simply, there is nothing in 2020 deserving of my gratitude.” So, honest confession – I haven’t heard anyone utter these exact words; but the myriad of negative denouncements I have heard stirred with more than a spoonful of myopic lament has led me to conclude that …
I Will Not Be Celebrating Thanksgiving this Year Read More »
“If I am gonna’ watch church in an overflow room I might as well just watch church from home…” It’s going to happen. The moment will come, most likely this weekend, where someone – or perhaps multiple someones – utter just such a phrase. I get it. I understand. Truly, I do. But the logic …
Today is Palm Sunday. Nearly 20 centuries ago Jesus, astride a colt, rode through the gates of Jerusalem. The people of the surrounding region laid before Him palm branches and chanted the refrain: “Hosanna in the highest!” The branches were a sign of victory; the proclamation a petition for salvation. It was a celebratory and …
This is a legit question and one that followers of Christ, based on the writings of Peter and the testimony of the Apostles’ Creed, have been asking for centuries. Did Jesus descend into hell? Was this descent between His death and resurrection? What did he accomplish in this time? The answer to this question is …
“Should we listen to or sing the songs of bands with porous theology?” It’s a legitimate question and one that came to me, in similar form, this past week. From the dancing Israelites on the eastern shore of the Red Sea in the fifteenth chapter of Exodus, I had drawn lessons on worship for the …
From my college days, as an immature and overly-zealous theologian, to the beginning of 2018, entrenched as the Teaching Pastor of BLDG 28, my favorite book of the Bible was Paul’s letter to the Romans. As an unabashedly Reformed fellow, how could it not be? But as the weight of betrayal and the darkness of …
This question isn’t new. Since I entered the realm of apologetics and theological studies in my late teens I have been confronted with it many times. Often the inquiry has been little more than an embittered accusation of cosmic barbarism. But recently, particularly as our church has gone through the book of Judges, the query …
Why is the Old Testament so Horrifically Violent? Read More »
Frequently I receive questions from those seeking out truth. Last week I received the following query from a young pastor… “The one thing I cannot wrap my head around is the idea that God only loves some. I feel like I love people more than that and that confuses me. How would you explain this …
The absurdity of God loving some people and not others Read More »
I hope you’ll understand my reason for penning this post with the grit, brutality, and rank candor that I employ. While a sensitive issue, this is not an issue that we can afford to tip-toe around. Children are being slaughtered and the church must be bold and brave to speak up. I only hope that …
Blessing or Barbarism? An Answer to the Issue of Abortion Read More »