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“Christian cruelty in the face of Covid!” 5 ways to detect how the media messes with the truth
We are so used to fake news we usually simply sigh and move on. But every once in a while, the “news” is so egregious and the manipulation of the truth so blatant, that it’s worth sharpening our critical thinking to see exactly how logic and reason are being flayed and boiled in oil. Atlantic Monthly writers offer in-depth reporting that I often appreciate. But they jumped the shark when they published a piece by former evangelical Jonathan Merritt: Some of the Most Visible Christians in America Are Failing the Coronavirus Test: In place of love, they’re offering stark self-righteous judgment (April 23, 2020). Here is a simple summary of…
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Teaching Tip #4
God’s amazing grace is the heart of the Gospel message. From Genesis to Revelation grace weaves its way through every book of the Bible. Every time we see God act, we are viewing a glimpse of His amazing grace. What greater gift can we give our children than to guide them to accept God’s grace, let it empower them to overcome sinful habits, and teach them how to live out of the grace they have received becoming generous givers of grace. Grace giving or receiving does not come naturally to the human heart. Parents are inclined to teach better conduct by keeping and enforcing rules, rather than teaching a need…
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Six Words to Guide You in Difficult Adult Relationships
One day when I was analyzing a difficult adult relationship, a thought occurred to me, “I need to get rid of the ‘prove words’ concerning this relationship. These ‘prove words’ are adding fuel to this flagrant relationship.” I sensed I needed to be free of letting these six words rule this relationship. These six words are: Prove. Approve. Disapprove. Improve. Disprove. Reprove.[1] Prove.To test the worth or quality of. I needed to be free of having to prove to this person that I am worthy of her respect and honor. I can never prove myself to another. I already have approval of the One…
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The Clarity of Death
“It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart” (Ecclesiastes 7:2). My father died recently. He was always sharp, quick with a pun or a play on words, an accountant by trade who worked until he was seventy-seven years old. He was a student of the Bible for almost sixty years. He did a lot of reading, writing, and “sparring” (personal debating) over the years, quoting folks like Barnhouse and Spurgeon in the process. But dementia overtook him these last few years. He could no longer…
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Rebellion and Exponential Evil
“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment, and if he did not spare the ancient world, but did protect Noah, a herald of righteousness, along with seven others, when God brought a flood on an ungodly world, and if he turned to ashes the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah when he condemned them to destruction, having appointed them to serve as an example to future generations of the ungodly, and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless men, (for while…
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Evil is Triumphing over Good, God Will You Do Nothing?
“These are dangerous times, and the threat of war is greater now than at any time since the end of the Cold War, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate Armed Services Committee… (2)
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Things Are Feeling a Little um…Apocalyptic Lately: Is this God’s judgment?
Like an opening fanfare we experienced a total eclipse of the sun. As a native Houstonian living in Columbia, South Carolina, we've been writing checks and sending Facebook touches to Harvey-flooded friends back home and lashed down our deck furniture in anticipation of Irma. What are the odds that two of the worst hurricanes in American history would hit back to back? And then there’s Maria coming right behind… Friends who were headed to Montana cancelled. Montana is choking on the smoke from fires that have burned over 1,000,000 acres this summer. The schools in Olympia, Washington, where my cousins live, have cancelled sporting events because of the smoke…
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6/26/2015: Supreme Mistake
As we approach the second anniversary of a date which will live in infamy, the Supreme Court’s ruling on homosexual “marriage” in Obergefell v. Hodges, I thought it important to remind Christians, so as to keep them awake and vigilant in our culture war. The Roe v. Wade anniversary is often marked by a March for Life. Let us also mark this day as, at the very least, a day of prayer for our wayward nation which has, thus far, bound itself to self-destruction. I do not advocate violence, but vigilance. And even as we warn the unbelieving culture to “repent and turn back so that your sins may be…
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A False god to Bring You Comfort in “The Shack” (“The Shack” Review, part 2)
“True worship must worship God as He exists, not as we wish Him to be. The essence of idolatry is the making of images of God. An image is a shadow, a false representation. We may not bow before a statue or a figure, but if we make an image of god in our mind that is not in accord with God’s revelation of himself, then we are not worshipping in truth….” writes James R. White. “If we love Him and worship Him as He deserves, we will not dare to ‘edit’ Him to fit our desires.”[1] “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew…
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“The Shack”, a Review, part 1
“Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones…” (2 Peter 2:10).[1] “Mack turned and faced him, shaking his head. ‘Am I supposed to believe that God is a big black woman with a questionable sense of humor?’ Jesus laughed, ‘She’s a riot!’” – Excerpt from The Shack, by William Paul Young.[2] The long awaited movie version of the novel The Shack, by William Paul Young, is finally released. According to the book’s front cover, The Shack has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Wikipedia lists it as a “Christian novel”, and one that has made the New York Times best seller list. Well known people, including…
