I Suffer, Therefore I Am

Thinking about human suffering is like trying to ride a bull. Most efforts are short-lived and you can wind up getting the faith kicked out of you.
I’ve wrestled with the anomaly of a good God and a bad world for most of my adult life. I’ve had insights that have caused me to reject certain [...]

Native Tongue

Did you go to church this weekend or practice any other spiritual disciplines such as prayer, meditation or reading from a sacred text? If so, you weren’t alone. Based on extensive surveys the Encyclopedia Britannica estimates that only about 12% of Earth’s population is non-religious (with 2.3% being outright atheists). This means 88% of us [...]

Faith and Doubt

If you picture God as a powerful magnet the poles would be faith and doubt. Between them they create an invisible force field that affects people differently. Some are oblivious to the tension while others are drawn off balance one way or the other depending on which pole they are closer to.
There is no [...]

Stage Mom or Jedi Mentor?

One thing that tripped up my walk of faith the last few years has been a dearth of experiencing God in daily life (see Jehovah’s Bystander). The spiritual realm flattened into a dark, silence place. Prayers became monologues. Faith, hope and love shriveled into a brittle bunch of dehydrated flowers.
In retrospect, part of the problem [...]

How Dare You!

Questioning the orthodox position on morally dubious doctrines like hell is unsettling to some and heresy to others but it is a spiritually honorable practice. The OT prophets did it for a living and paid the price. Jesus did it concerning core concepts of Judaism like holiness (Mark 7:1-23) and election (John 10:14-16) and we [...]

Hell of a Problem

My Christian friends are going to be troubled by a page I just posted on the doctrine of hell. Most believers who emphasize the amazing grace, love and forgiveness of God ignore the fact that these attributes are actually conditional. What negates them are death and the judgment that follows, i.e. hell.
HELL IS:
the Great Condition [...]

Questions Worth Asking

Susan and I recently visited Colorado Community Church with our son and daughter-in-law. The preacher was starting a series on Nehemiah and he ended his talk by asking two questions based on the first chapter: “What breaks your heart?” and “Who are your people?”
 
For my answer to the last question, see the page called My [...]

No Mulligans

In golf, a mulligan is when you hit an errant tee shot and get a do-over. Mulligans are against the rules of the game but they are often allowed in friendly contests. In some charity golf tournaments mulligans are even sold to raise money.
 
The game of life isn’t a charity event. Mulligans are strictly prohibited. [...]