Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
The Church “The church is herself a society. Her very existence, the fraternal relations of her members, their way of dealing with their differences and their needs are, or rather should be, a demonstration of what love means in social relations. This demonstration cannot be imposed directly into non-Christian society, for in the church it … Read more
Most modern Western Christians are enthusiastic about the idea of human rights. For who can deny that the modern idea of universal, inalienable human rights has brought about much good in the world? Despite some problems and ambiguities with the discourse of human rights, the concept of human rights has provided a common ethical discourse … Read more
One of the most influential moral and political ideas of the modern period has been the idea of human rights. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America declared, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain … Read more
Discipline in the Christian Community The church is the community of Jesus’s disciples. Every community is a group of people who gather around a set of shared values and/or goals. The values and goals of the church are proclaiming the gospel, being conformed to the image of Christ, and advancing God’s Kingdom. At the practical … Read more
Personal Relationship and Individualism Evangelicals emphasize that being a Christian means having a personal relationship with God. We define conversion to Christianity as “accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.” There is nothing wrong with this per se. There is certainly a sense in which the Christian’s relationship with God is personal. However, … Read more
If there is one thing people seem to agree upon in American society, it is that being inclusive and tolerant are good things, and being exclusive and intolerant are bad things. Labeling something inclusive and tolerant means that it is positive, healthy, and good, while labeling something as intolerant means that it is beyond the … Read more
“Do not judge,” said Jesus, “or you too will be judged” (Matt 7:1). For many American Christians, this saying of Jesus encompasses all that needs to be said about judging others in a nutshell. Instead of ever judging others, we should instead always show them tolerance, understanding, and grace. Instead of rebuking others for their … Read more
Is it Wrong to Judge Others? A very common ethical claim made in contemporary American culture is that it is wrong to judge others or to be judgmental. Instead of judging others, we are told, we should be accepting of people doing whatever they sincerely believe is right. We should want other people to be … Read more
For most American Christians today, the idea that the church and those in positions of church leadership have real authority over the lives of individual Christians has to a large extent been forgotten. If, as many Christians think, Christianity is about having a personal, individual relationship with Jesus, then the idea of the church having … Read more
One of the major principles of Protestantism is sola scriptura, that is, “Scripture alone.”[1]The other two Protestant solas are sola fide (“faith alone”) and sola gratia (“grace alone”). Many Protestants take this to mean that we can safely ignore and discard all church tradition. After all, if Scripture “alone” is our theological authority, then doesn’t … Read more