Thoughts on ethics, society, politics, religion, philosophy, theology, and everything in between
I was at a funeral for a departed Christian friend, listening to a number of different speakers giving their reflections upon her life and what her experience would be after her death. One speaker declared that, even though she was dead, we know that right now she is dancing in the streets of heaven. Another … Read more
What is salvation? Many Christians would answer that salvation means going to heaven when you die and having eternal life. These certainly are important aspects of Christian salvation. However, this answer represents an impoverished and shrunken understanding of salvation that misses important aspects of what Christian salvation means. A careful study of the concept of … Read more
Should Christians support Israel? Since the founding of the modern nation of Israel in 1948, this has been a contested question in Christian circles. Christian attitudes toward Israel and the Jewish people have ranged from Zionism, which sees supporting the modern state of Israel as a Christian duty, to, on the other end of the … Read more
There is a widespread belief that God is wrathful rather than loving in the Old Testament, and loving rather than wrathful in the New Testament. Many Christians will even speak of “the God of the Old Testament” and “the God of the New Testament,” and wonder how we can reconcile these two apparently different Gods. … Read more
The story of Queen Vashti (Esther 1) teaches us that women should not parade themselves in front of men who do not respect them. The story of Ham dishonoring his father Noah (Gen 9:18-29) teaches us that it is wrong to dishonor our parents. The story of David and Bathsheba (2 Sam 11) teaches us … Read more
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
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
“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