Everything listed under: ChristianLife

Is it news to you that a growing number of Christians are supporting the idea of a personal religious experience over and above what the Bible says about spirituality? Does it matter to you to know that personal experience is more important to them than developing a sense of community with others? To me, this is part of biblical Christianity's road to irrelevance.

Five days ago Sandi discovered her husband had a first-time, recent affair. Yesterday she took her children and moved back to her home state where her family lives. She has no intention of ever reconciling with her husband or giving him another chance.

It is so very hard to imagine standing before God at the end of time and accounting for my every mistake, fault and wrong doing during the full course of my life. And that, in front of every created being, be it angels or humans. And that, in the light of the possibility that all will possess a photographic (perfect) memory to be retained for eternity.

The changing beauty and power of nature, the mystery of miracles, the pure innocence of an infant, inescapable death and the unmatched character of God, how could any person deny the existence of a higher power or not care about spiritual life? In my opinion, God has given us sure evidence of His life, yet He has also built into life possible explanations that could lead a person to conclude He doesn't exist. Thus, everyone has an equal starting position of being on a fence where the heart is fr...

In 1996, Evertt L. Worthington's mother was brutally raped and murdered in her home. That horrific event tested his beliefs, teachings, writings and research about forgiveness that began in the early 90's.

The not always liberal Time magazine (April 16, 2012) published a thought-provoking article by a Christian man, Jon Meacham, entitled, "Heaven Can't Wait" with the subtitle, "Why rethinking the hereafter could make the world a better place." The article contrasts a traditional view of heaven, which many Christians hold, with one that is not well understood, but well supported by Scripture. The author poses this question: "What if Christianity is not about enduring this sinful, fallen world in se...

Much of what I have written concerning forgiveness is about the morality of it--the rightness of doing it; when to and when not to. This is because I believe there is wide-spread heresy in the romantic and tempting belief that all Christians must forgive everyone for everything, whether or not the offender confesses or repents. (You can find more on this in my blogs and in my in depth article in our site's Shop, "Theologies That Wound: A Study of Biblical Forgiveness.") Therefore, today, I ...

"Hooray, your an extrovert" and "Too bad you're an introvert" is the general consensus of our American society and our Christian culture about these two personality traits. But things are changing. Both have their strengths and weaknesses.

Anyone who has a conscience (a sense of right and wrong) and has thought about it knows the power it can wield over feelings, thoughts and behavior for good or ill. It is one's personal sense of morality and developed primarily by an individual's knowledge, experience and beliefs. It is also formed by God in that "the Law is written in their hearts" (Romans 2:15).

Somewhat ironically, I sit here at my computer drinking a cup of iced, caffeinated coffee (no dairy). I guess that reveals my general take on the use of this stimulant. Some claim coffee to be the most used mood-altering drug known to humans.

With the repeated Scriptural references and long-standing value to Christians and non-Christians alike, it is hard to imagine the universal and overwhelming frequency of people's failings to... L O V E ! Love's importance cannot be overestimated.

Jesus said, "'In the world you will have tribulation,'" (John 16:33) and "'Each day has enough trouble of its own'" (Matthew 6:34). Much to our displeasure, every life has its share of problems. We do our best to take care of them through prevention, remediation, and sometimes employing defense mechanisms.  Generally speaking, defense mechanisms (denial, suppression, projection, reaction formation, sublimation, some laughter, etc.) are necessary, especially early in life when children are n...

It would be highly uncommon for a person to rejoice about feeling anxious. More true to nature, it feels disruptive, intrusive, irritating and even maddening and depressing, depending on its strength. The majority of Christians believe it is morally wrong to feel anxious about anything as suggested by the poor English translation of Philippians 4:6, "Be anxious for nothing." That, of course, leads many to wrongly confess their lack of faith in God to take care of them.

How many commandments do we need? Aren't ten enough? Apparently not because Jesus gave us another.

Sometimes I listen to the O'Reilly Factor on Fox News. Today, I am borrowing the words he uses to start each show--"Caution, you are about to enter the no spin zone." In other words, what you about to read is not edited for your comfort, tamed for easy reading or spun so I will be liked. Without apology or reservation, this is the hard truth as I see it.  What most any Christian would tell you is people who are sincere about their faith do their very best to follow the example of Jesus Chri...

The fictional character was created in the 1939 short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. He is a rather timid protagonist with an overactive fantasy life who is ineffectual in his earthly life. The story resonated with people then, as it does today.

As a nation, America has its share of problems and imperfections, be it institutions or systems of justice, finance, politics, government, or religion. We can easily lose perspective on our standard of living when we compare ourselves with neighbors, celebrities, media’s view of the “good life,” and what we want and strive to own. Please read this sobering, brief article by Annalyn Censky retrieved from CNNMoney.com: The United States holds a disproportionate amount of the world's rich people.

Brene Brown, DSW eloquently spoke about The power of Vulnerability (20 minute video), which can be seen at TED.com. I found it to be an excellent presentation and the content challenging. Many initially think of being vulnerable as a sign of weakness, which leaves one open to physical and/or emotional harm, and that's how it is defined.

The title is a takeoff from Nicholas Carr's well-known 2008 article in The Atlantic magazine, Is Google Making Us Stupid? In reading his article online I experienced what he highlighted as a major problem with Internet use--loss of concentration, focus, short-term memory and deep thought. He stated he could only skim much of what he read, if the content was over a few paragraphs.

What we believe is critical to how we feel, what we decide, how we behave and our view of all of life. Consciously and unconsciously, from cradle to grave we introject others' beliefs and make them our own, and these from parents, teachers, siblings, friends, TV, radio, published writings, the Holy Spirit, and our own thoughts. Taking a moment to ponder this thought, it does not take long to imagine how many of our so called truths are not completely true and some are not true at all.

During the fine decades of my life there have been two connected sources of unparalleled comfort to me. The first is love found in family, a handful of friendships and that of a woman, my wife, Fran. The second great comfort in life is my relationship with God, specifically unconditional acceptance and love, and also with brothers and sisters of faith.

"God won't forgive me, if I don't always forgive others. Besides, I need to forgive so I can be released from anger." I have repeatedly heard these words from so many Christians, whether in person, in print or in a sermon. Only once have I heard that forgiveness is not absolutely unconditional, and that was from author Gary Chapman in a radio interview with Focus on the Family.

Richard Cecil, an Anglican clergyman in the 1700's and 1800's, aptly said, "The first step to knowledge is to know that we are ignorant." I would add, "and that we remain more ignorant than knowledgeable throughout our lives, despite whatever knowledge we have acquired."  The wisest man on earth, besides Jesus (who was also God), was Solomon who admitted to his own limitations in Ecclesiastes 7:23-24: "I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, 'I will be wise,' but it was far from me. ...