Brent Cunningham » 2007» September

Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God? September 30, 2007

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Here’s an article from one of my mentors from Denver Seminary, Doug Groothuis. In the article, “Do Christians and Muslims Worship the Same God?”, Groothuis offers a concise answer to this most intriguing question on the suggested unity of belief shared by Christians and Muslims.
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Muslims and Christians both worship one God, and many would argue that they are the same God. Are they?

Muslims and Christians: How to Get Along?
They both believe in one personal and transcendent God who has sent his prophets into the world. They both believe in sacred writings that record the prophetic revelations. They both believe that Jesus was a prophet who was sinless and born of a virgin. And they both worship with these beliefs firmly in place. We are speaking of Muslims and Christians, whose members comprise the two largest monotheistic religions in the world. (more…)

Is Karma reasonable or biblical? September 27, 2007

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Someone recently asked me about the eastern teaching on karma. Specifically, he wondered if it was consistent with a biblical worldview and if it was rationally defensible. For most of us the concept of karma is not completely foreign. I remarked to a friend of mine about the rising popularity of the idea of karma here in the west when, about a year or so ago, a new comedy aired on TV called, “My Name’s Earl.” The show portrays a typical American redneck who comes to believe and trust in the law of karma. However, in the show, the main character’s karmic actions are seen within his lifetime, even within a matter of days. (more…)

C. S. Lewis Foundation: Conference in Boulder (Fri/Sat, Oct 5&6, 2007) September 26, 2007

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“The Crisis of the University:
Freedom, Tolerance, and the Pursuit of Truth”

a National Faculty Forum at the University of Colorado, Boulder

October 5-6, 2007 (more…)

“Lead Like Jesus” Leadership Simulcast (FRI, OCT 19, 9:30am—3:30pm) September 24, 2007
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The Leadership Revolution Simulcast Event will be hosted by Ken Blanchard and Erwin McManus on Friday, October 19, 2007 from 9:30am—3:30pm.

Other featured speakers/authors will include Patrick Lencioni, Laurie Beth Jones, Rosey Grier, John and Nancy Ortberg, Bill Pollard, Margie Blanchard, Phil Hodges, and Phillis Hendry. (more…)

Why are some Christians afraid of psychological help? September 20, 2007
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I spoke to someone who has several years been resisting both the medical and psychological help suggested to her by trained doctors and counselors. She explained that her struggle with accepting these forms of treatment lies in her belief that if she were truly a Christian then she wouldn’t need them. She felt as though it would reflect a lack of faith to allow medicine and/or psychoanalysis to treat her. And so she feels guilty. Should she feel this way? What is a Christian perspective on these issues?

(more…)

How could God judge a good unbeliever? September 12, 2007
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Someone recently asked me, “How could God judge all unbelievers (e.g., atheists) when so many of them are good, moral people? Would God really be so picky as to care nothing about living honest and compassionate lives and eternally judge a person simply because he or she got some ‘details’ about God wrong?” I would certainly agree that many atheists live ethical lives, caring a great deal about personal and social morality. And I would suggest that while the God of the Bible will judge all people based upon their relationship to Jesus, He will neither dismiss the moral actions of unbelievers, nor disqualify someone based upon a “technical” intellectual mistake. (more…)

Making sense of natural evil September 8, 2007
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A previous post looked at the nature of evil (“Did God create evil?”). And the focus was moral evil—evil which comes as a result of the evil acts of moral beings. As a follow-up, someone asked not about moral evil, but natural evil. “Why would God let a lot of terrible things happen that are not results of any person’s free will, like natural disasters and diseases? It seems He could prevent things events like the Tsunami that killed 300,000 people without depriving us of our free will and its consequences.” (more…)

Why only Jesus can measure temptation September 2, 2007
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Someone recently asked me a question about Jesus’ experience with temptation. She was wondering in what sense, if any, were Jesus’ temptations worse (deeper and stronger) than our own. Did he really know what it was like to go through the whole range of feelings and pressures in resisting the temptation to sin? I’d like to suggest that Jesus not only experienced temptation as we do, but that he actually went through a temptation at a deeper level than anyone else has ever known. (more…)