How should Christians view Halloween and Christmas? October 30, 2007
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The question of how Christians should respond to particular holidays is nothing new to the 21st century American Church. Even the Apostle Paul had to bring balance to the struggles of how the early church responded to “religious festival[s]”, “New Moon celebration[s]”, and “Sabbath day[s]” (Col 2:16). So, with Halloween being tomorrow, and the perpetual nature of the issue, I thought I’d post a brief article which first appeared in the Ask Hank column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 28, number 5 (2005).
Note: see additional link at the end. (more…)
A tool you shouldn’t be without! October 29, 2007
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In Romans 12:1-2 the Apostle Paul tells us that the locus of spiritual transformation (looking more like Jesus) is found in the process of renewing our minds. He further presses the point that this mind renewal is an act of spiritual worship to our God. So, we see here that thinking well (or thinking biblically) is not optional for the follower of Jesus. Rather, it’s the skeleton key to Christian life-change. (more…)
Does it matter that the word “Trinity” never appears in the Bible? October 23, 2007
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Last Sunday in the Core Christian Doctrines class we explored the biblical teaching about our triune God (the Trinity). One issue we briefly brought up was the validity of explicit vs. implicit teachings from the Bible. That is, though the Bible never uses the word “Trinity,” are the concepts which make up the doctrine clearly taught there? So to stumble across an article by Ron Rhodes on this very topic was quite timely. Rhodes has written quite a few books which offer a fantastic survey of biblical teaching in response to various religious groups (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, etc.). Rhodes’ article on the biblical support for Trinitarian belief appeared last year in the Christian Research Journal (Vol. 29, No. 1). Let me know what you think about it. (more…)
Can you experience God without good theology? October 13, 2007
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I originally posted this back in May. However, since tomorrow Dr. Matt Hickey and I will begin a new 6-week class at Timberline called “Core Christian Doctrines,” I thought this would be a very appropriate issue to revisit. In the class we’ll be “attempting” to walk through the entire history of God’s story in six short weeks. We’ll be looking at the story in four parts or chapters—Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. Obviously, we’ll only be able to scratch the surface. Nonetheless, it’ll be a fun survey—though probably at neck break speeds!
Is “theology” a dirty word?
While “theology” may not yet be a dirty word in modern Christian circles, it is at least thought to be archaic and obsolete. The word itself means “the study of God.” But we think that it sounds so distant and removed from the experience of God. We say that we want to hear and talk about what is “practical” rather than “theoretical.” However, the flaw in this sort of thinking is that practice (religious or otherwise) always grows out of the theoretical. The reason a professional sports team practices and plays the way they do is only a result of their coach’s philosophy of that sport. (more…)
An argument from humanity to Christianity October 7, 2007
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Isn’t it a bit ironic that the very thing which is closest to us is the thing which we might know least about? I’m talking about human nature. A student remarked in my ethics class the other day that it seemed to him that a fundamental area of disagreement between each of the ‘schools’ of ethical thought boils down to one’s view of humanity. For instance, if you view humanity as merely an automation of reflexes which are somehow determined then you won’t place much emphasis upon people’s accountability for moral action (determinism). So, we see that the explanation of humanity that we run with leads us down drastically different worldview roads. (more…)
Ask a Question you’d like addressed in future blogs October 4, 2007
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