Why Would a Loving God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People?
Posted: August 2, 2020 Filed under: God, Life 1 Comment
One of the most-asked question coming from doubters of Christianity is “why would a supposedly loving God allow bad things to happen to good people”? I personally have wrestled with this question myself and have generally been dissatisfied by the answers I’ve heard from others. In this month’s Life, God, and the Universe entitled Why Would a Loving God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People?, we explore the common responses given by Christian leaders and explore an alternative explanation.
A Plea to Preaching Pastors…
Posted: March 15, 2020 Filed under: God, Life Leave a commentA Google search will show that the United States has the largest Christian population in the world… followed by Brazil and Mexico. If you asked people in our country what it means to be a Christian, you would hear words/phrases like love, peace, grace, forgiveness, helping each other, helping foreigners, loving and helping even your enemies. These were words/phrases spoken by Jesus and represent His character.
Today when you look at the behavior of our society, you will find that much of it is inconsistent with the character of Christ… despite being the most Christian nation in the world. In this month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog entitled A Plea to Preaching Pastors, we discuss the reasons behind these inconsistencies and suggestions how local churches can remedy these inconsistencies.
The Importance of Community
Posted: February 28, 2020 Filed under: God, Life, Universe 1 CommentIn this country, we look highly upon individuals that are self-sufficient and independent… not needing anyone. We put them on a pedestal as being powerful and in control of their lives. This, however, contradicts what we observe in the universe and is NOT consistent with the message of Jesus. In this month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog, we discuss The Importance of Community.
Fruits of the Spirit
Posted: January 1, 2020 Filed under: God 1 Comment
Most all of us have heard of something called the fruits of the spirit. These represent nine characteristics that reflect the presence of the Holy Spirit. If you witness these in someone else, you know the Holy Spirit is in that person. Generally speaking, all of them put a smile on your face… all of them except one. In this month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog, we talk about this one outlier.
Pray for the Dead
Posted: December 1, 2019 Filed under: God, Universe Leave a commentMost Christians believe that once you die, your destination in the “afterlife”, heaven or hell, has already been determined and cannot be changed. This month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog challenges that belief and makes an argument suggesting that it IS possible to change your destination… even AFTER you die.
Taboo Bible Topics – Unsettling Words of Jesus
Posted: November 1, 2019 Filed under: God Leave a comment
Church sermons preach many interesting words spoken by Jesus as found in the New Testament. There are, however, certain words of Jesus you basically never hear preached at any church service. These tend to be unsettling words of Jesus that make people feel very uncomfortable. This month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog entitled Taboo Bible Topics – Unsettling Words of Jesus discusses such words of Jesus.
Taboo Bible Topics – The Lords Prayer
Posted: October 16, 2019 Filed under: God Leave a comment
Last month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog was the first in a series entitled Taboo Bible Topics. In that blog, I discussed the uncomfortableness in hearing of the killing of 450 prophets by the Bible hero Elijah as described in 1 Kings. Hearing of the killing of prophets can certainly cause a feeling of uncomfortableness, but sometimes uncomfortableness in reading the Bible can occur in more subtle unexpected ways. Such is the case in this month’s blog Taboo Bible Topics – The Lord’s Prayer.
Taboo Bible Topics – The Story of Elijah
Posted: September 3, 2019 Filed under: God Leave a comment
Have you ever heard a pastor tell a story found in the Bible that made you very uncomfortable?… where some part of the story made you question the moral character of the so-called “hero” of the story… or maybe even the character of God himself? You wanted to speak out and voice your questions/concerns, but you didn’t feel it was safe. You feared being judged by others as a “doubting Thomas” lacking faith. This month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog is the first of a number of blogs discussing taboo Bible topics. In this month’s blog entitled Taboo Bible Topics – The Story of Elijah, we explore the story of the hero Elijah and some of his controversial actions.
Where is God?
Posted: August 5, 2019 Filed under: God, Universe | Tags: "God is love", And the two shall become one, God is in us, Where two or more are gathered 1 CommentWhere is God? If God exists, is He standing next to us in every moment of our lives… or is He standing on the sidelines observing… sometimes coming forward to intervene on our behalf?… or is He standing on the sidelines, never interfering, but merely observing the consequences of our choices?… or is He not around at all? The answer to this fundamental question depends upon one’s religious beliefs. In this month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog entitled Where is God?, we explore answers to this fundamental question.
Defending the Faith
Posted: July 22, 2019 Filed under: God, Universe | Tags: apologetic, atheism 2 CommentsIf you’re a Christian, there are times when you are challenged by others for your beliefs… being accused of believing in child-like fairy tales and wishful thinking. How do you respond? How do you stand up to such ridicule? In this month’s Life, God, and the Universe blog entitled Defending the Fait, we discuss ways to address these challenges.