In my previous article, I discussed briefly how not all religions can be true when making competing truth claims. For example, if Islam claims that Jesus cannot forgive sins on his own, but Christians claim he can, then either the Muslim is correct and the Christian is wrong, or the Christian is correct and the Muslim […]
Why Don’t All Religions Just Get Along?
An inmate at the jail recently asked this question while we were in a Bible study. He wanted to know why there was so much conflict between religions that claim to teach love and patience. “Why can’t they get along?” he asked. “After all,” he added, “don’t they all teach the same thing?” On one […]
You Can’t Be a Christian and Do That!
We’ve probably all seen stuff like this posted on Facebook: You can’t claim to be a Christian and be pro-choice! or You can’t claim to be a Christian and vote Democrat! or You can’t claim to be a Christian and support gay marriage! Now, even though I consider myself staunchly pro-life and have strong conservative values, […]
Lucy Turns 41
Today (Nov 24, 2015), Google is celebrating the 41st anniversary of the discovery of “Lucy” with Google Doodle. Discovered in 1974 in the Awash Valley of Ethiopia by Paleoanthropolist, Donald Johanson, Lucy has been celebrated as a “missing link.” She is said to represent a line of species that had moved to an upright position, […]
Did Christianity Borrow From Other Religions?
This is not an original question. As a matter of fact, it was first asked by French Enlightenment thinkers, Constantine Francois Volney (1757-1820) and Charles Dupuis (1742-1809). Then the first academic advocate was 19th century historian and theologian Bruno Bauer (1809-1882). [i] These men suggested a theory that the story of Jesus, as found in the […]
5 Days, 4 Nights, 70 Miles
For as much as I enjoy backpacking, one would think that I would engage in the activity more than I do. But I’m guessing that very few of us actually have opportunity to do the things we love as much as we’d like to. I guess that’s how life is. This summer I had really […]
Sawyer Mini Modifcation
What’s not to love about the Sawyer Mini Squeeze filter? Well, for one thing, the provided “dirty” water bladder isn’t very convenient. The bladder is designed to be attached to the filter so that the water can be squeezed through it. However, the opening of the bladder is around an inch wide. One must either […]
The Four Blood Moons and September 28th
I had no intentions of blogging about this topic. However, within the past week I have had several people worriedly ask me my opinion about the four blood moons and fast approaching Sept 28, 2015. Therefore, I thought it might be helpful to those who follow my blogs to explore this topic with me. If […]
Was Kim Davis Wrong Or Right?
Before you register an answer, take the time to read this blog to fully understand the question. An inspiring and interesting news story has been sweeping the headlines. Kentucky clerk, Kim Davis, had refused to issue marriage licenses from her county office after the Supreme Court ruled allowing same sex marriages. She was jailed for that refusal. However, at […]
Are We Adopted By God or Born Into His Family?
This can seem confusing. Paul writes that we Christians have been “adopted” into God’s family (see Eph. 1:4-5 & Gal 4:5). Yet, we remember that Jesus told Nicodemus that we must be “born again” (John 3:3). So, which is it? Are we born into God’s family or are we adopted into God’s family? Are we […]