Christianity 101: We Have a Problem

(Note: This article is based on the previous lessons. Please review these, if you have not already done so, before proceeding.)

God created people to live in this awesome world. Not only that, but he commissioned us to care for it on his behalf. God intended that we would live with him and other people and share in life together. But in order for there to be a true relationship between people and God and in-between people, people had to have a will. They had to be aware of having a choice and be free to make choices. Adam, for example, chose names for all of the animals.

The story as told in Genesis 2:5-3:19 can be summed up like this: The first man and woman lived in a garden which God had planted. There was a tree (the tree of Continue reading →

Dealing with Sin: The Context for Confession and Confrontation

I chose to look at these topics together since they are interrelated—they both regard dealing with sin. Confession is done by the sinner and confrontation by someone else. (Here I am discussing personal confession and not corporate confession.)

It seems to me that many Christians, especially conservative evangelicals, are very interested in pointing out people’s sin. So I am surprised that I have so far only found one to two passages in the New Testament regarding this. One of these is found in James 5:19-20: “My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a Continue reading →

What Virtue is Primary?

Christianity is known in large part for belief in certain virtues. Among them are love, grace, mercy, honesty, truth, peace, integrity, purity, etc. (While many people may not think of these things when they think of Christians, they think these things are what Christianity is about. Many do not have positive opinion of Christians, precisely because they feel most Christians don’t practice these virtues.)

Real life gets messy at times. In these situations, virtues can seem to be pitted against one another. When this happens, which one wins? Is it more important to demonstrate mercy or purity? Honesty or peace? Love or integrity? (Understand, I’m not saying that these virtues are at odds, but that they can seem to be in certain Continue reading →

Community and The Specials

I watched the movie The Specials again the other night. I really enjoy the film. Here on my blog, I won’t officially recommend watching it due to a fair amount of graphic language. But I feel like there is a lot of truth and some good lessons to take from it.

The Specials are a group of b-rate super heroes—several spots down the list behind more respected teams. The joke is that a person must go to “special” school in order to join The Specials. But they say, “We may not be the prettiest, or the smartest, or the most powerful. But we don’t exist for the beautiful people of the world. We’re there for the oddball, the rebel, the outcast, the geek.”

The story begins with a girl who has just been accepted into the group—her heroes. Continue reading →

Christianity 101: Creation and God’s Ultimate Plan

(Note: This article is based on the previous lesson(s). Please review these, if you have not already done so, before proceeding.)

God decided to do something utterly amazing and nearly unbelievable. Out of the overflowing love among the trinity, God decided that he would open himself up and bring another entity into the fellowship of the trinity! (Now to be clear, this other entity does not become God, but participates in the life and fellowship of God.) God will do this amazing act through Christ.

God’s ultimate plan is to find a bride for Christ, and to have a home country and a people who are his, where his will is done1. Because God is wholly good, his will is perfect. Therefore a land and people who follow his ways will bring Continue reading →

Christianity 101: Beginning with God – Love Foundational

(Note: to fully understand this post, please review the article: Defining Love.)

“In the beginning, God…” This is where both the Bible and Christianity start—with God. This in and of it self isn’t very unique—many religions start with God/a higher power. The questions naturally following from this is “What is God like? What are his characteristics?” My impression is that when most people think of God, they think of “omni” qualities: omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (everywhere), all powerful, etc. These things may be true, but the God of the bible’s is at his core relational. His primary characteristic is love.

“God is love.” (1 John 4:8, 16) At his core, God is relational. One of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity is Continue reading →

Christianity 101

I have begun a series on the basics of Christianity. I will be occasionally posting new articles which explore, step-by-step, the fundamentals of the Christian faith. I hope these will be informative and educational. If you find them helpful, please share them with others, by linking to this site.