Which Came First, God or the Bible?

The title of this article is of course a play on the well known question, “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” I think virtually any believer would say that God came first. The question I actually want to get to though is, “Do you believe God because of the Bible, or do you believe the Bible because of God?” As I understand it, some people say they believe in God and Jesus and what they are like, etc. because of what the Bible says. This may be a bit difficult to describe, but the idea is that they put they’re faith and belief in the Bible first, trusting that the Bible is correct. This leads them believe the things they do because of what the Bible says. Conversely, others believe in God apart from the Bible, and then subsequently Continue reading →

What If There Were No Old Testament?

What might Christianity look like if we hadn’t canonized the Hebrew scriptures? (In other words, how might Christianity be different if the Old Testament existed but weren’t in the Bible?) How much is modern Christianity influenced by an Old Testament verses New Testament perspective?

photo credit: ccsdteacher via photopin cc

A Brief History of Christianity in America

(Note: this is an abbreviated and therefore very simplified version of the history of the western church as I understand it. While I believe my general understanding to be correct, I am not an expert and may have inaccuracy in certain details.)

To begin our understanding of Christianity in America, we must go all the way back to the Roman Empire. For centuries, conquering states often pressured territories under their control to worship the Gods of the conquering state. In other words, there was one official religion of the state and if you lived in a land under its control, you were expected to practice this religion. Initially, Christianity was at odds with the Roman Empire for this reason. But around the forth and fifth centuries, Continue reading →

The Book of Job (Including Summary Outline)

It’s easy to follow God when things are good, but how do you handle life when it is difficult?

The book of Job is included among the wisdom books in old testament of the Bible. This had confused me in the past as it seemed to be recounting history. Now upon reflection, I realize that it was (I assume) understood to be a story used to teach.

The main question which the book of Job brings up is the so called “problem of pain”: why do bad things happen to good people (and good things happen to bad people)? Up until the intertestamental period (the time between the old and new testaments), the Israelites didn’t have a well developed concept of an afterlife. Specifically, they didn’t have a concept of a postmortem judgement resulting Continue reading →

Michael Knott — The Best Christian Artist You’ve Never Heard Of

I haven’t talked much about music on this blog, but I am a big fan. I’ve listened to a lot of Christians who are musicians. One man stands out in my mind as the most creative artist in “Christian” music. Unfortunately, as is often the case for the most talented artists (at least in terms of creativity), Michael Knott is an obscure name to most people. I want to take a moment here to recognize his work and share his art with you.

Knott first came to light in the early 80’s as front man of the punk band Lifesavers (a.k.a. Lifesavors). After a half dozen years, the band changed their name to L.S.U. (Lifesavers Underground) and their style to more alternative rock. In 1987, L.S.U. released the landmark album “Shaded Pain“. Though Continue reading →

The Gospel Reinvisioned

What if I told you there is a place where every wrong will eventually be made right, where every hurt is healed? A place where everything broken will be fixed, and where every one is freed from themselves so they can be whom they are supposed to be. Would you be interested? There is a place, and you have an open invitation. You can enter into the country of abundant life.

But this is a different kind of place, and only a different kind of person can see it. In order to be in this new country, you have to become a new person. In order to be fit for this kingdom, you must know the king’s son. You must become his student, his apprentice. If you think you have it figured out, if you think you have made yourself good enough on your own, you Continue reading →

Do We Assume God’s Role in Evangelism?

A while ago I was reading a book (The Divine Conspiracy I believe) which talked about God being in charge and in control of your life. It caused me to think, “How often do we take charge of something which is God’s responsibility?” This starts in our own lives. How often do we try and fix ourselves and try to conform ourselves to Christ? In reality, Christ directs us to follow him and he will transform us. This is difficult to explain because it is a subtle even if important difference. Our responsibility is to love him, follow him, and love those around us. Everything else is his responsibility.

I learned long ago that the first thing to understand in evangelizing is that it is God who works in people’s lives. We don’t save anyone; Continue reading →

Book Review: The Bible Tells Me So…

“The Bible Tells Me So…” is a recently published book by Peter Enns. He offers a summary on the cover: “Why Defending Scripture Has Made Us Unable to Read It”. The book came across to me as though Enns was frustrated and has a bone to pick. The purpose of the book is to try argue that the way many Christians—specifically those more conservative—understand the Bible is wrong and to convince these people of the correct way (according to Enns).

I am actually on board with Enns’ premise, explained through the first chapter: we need to try and understand the Bible as it is, in it’s ancient context, as opposed to trying to fit it into our expectations of an encyclopedia or modern textbook. We should be honest about it: there are a Continue reading →

Being a Real Victim Verses Victim Mentality

I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard a lot about “playing the victim” or “having a victim mentality”. This is condemned as bad and unhelpful. A friend of mine pointed out that, if not balanced, this could be used to shame and blame honest victims. It’s true that the way some people talk, it’s as though it’s not acceptable to actually be a victim. But I believe it is healthy and necessary to recognize when a true wrong has been committed and therefore victimization has occurred.

I heard a speaker recently talk about the problem of a person over-emphasizing how they’ve hurt others, or for other people, how they have been hurt. The speaker had said that balance is needed in recognizing how you have been hurt, how you have hurt others, Continue reading →

Jesus the (Only) Way?

One point of contention among people is how most religions claim they are exclusively correct. Of course there are many people out there who disagree and hold that there are numerous paths and that all religions are basically the same. And I agree with this—in part. I believe there are many paths to spirituality. (Many people seem to think religion is just about spirituality.)

I think of religion as a set of dogmas to defend and actions to perform or abstain from. But I think the new order Jesus established is specifically un-religious. The Jews had an elaborate religious system. Jesus doesn’t break it—he supersedes it. For Jesus, it’s not about dogmas or rules, it’s about attitudes and character.

I don’t believe Jesus is Continue reading →