Category: Theology

Doubting Jesus

Do believers ever have doubts about Jesus? John the Baptist did, which might be surprising because he had a stellar start as a preacher of the gospel. For example, he declared, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier...

Do You Have a Camel in Your Throat?

Let me give you a scenario. Imagine that you’re a father who is concerned for your children’s safety. “You are not allowed to cross the street in front of our house,” you tell them. So far, so good. But now imagine that while you’re away from...

Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) opens with the well-known list of qualities and rewards known as “The Beatitudes” (5:3-12). According to Jesus, rewards like the kingdom of heaven, the inheritance of earth, comfort, mercy, satisfaction, identification as God’s children, and the privilege of enjoying...

Are There Humanitarians in Hell?

From a human perspective, there are lots of good people doing great work out in the world who are not Christians. Some philanthropists devote many hours working in third-world nations to provide clean drinking water, and others give billions of dollars each year to fund medical...

Answer Not a Fool

Proverbs 26:4 reads like this: “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.” The message seems clear enough: Don’t be a fool the way you answer a fool. We can be certain that verse is not telling us that we...

A Tale of Two Therefores

Jesus had just raised Lazarus from the dead. It was such an incredible miracle that when the Jewish leaders found out about it, they knew they had to act. They convened a council largely made up of Pharisees and Sadducees, men who were all part of...

A Clash of Kings

The young Aristobulus had the misfortune of being popular. Because of this, Herod the Great invited him to his magnificent palace in Jericho, where Aristobulus ate and drank, splashed playfully with the other young men in one of the shimmering pools, and drowned . . ....

A Christ-like Response to September 11th

“God had nothing to do with September 11th.” Those words were reportedly spoken by a pastor who was responding to a question about God’s involvement in the infamous terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Whether they were actually spoken as reported or not, I do not...

Celebrate Diversity . . . Like Jesus and the Writers of the New Testament Did

I typed the words “celebrate diversity” in the Google search box and got 439,000 results. Without the quotation marks I got 9,260,000 results! If Google is any indication, the celebration of diversity has become a major cultural theme. And I’m all for it! Jesus celebrated diversity...

Buddhism: A Way that Seems Right

As the first watch of the night approached, a cross-legged figure, softly touching the ground so that Earth could bear witness, began to meditate. Above him, a giant pipal tree swayed gently in the wind. As his breathing grew steady, consciousness of previous rebirths and memories...