What is a GOD Anyway?
One of the first pieces of advice I give to people who are interested in engaging the original languages of the Bible is, “Never forget, it’s not just a different…
What in the Name of all Things Holy is a Triune God?
Can we all just stop pretending and admit that the very idea of the Trinity is weird? We describe the God of the Bible as a Triune God. This comes…
Why My Rather Hostile Review of Unlikely Nomads by Terry B. Walling is Important Well Beyond a Consideration of Walling’s Book
This is an article under construction. The nuts and bolts are here, but I am crafting this discussion for use as the opening chapter of a three volume series on…
A Rather Hostile Review of Unlikely Nomads: In Search of the New Church, by Terry B. Walling
This is long for a review, but I have a synopsis of some my grievances a little ways down. This is in no way a personal attack against a person…
What is God? & What is God Like?
There are different ways to describe God. We will attempt to consider at least three in the rest of this book, but I’d like to introduce them here to prepare…
What You Think About God is The Most Important Thing About You
Back in the late 80s, I gave The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer to a Christian “friend.” It had made quite an impact on my 19 year…
The Uncaused Cause: Why I Believe in God
Academics love the reputation of being “objective.” Many fancy themselves wholly logical and “scientific,” and gifted with unadulterated reason. They aren’t any of these, but that doesn’t mean that they…
Christians Pray
Growing up we had a local store called Ann & Hope; it was like a flea market in a barely-converted penitentiary, but with less ambiance. Great deals though. Local Christians…
Christians Seek a Church Family
Christians go to church. We practice our faith in community, as the Bible says. We are a global family of faith with local gatherings almost everywhere—“Churches.” “Church” is used to…
Don’t Shop or Hop… Find a Church Family
There is an old joke that goes, “If I found the perfect Church, it wouldn’t be once I joined.” And that is as good of an anchor to toss out…
Christians Break Addictions… ‘cept Coffee… and Xbox
The goal of this series of devotions is to provide a panoramic view of Christianity. We are introducing, but certainly not encapsulating, a host of issues that face those who…
The Forgiven Forgive or I Can’t Forgive, But I Must Forgive
If I compare myself to the most wretched people I can think of, I look pretty good. Faithful husband, even before getting married, lived a mostly honest life, only stolen…
Live Not by Lies… or Malicious “Truth”
God has given humanity ten social anchors for sustaining prosperous and free societies. We call these the Ten Commandments. As anchors they are more than just enforceable laws for society,…
Possession, Charity, & The Christian Spirit
We’ve been exploring the Ten Commandments and, by now, I’m hoping you’ve seen a distinct pattern in our meditations on them. We’ve articulated the value of these commandments as agents…
Thou Shalt NOT & the Christian Celebration of God’s Gift of Sexuality
The 7th commandment of the Big Ten says, in Exodus 20:14, “You shall not commit adultery.” It, like “You shall not murder,” is a spike in a metaphorical wall upon…
What’s Sex Got to Do with It?
The seventh of the Big Ten commandments, given by our loving Creator to bless us with a special revelation of the path of life that He wove into the fabric…
Let Him Who Steals, Steal No Longer
We are eight commandments into the Big Ten. These God gave for the creation of a stable and blessed society. Exodus 20:15, says simply, “You shall not steal.” Amazingly enough,…
The Day I Beat Kleptomania & Became an Honest Man
The last of the great commandments given by God to Israel at Mount Sinai in order that they might reap the benefits of a blessable and blessed society cuts below…
Road Rage, Frustration, and Divine Purpose
Exodus 20:13 gives a simple command with layers of implications in the context of Scripture. “You shall not murder,” demands that society punish legally provable murderers with death, and, more…
“Not Murdering” God’s Way
In The Ten Commandments, we have the rudiments of a legal code. Torah however, is much bigger than a legal code. In it, specific commands are woven into the rich…