Christianity
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Final Judgment: A Remarkable Dream
Shortly after I became a Christian, I had a dream so striking it grips me as strongly today as it did then, almost fifty years ago. In a previous post, we saw that virtually all peoples have seen the world haunted by a numinous presence. However, not all people have seen that presence as good.… Continue reading
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If God is Love, Why Can Pain be So Excruciating and So Terrifying?
In my last post, we considered “the problem of pain” as it’s sometimes called. “How can there be so much suffering, evil and pain in a world created and ruled by a loving God?” We saw love must be freely given, that is, we must have free will to choose to love or not. And… Continue reading
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Why Have Even Christians Had Faith in Violence?
As we close out 2021 let us reflect on the contrast of the angels’ Christmas greeting, “peace on earth, good will to all,” with how the year began i.e. even professing Christians violently storming the capitol building of the United States. In my last post we saw that Jesus perfectly reveals God’s nature. He did… Continue reading
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Jesus Gets Up Close and Personal with a Prostitute
A close reading of the gospels gives one the distinct impression that Jesus enjoyed rattling people’s cages. He had a habit of eating with losers, outcasts, and traitors to the dismay of the religious leaders. He seemed to go out of his way to heal on the Sabbath because he knew they didn’t like it.… Continue reading
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Beauty: a Better Way to Believe
Recently I was speaking with a young man about the Christian faith and he said something like the following, “I’ve tried to believe. I’ve given it everything I’ve got, but it just doesn’t work for me. I can’t make myself believe.” The requirement of “faith alone” is one of the most difficult hurdles concerning the… Continue reading