With the rise of Greta Thunberg as a public figure it seems that many more people are paying attention to news about climate change. However, Christians should not look only to the news media or to scientists to inform our thinking on this issue. Instead, we should consider how climate …
Why Doesn't God Prevent More Evil?
In a previous post I talked about the 'problem' of believing that God is fully good and loving while accepting that sometimes God punishes people with death because of their sins, and how I make sense of that.
Another frequent accusation against God's goodness is that if God was really …
Christianity is Not A Feel-Good Religion
There was a news article I read recently that has made me quite concerned for the future of Christianity and free speech in Canada.
In this article, two people were complaining that some teachings of Christianity regarding sin make people feel bad about themselves. They say that being told they …
Defending God's Justice Regarding Death
One of the frequent objections that atheists or opponents of Christianity frequently raise is about all those times in the Old Testament when God kills people, or tells the Israelites to kill certain people.
These critics claim that a God of love would never act like this, that it is …
Did God Really Say? Why Biblical Inerrancy Matters
As you may have seen on the About Me page, I agree with the Chicago Statement on Inerrancy.1
Basically, the idea of inerrancy as defined in the Chicago Statement is that the Bible is entirely without error in the original manuscripts (and thus, our translated copies are inerrant insofar …
Which Race Are You Running?
I've heard it said that sometimes pastors preach to themselves by writing a sermon that is more about what they need to hear, than what their congregation needs to hear.
This blog post might be similar to that, in that it may be more of a reminder for me than …
Why Christians Need to Talk More About Heaven
Have you ever heard that saying "Don't be so heavenly-minded that you're of no earthly good"?
I hate this phrase, for two main reasons:
- It insults Christians who do have a strong focus on heaven.
- It implies that thinking about heaven and doing good works are mutually exclusive.
So in …
Christians Are Superheros
It seems like there is a never-ending stream of superhero movies being released lately. Clearly, there is some demand for this genre of story.
In many of these stories, an average person is suddenly given some sort of super-powers, and they then go on to use these powers to fight …
How To Succeed In Seminary
Are you thinking of going to seminary, divinity school, or bible college? Are you wondering what you need to do in order to do the best you can in your studies?
Having gone through seminary myself, and having been a TA for several terms for Master's level seminary courses, I …
The Christian Hope of Resurrection
This past Sunday was Easter Sunday, where Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection, when He came back to life after being killed by crucifixion.
But unfortunately, it seems that our understanding of Jesus' resurrection is frequently disconnected from other Christian doctrines, and especially, from what Christians believe about heaven.
A common description …