The best reason for the serious study of history is that virtually everyone uses the past in everyday discourse. But the historical record on which they draw is abundantly littered with myths, half-truths, and folk history; historians can, or should, provide a corrective for this. This remark applies particularly to the history of Christianity and... Continue Reading →
If only God would speak up
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 NIV I closed my last post by alluding to the many coincidences I have experienced in my life, particularly those which led me to a deeper and richer faith. In fact, coincidentally I was tangentially thinking about this... Continue Reading →
Draw the Line
(In a discussion I was asked to write follow-ups to my 4th of July post "Allegiance" this post is a continuation of that series) There are many topics in the modern American political conversion which challenge Christians abortion, immigration, & homosexual rights are probably the most pressing of these currently. I understand that Christians can... Continue Reading →
Allegiance: part 2
In a discussion I was asked to write follow-ups to my 4th of July post "Allegiance", this is the first in that series. I thought it appropriate to begin with the reason I wrote that post. As I scrolled down my social media feeds I saw this picture. I don't know what it was about... Continue Reading →
Allegiance
Today we in the United States celebrate our nation's independence. This means that today my social media feeds will be littered with American flags, the pledge of allegiance, and notes about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. What I woke up thinking about is, what are we celebrating today? For me, the celebration is... Continue Reading →
Could I find faith?
Yesterday I began to answer the question, "Would you be a Christian today if you had not been raised one?", by telling a little of my journey toward Christianity. Today though I will try to show why I do not think I would be a Christian if I had not been raised around Christianity. The... Continue Reading →
My Journey
This week I was asked an extremely difficult question, "Would you be a Christian today if you had not been raised one?" The easy answer is for me to say, "of course, because I have made my faith my own". But I do not want to give the easy answer and I must say, "I... Continue Reading →
Why is the Bible so Messy?
The question was recently posed to me why there is not more consistency in reading the Bible. The person who asked this comes out of a scientifically based background and is used to more standardization than there appears within the Church. I've thought about the question and several potential answers have developed, but I do... Continue Reading →
The Breath of Life
How do you know the story of Adam and Eve is true? This question was recently posed to me (for those unfamiliar with the story see Genesis 2-3) First, this is a difficult topic and there are a variety of opinions and I'm only touching the surface here. Anyone interested in really studying the topic... Continue Reading →
General Conference 2019
On Tuesday February 26 the General Conference voted to pass the Traditional Plan as our way forward as the United Methodist Church. This plan will keep in the Discipline the current language prohibiting clergy from preforming same-sex weddings as well as prohibit self-avowed practicing homosexuals from entering the clergy. The plan also institutes mandatory penalties... Continue Reading →
Squinting in the Light 