Reflections on the loving kindness of the Triune God
Let me ask a question that is mostly unspoken among Christians today: Is God troubled by the broad lack of response to him that we see throughout history? Or, more to the point, does the Bible ever address the question? Here are some of my preliminary thoughts. Your own thoughts and comments are invited as …
Read More NumbersIn the deeply immoral and anti-Christian environment found in Europe and North America today concerned Christians leaders and communities are offering very different responses. Some seek to engage unbelieving societal leaders in ongoing conversation with an ambition to redirect cultural mores and values through personal presence and winsome reason. Others move in the opposite direction …
Read More Faith OptionsWhat if Adam had told Eve, “No, my love, we won’t eat that fruit—it’s been forbidden to us. Our lovely God told me very directly, ‘Don’t eat from that tree’ and he’s to be trusted and obeyed no matter what the serpent said.” Or what if, as considered in 1 Samuel 13:13-14, Saul had proven …
Read More What if we loved God?Here’s a question. Do we pursue God or does God pursue us? Are we the seekers while God is coy and hard to get? Or is he persistently tugging, calling, and wooing us while we stubbornly deflect his efforts to win our hearts? The Bible emphatically supports the latter answer and dismisses the former—John 3:16-19, …
Read More Two AnswersThe “Fresher’s Fair” is offered by every British university as part of a new academic year. Recruitment displays and tables filled the room—a large meeting hall—as new students were being recruited. If, for instance, an arriving freshman is interested in joining the university crew he would be drawn to the proper spot by a pair …
Read More Faith in FocusAfter dinner our conversation turned to the social and moral changes we’ve seen over the years. We were all baby boomers—children of WWII era parents—so the memories of life as Christians in the 1950’s and 60’s were easy to recall. It’s a scene often repeated among aging adults throughout human history. Even in Moses’ day …
Read More A Dinner ConversationThis entry repeats a Cor Deo post. Please offer any responses on that site. Go to Cor Deo by clicking here Here’s a question. Why do some people ask lots of questions while others aren’t especially curious? Are questions important? And what should we make of assertive people who love to express any and every …
Read More Questioning ThoughtsThe early church father, Augustine (354-430), mentioned an adolescent prank in a book he called his Confessions. It was a window on the problem of evil that still invites reflection. In a nutshell he and some of his adolescent companions were hanging out one night. On a whim they stole pears from a local fruit …
Read More Experiencing GodWhat is it to know God? The Bible invites us to seek after him but it also warns against fruitless knowledge. Let me offer a brief survey of options and then an application. Knowing specialists. Common sense tells us to collect and organize information about God. Gaining and ordering knowledge is essential in any field …
Read More Knowing GodThis entry repeats my Cor Deo posting. Please post any responses on that site (click here) “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” This lively analogy of iron and men in Proverbs 27:17 always catches my attention. I recall that some men—Art, Sam, Ed, John, among a few others—were iron-like figures to me. Strong …
Read More Iron on Iron