I am reminded tonight of how many reasons Melissa and I have to be proud of each of our four kids. Each is strong in faith and in character. Here’s what I am seeing just this week: SARAH has had play practice every evening for 3 to 4 hours in preparation for tomorrow’s opening night. This is the musical that she auditioned for in spite of her fears. Now she is proving to be, not only courageous, but strong and persistent in the face of great demands on her time. I am amazed at how she stays positive and energetic.…

Yesterday I attempted to answer the objection to annihilationism that it doesn’t satisfy justice. I wanted to move on, but there’s more to say about this. But this strikes me as a philosophical way of justifying an idea that is otherwise extremely unpalatable: God tortures people that he claims to have once loved. And he does it eternally. But at least he is justified in doing so because he is so holy.  It’s not Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Why doesn’t Paul…

Some good objections were raised to my recent post on Hell. I had suggested I was open to “annihilationism” – the idea that dying apart from Jesus leads to complete cessation of being rather than eternal torment in Hell. In other words, the unsaved die and are forgotten; their conscious existence ends after the final judgment. So here is the first objection: Hitler.  If you kill 6 million people it seems like you are getting off pretty easy if the punishment is ceasing to be. (Which is the same punishment that everyone else gets!) That doesn’t seem like justice.  I…

In decades past it was popular for Christians to consider WWJD – “What would Jesus do?” I always thought the bracelets were a little hokey, but the question was excellent. I don’t remember anyone ever asking WWJND – “What would Jesus not do?” If you can’t picture Jesus doing what you are currently doing, saying what you are currently saying, or even thinking what you are currently thinking, it would be wise to put the brakes on.  For instance, try to imagine Jesus being involved in gossip. Can you picture Jesus looking over his shoulder to make sure Peter doesn’t…

The concept of a physical place of eternal torture called Hell looms large in contemporary Christian pop-theology. And has for years. But is this because the Bible makes it central?  We’re told – or assume – that “salvation” means “being saved from Hell”. But if that is the sole focus of salvation, why is there so little talk of Hell in the Bible? Out of curiosity I did a search of all mentions of “Hell” in the New Testament. I was shocked at the numbers.  First the gospels.  Matthew takes the lead with 7 uses of “Hell”. And that is…

 Romans 2:1-4 shows us how legitimate judgment of someone’s sin is done … and why we happen to be incapable of doing it. Paul writes: You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.  We should hear echoes of Jesus’s challenge to the men who caught the woman in adultery: “You who is without sin can cast the first stone.”  So Requirement #1 could be stated like this: None who are guilty of crimes themselves can…

Just like there are knock-off Rolexes, I suppose there are “knock-off Christians”. The two knock-offs are similar in certain ways: There is one major difference, though, between knock-off Christians and knock-off Rolexes.  Nobody has ever said, “I’ve seen quite a few Rolexes in my day. Those are the crummiest watches I have ever seen. Pure junk. Everyone talks about how expensive they are, but I know you can get one for 20 bucks on a street corner downtown. I have no idea how they ever became a status symbol.”  Somehow, Rolexes have avoided being judged on the basis of the…

Today I heard a podcast guy say we should feel free to put our opinions out there in public only if we are also willing to change our minds. Easier said than done. But what this man said is exactly the way I try to approach putting my opinion out there: “This is what I think, but I may well be wrong.” I enjoy a good debate.  It’s rare these days to find someone who reciprocates. Who doesn’t go straight to ad hominem attacks. Or go stomping off angry. If you and I disagree about something, I WANT to hear…

This morning Ginger yanked the leash out of my hand as we walked out the front door. There was a cat across the street. Ginger went from 0 to 60 in two seconds. But I yelled “Stop!” and I was stunned when she turned back towards me immediately. She has come a long way in two years.  In Haiti, she roamed the mountainside every day while my family and I were at Cap-Haitien Christian School. She knew nothing of leashes.  Until the day she left Haiti. The first time she ever broke free from a leash was at the airport…

It is not surprising that the Apostle Paul begins the detailed explanation of his theology in Romans with salvation. It is a logical place to start. He writes, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16a) But where does Paul go next? Forgiveness? Repentance? Asking Jesus into your heart? No. Paul continues: “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last.” (1:17a) The opportunity for “a righteousness from God” is at the front-end of…