A local church has a sign out front which proudly states, “Faith is believing without proof”.  A few years ago, I would have responded by whipping out some Josh McDowell apologetics and declaring, “But there IS good evidence for the existence of God!” And, yes, apologetics remain useful and there is still a place for a book like Evidence that Demands a Verdict. Nevertheless, at this point in my life, upon seeing this church’s proclamation, I only think, “When it comes down to it, what proof do I have for anything I believe about life?” We are all supposed to…

Have you ever found yourself yelling at a podcast?  The other day I was listening to “Coffee with Scott Adams” and the topic was Kanye West’s response to the public outcry over his recent remarks which many deemed “anti-Semitic”.  Apparently, Kanye had lost a good chunk of his fortune in the aftermath. Adams, reporting that Kanye felt God was using the whole episode to “humble him”, asked his audience, “I don’t know what to think about that – is humility even a part of Christian faith? I mean, it’s not listed in the Ten Commandments, is it?”  Adams is an…

Do you remember Bono, the lead singer for the band U2?  His music gained popularity in the 1980s and made him rich and famous. Admirably, in the decades since, Bono has dedicated his life to activism on behalf of the world’s poor, especially in Africa. Unfortunately, Bono’s main solution tended toward greater government aid and ever greater handouts. (And handouts can often do more harm than good.)  So it was surprising to see Bono admit in a recent interview with The New York Times that his eyes have been opened: “I ended up as an activist in a very different…

It seems to me that when progressive American churches preach that congregations need to demonstrate “love” to the world, their definition of “love” is different from what I have in mind.  It has thrown me for a loop sometimes. But I now understand that when progressives say “love”, they mean “acceptance” and little more. They are definitely “see-no-evil” types. Much of what Scripture and traditional Christianity would call “sin”, is overlooked, condoned, or even celebrated in many American churches today.  With this brand of faith, the only true sin is the lack of “love”.  And if we see that acceptance…

How have I missed this Scripture verse up to this point? Proverbs 19:17 says: Kindness to the poor is loaning to the Lord, and He will repay. That is a really unusual metaphor and I can’t quite wrap my head around it.  It is one of those proverbs that stands in the midst of a cluster of independent verses – there is not further context in surrounding verses. It is just dropped in the middle of chapter 19 as a universal truth. Although 19:17 gives the impression that our finances ultimately belong to us, this surely isn’t the point of…

Apart from not having Melissa here with me, my time in Troy, Illinois today could not have gone better. First, I got to spend time with one of my best friends, Tim Price. Second, I got to enjoy a “Fall Rally” event that Tim put together for middle school and high school students. He is a pro. It was well-planned and executed from top to bottom. Third, I got to lead a seminar on habit formation. For 45 minutes I had over a hundred students as my captive audience. I took the opportunity to encourage them to develop a habit…

With 99% of the dialogue recorded in Scripture, the tone of voice of the speaker is not explicitly described. The reader is left to infer whether a sentence is said in anger or sadness.  Quietly or loudly.  With boldness or timidity. Take for example this famous exchange between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well:  John 4:15  The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” 16  Jesus told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.” 17  “I have no husband,”…

Yesterday I met a fellow missionary here at the Grace College Missions Conference who completed his DMin six years ago.  For the uninitiated, that is a Doctorate of Ministry, the same degree I am currently working toward. A year from now I will have completed my classes and I will be starting work on my dissertation. It makes me nervous to think about it, but probably not for the reason you might expect. Yes, it will be a lot of work and I will have to set and abide by self-imposed deadlines. That will take discipline, but I think I…