Intellectual Christianity. Is there really such a thing? I didn’t used to think so. I thought Christians willingly turned off their brains when they entered a church. I believed that they deliberately avoided the hard questions about their religion because they didn’t dare question their faith—questions like: Why would God Read more…
Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” This is a very interesting thing for Paul to say because he was sitting in a Roman prison at the time. (See Philippians 1:7 and 1:13.) Philippians was one of four letters that Paul wrote from prison, Read more…
There are many examples in the Bible of God giving people no real choice in what they do. For example, when God sent Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, God said he would “harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in Read more…
Paul is one of my favorite people in the Bible, in large part because he was such a tower of strength and faithfulness. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 he discusses the many persecutions and hardships he endured: . . . beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times Read more…
Jesus’ appearances after his resurrection are described in at least five different New Testament books—the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John,[1] the book of Acts, and Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Most of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances are well known: to Mary Magdalene and the women at the tomb,[2] to Read more…
Acts 8:3 tells us that in the early days of Christianity a man named Saul was “ravaging the church,” putting men and women in prison. Acts 8:1 adds that Saul approved of the execution of a Christian named Stephen. Have you ever wondered why Saul was so hostile toward Jesus’ Read more…