Auschwitz and the Agnostic
It was in the spring of 2007, if I’m recalling correctly, that I first traveled to Slovakia. I was younger then, though not so young as to believe I had seen enough of the world. I had not. And it was there I met Miro. He was about my age, but the soundtrack of Miro’s […]
I’ve Stopped Praying for Safety—And You Should Too
Growing up, I remember more than one man who, when appointed to lead Sunday morning’s closing prayer, would always conclude the final benediction along these lines: “and keep us all safe until the next appointed time.” What innocent-sounding heretics we are. Maybe I overstated that. But I want your attention. There’s nothing wrong with praying […]
Roots and Renewal: Why History Matters
Over the greater part of a decade, I served as a missionary in Central Europe, where the currents of history run deep. If you have ever traveled through that part of the world, you will have noticed something remarkable: though secularism has asserted its dominance, Christianity’s imprint remains unmistakable. It lingers not only in the […]
Why I Chose To Preach on Sexuality and Gender (Part 2)
My wife and I are blessed to have raised four children. I remember when we just had two. It seemed manageable at that point. We could play man-on-man defense. Then we had our third child and everything changed. All of a sudden, we had to fall back into zone defense and it didn’t seem to […]
Remembering Saint Patrick and Hope for Today
“Kiss me. I’m Irish!” That was the phrase on my friend‘s coffee mug. When I saw it, I thought, “I have no idea what that means, but I sure could have used that mug in high school.” Among Irish mythology, the story goes that kissing an Irish person will bring you luck. The legend originates […]
Who Was Miriam in the Bible?
Miriam was one of the three siblings whom God appointed to rescue the Israelite nation from bondage in Egypt. A little background will help us understand Miriam’s place in time and her contribution to the history of ancient Israel. This people group descended from Abraham (approx. 2000 B.C.), to whom God had promised land in […]
Who Was Barnabas in the Bible? Reflections on Being a Man of Encouragement
“A personal relationship with Jesus Christ” has been a popular catchphrase in Western Christian circles for over a century. Theologically, there is merit in the phrase as we all must stand before God personally and cannot secure our salvation through the faith of others or our religious law keeping. We all must decide, on our […]
The Book of Revelation Explained Simply
Do you ever like to experience the thrill of a good scare? For some of us growing up, that was what the book of Revelation was for. Perhaps as a kid, there were times you would be glancing through a Bible, and then—after checking to see if anyone was watching—you’d quickly flip to the end […]
