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Pegged
I think every human being experiences some tension between wanting to belong and wanting to be seen as a unique individual. In recent years that tension has become increasingly politicized. I grew up in a family devoted to Christ. Some of my earliest memories are of church, and they were overwhelmingly positive. I enjoyed the…
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Armchair Christian
I’m an armchair Christian. I don’t mean that my beliefs are not sincere or that my faith has not faced trial, but compared to the first disciples, I have done little to advance the good news about Jesus. Like the teacher of the Law in Matthew 8 who volunteers to follow Jesus without being called,…
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Faith and Certainty
Ἔστιν δὲ πίστις ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, πραγμάτων ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Hebrews 11:1 (Original Greek) The New Testament makes very clear how damaging doubt can be to faith. For example, Jesus tells his disciples that they can move mountains with the smallest amount of faith, provided their faith admits of no doubt. What is less clear, however,…
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Fulfilling the Law
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until…
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Fear of Hell
Home is the place where, when you have to go there,They have to take you in. Robert Frost, “The Death of the Hired Man” To me this sounds more like hell than home, but that could be because I grew up in a loving home where I almost always found comfort and security. Still, for…