I live in the Denver metro, which means I live in the shadow of the mountains. At some point, you stop consciously noticing them, and they fade into the background of everyday life, looming beyond the highways and neighborhoods. But every now and then, something shifts. Maybe the light hits them differently, or a storm … Read more
I’m going to guess that you’re familiar with the saying “If you think it’s sin, it’s sin for you.” Usually, the statement is rooted in Romans 14, particularly Paul’s line: Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin. At first glance, that seems innocuous enough. However, if you really think about the implications of what … Read more
There is nothing more important in the Bible and in human history than Jesus’ death and resurrection. And if you grew up in the church, you were probably taught some version of this: You sinned. God is holy. Sin deserves punishment. Jesus took that punishment so you wouldn’t have to. For the vast majority of … Read more
I recently heard a well-known biblical scholar say something that made my ears perk up: We don’t have access to objective truth because we filter everything through our subjective minds. For those of us who are Christians, the claim can sound a little silly. We believe we have access to objective truth, particularly in the … Read more
I see it all the time on YouTube, Facebook, and just about every other social media platform: Christians being criticized (or responding to criticism) for following a God who seems to allow things like slavery, polygamy, and other institutions that make the average person uncomfortable. Critics often point to passages like Exodus 21, Leviticus 25, … Read more
Anyone who’s been around the Christian block knows of the long-standing debate between divine sovereignty and human freedom. Though there are varying degrees of conviction within each camp, the discussion is often framed as Calvinism vs. Arminianism: theological traditions associated with John Calvin and Jacobus Arminius. This article assumes readers have a basic knowledge of … Read more
If you’re a Christian, you probably describe yourself as a monotheist. Christianity is typically grouped with Judaism and Islam as one of the great monotheistic faiths. It’s a dogma that the Church holds to staunchly (particularly conservative Evangelicals), and broadly speaking, I think that’s a good thing. But in recent years, debates have erupted over … Read more
Few theological questions feel as weighty, or as personal, as this one: What does the Bible actually teach about the permanence of salvation? Many Christians, myself included, have been taught to expect a simple answer. Either salvation is unlosable in every sense, or it can be forfeited almost casually through moral failure – and obviously, … Read more
One of the most common objections to the Christian conception of God is the problem of suffering. If God is good, loving, and all-powerful, how could He design a world in which humans and animals experience so much suffering? The force of the objection depends largely on how suffering itself is defined. And this is … Read more