For the past eight years, Nate Hanson served as the host of a podcast called Almost Heretical. The show generated millions of downloads and rose to become one of the most successful “deconstructionist” podcasts on the market. On Wikipedia, it’s listed among . . . Continue reading →
Jacob’s Wrestling Is Not A Metaphor
According to [Dennis Prager and Jordan Peterson], the ultimate point of Genesis 32 is that all of us are called to wrestle with God. When, for example, we wrestle with the implications of his existence on our lives, and on ultimate issues . . . Continue reading →
Does Hebrews 11:1 Teach Blind Faith?
Before we take a deep dive into the meaning of Hebrews 11:1, there are two passages we should look at that push back against the idea of blind faith. The first is found in Matthew 15:14 in which Jesus refers to some of the Pharisees as “blind guides.” “If the blind lead the blind,” he says, “both will fall into a pit.” Continue reading →
Christian: Is Your View Of Faith Mormon Or Christian?
Back in 1829, Joseph Smith claimed that God appeared to him saying: Cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things; did I not speak peace to . . . Continue reading →
You Need Not Be A Jerk While Defending The Faith
In his first epistle, the Apostle Peter famously said that followers of Jesus should “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks” (1 Pet 3:15). Throughout the long history of the church, this has been the primary prooftext for . . . Continue reading →
Did Jesus Really Turn Water Into Wine?
The account of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding of Cana is a well-known story from the Gospel of John. When commenting upon this passage, many focus on the exceptional quality of the wine that Jesus produced, while others prefer . . . Continue reading →
Recovering The Art of Persuasion
“Of all things that human beings do,” Mortimer Adler once observed, “conversing with one another is the most characteristically human.” Unfortunately, in our day, we no longer have many opportunities for meaningful conversations. Virtual conversations abound—we watch talking heads on television or . . . Continue reading →
The Point Of The Rich Man And Lazarus Might Not Be What You Think (Pt 2)
According to Josephus and three of the four Gospel writers, Caiaphas was Israel’s high priest during the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry.7 Further, as it turns out, he was the son-in-law of Annas, who had also reigned as high priest some years . . . Continue reading →
The Point Of The Rich Man And Lazarus Might Not Be What You Think (Pt 1)
In Luke 16, Jesus tells a fascinating story about two contrasting characters: one who lives in luxury, and the other who lives in extreme poverty and, unlike all the other parables Jesus tells, in this particular narrative, one of the characters is . . . Continue reading →
Is Faith Irrational?
Some years ago on one of his broadcasts, Bill Maher defined faith as “the purposeful suspension of critical thinking.”1 Similarly, Richard Dawkins, Neil deGrasse Tyson and others have defined faith as “believing something in the absence of evidence.”2 But are these definitions . . . Continue reading →
The Search for A Second Adam: A New Way of Reading Scripture (Part 3)
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we looked at the ongoing search for God’s promised seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent. Though many of the patriarchs and Israel’s national leaders seemed to come . . . Continue reading →
The Search for A Second Adam: A New Way of Reading Scripture (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the search for the promised seed of the woman, the one who would crush the serpent’s head, the new Adam. As each one of the Patriarchs rises with glimmers of hope, so also . . . Continue reading →
The Search for A Second Adam: A New Way of Reading Scripture (Part 1)
More than anything, the Bible is a great unfolding drama with all kinds of plot twists and and unexpected turns. The big picture that I want you to see has to do with the promise in Genesis chapter 3. God made the . . . Continue reading →