Tag: christianity

The Soul-Shattering Sound of Silence

The Soul-Shattering Sound of Silence

Reading Time: 2 minutes It is hard to be thankful for pain when you consider all the moments you got to hold you kid and listen to her floating laugh echoing in the halls, which now ring only with the high-pitched, tinny whine that your ears pick up when there is only silence. It’s hard to be thankful for the times your mom cooked you your favorite dinner as you stand in the kitchen, now empty forever, helping load boxes of items you have to do, well, something with. It’s hard to be thankful for the pain as you tell your best friend and confidant, “I finally got rid of his toothbrush today. I guess this makes it real.”

Ancient Writings: Has Christianity Changed Views on Baptism Over Time?

Ancient Writings: Has Christianity Changed Views on Baptism Over Time?

Reading Time: 14 minutes Although I’d known the various views on immersion that churches today tend to hold, I was curious about what Christians closer to the time of Jesus thought. In this post I explore a number of their early writings, and then offer my own conclusions.

Should You Behead Those Who Insult You?

Should You Behead Those Who Insult You?

Reading Time: 2 minutes In the past I’ve run into unexpected cruddy behavior and found myself asking, “What in the world do I do now, and how can I make it as painful for them as possible?”

lotr
I Wish It Need Not Have Happened in My Time, Yet I Spoke

I Wish It Need Not Have Happened in My Time, Yet I Spoke

Reading Time: 3 minutes Humans have an amazing ability to adapt to bad situations. Our minds can take terrible circumstances and slowly normalize them, leading us to cope and even find happiness when things are rough. But there is a flipside: this same ability allows us to become desensitized to evil. Vile acts simply become a new normal over time.

A Sufficiency of Friends

A Sufficiency of Friends

Reading Time: 2 minutes Look at that picture. It’s funny, and for me, it’s almost entirely true. I like having maybe one close friend/girlfriend and then one other friend besides that. It makes my life simple. As a rule, I am an introvert and not that adept at understanding my own feelings and navigating relationships…

Go Set a Watchman: Speaking Up in the Face of Evil

Go Set a Watchman: Speaking Up in the Face of Evil

Reading Time: 2 minutes You must never upset anyone. You must avoid confrontation at all costs. You must be quiet in the face of an intolerant minority, that they not be offended. Instead of acting like men and being strong, you most nobly ponder, “What is a man? Is there a difference even between men and women? It seems messy and hard to tell.”

The Lord’s Supper: Sunday, or Any Day?

The Lord’s Supper: Sunday, or Any Day?

Reading Time: 6 minutes This post seeks to view two different sides of a common debate over whether or not the Lord’s Supper can be taken on Sunday only, or rather at any time. I will probably add to it significantly in the coming months, but for now I present this very spartan framework.

Is Giving on Sunday Commanded of Christians?

Is Giving on Sunday Commanded of Christians?

Reading Time: 3 minutes Many people have probably grown up hearing, “And that concludes the Lord’s Supper. Now we are give back of ourselves financially, as we are commanded to do upon the first day of the week.”

Is that correct?

The 8 Ages of All Great Nations: End-Stage Guilt

The 8 Ages of All Great Nations: End-Stage Guilt

Reading Time: 10 minutes Kings and nations share one thing in common: they rise to power, and then they die. In this post I examine the 8 stages of all great nations, the deadliness of decadence and the self-loathing it leads to, as well as what Christians need to do.

dr michael ruse quote
The Consistent Ethics of Auschwitz: Creating Purpose for Your Life

The Consistent Ethics of Auschwitz: Creating Purpose for Your Life

Reading Time: 4 minutes Far from being contemptuous of ethics, the perpetrators acted in strict conformity with an ethic which held that, however difficult and unpleasant the task might have been, mass extermination of the Jews and Gypsies was entirely justified.

What About Your Terrible Future

What About Your Terrible Future

Reading Time: 3 minutes On atheism, there are not actually various possible futures. That is to say, there is actually only one future that is ever possible. And there is little difference between you and a rock.

Improving Your Relationship with God

Improving Your Relationship with God

Reading Time: 7 minutes Imagine being married and not really knowing your spouse at all—in fact, imagine if the only thing you knew about your spouse was what others told you about them. Would that be healthy?

How to Change the World

How to Change the World

Reading Time: < 1 minute Although “bringing people to Christ” sounds great, it is much better and more challenging to bring Christ (in us) to people.

Love and Respect

Love and Respect

Reading Time: 2 minutes “I just want to be loved and valued. I want to be number one in his life. Unconditional love…that’s what I want.” We understand this. She needs his love. She needs love when she’s firing on all cylinders, and she needs it even more when she’s worn down—the kids are going full-barbarian, the water heater’s out, and the stir-fry dinner just got complicated by a lack of rice. “I need…

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