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'Winging It
by Stan Smith
Theodicy is the defense of God in the face of evil. The question of the skeptic is how a good God can allow evil. The accusation is that He is either not powerful enough or not loving enough to fix that problem. Open Theists try to excuse God by saying that He doesn't know what Free Will Humans will do and, so, can only respond to them, not prevent them. Others argue only slightly less offensively that God has limited His Sovereignty to Man's Free Will and is "forced" (they would never use that term) to let them sin. The Bible has a different response to the problem. … ( Click for more )
The "social justice" types who are urgently attempting to make Christianity into a "do-gooder" society and Jesus into our chief "do-gooder" will quickly point you over to Matthew 25:31-46, the "Sheep and the Goats" passage, as a quick prooftext. There we read, "I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me." Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, "Lord, when did… ( Click for more )
A "word of the day" entry: "anthropocentric". We can find a dictionary definition, but let's see if we can figure it out from its roots. "Anthropos" is the Greek word for "man" -- primarily "man" as a group, not a gender. You know ... humans. Then there is the "centric" part. I think most of us can figure that out. So, simply put, "anthropocentric" means "centered on humans". On one hand, it is fundamental to humans to be anthropocentric.… ( Click for more )
Ever consider the effects of television on your home and family?
Before the content there is the medium. Studies indicate that children under the age of 3 are very likely to have ADHD by the age of 7 if they're exposed to the medium of television. Content doesn't matter. It's the screen, the images, the constant inundation of input. Try to compete with that in everyday life. They also find it stunts their brain growth during the time that they're learning basic functions like depth perception and hand-eye coordination. But the medium is also detrimental to adults. One study indicated… ( Click for more )
One of the hottest topics these days in churches is the topic of music. All sides are deeply entrenched. "God doesn't like that kind of music." "God is glorified in music regardless of the style." "We need to use music in church that is respectful of God." "We need to use music that reaches people." And the argument, unspoken generally, is that the Bible doesn't really say. So ... is that true? I took a survey of biblical music and here is what I found. The main goal of music in Scripture is to express a response to God, not generate a response… ( Click for more )
There are those today who suggest that the concept of the church choir is outdated. However, if we look at the history and purpose of the choir, I suspect we will find that this ought not be the case. The “church choir” has its origins not in Roman Catholicism or in Christianity at all, but in the Old Testament. The first “church choir” was appointed by King David some 3000 years ago. These choirs were far more serious than anything we have today. Now these are the singers, heads of fathers' households of the Levites, who lived in the chambers of the temple… ( Click for more )
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Jesus concludes many of His parables with this somewhat amusing little comment. I mean, come on, how many people do not have ears? Now, the truth is we all know that Jesus is not referring to physical ears. Nor is He referring to the auditory reception of sound that we often call "hearing". We all know that what He is really saying is that those who are really listening will understand what He was saying in His parable. Now, consider this diagnostic. You're a "doctor" of sorts, and this statement is offered.… ( Click for more )
Heresies are a bad thing. Any orthodox person knows that. But I see some value in them. Orthodoxy is defined, at its root, as "right belief". Heresy is defined as "at variance with orthodoxy". Thomas Aquinas defined heresy as "a species of infidelity in men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas." In other words, it takes a profession of faith to qualify as a heretic. It also takes a "right belief". Heresies cause all sorts of problems. They cause division and schisms. They lead people from the truth. They lie and deceive… ( Click for more )
Christianity is the only religion that operates under the belief that you cannot earn your way to heaven. The "bad news" of Christianity is that we're all sinners beyond the capacity to be good enough to make it. Our "good news", then, is that salvation is by God's unmerited favor (grace) through our trusting in Him (faith) and unequivocally not of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Paul says without any lack of clarity, "For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law" (Rom 3:28). Does it get any clearer than that? As a result… ( Click for more )
Have you heard that one? "What's my motivation?" It usually comes from an actor playing a part and wants to know better how to play the part, so asks the director, "What's my motivation?" because knowing why you do something helps you to do it better, more authentically. In Romans 12, Paul beseeches his readers (where "beseech" is more of a command than a plea) to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice." Now, you have to admit, that's quite a command. You see, a "sacrifice" is not small. It is costly. (A "sacrifice"… ( Click for more )
One of my very favorite stories in the Old Testament is found in 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoshaphat (whose name alone is funny to me) was the king of Judah. He was a good king, endeavoring to follow God. In this story, Jehoshaphat gets news of a "great multitude" assembling against him for war. It didn't look good. Jehoshaphat was no fool. The text says that "Jehoshaphat was afraid ..." Normal, understandable response. It goes on to say "... and set his face to seek the LORD." Not the normal response, but an excellent one. As the story goes, Jehoshaphat… ( Click for more )
I remember once sitting with a fellow who was an agnostic but wanted to know the Gospel. So I gladly shared it with him as carefully and clearly as I could. "We're all sinners, guilty of Cosmic Treason against God, and we all deserve eternal punishment. But Christ died on our behalf so we could be saved from that punishment. If you put your faith in Him for that salvation, you can live with Him for eternity." Something like that. "Well," he said, "I'm working on it." Working on it? What does that mean? In a recently overheard conversation, I… ( Click for more )
As I said when I started this story, most everyone knows the story of Jonah and the Whale1. Even unbelievers have heard that one. Indeed, that whole "fish" thing is what really throws people off, believers and unbelievers alike. It gets in the way. It is a distraction at best and a point of contention at worst. Why? Well, because it's not normal. It's miraculous. I mean, even if it is actually true (as I would contend) that Jonah really was swallowed by some sea creature and spit up on the land three days later, it would be a one-of-a-kind event (you know, like the… ( Click for more )
This third entry is more a bit of conjecture. Don't take it as any more than that. But I thought it was interesting conjecture. Look at the account of Jonah preaching in Ninevah. Then Jonah began to go through the city one day's walk; and he cried out and said, "Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown." Then the people of Nineveh believed in God; and they called a fast and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least of them (Doesn'" target="_blank">Jonah 3:4-5).Doesn't that seem odd? I mean, it appears that Jonah spent a day preaching and Ninevah instantly… ( Click for more )
Okay, so we have a prophet of God who decides to run. Bad option, right? Not a good thing. Have you ever done that? Oh, of course not the whole "sail to Tarshish but get eaten by a fish on the way" thing. I mean where you don't do what you know God wants you to do. Ever done that? One thing we all know about that: bad choice. God wants something from us, and we stand in His way. Not a safe place to be. And the guilt is incredible. God could have accomplished something, but I refused. Really, really not good. Fortunately for us, we don't have such a poor God. He's… ( Click for more )
It's an odd thing. When I was growing up we all knew the story of Jonah and the Fish. (Yeah, that's right. We were told at the outset that "this was no whale". Fish.) We knew it. We saw the connection of "in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights" and Jesus in the grave for that time. Yeah, yeah, okay. Fun story and all. But did it really mean anything? I mean, did you get anything out of it? It is, after all, a bit of a strange story, even without the whole fish-swallowing-a-man component. First you have a prophet who figures the best… ( Click for more )
Awhile ago I got a phone call from a former coworker who had moved out of state. "Hi," she said. "I have a question that you might be able to answer. When dogs die, do they go to heaven? You see, if my dog isn't with me in heaven, I don't want to go." She, of course, was suffering from a fundamental failure to comprehend heaven. But she exhibited the classic understanding of what heaven is all about: "Heaven is fundamentally about my ultimate happiness." And she got me to thinking about Heaven. Heaven means different things to different people.… ( Click for more )
You know the most common complaint about God, right? To the critic it's the theist's Achilles heel. To the believer it's the one real sticking point. The most devout believer can encounter events in life that cause this to rise and trip them up. It is everywhere. The complaint? "Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" Did you ever think about the wrong-headedness of such a question? I mean, that question is way out in left field, so to speak. Now, when I suggest this, I would guess that many people would say, "Yeah! It's not that God allows… ( Click for more )
Now, I know that everyone loves to read stuff about marriage advice from Scripture. Okay, maybe not. Still, I'm reading through Peter's epistles and found something interesting. Since we want a Christian worldview (rather than imposing a worldly worldview on Christianity), I'd like to examine a passage of Scripture for exegesis -- proper understanding. Now, keep in mind that the passage is likely controversial, so that's a double purpose of this exercise. I'd like to examine the text for what it says (exegesis) rather than what our world or even ourselves might like it to say (eisegesis). … ( Click for more )
I've noticed that among those who claim to follow the Word of God there appears to be two categories. Oh, sure, there is the third category -- those who discard God's Word -- but I'm talking about those who don't. These two categories would be those who allow the Word to shape their world and those who allow their world to shape the Word. It is undeniable that there are difficulties with Scripture. For instance, it was written in foreign languages long since dead. What does it mean when it says what it says? Take, as an example, the description of the ephod for the priests… ( Click for more )
In my experience there is very little that can get people as upset as quickly as giving unwanted advice. Telling husbands to love their wives isn't likely going to be well received. Telling wives to submit to their husbands is absolutely not going to be well received. These kinds of things just aren't very popular today. Of course, we're not shooting for popular, are we? If Live as if is aiming at telling Christians how to live as if they are Christians and the primary source for that advice is the Bible, then we're just going to have to go with that, like it or not. So, once more… ( Click for more )
When I was young we enjoyed our family hi-fi. That was short for high fidelity, of course. We used it to play records, radio, that sort of thing. A high fidelity stereo, you see, was better than a mere radio because this device would reproduce the qualities and conditions of the music with exact correspondence. The question, then, is how that would look for a faithful wife, a "high fidelity" wife. Because, while we all know that husbands can be unfaithful, it is not limited to them. And any godly wife would definitely aim to be a faithful wife. The first thing we… ( Click for more )
Okay, remember, "fidelity" means "correspondence with quality or condition". "Marital fidelity", then, would mean sexual fidelity (obviously) since the marriage bed is to be held in honor, but it means so much more. Here, let's put that another way. Part of the quality and conditions of marriage includes sexual fidelity (as opposed to either sexual immorality or adultery -- Hebrews 13:4). Thus, marital fidelity would clearly include sexual fidelity as part of the quality and conditions of marriage. But the real question that would naturally follow… ( Click for more )
We all know what "infidelity" is, right? That means that you're cheating (sexually) on your spouse. But ... is that right? According to the FreeDictionary.com, fidelity refers to "faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observances" or "exact correspondence with fact or with a given quality, condition, or event." Fidelity, then, certainly refers to faithfulness, but goes far beyond not cheating on your wife. A faithful spouse would be a spouse who faithfully meets all obligations and duties. Surely that includes sexual obligations, but it goes… ( Click for more )
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