Join me, if you would, and think about a magician’s act, who’s not mesmerized by the “trickery”? We all know the card tricks, “death defying” antics, and captivating“disappearing” and then “reappearing” moves are basically misdirection, sleight of hand and skill. Simply: a type of deception we like. Try sleight of hand on small children, they […]
Cults vs. Cultic type Groups We have been talking about spotting deception for a number of posts now, and there’s more to come. However, here’s a ripe example of how a little knowledge can help prevent deception: understanding the cults and, specifically for this post, cultic groups. While many abuse the word “cult” without proper […]
The cold “clickety-clack” sound, the motion, the rolling down the hall on the cart, you shiver. Eyes on the ceiling, studded cold bright lights flash past, you turn the corner into the elevator. Exiting the ‘cave’, your gurney is shoved past streams of scrub clad humans flying around. A ruptured appendix, you feel sick with […]
Should Christians approve same-sex marriage? This was the question that one book author was trying to address. His answer was in the affirmative. While I only got through the first chapter or two, what I read stunned me. What struck me was not his arguments or even his position, he did not bring anything new […]
Ideas Have Consequences Let’s call him Joe. He was armed with a charming and charismatic personality. He was smart, bold and confident. In addition he was a follower of Christ. He came from a “sheltered” Christian home. I still can remember it like yesterday, he would sit at the college library’s desk checking out books […]
A recent conversation got me concerned. The ideas were not new to me, but what was interesting was the volley of ideas that kept coming, kept coming without biblical justification. A Christian of a number of years, explained it is not good when Christians have “head knowledge”. In other-words, we should not study the Bible […]
The Maxim I Like Most catch phrases concern me, especially when one uses them at whim without reflection and deep background knowledge of the meaning and potential pitfalls. However, there is one I kind of like. Penned by nineteenth century Alexander Campbell, this maxim address Christian religious authority: “Where the Bible speaks, we speak; where […]
Adding to the Scripture If one does not hold the Bible as the ultimate authority and from God, there are greater concerns then what I’m about to address. However, I assume you hold the Bible to be foundational. I’m very concerned when people, Christians, elevate other concepts to biblical level. Or as Jesus put it […]
Ebola, that deadly virus is rocking parts of the globe. Other diseases throughout history have done the same. There are three main approaches to many diseases, isolation to prevent exposure, succumb to the disease and hope for survival, and with some diseases, inoculate beforehand for greater resistance. We can learn from these approaches and apply […]
The new school year is here – so you want to raise an agnostic you ask? How about an atheist? Maybe a rebel? Now, I’m not saying these all fall into the same category, however, instruction of each are similar. There’re many things one can do, but here’s some ideas for starters. Peers Make sure he’s always […]
