Reflections on God … Man … Life
Charles Finney was a very direct preacher. He didn’t hold back on anything. If he believed the congregation to which he was speaking was resisting God, he said so. To do that kind of thing nowadays would be to invite open rebellion and loss of pulpit in most places. Yet Finney’s approach led to numerous awakenings of solid Biblical faith. Wherever he went, controversy followed. One story from his autobiography I find both amusing and sad at the same time:… Read more »
There’s just no getting around the existence of God. The apostle Paul says people have to actively suppress the truth of His presence, and they do so to avoid the idea they are accountable for their actions. One of the psalms says a person has to be a fool to believe there is no God. C. S. Lewis has his own unique way of expressing these Biblical truths. In his book Miracles he declares, God is basic Fact or Actuality,… Read more »
In one of my posts last week, I chronicled the various threats to religious liberty—more specifically, threats to the public expression of Christian faith—that have cropped up recently. One of those in my list was a bakery in Gresham, Oregon, run by a Christian couple that was being sued for not making a cake for a lesbian wedding. Since I posted that, the bakery, Sweet Cakes by Melissa, has closed. The reason for the closure was the intimidation brought by… Read more »
A Senate hearing yesterday on the Syrian situation and the administration’s desire to get involved militarily constrains me to comment once again on this topic. My last post laid out some of my rationale for opposing involvement: neither side deserves our help; we will either be aiding a dictatorial regime allied with Iran or an uprising with a distinctly Al Qaeda flavoring. I have a few more thoughts to add today. First, it’s interesting how this is not a purely… Read more »
I agree with President Obama. Now, get up off the floor and read the rest. I know the first sentence was a shock to your system, but it is a limited agreement with all kinds of cautions. On what do we agree? His decision to turn to Congress to debate what action should or should not be taken in Syria was the correct decision. I have no illusions as to why he finally decided to do so—it had far more… Read more »
On this Labor Day, I’ve decided to labor less than usual. I think I’ll just remind us all of how God sees our labor. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 8, Moses recounts the wanderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness and gives them this warning: In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do good for you in the end…. Read more »
God always goes beyond our actions to see what’s in our hearts. The intent of the heart is a key to God’s judgment of our actions. Charles Finney has an excellent commentary on that in his Systematic Theology: It is a saying as common as men are, and as true as common, that men are to be judged by their motives, that is, by their designs, intentions. It is impossible for us not to assent to this truth. If a… Read more »