All tagged mercy

297 Pope Benedict & the Anti-Christ, Human Mirrors of the Divine

Before he died Pope Benedict wrote about the presence of the anti-Christ. What did he say? What did he say that I affirm? How did the anti-Christ appear to Jesus? In what form will the same devil appear to us that he had appeared to Jesus? I also work through four principles given to us by Benedict for conducting spiritual warfare. In the show's beginning I also think out loud about operating out of a Christian worldview. What does that look like? Let's turn our brains on for the mission and glory of Christ.

282 The Gap in History

Peter, James, Paul. . . the entire apostolic community expected Jesus to return, bodily, in their lifetimes. Growing up, I didn't expect to make it out of high school before Jesus returned. The apostles were, and my boyhood church was, wrong. So just why has it been 2000 years since Christ ascended into heaven? Why the gap? What kind of missional and existential challenge does that gap present to us? And what is the most common temptation to sin here in our Post-Christian culture? All in this episode!

165 The Cult of the Now (5) Why "Systemic" Racism?

We are told this is neither a matter of individual racists wreaking havoc nor is it simply that there are towns or regions that are predominantly racist. No, the dominant narrative is that America is "systemically" racist. Why that resounding refrain? To sort this out I peer into the work of Robin DiAngelo, author of the best selling book, White Fragility. What can we take away from her? How is this all rather like a glacier going off a cliff?

162 The Cult of the Now (2) Human Hunger: Christianity vs. Marx

What is the anthropology (doctrine of human nature) that lies beneath Marxism? It's important to understand that because that doctrine both undergirds and reveals what is going on in our woke-scolding era today. Herein I argue that while a Marxist can convert and come to know the living Christ, Marxism itself is beyond redemption: at its core it is atheist. Trying to transform Marxism into Christianity is like a human being trying to live among grizzly bears.

026 Brief Reflections on Intense Pain - What the Hell?

Life is both beautiful and interspersed with pain. How should we process the latter? How might Christians process intense pain? Is God causing everything? Does prayer matter? What about mercy ministry to those enduring intense pain? How does gratitude help? What kinds of things should we say and not say to those with intense pain? I worked through these kinds of questions following major back surgery.