Author Archives: salooper57

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About salooper57

Husband, father, pastor, follower. I am a disciple of Jesus, learning how to do life from him. I read, write, walk, play a little guitar, enjoy my family.

Beyond Social Justice: The Call for Spiritual Wokeness

Posted on March 25, 2023 by salooper57

Blues singer and guitarist Lead Belly recorded a song titled, “Scottsboro Boys” in 1938. It told the story of nine young black men who were falsely accused of raping two white women in Scottsboro, Alabama. In a spoken afterward to … Continue reading →

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Built on a Promise (Matthew 16:13-20)

Posted on March 19, 2023 by salooper57

When I was a boy and would put more food on my plate than I was able to eat, my mother would say, “Your eyes are bigger than your belly.” When a pastor puts Matthew 16:13-20 on his preaching plate – at least this pastor – his desire to preach might be bigger than his exegetical ability. Continue reading →

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The Search for God: A Journey that Never Ends

Posted on March 18, 2023 by salooper57

The Search for God: A Journey That Never Ends Everyone is a searcher. Not everyone knows it. Humans eat, sleep, mate, work – and they search. In fact, they search while they are eating, sleeping, mating, and working.  Those who … Continue reading →

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Busyness and Hurry (What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture)

Posted on March 14, 2023 by salooper57

U.S.A. Today published a multi-year poll in 2008 regarding people’s perception of time and their own busyness. It found that in each consecutive year since 1987, people reported that they are busier than the year before, with 69% responding that … Continue reading →

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We Are the Temple of the Living God (with Kevin Looper)

Posted on March 12, 2023 by salooper57

How can Christians be in the world but not of it? What does it mean to be unequally yoked? Does this only happen in marriage, or can we be unequally yoked in other relationships? We explore the questions as we … Continue reading →

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The Danger of Unanchored Spirituality

Posted on March 11, 2023 by salooper57

Carlos is a great guitarist but he’s not a careful enough theologian. The idea that “the voice” of God or of a benevolent spirit “will never take you to the desert” is simply mistaken. Continue reading →

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What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture: Beauty and Modesty

Posted on March 7, 2023 by salooper57
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The Foundation (Acts 1:12-14)

Posted on March 5, 2023 by salooper57

The church is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself the chief cornerstone (see Eph. 2:20), Who are the people who formed the foundation of God’s eternal church? Why were they chosen? What does … Continue reading →

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The Lenses We Wear When We Read the Bible

Posted on March 4, 2023 by salooper57

In the movie, “Titanic,” a mother and her teenage daughter Rose, played by Kate Winslet, are crossing the Atlantic with Rose’s fiancé. He is from the same social class as she, but he is rich while her family has squandered … Continue reading →

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Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism (What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture)

Posted on February 28, 2023 by salooper57

This session launches a class on what the Bible has to say to American culture. This is not about conservatism verses liberalism, but about biblical Christianity’s challenge to American cultural assumptions. This week, we look at the American ideal of … Continue reading →

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