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.

Do Not Wait for the Last Judgment

Posted on June 11, 2022 by salooper57

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “For judgment I have come into the world.” Yet, later in the same Gospel, he says, “I did not come to judge the world.” Did Jesus contradict himself? Did he come to judge … Continue reading →

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The History and Mystery of the Gospel (Biblical Theology Class)

Posted on June 8, 2022 by salooper57

Did Jesus preach the gospel? Did he preach a different gospel than Paul? Was there a gospel in the Old Testament? What did Paul mean when he spoke of the mystery of the gospel? These and other questions are addressed … Continue reading →

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Forgiveness: How to Forgive

Posted on June 6, 2022 by salooper57

How can we forgive? This message explores the answer to that question by offering biblical instruction from Colossians 3. This is the second of two messages on the subject. The first can be found here.

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Is Christianity Hard or Easy?

Posted on June 4, 2022 by salooper57

Is Christianity hard or easy? That was the question C. S. Lewis asked and helpfully answered almost 80 years ago. Lewis believed that Christianity is hard – impossible even – if approached from one direction, and easy – or at … Continue reading →

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Family: It’s Role in God’s Loving Purpose

Posted on June 3, 2022 by salooper57

Kevin Looper explores the connection between family relationships and God’s relationships with people. The family, he contends, was designed by God to express his love for humans and reveal what he desires in a relationship with them.

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Heaven and Hell (Biblical Theology Class #20)

Posted on June 1, 2022 by salooper57

I was away this week, so Kevin handled this difficult class on his own. He explores what the Bible says about hell (and a little about heaven). This difficult, challenging subject is treated with care and humility.

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A Shot Across the Bow: Coming to Terms with Death

Posted on May 28, 2022 by salooper57

Death, like a Victorian era visitor, often sends a calling card to announce its arrival. But death is no gentleman. It sometimes comes silently, like a robber. At other times, it delivers a warning. It fires a shot across the … Continue reading →

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A Man Called Paul (Wide Angle): Before Saul Became Paul

Posted on May 23, 2022 by salooper57

(Reading Time: approximately 4 minutes.) At the trial of St. Stephen’s trial, Saul of Tarsus must have sat shaking his head. “This heretic! Who does he think he is, lecturing us!” When Stephen accused his peers of resisting the Holy … Continue reading →

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The Reason Art Got Ugly

Posted on May 21, 2022 by salooper57

The performance arts have also become enamored with ugliness, preferring darkness to light, and antiheroes to heroes. Today, antiheroes are artistically interesting, but heroes are boring. Antiheroes represent truth. Heroes are a fantasy. These days, no one is making films with “High Noon” plots or Will Kane-like heroes. Darkness – think of the recent Batman films – is in vogue. Continue reading →

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A Man Named Paul (Wide Angle)

Posted on May 19, 2022 by salooper57

In this Wide Angle series of posts, we have been surveying the mountain peaks of biblical revelation – the most important people and events in the history of God’s interaction with humans. We have been skipping from one mountain of … Continue reading →

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