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.

Can Hope Be Found in Present-Day America?

Posted on July 28, 2018 by salooper57

I was once on a college campus for a conference that featured a prominent biologist as a keynote speaker. During his talk, he defended Darwinian evolutionary theory from attacks by other academics. Whether his defense was successful or not was … Continue reading →

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Needed: People to Live (not just Speak) the Truth

Posted on July 21, 2018 by salooper57

According to recent data, the percentage of atheists among thirteen to eighteen-year-olds is approximately double that of any other age group in the U.S. Experts suggest that this age group, known as Generation Z, might be the first to leave … Continue reading →

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Give Your Kids a Clear Alternative

Posted on July 14, 2018 by salooper57

Your teen daughter’s favorite show is “Pretty Little Liars.” Week by week she learns the singular lesson that her value depends on being beautiful, rich, and sexy. Her younger brother hardly watches TV anymore, and you are relieved: their fights … Continue reading →

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When Ideas Collapse, People Get Hurt

Posted on July 7, 2018 by salooper57

Drive into a city, Chicago, for example, and the first thing you will see is the skyline. From miles away you can see the Willis Tower, the Trump Hotel and Tower, and the Aon Center. But you cannot see the … Continue reading →

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Why I Keep an Empty Coke Can on My Shelf

Posted on June 16, 2018 by salooper57

When I was young, my parents or other adults occasionally quoted to me the old saw, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” I haven’t heard that for a long time. It’s as if the maxim has dropped out … Continue reading →

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It’s Time to Get Out of Line

Posted on June 9, 2018 by salooper57

By Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands – Cedar Point and Oberlin’s CommencementUploaded by Themeparkgc, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26787830 The church I attended as a teen had a gold-colored carpet, cream-colored walls, and a dark-stained wood trim. In … Continue reading →

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Tolkien, God, and Character Development

Posted on June 2, 2018 by salooper57

Joseph Pearce, in the book Tolkien: Man and Myth tells how, in a 1997 poll, English readers voted J.R.R. Tolkien’s, The Lord of the Rings, the book of the century. The literati were embarrassed by their fellow-countrymen. In a nation … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Christianity, Faith | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Think You Know What the Bible Really Says?

Posted on May 26, 2018 by salooper57

The first line of the Nicene Creed is, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.” This claim has, as I have previously argued, practical implications. For example, … Continue reading →

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It’s Time to Take Creation Seriously

Posted on May 19, 2018 by salooper57

The idea that God created the material universe is foundational to the Jewish and Christian scriptures. The first verse of the Bible, the one on which the rest of the Scriptures stand, states: “In the beginning, God created the heavens … Continue reading →

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Human Perception and the Nature of Reality

Posted on May 5, 2018 by salooper57

Human’s interact with the world through the five senses, which Aristotle listed as sight, smell, hearing, touch, and taste. But our “reality interface” also includes senses that Aristotle knew nothing about in his day. To date, researchers have identified between … Continue reading →

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