Category Archives: Bible

Believing in Jesus: Not “For Once and for All,” but “For Once and for Always”

Posted on March 19, 2024 by salooper57

I preached this as a candidate for the pastoral ministry at California Road Missionary Church – my first time preaching a candidate’s sermon in 35 years! You can read the sermon below, or you can watch it on Cal Road’s … Continue reading →

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Palm Sunday: Why Is It Called That?

Posted on March 16, 2024 by salooper57

This is the time of the year that churches celebrate Palm Sunday and commemorate what is popularly known as the “Triumphal Entry.” What is the origin of Palm Sunday, and why is it significant? The original Palm Sunday took place … Continue reading →

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Whether Science or Theology, the Proof Is in the Pudding

Posted on March 9, 2024 by salooper57

Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, engaged in a decades-long disagreement over the nature of physical reality, and particularly over quantum mechanics. Einstein rejected Bohr’s idea of quantum entanglement as “spooky action … Continue reading →

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How to Tell People That a Friend Has Died

Posted on February 17, 2024 by salooper57

What is the appropriate way of letting people know that an acquaintance or friend has died? This can be a real problem. As a pastor for many years, it was too often my duty to announce to the congregation the … Continue reading →

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Should This Story Be in the Bible?

Posted on February 10, 2024 by salooper57

Why is it that some Bibles, including most modern translations, leave out John 7:53-8:11, the story of the woman caught in the act of adultery? If the events in this story did not actually take place, why did the King … Continue reading →

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The Roots of Christian Differences on Moral Issues

Posted on February 4, 2024 by salooper57

A wide variety of stances exists among self-professed Christians regarding the ethical and moral issues of our time, even though most of them Christians would agree that the Bible is an authoritative source for instruction on the virtuous life. How … Continue reading →

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From Caricatures to Hope: The Doctrine of Judgment

Posted on January 27, 2024 by salooper57

Judgment is the missing doctrine of the twenty-first century church. In the 1960s, TV shows and comedy skits would sometimes portray a deranged man with a long beard and a white robe declaring “The End Is Near,” or some other … Continue reading →

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The Love of Knowledge and the Knowledge of Love

Posted on January 13, 2024 by salooper57

In one of his best known passages, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For now we know in part.” Human knowledge is always partial. The greatest theologian has only partial knowledge, as does the greatest scientist and the greatest philosopher. Of course, … Continue reading →

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Live Meaningfully in the Present by Learning from the Past

Posted on January 6, 2024 by salooper57

The biblical stories of saints and sinners are endlessly instructive for people wanting to live meaningful lives in the present, but there is a risk that we will miss what they have to teach us. The danger is that we … Continue reading →

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A Biblical Model for Handling Church Conflicts

Posted on December 30, 2023 by salooper57

Anyone who has been around the church for any length of time has heard about church fights and church splits. Christians, it seems, are not much better than anyone else when it comes to handling conflict. They might even be … Continue reading →

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