Category Archives: Christianity

Biblical Theology Class 4: The LORD versus the Gods of Egypt (Exodus 3-11)

Posted on January 30, 2022 by salooper57

In this class, we look at one of the highest peaks of biblical revelation: When God the Creator reveals his name. What follows – the War on the Egyptian Front – shows the LORD to be the great God, without … Continue reading →

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Pulling the Idols from Their Pedestals

Posted on January 29, 2022 by salooper57

At a friend’s urging, I once read a dystopian novel set in a post-apocalyptic era in which the civilized world, or, more precisely, the things about the world that made it civilized, had disappeared. History, philosophy, technology, and the knowledge … Continue reading →

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1 Peter 2:9-25: Your Mission If You Decide to Accept It (or not)

Posted on January 24, 2022 by salooper57
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Holiness Is Back in Vogue (or Should Be)

Posted on January 22, 2022 by salooper57

H. B. Warner is perhaps best known for playing the drinking druggist Mr. Gower in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but 19 years earlier he was cast by the legendary director Cecil B. DeMille to play Jesus in the silent film “King … Continue reading →

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Christmas Through the Wide Angle: The Line Becomes the Point of it All

Posted on December 22, 2021 by salooper57

If you remove the Christmas story from this larger narrative, from the promises of God to rescue and renew his people, you still have a nice story, but you may just miss the point. This little child is the fulfillment of the great promises. He is the king. Bethlehem is not just an inhospitable town; it is an invasion site. Bethlehem ought to be listed with Thermopylae, Troy, Normandy, and Omaha Beach. With the coming of this child the forces of the eternal kingdom have arrived, and the deciding campaign of the Long War has begun. Continue reading →

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Wide Angle: Christmas Broke the Silence

Posted on December 20, 2021 by salooper57

I was flying from Dakar, Senegal, West Africa to Paris. I left Dakar about 11:00 at night, and within minutes the ground below us grew very dark.  We were flying over Mauritania, Western Sahara, and Morocco, where towns and villages … Continue reading →

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Waiting Too Long to “Get Religion”

Posted on December 11, 2021 by salooper57

I went from early elementary school through high school with a boy named David. He was sometimes my friend – we started a club together in late elementary school – and he was sometimes my enemy – the club lasted … Continue reading →

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Presumptive Listening: Obstacle to Understanding

Posted on December 4, 2021 by salooper57

In response to that column, I received a highly critical letter. It stated: “It is telling that you complain that there are too many Muslims, Catholics (read: Hispanics), and Hindus who claim to be Evangelical. This is easy to translate. These nasty brown people are contaminating your lily-white movement.” Continue reading →

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Is the Bible Relevant to Your Life? Maybe Not

Posted on November 20, 2021 by salooper57

…many people use the Bible like the box top to a jig saw puzzle. They look at it, then try to order the pieces of their lives according to what they see. The trouble is that the pieces they are working with came from a different box. They try to use those pieces to construct the picture of peace and joy as it is presented in sermons, but no matter what they do, they cannot make the pieces go together. Continue reading →

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Evangelicalism Commandeered: A Cause for Concern

Posted on November 13, 2021 by salooper57

17 percent of American Muslims who attend mosque at least once a week now identify as Evangelicals. Despite the Evangelical label, they would not say the Bible is authoritative on all matters of faith and practice, nor would they insist on a decision for Christ.

he fact that so many American Muslims are now identifying as Evangelical is not the only surprise. The number of Catholics who identify as Evangelical has more than doubled in the past decade. Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments