Category Archives: Faith

The Key to Ending the Culture Wars

Posted on February 5, 2022 by salooper57

Ukraine is and has been a divided nation. Each of its major regions has a unique history and a character shaped by long interaction with neighbors. There are language differences between east and west. In fact, while most Ukrainians can understand and speak Russian, most cannot speak Ukrainian. Such a conflict, rooted in differences in language, history, and values, might well be called a “culture war.” Continue reading →

Posted in Faith, In the News, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wide Angle: The Cross Divides

Posted on February 2, 2022 by salooper57

(Reading time: Approximately 7 minutes) Have you ever noticed that as soon as Jesus’s Cross was dropped into place it began dividing people? St. Paul speaks of this in 1 Corinthians 1. The message of the cross is foolishness to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

One Woman’s Journey to Faith

Posted on January 31, 2022 by salooper57

I am excited to share Jenny Wickey’s story with you. She told our church family about the journey she has been on from her atheist upbringing to faith in Jesus Christ. It’s a great story that you will want to … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Church, Church Life, Faith, Truthfulness, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Faith, Theology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Christianity, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

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

Posted on January 24, 2022 by salooper57
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Lifestyle, Mission, Sermons | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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 →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Lifestyle, relationships, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wide Angle: Turning over a New Leaf or Turning into a New Person?

Posted on January 6, 2022 by salooper57

ied on a cross, was raised on the third day, ascended into heaven, and will return one day. Those are facts, and without them faith in Jesus is illusory. They form the foundation of the faith. But—and this is crucial—they are not the entire building. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Faith, Spiritual life, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Christmas, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment