Category Archives: Lifestyle

Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism (What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture)

Posted on February 28, 2023 by salooper57

This session launches a class on what the Bible has to say to American culture. This is not about conservatism verses liberalism, but about biblical Christianity’s challenge to American cultural assumptions. This week, we look at the American ideal of … Continue reading →

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Deconstructing Faith? Don’t Stop There

Posted on February 18, 2023 by salooper57

(Estimated reading time: four minutes.) There are a number of people in my circle of relationships who are somewhere in the process of deconstructing their faith. Among millennials, particularly educated white millennials, faith deconstruction is so common as to almost … Continue reading →

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Faith: It Is Not to Be Taken Lightly

Posted on January 28, 2023 by salooper57

The Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard once asked, “Why do people in church seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? … Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we blithely invoke? … Continue reading →

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Forgive Him (Following Christ Today)

Posted on January 17, 2023 by salooper57

You cannot read the Gospels without getting the impression that forgiveness is a big deal. Jesus wants his people to be the most forgiving on earth – “not 7 times, but 70 times 7”! How do we do that? What … Continue reading →

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The G.O.A.T. in the Kingdom of God?

Posted on January 11, 2023 by salooper57

Sports enthusiasts are always arguing about who is the G.O.A.T. (the greatest of all time) in their favorite sport. There was a time when a few key players in the Kingdom of God were debating the Kingdom’s G.O.A.T. Jesus’s answer … Continue reading →

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Redeem the Time in 2023

Posted on December 24, 2022 by salooper57

In a matter of days, it will be 2023 and I have still not got used to writing “2022” on checks and papers. What has happened to the time? People talk about timesaving hacks and timesaving gadgets – we even … Continue reading →

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Fear and Greed: Luke 12 (Following Christ Today)

Posted on December 7, 2022 by salooper57

Jesus wanted his disciple to be free from the control of fear. Because greed is fueled by fear, he took the opportunity to address it as well (and, in so doing, shared one of his most famous stories). Get out … Continue reading →

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Thanksgiving Is Not a Given

Posted on November 19, 2022 by salooper57

To become a grateful person, one must also believe in a God who loves unconditionally. Life will sometimes scream that we are unwanted, unloved, and unworthy. Our own failures will echo that scream. Gratitude can only be reclaimed in such moments if we are convinced that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Continue reading →

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ASK: Following Christ Today (Matthew 7:1-8)

Posted on November 9, 2022 by salooper57

This class is about how Christians can obey Jesus and stop judging. Instead of placing themselves above of others, they can take a position of humility and ask. Asking is the rule of the kingdom.

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Judge Not, Lest You Be Judged!

Posted on November 1, 2022 by salooper57

Today, we’re looking at Jesus instructions that we should not judge/condemn other people. We’ll look at why we are so prone to disobeying Jesus in this regard and we’ll see what it was that he had in mind – it … Continue reading →

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