Category Archives: Theology

Things My Dad Didn’t Mean to Teach Me: A Tribute (of Sorts)

My dad taught me a lot of things, some intentionally, but most inadvertently. In the intentional column were things like how to tie an improved cinch knot, how to change a tire, and how to bowl. He taught me how … Continue reading

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What the Bible Says to American Culture About Work

In America, work is sometimes an idol and sometimes a bane. In the final session of this class, we look at what the Bible has to say about work, and we compare that to American ideas regarding work.

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Your Labor in the Lord Is Not in Vain (1 Cor. 15:58)

Kevin Looper shows us why the work we do in the Lord is worthwhile.

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A Brief History of Progress: Are We There Yet?

In 1788, Benjamin Franklin wrote to a friend: “I have sometimes wished it had been my destiny to be born two or three centuries hence. For invention and improvement are prolific, and beget more of their kind. The present progress … Continue reading

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The Progress of History and the History of Progress

Some ideas influence our actions and emotions, and we are not even aware of it. The powerful idea of progress is one. Christians don’t reject the idea of progress, but they understand it differently than does the prevailing culture. This … Continue reading

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The Great Story: Plotlines, Character Development, and Story Submissions

I would like to write a novel. This is not something new. It has been in the back of my mind since I graduated from college. Really, the desire was present even before that. In third grade I wrote my … Continue reading

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Here Comes the Bride: The Church as the Bride of Christ

Many of us (I suspect this is especially true of men) have trouble connecting with the image of the church as a bride. But this is, perhaps, the richest of all biblical metaphors of the church. It is full of … Continue reading

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The Sexual Rip Current (What the Bible Has to Say to American Culture

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The Crossing (John 5:19-30)

Why would anybody not want this kind of life, the kind that goes on forever? I’ll be candid: they don’t want it because there is no way to postpone its onset. Eternal life doesn’t start at the grave. You cannot purchase it on the layaway plan. Some people wish they could. But when you accept the eternal kind of life, it begins immediately. Not everyone wants that. Continue reading

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Why the Church is Essential to God’s Plan for Humanity

The church is more important than is generally understood, even by church members. It is crucial to the future, for it lies at the center of God’s plan for humanity. Without the church, the world could never be right, and … Continue reading

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