What Do You Mean It's True?

Perhaps the most pressing concern we have as we grow older is what happens to us when we die. A focus on death is not usually a pressing issue for the young, who presumably have many years of opportunity and growth before them. But death is a pressing concern for most of us as we draw closer to the end of life, or at least the end of life as we know it. So what happens to us when we die? If there...

Many of us struggle, uncertain whether we should be guilty for the racism and sexism that exist in our society. We acknowledge how unfair life has been for many, but we do not know how to right past and present wrongs without making things unfair to others. Affirmative Action, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and other social initiatives seek to provide equitable opportunities for all, but they d...

For the past 60 years, I held in trust a wooden model of the Mayflower. The Mayflower was the ship the Pilgrims sailed in 1620 as they migrated from England to the coast of America in search of a place where, without fear of punishment, they could practice their Christian faith. As I replaced the rigging on the Mayflower model and reglued the masts so that they could properly hold the varnished ca...

The predominant message of Christian preachers and teachers today is that Jesus died to save us from our moral sins. This message is so prevalent and accepted that most Christians fail to recognize that Jesus never claimed that his ministry, as reflected in his life and teachings, was to save the world from sin. To the contrary, as the Bible makes clear, moral sin was never the primary focus of Je...

We live in violent times. Nations openly battle each other in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa, with the United States providing military aid to the countries we favor. And while most US citizens do not fear a direct military attack by another nation, we do fear surprise attacks from international terrorists as well as homegrown violent extremists. But just what does Christianity...

The predominant message of Christianity today is that through Jesus Christ we can be saved from sin and death, and that God’s judgment of every person will precipitate eternal salvation in heaven for the worthy and eternal punishment in hell for the unworthy. However, Christianity also supports a dissenting and contrary vision of Christian salvation. This vision of Christianity emphasizes God’s ca...

It does not take more than a glance at the headlines to remind us that we live outside of the Garden of Eden, outside of that biblical, mythical, mystical garden where at one time life knew no strife, all human needs were met, and sorrow and death did not exist. I suspect many want to return to Eden where life was once bliss. However, whether Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or atheist, if...

How can we know what is true? We watch one news network that claims President Trump is destroying America, and we watch another news network that claims Trump is the savior of America. How do we know which political claim is true? We read of a scientist claiming climate change is a natural cycle with an ebb and flow and humans are not its cause. Then we read of another scientist claiming humans ar...

There is a pervasive belief today that Christians are under attack in the United States of America. Christian bakers and florists are prosecuted for declining to provide services celebrating homosexual weddings. Christian hospitals have been forced to provide minors medical services they find immoral and contrary to the Christian faith. Christians witnessing to their faith outside of abortion clin...

We live in a polarized society. Some perceive the current national direction as offering hope and restoration. Others anticipate only pain, despair, and loss. Yet although we openly battle over politics and social issues, the real battle is over our national self-identity. We are polarized and divided by conflicting visions of who we are and who we should be as a nation. Moreover, this struggle ov...

It seems that everyone has a different understanding of the Bible. For some, the Bible clearly mandates that women should not have leadership over men, premarital and homosexual sex is a sin, wealth and status are God’s reward for deep faith, and capital punishment is justified and approved by God. For others, the Bible clearly encourages women leadership without restrictions, sex between consenti...

Wealth inequality seems contrary to Christianity's basic teachings. Jesus preached a way of life free of possessions, and the original disciples warned against power and prestige. The first church in Jerusalem abolished private property by holding personal wealth in common and distributing resources to everyone as needed. As the Jesus movement grew in numbers and geographically spread, collectivel...

Perhaps the most well-known biblical quotation is from the Gospel According to John, chapter 3, verse 16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” With these words, the New Testament clearly states that Jesus is the source of salvation, a proposition that is core to the Christian faith regardless of denom...

Diverse people and cultures challenge our understanding of history. Statues of historical leaders of the United States that have been deemed offensive are being removed, buildings long named after public figures are being renamed after more “appropriate” dignitaries, local and national holiday celebrations are being recast to represent other cultures, and school lessons are teaching new historical...

The Christian faith as traditionally understood is under attack. Scientific discoveries and theories regarding the evolution of life and the cosmos contradict traditional Christian doctrines. Archeologists continue to uncover ancient religious manuscripts that challenge what we thought we knew of early Christianity and why we believe the doctrines that we do. Drums, keyboards, and coffee bars are...

What does it mean to have faith? Does faith mean accepting things as true that have little to no evidence? Is faith based on what we profess to know or how we live? Can I have doubts and questions and still have faith? These are the questions I and probably you ask with hesitation, for any change in our understanding of history and theology changes who we are and threatens our self-identity. Today...