Category Archives: Spirituality & Faith
List: Two Errors
Two errors: to praise the failures of the prodigal son (James 1:27, NIV), and to praise the upright life of the older brother (Philippians 3:7, 8, 9).
Two errors: to believe that you are accepted by God because of your good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), and to believe that, because you are justified by faith, God does [...]
John Kavanaugh: No End of Gratitude
If we could count the fears, both great and small, that once hounded us, and then thank God for each dread outcome that never materialized, we would reach no end of gratitude.
—John Kavanaugh in America, vol. 173 no. 10 (7 October 1995), p. 23
Hope and Belief
Hope is different from belief. I can believe something to be true about God and yet hope something else is true. This is not contradictory.
Here’s an example: I believe that the actions taken in life will determine a person’s eternal state (Hebrews 9:27). Most people will reject Jesus, and as a result they will experience [...]
Forgiven: Forgive
I am not a bad driver. I’m not perfect, but I only do something stupid maybe 1 in every 10 trips. I’ll wave my hand and smile apologetically at the person I offfended, and then continue on my way like nothing happened.
But something did happen: I just reinforced that person’s idea that the city is [...]
The First Drink
Luther said, “How is it that the first drink from a tankard tastes best? Perhaps it’s on account of sin, because our flesh and our lips are sinful.” He wondered if it was because sin has so deeply permeated our bodies that even our taste buds will gravitate toward what is wrong at every chance [...]
Green Theology
We must be careful not to let our convictions or our opinions affect our theology. By this I mean crossing the line between “Because I feel like it’s a good thing to do” and “Because God wants me to.”
Some have incorporated “greenness” and environmental consciousness into their beliefs about God. But these people invariably live [...]
The Essence of Humanity
Do you struggle with materialism? Do you spend much of your time thinking about the next thing you want to buy? Resist the urge, we are told. Ask God to take away your sinful desires, we are told. But this is all wrong. Wanting is good. Don’t wish it away! Just pray that God will [...]
One Man to Die for the People
Racism is alive and well in America. We know this because a high-profile black man was recently arrested in New England for breaking into his own home. He accused the police officer of racial profiling, and said he wouldn’t have been stopped if he was white. A college newspaper picked up the story the next [...]
Belief, pt. 4: The Spirit’s Chisel
I live as though believing something makes it real: as though what I believe about God is true of Him, and has always been true of Him, and when I change my mind, He changes along with it. From one day to another, this feels natural, but when I consider how much my conception of [...]
Stockholm Syndrome
A few years ago, a girl named Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her home in Utah by a fanatical Mormon who wanted her as his second wife. Within two months, he and his wife were able to take her out in public with them, and she never tried to escape. When the police finally found [...]
