“You can’t put God in a box!” It’s a popular saying within the Christian community. And it seems reasonable to say. After all, God can do anything He wants to do. Who would question that? I submit that every thinking Christian should question that … because it’s not true. God’s character does put him in …
Category: Spirituality
Articles in this category of Sky will focus on true Christian spirituality and the specifics of biblical revelation.
A Myth Come True
If you’re anything like me, you probably associate the word “myth” with an ancient fairy tale. The Greek and Roman pantheon of gods comes to mind — magical spells, curses, and multi-headed monsters. But myths are more than just old-fashioned fantasies. They serve a purpose. They appeal to our collective imaginations. Myths may be fantastical …
Christmas: The Cure For Our Two-Storied World
Even people who don't celebrate Christmas seem to know what it's about -- the birth of a Savior who comes to rescue us from the consequences of our rebellion against Him. Ultimately, that means it's part of God's rescue plan and where we go when we die. But there's another aspect to Christmas that I think is important too. It's also about showing us how to live. And right-living depends on how we think. Unfortunately, our thinking is infused with lies that we've accepted as being part of "the human condition." And believing those lies results in dissension, oppression, racism, political wrangling, class struggle, economic strife, and war. Sadly, it's all part of the gravest story ever told. Christmas offers an antidote to the effects of that story too.
The story started in The Garden. And we've been repeating it to each other ever since. It thrives on divided minds. But we are designed to be united. God and man. Husband and wife. Body and soul. Physical and spiritual. The division we experience is a symptom of wrong thinking about the nature of reality. But there is a way to fix it. Christmas shows us how. It's the cure for our two-storied world.
God Is Greater Than Us. Always.
Every year at Thanksgiving, we can count on seeing lists of things people are thankful for. I understand the desire to be grateful for all our blessings. There is no doubt about the fact that too many of us take those kinds of things for granted. It is also understandable that the religious origins of …
The Importance Of A Balanced Faith
It is very easy to get engrossed in all the arguments for God. People like me love to demonstrate the scientific and philosophical evidence for God. And there are good reasons for us to expose the ethical vacuum we create when we remove God from the culture. These are the kinds of things on which …
Seeking Shalom: A Case For The Way Things Ought To Be
Sometimes defending God’s existence is easy. You don’t have to try to articulate some fancy philosophical or theological idea. And you don’t have to understand the intricacies of science. All you have to do is be a human being who observes the world in which we live. When you do that, there is no denying …
Faith Doesn’t Save You
People misunderstand the concept of faith these days. Atheists mock it as a blind leap. To them, faith is nothing more than belief without evidence. Maybe even belief in spite of the evidence. Unfortunately, too many Christians play right into the atheist caricature. They say they don’t need evidence for their faith. They “just believe.” …
Reasonable Doubt Puts You In The Company Of Faithful Giants
Too many Christians are reluctant to admit they have doubts about what they claim to believe. Too many non-believers think doubt disqualifies a life of faith altogether. Both are wrong. Having doubts is part of the human condition. In fact, reasonable doubt puts you in the company of faithful giants. A case study may show …
“Time To Move Along”
The first concrete memory I have of Joseph Fraser Vincent, Sr. was on the day after the night I brought his daughter home from a date an hour and a half after her curfew. In my “defense,” both he and his wife, Fran, were out of town until Sunday night — this was on Friday. …
Nothing To Believe In
When it comes to spiritual issues, I am always amazed that people will accept and defend things that they would never, ever accept when addressing any other subject. People will convince themselves (and try to convince you) that the most illogical, nonsensical claims make perfect sense as long as they are attached to religion, spirituality, …