Updated, This Story Likely Not True–Italian Doctor After COVID-19: “I was an atheist but now I’m back to God.”
I was taken to school on this one. According to Joel Forster of Evangelical Focus this story is likely false news. Apparently there are several versions circulating, one with a 75 year old pastor as the inspirational figure in the story, others, like this one, point to a priest. Also, a member of the Italian Evangelical Alliance board was asked about the story. He then contacted evangelical pastors of several denominations in Italy and they all agreed that the testimony is not reliable. (See Joel Forster’s article: Christian Fake News? The story of the atheist doctor in Lombardy)
Forster goes on to say it’s possible there could be some truth in the story. But the right thing to do here is to point out it’s not credible.
The following post and the above image are from an article published in INTERRIS. (Manuela Petrini, Covid-19, la straordinaria testimonianza di un medico: “Ero ateo ma ora sono tornato a Dio”, INTERRIS, March 21, 2020) A friend of mine used Google translate and then did some further editing to clean up the translation. Hat tip to Amy DeTar Ginski and Sheila Underwood Vamplin.
The Star of Christmas
The Christmas Star
On December 5, 2018 at four in the morning my eyes popped open. I was wide awake. That happens to me sometimes. My brain was suddenly racing with thoughts about what I had to do and what I’d done and how I might be able to do certain things better. Maybe that’s happened to you.
After I flopped around like a fish on the bank for two hours, I got up and started to get dressed so I could go for a walk. It was around 6 am and, at this time of year, still dark. That’s unusual for me. I often walk around a small lake near our house but I’m a late riser. I rarely walk before sunrise. So it felt a little weird when I stepped through the front door of our house into the darkness. Read More
New Christian: “I feel His love. It is the most amazing thing I have ever felt. This is my story.”
A New Direction
Saw this on reddit the other day. Had to share it.
New Christian, here. I feel His love. It is the most amazing thing I have ever felt. This is my story.
Read More
The Best Argument for Christianity
The most effective, persuasive, results producing argument for Christianity is the love of the Christ Follower.
People Who Betray Jesus
Read John 13:18-30.
The Original Betrayer
Jesus and his disciples are at his last supper where Jesus has just finished washing his disciples’ feet, including the feet of Judas. After the foot-washing, Jesus says that he’s just given an example of how we are to serve each other, and love each other. And then he says that if we understand him, and if we do what he wants us to do, we’ll be blessed. (see previous post from the book of John series, How The God Of The Universe Came To Serve)
But then he qualifies these statements. He says, “I’m not Read More
What You Can’t See Can Kill You
Parkes Observatory Radio Telescope (Image by CSIRO)
Read John 12:44-50.
Jesus The Radio Telescope Read More
What If You Had To Give Up Everything?
Nabeel Qureshi (1983-2017)
“Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.”
John 12:42-43
Nabeel Qureshi Died
For more information about Nabeel Qureshi, I recommend Justin Taylor’s excellent article Nabeel Qureshi (1983-2017).
Maybe you saw in the news recently that Read More
Why Would God Do It That Way?
The Butterfly Nebula (NASA Image Gallery)
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
“He blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn and I would heal them.”
Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him.
John 12:37-41
