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.
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Parkes Observatory Radio Telescope (Image by CSIRO)
Read John 12:44-50.
Jesus The Radio Telescope Continue reading
Read John 6:59-71.
Last post from the book of John we saw Jesus speaking of how he would give himself for the sake of the world using bread and blood as a metaphor. (see What Does It Mean To Feed On Jesus’ Flesh?)
Hard To Hear
He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. But his disciples were having a hard time with what he was saying. His words were hard to swallow.
I feel the same way sometimes. Maybe you do too. Some of what Jesus says is difficult for me to hear. Jesus said: Continue reading
When You Have Weak Faith In An Almighty God
The Tale Of Two Firefighters
There were two firefighters on the roof of a burning building. Continue reading
Read John 3:1-16 Nicodemus Visits Jesus
An Honest Seeker Comes To Jesus
There was this man who was a Pharisee named Nicodemus. He was a teacher of the Jewish scriptures, and also a member of the Sanhedrin, one of the 71 Jewish men who ruled over Israel. I’ve heard the Sanhedrin described as a combination of our Supreme Court and our Senate, so the guy was a big deal in the Israeli community.
He shows up to Continue reading
Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!”
Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:44-49)
How Philip Was Wrong (And Nathanael Was Right)
Have you ever considered Nathanael and Philip’s words in this passage? Philip gets it wrong on Continue reading
My friend George sent me a direct message on Twitter with this question. My answer quickly became too long for that medium so I put it in a blog post. Props to George for asking such a great question.
George wrote: What do you think of this quote, I see a lot of truth to it…. “Isn’t it a remarkable coincidence almost everyone has the same religion as their parents? And it always just happens to be the right religion. Religions run in families. If we’d been brought up in ancient Greece we would all be worshiping Zeus and Apollo. If we had been born Vikings we would be worshiping Wotan and Thor. How does this come about? Through childhood indoctrination.” Richard Dawkins
It’s great to hear from you George! And that’s a really great question too. I’m not a scholar or a genius by any means, I’m just a regular guy who loves Jesus so all I have to offer are my own thoughts based on what I’ve learned over the last few years. The following is just the way I think about this question.
So for me it starts with Continue reading
The God Beyond Our Understanding
In so many words, a thirty-something asked me this question the other day: God is unfathomable anyway, so what’s the point of trying to figure Him out? And I believe it’s one of the best questions one can ask. It’s a great question first of all, because of the truth present within the question. God is unfathomable. God tells us directly and plainly:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
And it’s good that He’s beyond our understanding. As it’s been said, a God who’s small enough to understand isn’t big enough to worship. So my thirty-something friend is right. Without question, God is beyond our comprehension.
Explaining Quantum Physics To Sheep Herders Continue reading
The following is a blog post from Matt Nelson. You can read more from Matt on his blog at Reasonable Catholic.
Conversions from atheism are often gradual and complex, no doubt. For many converts the road is slow and tedious, tiring and trying. But in the end unbelievers who find God can enjoy an inner peace that comes from a clear conscience in knowing they held to truth and followed the arguments faithfully.Of course not all converts from atheism become Christian or even religious. Some converts only reach a deistic belief in God (an areligious position that God is “impersonal”) but the leap is still monumental; and it opens new, unforeseen horizons.
The factors that lead to faith are often diverse. It is clear that every former atheist has walked a unique path to God. Cardinal Ratzinger was once asked how many ways there are to God. He replied:
“As many ways as there are people. For even within the same faith each man’s way is an entirely personal one.”
Of course, the pope-to-be was not endorsing the view that “all religions are equal” but rather that there always seems to be a unique combination of factors—or steps—that move each convert towards belief in God. It also seems that some of these factors are more prominent across the board than others.
Here are eight common factors that lead atheists to change their minds about God:
1. Good Literature and Reasonable Writing.
Reasonable atheists eventually become theists because they are reasonable; and furthermore, because they are honest. They are willing to follow the evidence wherever it leads; and in many cases the evidence comes to the atheist most coherently and well-presented through the writings of believers in God.
Author Karen Edmisten admits on her blog: Continue reading
Dr. Holly Ordway, an atheist professor of literature, describes herself, in her own words: “At thirty-one years old, I was an atheist college professor–and I delighted in thinking of myself that way. I got a kick out of being an unbeliever; it was fun to consider myself superior to the unenlightened, superstitious masses, and to make snide comments about Christians.” (p.15-16) Her story is fascinating to me.
Dr. Holly Ordway has published a book titled Not God’s Type, telling her personal story. She begins “I had never in my life said a prayer, never been to a church service. Christmas meant presents and Easter meant chocolate bunnies–nothing more.” But her views get hardened: “In college, I absorbed the idea that Christianity was historical curiosity, or a blemish on modern civilization, or perhaps both. My college science classes presented Christians as illiterate anti-intellectuals who, because they didn’t embrace Darwinism, threatened the advancement of knowledge. My history classes omitted or downplayed references to historical figures’ faith.” Still later, “At thirty-one years old, I was an atheist college professor–and I delighted in thinking of myself that way. I got a kick out of being an unbeliever; it was fun to consider myself superior to the unenlightened, superstitious masses, and to make snide comments about Christians.” (p.15-16)
Ordway was a…
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