Religion

Last time, we stepped out onto the back porch with the Bible skeptic Michael and looked up at the moon, stars, and planets. From this common ground, we asked ourselves, “Did the universe have a beginning, or has it always been here?” The answer, of course, is the first step of a far-reaching…

I don’t remember why Harold, a deacon, was leading music that day many years ago. I suppose he was filling in during the holiday season. It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving. One hymn he selected was “America The Beautiful.” He introduced the hymn and said, “We thank God for our many blessi…

Where to begin? Previously, we noted that for Christians, everything requires warrant or approval from Scripture. That includes how and what we use to study God. In our previous search for scriptural warrant, we examined Paul’s repeated use of classical philosophy in his speeches and teachin…

Scripture doesn’t give us all the details we’d like to know about church and state. For example, St. Paul said we must obey civil government since it’s ordained of God, operating as his agent of justice to punish wrong (Romans 13).

In the PBS series “All Creatures Great and Small,” the Yorkshire veterinarian and his wife have a young son who plays an angel in the Christmas play. The little boy has a hard time remembering one word in the script. He says “Hepton” instead of heaven. Hepton was the name of a rural district…

Kevin was minister of education in a church I served. He’d often joke when asked what his job was by saying pastors and musicians get accolades after worship services, such as “Thanks for the wonderful sermon,” and “Thanks for the beautiful music.” But in contrast, church members would tell …