religion sucketh

“If you want to disrupt a beautifully harmonious dinner party, all you have to do is bring up the radioactive issue of immigration. There might not be a more heated political topic in contemporary American life.” – The Gospel and immigration.

Speaking of heated, this is one of Christianity’s hottest debates – Calvin or Arminius? Keep in mind these two articles are only a snippet of a larger piece presented in the January/February 2012 issue of Relevant. To hear the entire discussion between Michael Horton & Roger Olson, which was originally recorded as two broadcasts of the White Horse Inn, click here for part one and here for part two.

Church stages kidnapping of youth group members. Sadly, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of this happening. As one pastor wrote, “True religious persecution is not something that can be simulated – attempting to do so only cheapens our understanding of persecution and does little to prepare us for it.”

Are Mormons Christian?

Should you divorce your spouse from an unbiblical remarriage?

Bipolar Christianity

Are you willing to pray this prayer?

Anti-bullying activist resorts to bullying.

The Bible is a rich collection of songs and letters, stories and prophecies—all forged in the crucible where people’s lives meet God’s Spirit. At its core, Scripture is a great drama, highlighting God’s battle to win back his rebellious children, overcome evil, and restore life and wholeness to our world. The invitation to us is to find our place in its ongoing narrative. So why do most of us treat the Bible not as a world-transforming drama, but as a holy reference book?

Can we prove the existence of God?

A great explanation of the doctrine of common grace.

Are we a nation of heretics?

Death by Faith Healing: A Church & State Separation Dilemma.

NYC to replace pay-phones with 32″ internet-enabled touch screens.

R.I.P. Chuck Colson.

Beware the tit for tat trap.

Does God exist?

A systematic theology of God’s love.

All truth belongs to God.

Where people get scripture wrong.

The future of discipleship.

Why Christians need to care about autism.

Our leading Presidential candidates: self-professed Christians whom many Christians don’t believe actually are Christians.

The liberal media myth.

Right up front I need to state that personally and professionally, I have never experienced a problem with the 3-tier system of alcohol distribution. The distributors we have in NELA are excellent and work their asses off to get us (the retailers) the products our customers request. That being said, not everyone has had such a wonderful experience. Here’s an example of how easily and quickly the system can go wrong.

The devastating power of lies in a relationship.

God is most glorified in us when we are most dependent on Him.

It amazes me there are still people who believe demonic oppression and/or possession are to blame for conditions such as Bi-polar Disorder and Asperger Syndrome. Christian shares a bit of encouragement for those who’ve been spiritually abused by others who tell them those lies. While you won’t find it in that post, I believe Matt Chandler said it best in a sermon a while back: “Everything was broken in the fall.”

Jesus doesn’t want to heal you……

A closer look at the resurrection of Jesus as a historical event.

For years now, employers and universities have taken disciplinary action upon employees and students who draw unwanted or unnecessary attention – even if the crimes were performed off site and on your own time. In other words, your business is your business, until it affects their business. With social networking being virtually everywhere, employers and universities are going even further with code of conduct policies, by demanding access to Facebook and some even requesting passwords.

Why you should filter your relationships.

Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation.

How to know if you’re a controlling person.

Christ-centered Accountability

Preacher or False Prophet?

The Christian Movie Establishment vs. Blue Like Jazz.

What Copernicus taught us about faith and science.

Real religion.

Northeast Louisiana’s moment in the sun spoiled by ignorance.

For the job seekers out there, Life Hacker posted a great article on how to not get hired.

16 manly last words.

I’m not normally a fan of X amount of steps to becoming…, but this post from Michael Hyatt is a must read – 7 steps to becoming a happy person others want to be around.

The first reviews of Blue Like Jazz: The Movie are in. Here’s one from Mike Cosper.

Bearded Gospel Men: D.L. Moody

Do we really love people who aren’t Christian?

When should Christians engage in civil disobedience?

I may not yet be married, but that won’t stop me from receiving good advice: seven ways to destroy your marriage.

Faithful Science.

Is the internet making us impatient?

According to a recent survey, 50% of Americans stated they would choose Donald Trump as their financial advisor over other options, such as the Bible, despite Trump’s history of filing for bankruptcy. In other words, for half of those surveyed, The Donald trumps the Bible on financial advice.

Is PayPal the new allowance?

More often than not, God calls the unqualified.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable.”

Being vs. Behaving in Love. AKA, “We’ve grown apart” is a bullshit excuse.

Help for the politically uninformed. Quite possibly the most important post I read last week. Whether you couldn’t care less about politics or think you know all you need to know, you need to read this post. I’m tired of conspiracy theorists who spend way too much time paying attention to bullshit forums and radio shows, and people who don’t have a clue what they’re talking about telling me who to vote for. And that goes for the left AND the right.

Are “acts of God” really acts of God, or mere coincidence?

Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?

Are Christians too sheltered?

Hands-down the best and most objective and unbiased post I’ve ever read on eschatology, AKA, the end times. Not that it is by any means complete; as the post itself states, there are hundreds, maybe thousands of books on this subject alone. But if you want a breakdown of the major eschatological views, as well as where they agree and where they differ, read this post.

Will Starbucks do for craft beer what it did for gourmet coffee?

Why craft beer is better for you than milk.

Ancient Future Education.

If the Apostle Paul believed in the historical Adam, must we?

Bearded Gospel Men: Hudson Taylor.

The idolatry of youth culture in worship.

After-birth abortion: Why should the baby live? I still find it difficult to believe that respected medical professionals are actually proposing and arguing for this.