Economic Savior, Part 2: Predisposed to Belief

By Brad Edwards | Mar 31, 2009 at 23:2:37

Last week, Brad Edwards looked at the New Scientist’s claim that religious beliefs such as the rise of “New Calvinism,” is a mere survival reflex we are biologically disposed to. The potential problem he pointed out with the claim is that it assumes that a biological survival mechanism must be irrational. Christianity claims otherwise.

Not Our Problem

By Ed Hurst | Mar 4, 2009 at 22:30:3

At the Last Supper, Jesus demonstrated how the Kingdom faces her enemies. He could easily have exposed Judas. Even as soon as Judas began embezzling from the treasury shared by the group, Jesus could have acted, because He knew. He did not act.

The Triumph of Acts

By Timothy R. Butler | Feb 25, 2009 at 21:57:24

“A poem should not mean, but be.” So said one of the great poets of the twentieth century, Archibald MacLeish. Meaning is important – direction and description are crucially important to life, but few people are motivated by “meaning” alone. The cliché about actions speaking louder than words gets at the heart of it. Luke seemed to know that quite well and he applied that lesson in the Book of Acts. As we begin the Lenten season today, it seems an appropriate time to meditate on the growth of the Early Church.

A Starting Point of Faith

By Ed Hurst | Feb 18, 2009 at 23:30:35

The idea of faith is one that gets caricatured in the modern world. In part, that stems from misunderstanding. What happens behind that word “faith” is not easily explained to our liking. Ed Hurst writes on the starting point of faith, laying a foundation of understanding.

The View from Mudsock Heights: The Space Time Continuum from a Porch

By Dennis E. Powell | Feb 11, 2009 at 23:30:42

It’s enough to give you a headache.

A few years ago I was working on a book with Dr. Morris E. Chafetz, and in the course of conversation he said, “Maybe time doesn’t really exist. Maybe it’s just something we’ve created for our own convenience.” As a child of the space age, I’d heard speculations of all sorts and now, with a book to get out, I didn’t see where we had time to discuss it. “Yeah, maybe,” I replied.

The View from Mudsock Heights: Deep Philosophizing in a Parking Lot

By Dennis E. Powell | Feb 4, 2009 at 23:14:41

There was no way to tell whether the old fellow thought he recognized me or would have begun the conversation with anyone who happened by. Nor, really, did it matter. Our meeting outside the store on one of the warm days week before last began with his question. “What do you think of that tomb of Jesus they say they found?”

To Comfort Today’s People, We Must Turn to the Past

By Jason Kettinger | Jan 10, 2009 at 16:49:54

I have written in the past about various challenges in evangelical Christianity centered around history and memory, or the lack thereof. We as Evangelicals have often slunk towards ahistorical views, and this is exactly the last thing people need today. Perhaps a turn back to traditional forms in worship can help the problem.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Culture War

By Timothy R. Butler | Dec 16, 2008 at 23:53:51

Few gestures can be as delightful as a hearty “Merry Christmas” this time of year. Yet the phrase has become embroiled in a “culture war,” the most recent salvo of which came from the pro-Christmas American Family Association, which sought to get its members to turn against retailer Costco, after Costco started favoring “holiday” over “Christmas.”

Perception Is Everything

By Ed Hurst | Dec 10, 2008 at 0:26:16

In a recent commentary at ZDNet, software developer Jeremy Allison considered one of the most problematic issues with adoption of the Linux operating system: even in cash strapped parts of the world, people don’t want it. I’m not too deeply disturbed those poor souls in Africa don’t want Linux. What strikes me so deeply has to do with perception.

Principle of Worship

By Ed Hurst | Dec 2, 2008 at 16:7:42

Churches are constantly trying to find ways to bring in people and convince them to come back each and every Sunday. Often the method of drawing people in has to do with offering a particular “style of worship” to get the people excited. OFB’s Ed Hurst examines how we worship in an attempt to reach a “principle of worship.”