Bible, theology, culture, etc.
I recently preached on the Christian teaching of sex. One aspect that I didn’t have time to address was the end of sex. In the gospels, when asked about marriage in heaven, Jesus responds rather curtly that “they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven,” (Mark 12:25; Matt 22:30; Luke 20:34-36). … Continue reading Sex and Chocolate
There are few things more emotionally charged and divisive than the issue of abortion. What makes it particularly difficult is that each side of the divide relies on emotional pleas, personal anecdotes, and shock factors to try and bludgeon one another into submission. And this actually makes sense. We are not thinking-machines or brains on … Continue reading Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice Syllogisms
There is this strange problem in my city where streetlights are slowly turning blue. The LED components apparently were cheaply manufactured and the other colored lights that mix together to create the normal white-light have burnt out, leaving behind a neon-blue reminiscent of a dive bar at 2 AM. It isn’t everywhere, but is beginning … Continue reading What You See Depends on Where You Stand (sort of)
There are certain theological questions that the Bible doesn’t address directly. The Westminster Confession of Faith states: “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.” (WCF 1.6). My … Continue reading What Happens to Infants Who Die?
So, anyone who thinks he has understood the divine scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by thus understanding build up this love of God and neighbor, has not yet succeeded in understanding them. - Augustine, On Christian Teaching Over the years I’ve derived these questions for my Bible reading and preaching as a vaccine against … Continue reading Asking Questions About God’s Loveliness for Bible Reading
And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive. - 1 Sam 27:9 I have written at length and preached on the violent commands of the Old Testament before, but here I want to just present a set of interpretive principles that I think should be in place whenever we encounter passages that shock us, that … Continue reading Thinking Through Violent OT Passages
In my last post, I pointed to using the created world around you as a means of worship. Most of what I have been talking about prior to that, though, has been related to the media you consume, screen time, and stuff like that. While I think a large part of the battle in a healthier … Continue reading You Become What You Consume
At the risk of sounding sensational, I want to tell you about how to transform your Christian life. I recently have been writing about the crisis of spiritual formation in the church today. Last week I gave three simple steps anyone can take to help increase their spiritual calorie intake. Picture three conveyor belts flowing into your soul: (1) … Continue reading Omnivorous Worship
Last week I wrote about a calculable crisis of spiritual formation. The average Christian in America spends less than an hour a week reading their Bible, praying, or attending church, while spending more than 80 hours a week consuming other content in the form of music, TV, social media, podcasts, books, etc. Which means that Netflix, Spotify, … Continue reading 3 Steps to Transform Your Faith
Let’s create an imaginary churchgoer named Sophia. Sophia loves her pastor’s sermons and her entire church’s corporate worship service. She faithfully attends every Sunday, goes to the Sunday school class offered before service, and even attends a midweek Bible study. How much time a week is Sophia spending with her church community? Let’s estimate that … Continue reading A Calculable Crisis
Marc Sims 