In the tapestry of a religious environment, unity and fellowship should be the guiding principles that weave individuals together. However, in recent times our church community has been experiencing a shift. An often-overlooked aspect lurks beneath the surface, causing subtle ruptures among people who should ideally find solace in their shared beliefs. It is not always doctrinal disputes that trigger discord; instead, subjects such as politics, diverse cultures, backgrounds, sports, and other … [Read more...] about The Silent Division: Mixing Politics and Faith
Church
Godly Unity in The Human Realm
At the level of human existence, we all crave more unity. We would like to see our nations, our local communities and particularly our churches and families more united. Through Christ, we are joined to the Father. Unfortunately, we live in an environment where some particularly key factors are not united, not “joined as a whole”. As followers of Christ, we have been drawn out of the world and our position regarding unity is decidedly different than the common ideas about unity which … [Read more...] about Godly Unity in The Human Realm
The Jungle Grows Back
A book titled The Jungle Grows Back is an indicator of prophetic advancement, and can be used as an analogy for our own personal spiritual lives. These are my words, not the author’s, as I draw the analogy. The jungle represents the Babylonian system of human government; a system developed post-flood and is the underlying system throughout the four world-ruling kingdoms as revealed by the image of Daniel 2. From the reign of Nebuchadnezzar to the kingdoms existing at the return of Jesus … [Read more...] about The Jungle Grows Back
Handling Conflict
We all deal with conflict daily, in many forms. Even the church has conflict, internal and external, from time to time. With the Bible as our guide, which biblical examples can teach us about a specific quality that foils conflict? Where does this quality come from? What does it lead to? Let’s consider Gideon’s example to identify this quality. Chosen by God as a judge of Israel he was assigned to defeat a threat from neighboring Midian (Judges 6:1-8:21). He assembled an army of 32,000, but … [Read more...] about Handling Conflict
Navigating Church Dichotomy Without Cynicism
The Church today presents a fairly complex panorama. Many different organizations each claim in their own way to be the true Church. But there are various flavors of culture and to some degree flavors of doctrine. Consequently, it is important to help young people figure out how to navigate the Church landscape today. There is a chasm between what the Church is and what it’s supposed to look like. It’s difficult for all of us. But it is especially problematic for young people who are … [Read more...] about Navigating Church Dichotomy Without Cynicism
Is the Web a Source of Wisdom?
We hear very little about wisdom today. Instead, we hear more and more about the importance of information — about the virtues of information and the benefits of increased information. “Big data” and “data mining” are the buzz words of the day. These are quite literally seen by humanity as their savior. But it is important to recognize that information, knowledge, and wisdom are not the same things. I want to lay out the building blocks first from a humanistic … [Read more...] about Is the Web a Source of Wisdom?
Digital Distraction
If there has ever been a group of people that are called upon to use their minds, it is the people of God who have chosen to live His way of life. When I say, “use our minds”, I don’t mean human reasoning or logic; there is to be an emphasis on teaching, thinking, and understanding. Many religious systems are devised by men, who very often downplay teaching in favor of rituals. To them, rituals and traditions are what is most important. But true faith requires that we use our … [Read more...] about Digital Distraction