From "Saved by an Atheist" by Rob Moll, who returned to faith in Christ in part through reading The Plague by Albert Camus: Yet the biggest influence on my spiritual journey was the novels and philosophy of Albert Camus, a French existentialist of the 1940s and '50s—and an atheist. C. S. Lewis warned, "A young …
Category: Christianity
Ongoing conversations — dinosaur eggs, and why I’m a Christian
I'm sort of caught between the young-Earth creationists on one side and the militant Dawkinsites on the other. I love them both: the YECs are my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, and Jesus loves the atheists, so I do too. There are a couple of interesting conversations going on on some of my older …
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Evangelical Christian perspectives on the environment
Christianity Today magazine asked three Christian leaders "How concerned should Christians be about environmental care?" The answers are short, but serve as an introduction to the range of answers that exist among Evangelicals. Each of these writers, from politically liberal to conservative, has insights that Evangelicals need to take into consideration as we think about …
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A response to “No one can really know God”
Last week, Ken Samples of Reasons to Believe was a guest on the afternoon radio program Issues Etc., which is hosted by Lutheran pastor Todd Wilken. This series, entitled "Answering Tough Questions About the Christian Faith," aired on March 1-3. The first program focused on questions about faith in God. Here's the intro: Wilken: I …
Reading the Bible in 2010
It is not too late to make a Bible-reading goal for 2010! Many make a New Year's resolution to read the Bible more consistently than they have in the past, and many don't stick to that resolution. Here's what works for me. Rather than using a reading schedule, with a daily listing of what chapters …
Why Dan Brown left Christianity
From Parade Magazine -- an interview with Dan Brown, the author of the anti-Christian The Da Vinci Code. Q: Are you religious? A: I was raised Episcopalian, and I was very religious as a kid. Then, in eighth or ninth grade, I studied astronomy, cosmology, and the origins of the universe. I remember saying to …
The Conservative Bible?
Further wackiness from Conservapedia (the conservative alternative to Wikipedia): The Conservative Bible. This Bible will get rid of liberal bias in Bible translations, such as the inclusion of that liberal "woman caught in adultery" passage in John 8. Some further objectives: express free market parables; explaining the numerous economic parables with their full free-market meaning …
Christianity — protection against superstition and the paranormal
The following item was originally posted in September 2008. I have added it to my blog recycling program. Because I have new readers of The GeoChristian, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of my favorite blog entries. Atheists, and other opponents of the truthfulness of Christianity, often equate Christianity with superstition. Here's a …
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Dealing with an apparent Bible contradiction
"You cannot believe the Bible because it is full of contradictions." I've heard this stated many times; you have probably heard it as well. You may be one who uses "Bible contradictions" as one of the reasons for rejecting Christianity, or you may be a Christian who struggles because there are things in the Bible …
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Spiritual growth in this life
“This life is not godliness, but growth in godliness; not health, but healing; not being, but becoming; not rest, but exercise. We are not now what we shall be, but we are on the way; the process is not yet finished, but it has begun; this is not the goal, but it is [the] road; …
The Reason for God — $8.99
I saw The Reason for God by Timothy Keller at Costco for only $8.99. Or you can get it for $10.88 on Amazon. You decide. As I have said before, I recommend this book for Skeptics -- If you reject Christianity because what you have read from the New Atheists, you owe it to yourself …
Religious belief among scientists
Here are some results of a PEW Research Center study on the religious and political beliefs of scientists: Statistic #1 42% -- Scientists ages 18-34 who say they believe in God. 28% -- Scientists 65 and older who say this. What does this mean? Does it mean that an increasing number of scientists believe in …
The Lord Will Provide
Unemployment isn't easy, but as a Christian I have to trust that God is my provider. I have work to do to find a job, but even then it is God who is in ultimate control. I have been comforted and encouraged lately by the song "The Lord Will Provide" by Matthew Smith, which is …
Christian or hippie — which would you choose?
One of the pastors at my church passed along a story from Dry Bones Denver: “Ask Me Why You Deserve HELL”: Reflections on the DNC. It is a bit dated, being from the Democratic National Convention here in Denver last summer, but it is also timeless. The author was with friends in the downtown area …
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Father’s Day 2009 #2
One thing I do to “tell the story” to my children is send an email to the whole family several times per week, with insights I have had from the Scriptures. Here is an example of the "A Note From Dad" emails that I send (and that my kids---soon all four will be teenagers---actually read …
Father’s Day 2009 #1
The following item was originally posted in June 2006. I have added it to my blog recycling program. Because I have new readers of The GeoChristian, I will occasionally go back and re-use some of my favorite blog entries. In my wide margin Bible, I mark an "F" in the margin to denote verses about …
What to get Dad for Father’s Day: a goat
From World Vision: On June 21, honor your Dad with a meaningful gift in his name from the World Vision Gift Catalog. Because let's face it --- Dad doesn't want more stuff. He wants the satisfaction of making a difference. Supply self-sufficiency. Goats nourish families with protein-rich milk, cheese, and yoghurt, and can offer a …
Hunger increases
For most of my lifetime, world hunger has been decreasing. It has still been a serious issue, but many countries like China and India have been able to increase their food production at rates that exceeded their population growth. The current global economic situation, however has reversed that trend. From Yahoo News: World hunger reaches …
Evangelism or the environment?
From The Wonder of Creation: Evangelicals, evangelism, and the environment. As an evangelical who writes and speaks on the wonder of creation and the care of creation, I’ve often been asked the question, “Isn’t evangelism—saving human souls—more important than caring for the earth?” This issue is probably number 1 in calling into question the validity …
The Bible and the environment
From Gordon Wenham, British Old Testament scholar: The Bible and the Environment. (I've read one book by Wenham -- Christ and the Bible -- which unfortunately is out of print. His approach to Biblical authority is the most Christ-centered that I have read. It is worth a re-read sometime soon.) Here are some quotes: It …
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