• Home
  • Get Some Answers
  • Get to Know Us
    • Derek >
      • Poetry
    • Catalina
    • Elin, Atticus, & Denton
    • Transilvania Center for Leadership and Development
    • Mission to the World
  • Get Involved
    • Pray
    • Creative Contributions
    • Give
    • Visit
    • Financial Q&A
  • Get In Touch
    • Newsletters
  • Blog: Ministry in Romania
  • Blog: Theological Musings
  • Videos
  • Catechism
  • Home
  • Get Some Answers
  • Get to Know Us
    • Derek >
      • Poetry
    • Catalina
    • Elin, Atticus, & Denton
    • Transilvania Center for Leadership and Development
    • Mission to the World
  • Get Involved
    • Pray
    • Creative Contributions
    • Give
    • Visit
    • Financial Q&A
  • Get In Touch
    • Newsletters
  • Blog: Ministry in Romania
  • Blog: Theological Musings
  • Videos
  • Catechism
   

Stalkers and Mistresses

5/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
​The secular world often refers to Christianity as a religion, probably because it is. But many Christians don't seem to like being pigeonholed that way. Since Christianity is an exclusive religion, Christians feel the need to set themselves apart from "religion."  I often hear Christians respond to such phrasing with disdain. "Christianity isn't a religion," they say. "It's a relationship." The response is a well meaning quip intended to rebut the modern notion that religion is merely a personal, mental and emotional system intended to help one make their way through life. There are hundreds of religions to choose from, and Christianity is just another. But Christians feel that Christianity is so much more than that and they want the world to know it. As I think about the popular Christian response to Christianity as religion, I am finding that it becomes more unappealing to me. Much of my dislike for the response probably lies in the way some Christians make the remark. The response is often accompanied by a self-righteous tone, and is frequently directed towards "sinners" and unbelievers in what seems to be more of a smug retort by the Christian who is upset at being stereotyped. Rather than the response being a theological or apologetic rationale for why one should be a Christian, it's just a pointed response. When used with such a demeaning tone, I find the quip absolutely unappealing. Even when used appropriately, however, I'm finding that I just don't like the way Christians respond. It's not because saying that Christianity is a relationship is inaccurate, but rather that it's not precise. It conveys a true idea, but it often fails to take the unbeliever or the Christian to the proper conclusion, and may actually do more harm than good. ​

Read More
0 Comments

Am I a True Christian?

1/1/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture
​Nearly every American who is globally minded has gone through a stage of self-deprication, simply because they're American. As an American, understanding how the rest of the world views you means that if you meet someone from another country, you are obliged to talk about how bad the United States is. Whether it's putting down the educational system, ignorance, bigotry, social and financial inequality, leadership, or anything else - globally minded Americans feel the need to preempt the insults by acknowledging their own frustration at the issues in their homeland. 
Self-deprication, however, does nothing to make a globally minded American any different than one who doesn't care to look beyond themselves and their immediate community. It doesn't fix the problems Americans have with geographical ignorance, ingrained biases, or financial inequality. Self-deprication simply acknowledges some sort of deficiency, while it says nothing about whether or not that deficiency is being fixed. It's like a fat comedian making fat jokes while drinking a 60 oz. soda and eating donuts and pizza, or like a chain smoker laughing at their impending lung cancer while smoking a cigarette. 

There is a similar trend of self-deprication within Christianity. We Christians are often very quick to judge "religion" and "Pharisees," yet so slow to do anything about these faults in our communities and in ourselves. In the past few years, I have thought more and more about this, because there are some pretty huge implications. If the fat comedian talks about how bad being fat is and how good being skinny would be, yet does nothing about it - he's not really skinny, nor will he ever be. If the chain smoker talks about how good quitting would be, and how bad smoking is, yet does nothing about it - he's not really clean, nor will he ever be. And if the Christian talks about how "religion" isn't really Christianity, and how they need to embrace Christ rather than simple tradition and rules, yet doesn't truly follow Christ - it seems to me that logic would say they're not really a Christian.

Read More
0 Comments

    Categories

    All
    Abortion
    Abortion Counterrebuttals
    Afterlife
    Apologetics
    Atheism
    Baptism
    Christian Life
    Church
    Cosmology
    Death
    Free Will
    G.K. Chesterton
    Government
    Grace And Mercy
    Incarnation
    Joy
    Love
    Materialism
    Meaning/Purpose
    Ministry And Outreach
    Morality
    On Guard
    Pacifism
    Pacifism Counterrebuttals
    Poetry
    Politics
    Politics Of Jesus
    Pragmatism And Consequentialism
    Prayer
    Problem Of Evil
    Rebellion
    Relationships
    Salvation
    Social Issues
    Social Justice
    Sovereignty Of God
    "Spontaneous Expansion Of The Church"
    Tradition
    When Helping Hurts


    Archives

    March 2020
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    March 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2013
    July 2007
    June 2007
    May 2007
    April 2007
    March 2007
    February 2007
    January 2007

    RESOURCES

    Check out some of our favorite online resources for theology and apologetics by clicking on the images below. 

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly