In Defense of the Christian Faith

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Lately, I've been hanging out a lot in 2 Corinthians, particularly in chapter 4. As you know, we've been talking about grace. I have not touched on this yet, but grace actually has to do with the glory of God (and this is part of what I will talk about today). But I learned something about the glory of God that I found to be very encouraging. I hope it will encourage my readers as well... let me know what you think! If you remember, we've been learning that grace is strength and that we get this strength from the Word of God. So what does all ...

I recently read in the VOM (May issue) of a young woman by the name of Esther . Her mother and father are leaders in a church in China. Recently, however, the police dragged off many of the leaders and imprisoned them. Esther's parents were among them. No one is sure where her father is located, but her mother was sentenced to a labor camp in Shanxi province. Esther's mother suffers from arthritis, and she has been sentenced to 15 hours per day of physical labor. On behalf of Esther, VOM requested that everyone send a pre-written letter to Yang, and they sent out six of them with their May newsletter. So what is my dream? I was going to send out my letter after I first decorated it. You know, in labors camps, the people don't usually get to enjoy anything beautiful or colorful. But now, my mission has expanded. As someone who has been greatly touched by the testimonies of the persecuted church, I want to do something more -- something to show them that I love them, greatly ...

Gary Habermas and Mike Licona are giving you the chance to play a little quiz game -- The Resurrection Quiz game! There are 80 questions -- 10 questions per level (8 levels). It's based on their book and you can hear an audio version of it if you need some help along the way. I have never read the book, though it sounds very interesting (and didn't listen to the audio, either), but here are my results: Level 1 -- 70% Points 390 Level 2 -- 70% Points 770 Level 3 -- 60% Points 1210 Level 4 -- 60% Points 1710 Level 5 -- 60% Points 2200 Level 6 -- 100% Points 3190 Level 7 -- 80% Points 4130 Level 8 -- 70% Points 5010 Most of those "lower" points were due to some terms I wasn't familar with or a misunderstanding of the questions; but for never having read the book, I think I did fairly well. And my final score is.... drumroll, please.... I averaged 71%! It was quite the brain-teaser, but it was a lot of fun! So go play now! :)

"I have carefully examined the evidences of the Christian religion, and if I was sitting as a juror upon its authenticity I would unhesitatingly give my verdict in its favor. I can prove its truth as clearly as any proposition ever submitted to the mind of man." ~ Alexander Hamilton

Did the title grab your attention? Good! ;) This is hot off the presses! Two days ago, the Associated press released a news article on the earliest paintings of Paul, Andrew, John and Peter! The press reports that these were found in the catacombs in Rome by laser technology! ROME (AP) -- Twenty-first century laser technology has opened a window into the early days of the Catholic Church, guiding researchers through the dank, musty catacombs beneath Rome to a startling find: the first known icons of the apostles Peter and Paul. Vatican officials unveiled the paintings Tuesday, discovered along with the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew in an underground burial chamber beneath an office building on a busy street in a working-class Rome neighborhood. The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were uncovered using a new laser technique that allows restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the b...

This week, I'd like to continue my discussion on grace . It seems that this topic is popping up everywhere for me right now. (For those of you who haven't yet read last week's WFW, please do so before reading this one.) Let's begin by defining, once more, our definition of grace as found in the Bible: "undeserved STRENGTH ." Once that is understood, it is possible to understand so much more of the Bible from a totally different angle. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble." ~ Psalm 46:1 So how do we get this strength? Psalm 119:28 states, "Strengthen me according to Your word." It is through the Word of God that we get the strength! In 2 Corinthians 4:2, we read, "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." How do...

Hi, everbody! I apologize for my small absense... I've been online, but I haven't been feeling that well, and that makes me quite tired... Anyway... A few days ago, Jean had a thought-provoking post on her blog about a young boy who made a hat with a small figurine of a soldier because he wanted to show patriotism -- the teacher told his parents that it was "unappropriate" and made him take it off... Jay responded with a quote by John Dewey that got me thinking: "Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society which is coming where everyone is interdependent." A website which posted this quote got some interesting comments on it: This man, and his brainless, spineless acolytes did more to destroy American indpendence of mind than any other single person in our history. -- Dougmcr8, Springfield, VA Amen, Douggmcr8! I want Dewey to explain to me just why, in a nation that was founded on the premise of moral IND...

Is healing for today? This question comes up quite frequently. For many people, the answer is yes, but for some, the answer is no. So what is the RIGHT answer? Let's look at the Bible for the answer. First, let's look at the "No" factor. For most people, healing is a thing of the past; they say, "God may have healed 2,000 years ago, but He doesn't heal today." Is this true? Jeremiah 17:14 says, "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise." What does God say? He says, "Yes": In Jeremiah 30:17, He says, "For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the LORD..." Still, many have objections to healing. Here are a few of them: "I've been so bad..." For them, they are hurting so much and they have done so much wrong to themselves and others that they wonder if God will really heal them. The answer here is an emphatic "YES!"...

I've been thinking a lot about God's grace... Grace, as defined in the Bible, means "undeserved strength." That is why Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). The Bible commands us to walk in the spirit. Still, we all have those times when we feel as if we just can't do it. Not that it's impossible to walk in the spirit; but rather we try, we fail, we try, we fail, etc. I have been wrestling with this problem no matter how much I hear and read on the topic. See, the truth is, we can't do it on our own, and we know that. But how can we walk in the spirit when we keep caving in to our flesh? We can do alll things through Christ who strengthens us, right? So we're not to try doing it on our own, but if we are really walking in the Spirit, shouldn't we be able to stay in the spirit? If "where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty," and "whom the So...

Yesterday, I was flipping through a book on the history of Pennsylvania. It is particularly geared toward the innovations that Pennsylvania is responsible for spawning in the United States; it is really quite an interesting book. But do you know what I read on the first page of the first chapter? Can't guess? Well, let's take a peak: "Long before dinosaurs roamed the earth, about 300 million years ago, the key geographic features of this region formed..." These kinds of statements always get my blood boiling. How do THEY know what happened 300 million years ago? The truth is, they don't. Were they there? Obviously not (if they were, I'd say that's one OLD person! ;) ). If no one was there to witness the event -- and it's obvious that no one was -- why are they stating it like it's the "gospel truth"? This is SUPPOSED to be the HISTORY of Pennsylvania, not someone's preconceived ideas! It continued: "Vast tropical swamps covere...

I promised recently that I would be posting some book reviews... well here's one. It's an excellent series written by Anthony Bollback , a missionary to China. Enjoy! ----------------- Red Runs the River and its sequel Exiles of Hope tells the fictional story of two Chinese Christians who face religious persecution at the hands of Mao Tze-tung’s Communist Party. Though a novel, the book describes actual people, places, and events. The author, Anthony Bollback, has worked in China for many years, and his purpose in writing this story is to give the reader a glimpse into life as Christians in China experience it today through the eyes of the book’s two main characters. This is the story of Meiling and Anching who fall in love and are then separated by years of Communist control; it is a love story, not only between themselves, but also between each one and the God whom they love and serve – a God for whom they risk their lives daily despite the persecution of Communism. The stor...

This morning, I had not planned on what to write this week. However, during my prayer time this morning this Scripture came to mind: Romans 5:1-5 "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." I have mentioned this Scripture before; I had seen that since God is love and perfect love casts out fear, then if the Holy Spirit sheds this love abroad in our hearts, we are free from fear -- we have this love in us! But this time, I noticed something else: Hope does not disappoint. Do you know what this means? Well, let's look at the Scri...

Proverbs 6:23 For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life... Today, I would like to talk about the chastening of the Lord. (And I realize that I may step on some toes, here; so please be "civil" in your comments. Thanks.) To illustrate my point, I will use the analogy of a doctor and his patient: "Okay. Now all I need you to do is walk down the hall to this room and then you can have the operation, " the Doctor says after he examines you. You walk down that hall, knowing that the operation that will rid you of your terminal illness lies just around the corner. You want to be cured; you can hardly wait to be free again. You reach the door and see an ominous looking machine; this is the machine that is going to slice you open. Quivering with fear, you dash down the hall the way you came -- you are afraid. You walk out of that hospital no different than before. What has happened? Your fear has outweighed your desire f...

I've been having a shortage in direction for this blog lately... I know why I am doing it, but sometimes, I just don't know what to say. I am working on some things, but the things that I really want to talk about are not easily forthcoming. I have, however, had an increasing interest in Christian persecution around the world. So for today, I wanted to post a story that I found at persecution blog . This kind of thing is happening almost daily in other countries, people! God is manifesting Himself to unbelievers! Enjoy! Zahid was a Pakistani Muslim priest who ambushed Christians and burned their Bibles. Once he kept one of the Bibles and started studying it to prove that Christianity was a lie. “I read the Bible, looking for contradictions I could use against the Christian faith,” Zahid shared. “All of a sudden, a great light appeared in my room and I heard a voice call my name. The light illuminated the entire room. “‘Zahid, why do you persecute me?’ the voice asked. “I wa...