Check The Claims

Salutations.

We live in a world where skeptics question and attack God’s Word ceaselessly. I have numerous friends who state they do not believe the Bible, primarily due to ‘all of the errors’, ‘contradictions’ or ‘heinous acts’ in it. Ironically, when I ask them about their concerns, most struggle to even explain in detail the challenges they find in God’s Word. At best, they simply parrot sound bytes they heard or read off of the internet. Yet, many of those challenges were debunked or answered many moons ago.  And many more are completely without substance.  Today, I go over just a couple of categories of claims.

Why 30,000 Denominations?

Salutations.

I recently had a friend express concern that Christians have so many different denominations. For other religions, this is a point that proves the falsehood of Christianity. After all, if Jesus created a church, should it not be just one church? Catholics and Later-Day Saints, in particular, point to this argument. Does denominational divisions truly prove that Christianity does not work?
If you look hard enough here into the archives of my blog, you will find that I have plenty to say against denominational division. I do believe that Paul taught against the very idea. So, the irony of me stepping up to defend it is not lost me. However, I will categorically state that the existence of such division does not disprove Christianity. Furthermore, many of these denominations teach the essential truths of Christian theology. As a result, I reconciled myself to disagreements within the body of Christ a long time ago. Basically, there are a two main category of differences, and scripture addresses them both.

Why Do Christians Hate Socialism?

Salutations.

Recently, I had another Twitter micro-discussion.  This time, we discussed why Christians seem to hate socialism. In those posts, it was implied or stated that a perception exists that Christians simply do not care what happens to the poor. This would clearly violate scripture. Jesus warned numerous times that those who forget the less fortunate do so at their own peril. It also states repeatedly to not favor the rich over the poor, a problem socialism attempts to address head-on. So, why do many self-professing Christians stand against it?

Practice Your Faith In Private?

Salutations.

Recently, I had a twitter micro-discussion about how we, as a culture, treat homosexuals compared to Christians. I made comment that our culture today frowns upon Christians practicing their faith in public. They replied that this restriction should please Christians since Matthew 6:5 commands private worship. However, is this really the case?

Lack of Forgiveness

When I was young, and attended Bible classes, I learned the value of forgiveness.  I can still vividly recall the sensation when I realized that Jesus forgave my sins many years by His selfless death on the cross.  I could not count all of the times I sinned.  In God’s eyes, I deserved nothing less than separation from His Holy presence; I deserved to be cast into the Lake of Fire.  Justice must be blind.  Yet, love found a way.

My Concern for “Christians”

Many of my friends say “I am a Christian and I’m going to heaven.”  I ask, “How do you know?”  The answer is usually something along the lines that they said a prayer, somewhere, with sincerity, asking God into their heart.  The reality is that many Americans believe something similar, and yet we all recognize that very few people live the Christian life.

A Quick Update

Salutations.

I apologize for the lack of updates. A variety of things have occupied my mind and attention. My paying job, of course, tops that list. With that said, I do wish to write more, and will make every effort to do so as things calm down over the next month. I have several items on my docket including a list of old articles that I need to edit and republish. I also have more notes on the Mormon Book, Continuous Atonement, that I could flesh out, some thoughts on diet and materialism, a number of book reviews I could write, and a few fiction story ideas. I would love to hear if any of you have a preference on what I work on next.