The Forgotten Story Of John Harper Of The Titanic

I grew up with stories of the Titanic. My Grandmother and Uncles had seen the great ship sail out of Belfast Lough at the beginning of her doomed maiden voyage. One of the many stories I heard about was that of Dr. John Harper. He’s almost forgotten now. However, John Harper…

The Day After the Crucifixion

In the day’s gap between the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus we can but wonder the mood in Jerusalem. The scattered disciples and other followers of Jesus, including the women who prepared the tomb, had time for passive reflection and to try to make some sense of what had occurred; the things Jesus said at the Last Supper (if they were present), his arrest and the subsequent kangaroo court conviction, and the incredibly barbaric treatment their Lord was subjected to. What, exactly, had come of justice? And, what was to become of them now without their Rabbi and Lord?

How False Teachings Spread

They’re like viruses and just as deadly. Be on your guard against the worst disease of all: the lie.

The Gospel Versus the Gospel of the Kingdom?

They’re saying there’s more than one Gospel today. Guess they’ve been saying things like this for a long time, but it’s always aggravating to hear…

Religious Objects – The Objects And Reasons People Use Them

While most people believe in some form of Spiritual entity we all find this idea very difficult to comprehend. By making a statue or a piece of art of something that happened, such as the Last Supper, many people tend to feel more connected to this illusive spiritual saviour we believe in. This kind of godly representation has been around since the days of the early Egyptians and Sumerians but it is still with us today only in different forms. The tangible evidence of spiritual connections have only changed from rocks and paintings to paper and plastic.

Involving Young People in Church Leadership

Many churches are struggling to reach the next generation. Though there may be many reasons for this, part of the problem is that we do not let young people lead. Their ideas are considered immature, or out of the mainstream, so we push them to the side and ignore them. Churches that do that should not be surprised when those young people stop showing up.

Good Friday Needs a Little Re-Branding – Let’s Call it ‘Gift Friday’ to Be More Descriptive

The other day, I was talking to a very nice Catholic lady from outside of Seattle, and she was glad to be down in the desert resort town near where I live staying warm and dry. Since it was Good Friday, and she had just come from the church we talked a little bit about what Good Friday meant, and its religious significance. No, it was not new information for me even though I am not a religious type, however I did challenge her on the need to change the name of Good Friday.

Is Global Warming Just a Replacement – A Religion for Academics?

If you go to any academic science department, you will find that a good number of folks are not religious, or they only practice their religion as part of the cultural norms, along with the free days off and holidays. A much larger percentage of folks in academia would consider themselves atheists, and being a nonbeliever myself, I don’t have a problem with that, but I would like to call into attention some of the hypocrisy with regards to devout belief in a religious vein. Okay so, let’s talk about this for second shall we?

How To Recognize Pride In Spiritual Gifts

On Judgment Day many will say, “Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name, but God will reply, I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.”

Vestments in the Christian Religion

Vestment is a Latin word which simply means clothing. They are set by the church to provide better thoughts and promote devotion in the eyes of those who see and those who wear them. They are liturgical garments associated basically with different Christian religions for example the Catholics, Anglicans and even Lutherans.

How To Avoid The Trap of Pride

In pride, Lucifer deceived himself to believe that he would exalt himself above God’s stars and be like the Most High God. Pride will always be found in our hearts if we don’t ask God to clean our hearts and keep us pure.

A Biblical Quiz

Believing in the reality of Biblical stories is, IMHO akin to accepting the reality of the Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and the Adventures of Superman. Or, perhaps it’s more akin to accepting the reality of that other Holy Trinity – Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy! Next time your local clergy starts shooting off at the mouth about the reality of all things Biblical, the Glory and the Greatness of God, here are a few awkward questions to pose (or perhaps just forward this on to your local place of worship along with a “please explain”).