In Seeking the Truth, Beware of “Bold Subterfuging”

Truth is a big deal these days. Not that it hasn’t always been, but we’re in a bit of a truth crisis right now. Getting at the truth has always been a challenge, even when everyone is playing by the rules and honestly seeking truth. But that isn’t always the case. There are a lot of people out there writing...

It’s Not History Without a Story

There is an official chronicle of the Civil War called “The Official Records of the American Civil War.” It contains formal officer reports , prisoner lists, written orders, maps, diagrams, and correspondence, from both sides, as well as first-hand accounts. Some of it is interesting to read, and a lot of...

Do I Want to Be Poor in Spirit?

Why in the world would anyone recommend that we should seek to be spiritually poor? I’m intrigued by the many interpretations of Jesus’ first Beatitude (“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”—Matthew 5:3) that present spiritual poverty as necessary to salvation. This line of...

Cheapening the Gospel

We’ve made the Gospel all about life after death, and in doing so we’ve cheapened the Gospel. The Gospel is cheapened when we make the stakes very low. Think about it: if the Gospel is right, believing in Jesus means we avoid Hell and get to live in Heaven for the rest of our lives. If the Gospel is wrong,...

The Messiah: A Nobody from Nowhere?

Why does Matthew write that the prophets say the Messiah will come from Nazareth when there is no such reference anywhere in the Old Testament? In Matthew’s birth narrative, Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt to escape the murderous plans of King Herod. After Herod dies, Joseph is told to return with his...

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