Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

Last time I talked about hypocrites and the fact that most people say they don't go to church because of the hypocrites. Pointing to the fact that we're not perfect isn't good enough, it's about pointing to the fact that through Jesus we are perfect. However, if we as a church still act "perfect" we're blowing it. So, when they say they have issues about hypocrites, ask them if they go to Wal-Mart. If they say "Yes" (which most anyone will say assuming they live somewhere in the world with electricity and people), ask them why they do that when there are hypocrites there. In fact, Wal-Mart's stated mission/vision seems to contradict what they actually do (ruining the world economy by being the biggest thing since the wheel) in business practices. That's where it all winds up. No matter where we go, people are never going to be perfect. Monks in a monastery still screw up. It's human nature and we won't overcome that. We

Have you ever heard people make the statement, "Well, I just have problems with God..."? That statement is typically followed by a critique of the church or of Christianity in general. Some of the critiques are very real, others are lame, some illogical and some plain mean. But, I'll endeavor to show how some of those critiques play out and explain the how's and why's so you'll be equipped to deal with them in this and the next few posts. First is the biggest complaint against the church and Christianity: hypocrisy. How often have you heard someone say, "I don't go to church because of all the hypocrites."? I hear it regularly and am SO tempted to answer in a very mean-spirited way by saying, "Well come anyways, we could always use one more." But, that's just not nice and is plain mean. However, there are reasons and there are answers. The reason is simple: people look in the doors of the church and see people they know acti

Lots of people have tons of opinions regarding Jesus, just ask at the doors of your local Wal -Mart sometime (since everyone goes to Wal -Mart, as they really run the world). Everyone thinks something of Jesus because He has permeated Western culture to that degree. One might think that there would have to be SOME reason for that to be the case, especially 2000 years later... However, some think Jesus wasn't even a historical figure. They say he didn't exist and is strictly mythology. To that I say, get a grip. History is replete with references to Jesus of Nazareth . Josephus, the first century Jewish historian, recorder tidbits about Jesus although like a good J ew there wasn't too much about the heretic. Other historians from the time period who were recording info about the Middle East also mention Jesus of Nazareth. Then there is the overwhelming documentary evidence that is represented by the Bible. It's not something made up or modified, but something

"Why should anyone read the Bible, it's all made up anyways?" A student asked me this question once, and as surprised as I was by the question, it is one with a relatively simple answer. Because the Bible is literally the God of the universe speaking. That may sound crazy, but I'll explain. First, let's start with some of the dismissals of the Bible. Some dismiss the Bible because it's "all made up." However, nothing could be further from the truth! No portion of the Bible has ever been proven wrong. Even with what seemed like easy facts to prove wrong, lo and behold, the proof was there. Think David, a biblical king of the Israelites (from Goliath fame...) whom scholars said didn't exist. They kept saying he was made up because there was no proof of this military mastermind who established Israel as a powerhouse until they finally dug up references to "David king of the Hebrews" relating to conquests of their people. Hmm , do

This seems like a pretty simple statement, but it is something that is being combated so heavily today! People like Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins seem more aggressive than many through the years and they are much more vitriolic than their predecessors. But why? Looking at the road today, no one would ever be stupid enough to look at a big truck and exclaim, "Wow. It's so amazing that this big truck randomly came together out of the primordial ooze to form this fully working organism..." However, people claim that humanity (the human body is more complex than anything we can even grasp: a machine that replicates even one of our bodily functions is virtually impossible for us to render because of its complexity. The only portion that has been duplicated are simple machines like the Jarvik heart [a pump]) came about randomly. Richard Dawkins talks about the fact that blind chance leads to all possibilities eventually; one of his examples is that given a set