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Can God Love Us and Still Allow Evil?
Is it possible that a loving God would allow evil? Think about the evil we see all around the world. Rape, murder, death, accidents, suffering—all evidences of evil. If God is in complete control (i.e., sovereign), how can we justify His love when He allows such evil? This is a common argument brought forward by unbelievers. However, it is also a question that believers ask in the midst of suffering and evil. What should our response to this kind of statement? There are three things to remember which help us reconcile this apparent problem of evil as well as provide a proper answer to an unbeliever. 1. God defines love, love does not define God Adam Ford has a helpful Christian comic which illustrates this point brilliantly (see full comic here). We must not let the culture’s version of love form who our God is. The Bible not only reveals…
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What is the Catholic View of Salvation?
A question I occasionally get is what the difference is between the Catholic Church and the Evangelical church. Isn’t the Catholic Church just another option for where to go to church, based on the preference of the individual? To many people it is. However, the Catholic Church officially holds to beliefs which do not align with what the Bible teaches, and therefore it is not a true church. In fact, the Catholic Church is a pseudo-church which is leading millions of people to hell. Whoa now, is that a little strong? Now, I have many friends and relatives who go to the Catholic Church. So I don’t write this without knowing friends who are in the Catholic Church. But that personal experience does not affect what is objectively true—the fact that the Catholic Church teaches a different way of salvation. The Catholic View of Salvation In Catholic belief, one must enter into…
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Avignon: the Black Mark on the Catholic Papacy
One of the central doctrines in the Catholic Church is that of the papacy. According to Catholic theology, the pope is the successor of Peter, forming a link of apostolic succession back to that apostle. Although there are many other differences between Catholics and evangelicals, the Catholic view of the papacy is a major dividing line in Christianity. Catholics believe that each pope has “the totality and supremacy of the power Christ left on earth for the building up of the kingdom of God.” The idea of the authority of the papacy is integral to Catholic doctrine, since each pope is entrusted with the divine guidance of the Church. However, history has shown that the pope is not divinely chosen nor an infallible guide. There is no better example of this than the Avignon residence. The Avignon Papacy The Avignon residence (also called the Babylonian Captivity) lasted from 1309-1377 AD when…
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What is Marriage?
We are in the midst of a time where terms are being redefined to suit one’s own purpose. However, if we want to think rightly and accurately about an issue, we need to think in terms of the definitions laid out in God’s Word. Nowhere is this more evident than in the question, “What is marriage?” In contrast to how marriage would have been defined even 10 years ago, the first search result of the question, “What is marriage” (Psychology Today) defines marriage as follows: Marriage is the process by which two people make their relationship public, official, and permanent. It is the joining of two people in a bond that putatively lasts until death, but in practice is often cut short by separation or divorce. Notice how marriage is defined here. Marriage is simply two people making their relationship (which already exists) public. This cultural definition of marriage is in stark…
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Brief Analysis of Critical Race Theory
Almost everyone has heard of Critical Race Theory now, if for no other reason than the fact that Trump made major headlines when he came out with an executive order banning Critical Race Theory in government. This created quite the stir since many people view Critical Race Theory as instrumental in fighting racism. This mindset has shown up in the church as well. The Southern Baptist Convention, which is America’s largest Christian denomination, passed a Resolution in 2019, which stated that Critical Race Theory could be used as a helpful tool to combat racism. Although this is not the majority view of SBC churches (many prominent SBC leaders have publicly decried CRT), it is a prominent viewpoint which has been embraced by many Christians in many denominations. Christians cannot escape the influence of Critical Race Theory, nor can they ignore the tremendous damage that this worldview produces. Many secularists have…
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The Alliance of Postmodernism and Activism
In the past I have written about how understanding Marxism and understanding Critical Theory are imperative to aid the Christian’s analysis of the modern cultural upheaval. Yet, there remains one other essential concept to understand culture. That is Postmodernism. Marxism, and more specifically Critical Theory, have merged with Postmodernism and they exemplify an intricate, albeit anti-god worldview. Christians must understand the contribution of Postmodernism in order to understand the cultural infatuation with activism. The Beginnings of Postmodernism Postmodernism is a philosophical movement which began in the mid-1900s and attained popularity in the late 20th century. Encyclopedia Britannica defines Postmodernism this way: a late 20th-century movement characterized by broad skepticism, subjectivism, or relativism; a general suspicion of reason; and an acute sensitivity to the role of ideology in asserting and maintaining political and economic power. Breaking down this definition is helpful. Postmodernism is characterized by skepticism, that is a denial or…
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Must You Have Experience to Truly Know?
It is very common in today’s culture to argue that experience is the ultimate authority. However, as I have written before, not only is it foolish, but it is dangerous to elevate experience as the determiner of truth. Additionally, Christians need to be adamant that lack of experience does not prohibit one from having an opinion or even speaking authoritatively on an issue. The idea that experience is not the decisive argument is counter cultural. It is extremely common to hear arguments like, “You don’t know what it is like,” “You have not been there,” or “You are not like me, so you don’t know.” Whether it is a culturally sensitive issue, like the racial minority decrying whites for not understanding their oppression, or whether it is an individual issue, like someone describing his or her depression or anger; the belief that experience is what ultimately leads to understanding is…
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Critical Theory and the Frankfurt School
Last time we talked about the influence of Marxism and Neo-Marxism on modern society. This is a foundational point, but it is really only part of the picture. The Neo-Marxist desire for cultural destruction needed a tool through which it could destroy Western culture. That tool is Critical Theory. As dynamite is to the field of demolition, so Critical Theory is to the Marxist worldview. The Frankfurt School and Critical Theory Although Antonio Gramsci is typically credited with being one of the more influential players in moving Classical Marxism into Neo-Marxism, he was far from the only player. Marxism was a powerful ideology, and a thinktank of Marxist philosophers were involved with starting The Institute for Marxism in Frankfurt, Germany. While the school began conceptually in 1923, the Institute decided to avoid the negative name association of Marxism, and went by the name, The Institute of Social Research. The…
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The Folly of Government Without God
If there was no God, why would you obey the government? In today’s increasingly secularized culture, there are massive efforts to remove God from the public life. But one important argument that needs to be made is that if God is removed from society, the whole foundation for the authority structures within that society crumble. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment (Romans 13:1-2). Notice that Romans 13 says all subsidiary authorities, namely government and family, are instituted by God (cf. 1 Pet 2:13-17). They are designed by God to be representatives of His ultimate authority and enforce morality which coincides with how God has created the world. God as the Foundation for Government…
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Trump, Biden, and the Christian Vote
I had intended to stay out of the foray of political postings. However, I have been compelled to write on the issue because I have seen some very poor reasoning among my Christian friends, and I have been asked by a few people to share my thoughts. So, even though it is an area where bitter disagreement is prone to exist, I have become convinced that it is very necessary to think through these issues as an exercise in Christian discernment. Two Reasons Not to Vote for Trump Trump is not a Christian. Some people might disagree on that, but if vulgar and pompous speech is an indication of character, it seems unlikely to me that Trump has submitted to the Lord. As such, it should come as no surprise that Trump does not act like a Christian. Further, he does not prize certain character traits which Christians prize. Does…