Monthly Archives: September 2012

What if the Answer Really is 42–part 2

Posted on September 20, 2012 by

This is a continuation of What if the Answer Really is 42? from yesterday. Read yesterday’s post first, if you haven’t. Biblically and theologically, the question is not, “why do the righteous suffer?” The question is not, “why do I … Continue reading →

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What if the Answer Really is 42?

Posted on September 19, 2012 by

If God is good, if he loves us, and if he’s all powerful, then why do bad things happen to good people? Or, more to the point, why do bad things happen to me? This is not an ancient question. … Continue reading →

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Imprecatory Love

Posted on September 18, 2012 by

Some of the insults in the Bible tell us something bad about the character of those who spoke them. For instance, Saul’s words to his son (1 Samuel 20:30), or the youth’s words to Elisha (2 Kings 2:23). But other … Continue reading →

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Is This World Entirely Awful?

Posted on September 17, 2012 by

If God exists, and he is good and all powerful, then why is there so much evil? If you were good and all powerful, is this the world you would create? The eighteenth century philosopher Voltaire wrote a story called … Continue reading →

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Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Posted on September 16, 2012 by

The wedding reception had been going for hours. The music was loud. It was crowded and there were more people than the organizers had expected. While everyone was having a wonderful time, something awful had happened. The man in charge … Continue reading →

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Does Anybody Love God?

Posted on September 15, 2012 by

The pain of being God: to know that no one really loves you. Oh, but we make a show of it all the time; we give you things: like money, kind words, and we work for you. But, we don’t … Continue reading →

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Theology for a Large Universe

Posted on September 14, 2012 by

These are somewhat random thoughts, and in need of much more contemplation. The universe we know today is radically larger, both temporally and spatially, than that which the authors of the Bible knew, than that which the Church Fathers knew, … Continue reading →

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The Creation Narrative

Posted on September 13, 2012 by

I am not a believer in six day creationism. I have come to that conclusion as a consequence of reading the Bible. What I present here I’ve presented in the classroom, in Sunday School, and on our Quartz Hill School … Continue reading →

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What Freedom Is

Posted on September 12, 2012 by

Every so often I read the oddest comments. Some people are convinced that there has been an erosion of freedom in the United States. Desmond Tutu is recorded in a Newsweek web interview (this was about seven years ago now), … Continue reading →

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Heresy

Posted on September 11, 2012 by

Christians of a liberal bent criticize their brothers and sisters in the religious right for not caring about the poor. Christians on the conservative side of the aisle chastise their left wing colleagues for being weak on sexual immorality. Yet, … Continue reading →

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