What to Do with Disney…
Disney has sparked debate for Christians for decades. Is it a trustworthy source for harmless entertainment for kids? Is it a progressive organization intent on indoctrinating your kids with a secular sexual worldview? Listen to comments by Disney producer and director Latoya Raveneau at a recent executives’ meeting and decide for yourself: “In my little...
Emma Goodwyn
Jesus and Your Suffering
I still remember seeing family members weeping, sobbing, and even wailing, but I had no idea why. My brother and I were here to visit my little sister, who had been having bouts of strep throat on and off. This time something was different. This time she had ended up in the hospital. It had...
Tyler VanWey
Is God Silent? Making Sense of “Divine Hiddenness”
Is God silent when we can’t sense him? Although many who seek God find him, others experience him as hidden and absent. What are we to make of this “divine hiddenness”? Often, we struggle to believe in and trust God, not necessarily because we fail to recognize His existence or suppress evidence of His existence,...
Brett Seybold
Theology Is Intimidating—But Not for the Reason We Think
It was my first semester enrolled in seminary. Seminary was a distance-learning, part-time thing for me; most days, I was busy teaching Bible, language arts, and speech at a Christian school. At one point during that first semester, I was transporting kids back from a speech competition when one of the students saw the book I had brought...
Daniel McCoy
Christian Education and Confronting Boredom
A number of years ago, I spent a week of my Bible class asking my students this question: “Would you describe your Christian life as exciting?” Out of roughly 150 students, I had only one student answer “yes.” She was a missionary kid from Africa there on furlough for one semester. I understand that just because students...
Tim Casey
Bible Genres: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?
If you want to understand the Bible better, one of the most important concepts is Bible “genres.” What are the Bible’s genres and why do they matter? The Bible’s “genres” in the context of biblical hermeneutics mean the kinds of literature of a given book of the Bible. The Bible is rich with a variety...
Orpheus J. Heyward
What Is the Oldest Religion? Q&A with World Religions Scholar Winfried Corduan
Why is it important to ask, “What is the oldest religion?” In the Bible, we see hints that the very first religion was based on experience with one God (monotheism), but is there good evidence to support this? So, what is the oldest religion? Some scholars will answer by picking what appears to be the...
Daniel McCoy
Is Gambling a Sin? An Honest Exploration from a Christian Perspective
Is gambling a sin? Gambling is risking a wager on a game in order to win a prize. Although there are some who experience gambling as something rewarding and fun, it tends toward being highly addictive and potentially ruinous. The Bible doesn’t call gambling a sin as such, although the Bible warns against the love...
Daniel McCoy
The World and the Way: Living in Hope When Facing Antagonism
The Way of Jesus is fundamentally loving. If you’re reading this as a follower of Christ, this is probably (hopefully) not a very new or controversial statement. In Jesus’ own words, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you love one another.” Or if you prefer the hymn’s translation of John 13:35: “They will...
Nathan Storms
Canonization of the Bible: Its Definition and Process
What is the canonization of the Bible? The canonization of the Bible refers to the process of recognizing which books were considered Scripture by the people of God at the time of compiling the Bible as we know it today. The term “canon” suggests a standard.[1] Ultimately, when discussing the idea of canon as it...
Orpheus J. Heyward
What Is Patience in the Bible? Exploring the World’s Toughest Virtue
Patience in the Bible is the ability to endure difficult people and situations without giving into anger or giving up hope. Because God continues to show us patience when we are doing disappointing things, we can show others patience when they disappoint us. Is patience the toughest virtue because it’s tough to cultivate—or because it’s...
Daniel McCoy
RENEW Theology: What is Essential? What is Important? What is Personal?
Your theology is simply your “organized beliefs about God.” Everyone consciously or unconsciously has beliefs about God which they have organized one way or another. In this sense, everyone is a theologian. But not every disciple of Jesus is a good theologian. For example, it is possible to have beliefs about God that are not...
Bobby Harrington
The Resurrection: a Creative Lie or the Key to Life?
On a number of occasions, well-known Christian author and speaker Chuck Colson remarked that he knew the Resurrection was true based on the Watergate scandal. Before he came to Christ, Colson served as special counsel to President Nixon, and was known as Nixon’s “hatchet man.” He talked about being valuable to Nixon because he was...
Jon Hembree
How Did Jesus Die for Our Sins?
How did Jesus die for our sins? He did it by first entering our human story and being everything we had been created to be but failed to be. Then he was crucified after a sacrificial pattern we see throughout the Old Testament in the Passover, sin offering, and Day of Atonement. At the heart...
John Whittaker
What is Good Friday? Its Events, Context, and Significance
What is Good Friday, and why do Christians celebrate it? Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday. It is commemorated as the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified. For many Christians, it is a special day of fasting and repentance. Let’s explore Good Friday and what makes a day of execution something we...
Bobby Harrington
Radically Ordinary Hospitality: Real Life Theology with Renée Sproles
This Real Life Theology conversation with Renée Sproles is inspired by Rosaria Butterfield’s book The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World. The discussion centers on how hospitality has changed lives and communities.…
Renée Sproles
Renée Sproles