Caesar Augustus paces before the assembled bachelors of  Rome, then explodes: “You are murdering our future!” In Caesar’s view they aren’t “fathering their descendants,” so he enacts laws to give advantages to those who settle down and raise families. Years later, to find out if his “fertility laws” are working, Caesar begins a project he’ll [...]

Does it take a giant leap of faith to believe the Bible? Is trusting in what God says in His Word like taking a step off a high, dark, ledge? Only if you don’t know what it says. You see, too many people dismiss the Bible over what other people say about it. Are there [...]

It is a matter of Christian doctrine that there will be hypocrites within the walls of the Christian church. Jesus said so. He even devoted an entire parable to this matter (Matt 13:24ff). But the root cause of hypocrisy does not lie in Christianity, but in something all people have, something the Bible calls the [...]

Unfortunately, there are those within the visible Christian church who will do anything they can to get your money.  I pray they are few and far between, but there are so-called pastors and churches that will lie to you, pressure you and shame you into giving them your money. As a Christian pastor, I make [...]

There are ultimately two main teachings of the Bible: Law and Gospel. The Law shows us our sin. The Gospel shows us our Savior. It’s really that simple. Understanding the proper distinction between these two teachings is the key to understanding the Bible. The law’s primary purpose is to expose our sin to us.  “Through [...]

Tolerance is a beautiful word when it applies to things like how your skin color is different than mine, or how you speak a language unfamiliar to me, or how your culture or the generation you grew up in shaped your world view in a different way than mine. Such differences fascinate me. About such [...]

It’s a phrase I’ve heard too often to let it go unchallenged: “I can believe whatever I want, as long as I’m sincere.” Do you see the problems with that question? The first part – “whatever I want” – assumes that I can somehow sort through all of the possible “beliefs” out there and sift [...]

Jesus claimed that he was the truth (John 14:6)  and that everyone on the side of truth listens to him (John 18:37). The big question is, “Why trust Jesus?” After all, anyone can claim they are telling the truth. The world is full of self-proclaimed “gurus.” What makes Jesus’ claims any more valid than other [...]

“What is truth?” That was Roman governor Pontius Pilate’s response to Jesus’ bold claim: “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37-38). Pilate’s cynical response was nothing new… and it is still the prevailing attitude today. People think they are being kind when they say one viewpoint is as valid as another. [...]

Christianity is different from every other religion. Christians don’t do good works to earn favor with God or to earn salvation.  We don’t have to serve God. We want to. Such a thought is foreign to every other non-Christian religion out there, no matter how “religious” they are. It all comes down to one word: [...]