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Jan, 01, 2021 0
Reinhold Niebuhr once stated that original sin “is the only empirically verifiable doctrine of the Christian faith.”1 By this he meant that we only need to look at human history to believe in the reality of original sin. This doctrine goes all the way back to the garden of Eden where we encounter…
Jan, 01, 2021 0
The term sanctification is not a distinct word in the Greek New Testament. The meaning of sanctification, expressed by a number of words, is related to holiness. The adjective “holy” refers primarily to God. The holiness of God the Father is evident everywhere in the New Testament as represented in…
Jan, 01, 2021 0
I have fond memories of the church in Mozambique and the ways it shaped my life. The Church of the Nazarene in Mozambique invests a lot of time in teaching and preaching on holiness. A week or weeks of holiness revival were normal and intended to rekindle interest in, passion for, and practice of…
Dec, 16, 2020 0
Acceptance and approval seem to be a pervasive disease in our 21st Century cultures. The advancement of technologies has tapped deep into the roots of the human psyche. Are we addicted to the ping of a mobile device in some conditioned ways? Do we suffer the disease of the need to be needed? People…
Dec, 16, 2020 0
I am not a fan of “relocation theology” as much as I am very keenly interested in thoughts about “restoration theology.” In other words, if you asked me if we are to be relocated to heaven, I would instead argue that the Bible addresses a rebuilding or restoration of the earth—a new earth. The idea…
Dec, 11, 2020 0
I once heard a story of two cockroaches that came in to a feast on a filthy house. The kitchen sink was filled with leftovers on unattended dishes. Out of sheer excitement, the younger cockroach began to relate that he was starving for a few days because he had been trapped in a spotlessly clean…
Dec, 11, 2020 0
Does a perfect, humanly drawn triangle or square measuring all sides impeccably down to the most micro-measurement exist? If it exists, is it replicable? Who is that person capable of producing such a feat? Is it possible that all humanity can achieve such perfect standards if the right pencil and…
Dec, 10, 2020 0
I have fond memories of the church in Mozambique and the ways it shaped my life. The Church of the Nazarene in Mozambique invests a lot of time in teaching and preaching on holiness. A week or weeks of holiness revival were normal and intended to rekindle interest in, passion for, and practice of…
Nov, 24, 2020 0
If I feel that I may have done something wrong, whether it is saying something hurtful to someone or commenting negatively on someone’s Facebook wall, I cannot sleep. No matter what I do, I just can’t sleep. Maybe this is me thinking too much or making a big deal over small things, but I have spent…
Nov, 24, 2020 0
It is easy to become distracted. You are happily listening to your pastor’s online sermon when your smartphone vibrates—a notification tells you that someone tagged you in a Facebook post. You open it, smile, then react with an emoticon. You saw something on someone else’s wall and you begin to…