I have wrestled with many theological challenges, but one that has been especially perplexing is this: How can God seemingly support so much violence in the Old Testament while Christ—the perfect representation of God—taught and practiced nonviolence in the New Testament? To put the matter simply: Is God violent or nonviolent? I know some may
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Violence is universally condemned. Parents around the world teach their children not to punch, kick, and bite. Countries have laws against battery and abuse. And international organizations promote peace between nations. So what do we do with all the violence in Scripture? I find it helpful to step back and look at the whole biblical
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One of the most influential Christian books of all time is The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, written in 1522-1524. The author, Ignatius of Loyola, was a Spanish soldier who was injured in battle by a cannonball. While recovering, Ignatius was deeply impressed by a couple of books—one on the lives of the saints and
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I know that question may seem absurd. Jesus is world-famous for his teaching and example of nonviolence, sending shockwaves through our blood-soaked history, right down to Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. But was he completely nonviolent? Did he reject all forms of violence and all forms of violent rhetoric? Let’s begin with Christ’s teaching.
Was Christ Nonviolent? Read More »
What should we think of reported UFO sightings? (The term UAP—Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon—is now used in place of UFO. I will use both terms interchangeably.) Are people really seeing incredible aircrafts maneuvering at impossible speeds? There are two easy options: (1) be completely gullible and believe all reports or (2) be completely skeptical and reject
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