This is a guest post from Douglas Balmain. It will sure stoke up some conversation… Thanks for his contribution: It took some restraint to hold this back until now. I was writing like mad the day of the fire, swept up with the flames in a swelter of frustrations. But, when attempting to convey clear-headed ideas,… Continue reading Abandoned Religion: The Burning Pillar Of Human Folly

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” from Simon Cox Blog https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=1%20Peter%201:18-19

God gives us the freedom to leave the revenge cycle and instead do what we can do: love our enemies and bless them. I was not at church in Colombo on Easter Sunday morning, as I was sick and had stayed home. Then text messages began to come about a bombing, then several bombings, in… Continue reading Six Biblical Responses to Sri Lanka’s Easter Bombings

Survey finds more than half of monthly worshipers haven’t shared Jesus in the past six months. Most Protestant churchgoers say they are eager to talk to others about Jesus, and are praying for opportunities to share their faith. But most say they have not had any evangelistic conversations in the past six months. The 2019 Discipleship Pathway… Continue reading Evangelism Is More Prayer Than Action for Protestant Churchgoers

We’ve never regretted saying no, but his words still haunt me. I was a little over halfway through my pregnancy when my husband and I sat gripping each other’s hands while a specialist gesticulated as he described the options for our unborn baby. We could opt for life-saving surgeries, we could give her comfort care… Continue reading When Our Ultrasound Revealed a Birth Defect, My Doctor Offered an Abortion

Bible scholars, theologians, and philosophers used to work together. N.T. Wright believes they need to do so again. Stop thinking like children.” Paul’s admonition to the Corinthians is even more urgent for us today. Though they should be like little children when it came to evil, he insisted they should be grown-ups when it came… Continue reading Theology of the Future

Every generation has to figure out how to engage and reach people in culture. Translation and immersion are key ideas that will help.. In my leadership role with World Methodist Evangelism, I frequently am in international environments, depending heavily on the skills of translators and interpreters. These are gifted people! I recall teaching on evangelism… Continue reading Lost in Translation: Lessons from Language Can Help Us Share the Gospel

“It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’”” from Simon Cox Blog https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NIV&search=Romans%2014:11

“It wasn’t God who introduced us to morality; rather, it was the other way around. God was put into place to help us live the way we felt we ought to.” – Frans de Waal In my previous article, I wrote about how morality (or at least the mechanics of morality) are clearly evolved and… Continue reading The Evolution of Morality and Theistic Evolutionists

Pew survey of 30,000 people finds a median of 39% favor, 13% oppose a “more important role for religion.” Despite signs of increasing secularism in the United States, far more Americans favor an increased role for religion in society than oppose it. According to a massive new report from the Pew Research Center that queried… Continue reading Across 27 Countries, Most Don’t Mind More Religion in Society