rebelling against low expectations
Which is better: knowledge or godliness? What should you choose: learning and academia, a word that conjures up an image of an old professor hunched over a notebook amid a ridiculously crowded library, or hands-on actions taken to further the kingdom of God? The way the question is phrased, knowledge seems negative. Many Christians rebel against the idea of stuffy theology or doctrine that gets...
Theology matters. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” It is the duty of the Christian to study doctrine and understand what has been given to us through special revelation, and that we not only be sincere in our faith but match its sincerity with content. It is crucial that we wrestle with...
A few months ago, I sat with a close friend in one of the booths of our university’s coffee shop. My friend, whom I will call Tom, is an atheist. Tom is a genuine truth-seeker, and he would be a Christian if he thought Christianity were “actually true.” During our conversation, we found ourselves discussing the topic of faith. After probing his views of the world and his justifications for them...
A friend recently asked me on an Instagram Q&A, “What’s your preference—apologetics or theology?” Honestly, I couldn’t pick one or the other. Both have been so essential to my growth as a follower of Christ! As I discussed that during the Q&A and a few others resonated with my response, I realized that the relationship between apologetics and theology is seldom discussed in the church...
Editor’s Note: Several months ago, Levi Dade, founder of Defending Christianity, shared with us why we need to love God with not just our emotions, but also our minds. Now, Levi is back and showing us a glimpse of what that looks like by helping us understand the viewpoints of other worldviews—in this case, atheism. Joseph Stalin, political leader who governed the Soviet Union for 29 years, is...
The gospel is offensive. There’s no getting around it. It was in the early church, it is today, and it will continue to be. People don’t like to hear about sin; they don’t want to need a savior; they don’t like the idea of a God in control. People want truth that’s malleable. They’re looking for instant gratification and something they can bend to fit their desires. They want to be told, “It’s...
Bible reading. Prayer. Meditation. Fellowship. If you’ve spent some time in the church (or even on TheReb), you’ve probably heard a lot about these. You’ve probably also heard about some lesser-known practices like fasting, solitude, secrecy, or celebration. These are spiritual disciplines. Maybe you’re dedicated to practicing some or all of them. Maybe you think it would be a good idea and want...
“‘Agree to disagree’ is reserved for things like ‘I don’t like coffee’ … Not human rights.” These words were posted on Facebook by Rainbow Rights, an LGBTQ+ support group. In the textpost, they stated that anyone who supports racism, sexism, or homophobia is going against, in their words, “basic common decency.” To anyone who would disagree, the textpost says, “We do not have a difference of...
Christians tend to have two extremes when thinking about heresy. Some see heresy everywhere. If heresy simply means “whatever contradicts scripture”, we’ll see heresy in any biblical interpretation or doctrinal belief that disagrees with our own. We’ll see heresy in our friends, in our pastors, and—of course—anywhere in social media. (Conveniently enough, we’ll...
We don’t get to choose the world we’re born into. Society doesn’t pause to offer us our choice of the cultural values, global issues, or historical events that will characterize the version of Planet Earth we’ll be a part of. We inherit the world as it is. It’s a lot like a family heirloom. Each generation passes down a world–sometimes dusty, sometimes broken...
rebelling against low expectations
