The Sexual Revolution had a long gestation period. While many may see it as something that suddenly sprung up in the 1960s, its vision had been cast in Western Civilization at least two hundred years before. Thinkers such as Jean Jacques Rousseau, Margaret Sanger, Margaret Mead, and Alfred Kinsey all had advocated for a breakdown of the traditional Christian taboos. While they … [Read more...]
Christ, Christianity, and Plato’s Cave
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.- C. S. Lewis In Plato’s famous work The Republic, written around 380 B.C., he gives an allegory commonly known as The Cave. In this discourse he describes people who are trapped in a cave from birth. The inside of the cave is all they know. They … [Read more...]
Ultimate Questions and “Sufficient” Evidence
In his recent book The Big Question, Alister McGrath looks at the relationship between science and life's ultimate questions, including God, meaning, and morality. He notes that some people find it comforting to avoid these ultimate questions and take refuge in what appears to be the safer surroundings of science: "The moment we step outside the safe world of science, we find … [Read more...]
It’s Not Just Entertainment
At this year's Traverse City Film Festival, anyone in downtown Traverse City inevitably saw a poster with this year’s slogan: “One Great Movie Can Change You.” I completely agree. This is not a new insight, of course. People have recognized the power of entertainment for thousands of years. However, the slogan has encouraged me to revisit how the arts and entertainment both … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Four.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Three.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part Two.
Through literary apologetics, this four-part series examines one of the more difficult passages in which to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of love, namely Numbers 31:13-18, which records the mass killing of Midianites including baby boys. As mentioned before, I find this particular passage abhorrent; however, after researching the cultural context, I do … [Read more...]
Why Did God Kill the Midianite Boys in Numbers 31? Part One.
“And Moses was angry with the officers of the army…[and] said to them, ‘Have you let all the women live? Behold, these, on Balaam's advice, caused the people of Israel to act treacherously against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and so the plague came among the congregation of the Lord. Now therefore, kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known … [Read more...]
Why did God kill Uzzah for trying to protect the Ark of Covenant?
The Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat of God, i.e. his throne on earth. God commanded the Israelites to build it shortly after they left Egypt. It was to reside in the Holy of Holies (the innermost chamber) of the tabernacle, and later the temple, in which God said He dwelt on earth. Only the High Priest could ever enter that chamber, and only once a year, on the Day of … [Read more...]
Worldview and Culture: The Stories That Shaped Us in 2014
As this year wraps up, I offer the following retrospective on some of the more popular entertainment in 2014. It's not an exhaustive list, and I don't necessarily recommend everything on it. It's simply meant to provide insight into the cultural stories that are reflecting and/or shaping a lot of worldviews, particularly those of a young adult audience. Though some of the … [Read more...]