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Working Out Salvation

  One of my favorite scriptures comes from Philippians, and I think it has a lot of implications about salvation and interpersonal relationships between Christians. Philippians 2:12-13 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. As a note, I have formatted the bold text above to call out the abbreviation that I normally quote. The full two verses are included for context, but even just that short phrase is full of ideas to unpack. From the top, the exact phrasing is “work out.” Salvation isn’t something to take trivially. You need to deliberate on it. This is a matter of life and death, with eternal consequences. We cannot afford to be cavalier about salvation. If you aren’t comfortable really digging in and working out where you stand with God, you’re going to have a hard ti...
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Made in God's Image

A lot of Christians seem to have a very narrow understanding of what it means to be made in God’s image, and some of the implications that has about both God and ourselves. Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Isa 29:16 You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay, that the thing made should say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of him who formed it, “He has no understanding”? Exo 33:21-23 And the LORD said, “Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.” Let’s start with what it means to be made “in the image.” If I make something in my own image, a wax sculpture for example, it is going to physically resemble me. In fact, a re...
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Scientific Apologetics

I think it’s very important to understand why you believe what you believe. Buying into an idea without a firm grasp on why you agree with it is a terrible idea. Even if you come to a different conclusion from someone else, anchoring on some solid basis is the best way to discuss and debate belief in a reasonable and effective way. Personally, I anchor myself to science and the scientific method. Observable and quantifiable results are the best way to measure and understand something. The weird thing is that I’ve also applied that mentality to my approach to religion. Science has driven my perspective on religious beliefs. Before I get too deep into this topic, I want to define a few concepts so that we’re on the same page. If you disagree with one of these definitions, it’s probably going to make the rest of the discussion pointless. Occam's razor (or Ockham's razor ) is a principle from philosophy . Suppose an event has two possible explanations . The explanation that requi...
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A new blog for religious discussion

 I love a good religious discussion. Problem is, I don't really have a good forum for it. My other blogs are mostly secular, and I think this deserves its own area. I'm not an expert on religion. I am a practitioner of the faith and I've read a few books. I served as a youth minister for a while, and I do my best to lead by example. My approach to religion is a very practical one.  There aren't any set topics for this blog. I have a few ideas I'll probably talk about, but nothing in stone yet. Posts are going to vary between almost written sermons (I've spoken in front of the church a few times) to intellectual exploration of a topic. Don't take my words as gospel; that's what the gospels are for. I'm just a guy trying to do my best and follow the word. If I've written something you disagree with, please, comment and let's talk about it. I could certainly be wrong, or it may just be a different understanding of text. In any case, I think we c...
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