Are the Recent Beheadings a Sign that the End is Near?

The world is watching the Middle East. The rise of ISIS from relative obscurity to front and center has captured nearly every headline.  Few extremists have gripped the world with terror like this group. Their brutality seems to know no bounds. From the torture of innocent victims to the beheadings of unarmed people to the burning alive of prisoners, ISIS […]

Does God Still Speak to Us Today?

“The Lord wants me to tell you something.” “I’ve got a message from the Lord.” “God has laid it on my heart to do this.” Most of us have heard someone uttering a phrase like these.  Spoken by well-meaning Christians, these people are convinced that God has singled them out with a particular message.  They have “heard” His […]

Does the Bible Predict That Muhammad Would Rise As a Prophet?

Recently, I heard a Muslim attempt to support his claim that Muhammad was a true prophet.  Surprisingly, he cited some passages from the Bible to build his case.  He wanted to show that the Bible predicts the coming of Muhammad, thus proving that he was a true prophet. Let me begin by saying that I believe Islam’s […]

Does God Speak Through Dreams?

  After a series of particularly troubling dreams, a young man recently asked me the above question.  He was wondering if God was trying to say something to him and what that message might be.  I told him that I didn’t feel qualified to answer the latter part of his question, but would be happy to […]

Why is the God of the Old Testament So Mean?

  Someone recently asked me this question.  But, it’s not the first time I’ve heard it asked.  In fact, I’ve heard it a lot. Sometimes I even hear it from good Christian folks; people who have read the Bible and know God.  That surprises me a bit, so perhaps the answer isn’t as obvious to everyone as […]

Why Would God Order the Execution of a Sorcerer?

A good friend recently offered this question.  It comes out of Exodus 22:18.  In that verse, God plainly said, You shall not permit a sorceress to live. Old Testament passages like this have disturbed a lot of people. They see Jesus of the New Testament as the kind of person who would stop a stoning, not start […]

Is the Bible the Inerrant Word of God?

Inerrant means “free from error.”  For many evangelicals this is an important part of their belief system.  They would say, “If God inspired the Bible, and God cannot commit error, then the Bible cannot contain any errors!” For this reason, critics of the Christian faith enjoy targeting the Bible.  They believe that if they can […]

Why Won’t God Heal Amputees?

I first came across this question on YouTube, in a video entitled “10 Questions Every Intelligent Christian Must Answer.”  The question was apparently asked by someone who is critical of Christianity – or at least of some claims made by Christians.  When I last viewed the video it had over 6 million hits.  Obviously, it […]

Does a Christian Have to be a Member of a Local Church?

A few terms must be adequately clarified to answer this question.  The first term to define is “Christian.”  This word does not mean the same thing to everyone.  To some, it may be a way of defining themselves as not belonging to other groups.  For example, one may think of themselves as not Jewish, or not Muslim, or not an atheist.  Having been […]

Should Christians Support Israel?

This question comes on the heels of some very recent and disturbing news – that Iran could attack Israel in the very near future.  It is no secret that the Arab nations surrounding Israel would love nothing more than to see Israel fall.  Israel has very little support in the Middle East – but has […]