empathy noun. Psych. The power of identifying oneself mentally with (and fully comprehending) a person or object of contemplation. (Oxford) I was 15 when this word was first being introduced to the population of North America. It was touted as the best way to relate to the sufferings of others. I didn’t buy it then; … Continue reading Empathy vs Compassion
Is your church a theology-free zone?
I became aware of the declining interest in theology on the part of most churches shortly after my conversion and marriage. Both happened in 1970 and I mention my marriage because it was only after we were married that my wife and I began to attend church and look for spiritual fellowship. The Western Canada … Continue reading Is your church a theology-free zone?
Sweeter as the years go by
The message on the card that Chris gave me yesterday morning went like this: With the help of God's love and graceWe've built a pretty sweet life together-One blessing at a time.© Dayspring Cards I like that much better than the card I gave her, for it is only by the love and grace of … Continue reading Sweeter as the years go by
The great and terrible God
In order to reduce Christianity to moralistic, therapeutic deism, we must reduce God to a warm fuzzy, namby-pamby therapist whose only desire is to help us find relief from the emotional and existential complexes that befuddle our lives. That is not the way that the Bible describes Him. Nehemiah twice speaks of God as being … Continue reading The great and terrible God
Confusion about the Gibeonites
Today I want to write about how the story of the Gibeonites, beginning in the ninth chapter of Joshua, is commonly misinterpreted. For generations, Bible story books, reference Bibles and Sunday School lessons have selected one portion of the story of the Gibeonites and used it to make a big thing of how the Gibeonites … Continue reading Confusion about the Gibeonites
Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism
Moralistic, therapeutic deism, a term first used by Christian Smith, seems a fitting description of much of what passes for Christianity in North America. This philosophy leads people to believe in a God who wants them to be good, wants them to feel good about themselves, doesn’t need to be consulted except in case of … Continue reading Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism
Fast food Christianity
Since I started this blog almost ten years ago, I have attempted from time to time to point out the fallacies of what passes for evangelical Christianity in our day. Perhaps this is a good time to repeat some of those posts. Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay We are told, and it is obvious if we are paying … Continue reading Fast food Christianity
Balm in Gilead
My mother's father was a member of the Sommerfelder Mennonite Church, one of those groups that seeks to protect its members from the evils of the surrounding world by maintaining a different language. Grandpa was already hemmed in by his visual impairment, perhaps that led him to take more interest in the people he met. … Continue reading Balm in Gilead
The vision of Robert Baldwin
I am reading a biography of Robert Baldwin, one of Canada's founding fathers. He played an important role in our history, I am very interested in that history, yet I find the book tedious. History is fascinating, yet too many historians write in a way that turns people off so that they never learn to … Continue reading The vision of Robert Baldwin
Why do the days go by so quickly in summer?
Here on the prairies, winter days are very short, less than 8 hours between dawn and dusk. Yet those days just seem to drag on. Now it is summer, almost a month since the summer solstice, and we still have more than 16 hours between dawn and dusk. And, being that we are on the … Continue reading Why do the days go by so quickly in summer?
