Snapshots and Synapses

With the growing conflict in the Middle East, the eyes of the world have been turning toward Israel. So it was no surprise when I was asked the question: do I believe that Modern Israel is the same Israel that’s talked about in the Bible. That question is slightly complicated and one that causes some debate in Christian circles. Understanding the complexity of the question To answer this question some people may argue that we must first draw a distinction between Modern Israel and Ancient Israel. There is no doubt that Ancient Israel is all throughout Scripture, and we know historically it was destroyed as a nation. The people of that ancient nation were scattered throughout the world just as God foretold as early as Deuteronomy, one of the first books in the Bible. God warned that this would happen to Israel as consequence of their sins. Known as the diaspora, the Jewish people wandered for thousands of years without a land to call their own and yet they maintained an identity. I don’...

One of my favorite stories about Jesus is when he’s approached by His friend, Peter, who asks how many times he should forgive a person. (See Matthew 18:21-35 ) Peter threw out a number, suggesting that a person should be forgiven 7 times. Seven (7) was understood to be the number of perfection and completion, so Peter was demonstrating his understanding of how important it is to forgive. But it’s hard to discern a person’s heart, especially from a short and simple story. Was Peter asking in order to justify himself and his own self-righteousness or was he being sincere in trying to understand God’s view on forgiveness? Regardless, Jesus responds in a way that Peter wasn’t expecting, saying that we should forgive 70 times 7, figuratively explaining that there is no limit to the number of times we need to forgive others. Jesus then goes on to tell a story that explains this concept, tying how we are forgiven with our ability to forgive.   As we know, Peter like all Jesus’ friends ab...

Occasionally I look back to see what some popular blog posts have been and thought I'd share.  Over the past 12 months, the top two are: What is Alpha?  - A great, non-judgemental class to better understand Christianity If I Were an Atheist  - Truthfully, I'd be pretty wicked Challenges of a Father  - Reflecting Jesus as Father And all-time most-read posts: What is a Soul? (and other related questions)  - By far, the most popular post Two Sides of the Coin  - Grace & Holiness End of the Age Handbook  - Remain close to Him despite the pressures of this world I sometimes wonder what these stats tell me about the spiritual hunger in the world. I believe many people have forgotten true Christianity and only have a pop-culture image of what it means to be "Christian". In all likelihood, they practicing secular humanists without really considering how our spirituality is the essence of who we are but longing for something more, wondering if it truly exis...