Snapshots and Synapses

  The question “What happened to biblical orthodoxy?” is a complex question. It implies “something happened”, and to be honest, most people reading this now are probably struggling with other questions, such as “What is biblical orthodoxy” and possibly “why should I care?”. So, let’s start there. What is Biblical Orthodoxy, and Why Should I Care? BibleHub provides a very nice description of orthodoxy below: In a general sense, “Orthodoxy” refers to right or correct belief, drawn from the Greek words orthos (“straight” or “correct”) and doxa (“belief” or “glory”). Within Christian context, it denotes the set of doctrines historically affirmed by the Church and tested by Scripture (cf.  2 Timothy 3:16 : “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness…”). Throughout history, “Orthodoxy” has been shaped by essential creeds-such as the Nicene Creed (A.D. 325) - which define foundational Christian tenet...

When I met my wife, I was recently separated from the Navy and she was an intern for a congressman. Within a year, I proposed, and 6 months later, we were married. There was so much that we didn’t know, that we were trying to figure out. We had both recommitted our lives to Jesus shortly before meeting, and although I had a bachelor’s degree and experience as a naval officer, finances were tight. I was trying to figure out a vocational path and praying for God’s leading. He led me, but didn’t give me the answer I wanted to hear. I clearly heard Him tell me that it didn’t matter what I did vocationally so long as I took Him with me. I asked my spiritual mentors at the time if that sounded right, and they all affirmed it. On one hand it was freeing and on the other hand it was frustrating. I wanted a clear answer, and instead I was given freedom and along with it: responsibility. At that time, Dr. James Dobson, a christian psychologist, had a radio ministry called Focus on the Family, an...

I believe we have largely forgotten what authentic manhood looks like. I’m not referring to the physical or biological attributes of being a man. Those are obvious regardless of how someone wants to “identify”, and I’m not planning to waste words on that topic. I’m referring to masculine behavioral attributes. The truth is that behavior can be positive or negative, and some behaviors are simply toxic. But I’m also not going down the rabbit hole of toxic masculinity in this short blog other than this: toxic behavior has no gender even if we have the tendency to associate a behavioral trait as belonging to a specific gender. So there is no “toxic masculinity” or “toxic femininity”; there is simply toxic behavior. These toxic behaviors are like counterfeit money; regardless of the gender associated with a certain behavior, the action itself is a poor imitation of the behavior that godly men and women should exhibit. So continuing with the analogy of counterfeit money, we should study the ...

War is sometimes necessary but never desirable.  What we see in Iran is a failure to reconcile. No matter who started this conflict or what narrative you listen to, when the conflict becomes physically violent and when one or more parties in the conflict continues to be committed to the utter destruction of its opponent, the only way to peace is victory, removing your opponent’s ability to harm you.  The government in Iran is committed to the destruction of both Israel and the United States. It has oppressed the people of Iran. It has funded global terrorism and continues to seek nuclear weapons capability. What would it do with that ability? It’s not hard to imagine. So I am praying for a quick, effective and complete resolution to this conflict, for protection of innocents inside and outside of Iran, and protection for the military members of the multinational forces assembled against the Iranian government.  This is not just a war that affects Israel. It is stopping a ...