“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and nothing more.  I will warn you who to fear. Fear him who, after you are killed, has authority to cast you into hell.  Yes, fear him!” (Luke 12:4, 5).The concept of hell is not believed by many in our culture in modern times.  Sometimes because they question if there is a God at all, other times because they just can’t fathom a God w...  Read More

Type your new text here. “I have a problem with the doctrine of hell.  The only god that makes sense to me would be a god of love.  Because of hell it appears the Bible’s god must be a god appeased by pain and suffering” said an art gallery worker being interviewed.   So, we ask, “How can God send people to this place called hell?Eighty percent of Americans agree with the statement, “an individual...  Read More

“The church has been involved with too much persecution of Christians, for goodness’ sake.  They turn on their own and attack fellow believers who differ on minor points of doctrine” said a college student.On the surface, the above criticism is simply true.  Once the reformers of the 14th and 15th centuries came on the scene, and Protestant churches were formed, the fight between them and Roman Ca...  Read More

“I can’t believe in a god that allows people to suffer.  Either this god is all-powerful but not a good god, or else a good god but not all-powerful.  If God can rescue us from suffering, why doesn’t he?” said one college student when asked about belief in God.This is a major stumbling block for many people in the world.  Disease strikes a family member, a tornado hits a community indiscriminately...  Read More

You’ll recall that one of Jesus’s 12 apostles was known as “Doubting Thomas”.  We all have our doubts about things, and although Christians don’t want to admit it sometimes, there can be things about the Bible and the biblical message we struggle with, maybe doubt. The thing we can learn from Thomas’s story is that if we are honest about our doubts, yet continue to submit to the Lord in faith, God...  Read More

When people talk about the rapture, the general concept is that either before or during a time of severe persecution before Jesus returns, Christians will be taken from this world (raptured) and the non-Christians will be “left behind” to deal with the evil in the world.One problem with this whole teaching is that it can’t be found in church history until about 190 years ago, according to Revelati...  Read More

The Restoration Movement that Southern Heights Christian Church Fits WithinHow do you summarize in two pages the “independent” Christian churches of the Restoration Movement?  That’s my goal here.  This movement formed in the early 1800’s as a variety of men studied the scriptures and determined many church organizations were out of line with what Jesus and his apostles taught.  These churches ten...  Read More

“We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).We live in an age of skepticism and doubt, and an age when those of faith in Jesus often pursue a superficial path that is founded more on subjective conjecture than historical evidence.  But...  Read More

How well do you know your Bible?  Can you explain how the Old Testament is different than the New Testament, and how they are the same?  Are you familiar with the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their stories?  Can you give a brief explanation of the story of Moses and the Israelites journeying to the Promised Land?  How was the time of Judges in Israel unique from the time of Kings?  Wh...  Read More

G.K. Chesterton, the British Christian author and apologist of the late 19th and early 20th century, once said, “A dead thing can float with the stream, but only a living thing can swim against it.”  The Chosen series about Jesus starts each episode with a fish changing direction and swimming against the stream. As we close out the book of Hebrews with the 13th chapter, our desire should be to rea...  Read More

We learned in Hebrews 11 that we have the example of many who lived by faith, who endured hardship for the promise of God they would not experience in their earthly lifetime. Hebrews 12 continues with words about the “great cloud of witnesses” who cheer us on in our faith (those mentioned in chapter 11) but representative of all who have gone before and endured for the faith.  It tells us to run t...  Read More

Who were your heroes growing up?  Mine tended to be sports related.  I was a St Louis Cardinal fan, so naturally I liked Stan Musial, but my favorite back in the 60’s was Curt Flood, their small centerfielder.  My love of reading is largely due to sports biographies I read. Musically, I became an Elvis Presley fan while in Jr High, after watching one of his movies; not sure that provided the best ...  Read More