February 2021. I wandered through four bookstores to see how religious books were displayed, how Christian books showed up in those. In one store I didn’t even have to get to the Religion/New Age/Metaphysical sections. A display in the entryway was all about palmistry, numerology, reiki. And those books were paired with books about meditation, calmness, and that spiritual favorite:…
Spoiler: The key to discernment is to know the Bible. I read a letter from a former Hindu (early 2021), who is distressed about Christians who have a low view of Scripture and who are adopting teachings/practices from pagan religions. And I noticed these two books: Barbara Brown Taylor’s Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others and Learning…
Problem There was quite a kerfuffle awhile back. Pastor Andy Stanley said that when people have trouble accepting God/Christianity, “the Old Testament is usually the culprit.” His proposed solution was that we should “unhitch” from the Old Testament. I cringe every time I hear that. I can’t imagine myself looking the Lord in the face and saying, “Hey, perfect, all-knowing…
Do you know what an angel is? Are you sure? I watched a TV documentary (and also read further) about a certain cult group. One report said that the leader claimed to have died and come back, and so he wanted his followers to know that could be their reality. To that end, he “prophesied” the deaths of a couple…
When I see the Beatles song title “I Should Have Known Better,” I can’t help thinking that if Samson had written a song about his relationship with Delilah, that would be a good title. Another Beatles song title conveys how the demon-possessed man from Gadara must have felt after his encounter with Jesus: “Glad All Over.” If you’d like to…