His holiness is so pure that he cannot forgive without punishing.1 Stan Mast, Calvinist Preacher Some Christian denominations, such as Calvinists and Evangelicals, rigidly adhere to Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA), asserting that God’s holiness demands a rigid punishment for sin. And when I say rigid, I mean melting your skin …
Becoming “one flesh” is the ideal of any marriage, a model established with the first couple in Genesis 2:24. However, it faltered after the fall when Adam blamed Eve for his eating of the forbidden fruit.1 This breach of trust in their union marked a turning point. Since then, ‘one …
“Is this the end?” Was the text I received from a dear American evangelical friend. The evangelical fascination with end-times prophecy is not new, but in recent years, it has been widely popularized. I often receive referrals and questions from frightened Christians worldwide about different publications by figures such as …
“The elder son, in many ways, represents the legalistic approach to religion — the belief that salvation is to be earned and kept by good deeds, loyalty, and unwavering dedication. His resentment stems from the perception that he’s been righteous and done everything by the book, yet the return home …
“The threat of death that overshadowed the Prodigal Son wasn’t because of something the father would do to him if he didn’t repent. There was no torture chamber the father kept hidden in some faraway basement where he planned to burn him alive. The son’s real hell was simply being …
The Lord’s Supper, also known as the communion ceremony, is a solemn ritual that echoes throughout Christian communities and has, over time, become an almost weighty and alien practice, far removed from what’s described in the Jewish writings of the New Testament. I can’t speak for its observance elsewhere, but …
In the Hebrew language, the Hebrew concepts of faith, “belief,” “trust,” and “faith” are not separated as they often are in English theological discourse. They are unified through a single linguistic root: A-M-N. From this root come the words: EMUNAH: Faith EMUN: Trust AMEN: A declaration of trust, belief, or …
Have you ever ascended to the summit of the Eiffel Tower or stood at the prow of a boat amidst the vast ocean? Maybe you’ve perched on the edge of a mountain cliff or lain under a star-studded sky in the desert. If you have, you might remember the deep …
What do you imagine when you hear the word “worship” or “worship night”? For many modern Christians, it conjures up images of dimly lit auditoriums pulsing with music, arms raised in emotive surrender, and a worship leader guiding a congregation through swelling choruses. It feels spiritual. It sounds beautiful. But …
To the modern reader, the serpent of Genesis 3 seems fantastical—mythic, even absurd. A snake that speaks? Really? For centuries, skeptics have dismissed the Garden of Eden story on this very ground. Museums and children’s Bibles show Eve chatting with a coiled reptile, perched innocently in a fruit tree, whispering …
