In case you haven't heard that word before, "Apologetics" is essentially a defense or explanation for your belief in God and/or his ways. If someone says, "God is dumb," and you say, "Nuh-uh," that's your apologetic. Not a good one, but still... Christians have been defending themselves for thousands of years now, as is instructed … Continue reading 5 Ways Christians Can Improve Their Apologetics
It's not enough to say there's a problem, as I and many others have. If anything's going to change, we have to offer advice and help, too. So today I'd like to offer an alternative to the one of the greatest dilemmas of Christian books and films: preachiness. Christians want to teach morals and lessons. … Continue reading How Christian Writers Can Teach Without Preaching
90% of everything is crap. That’s just nature; there is more attempt than skill, and even skill must be cultivated. So why do I complain that 90% of Christian art is crap? Because unlike the rest of the world, mainstream Christianity defends its crap. While this trend is thankfully changing, there are still a staggering … Continue reading Why Defending Bad Christian Art Shows Bad Theology
You know the story even if you haven’t read it. You probably said “Bah, Humbug” before you heard Scrooge grumble it. You know Scrooge as an adjective even if you don’t know the noun. It’s been adapted countless times, from stageplays to Hollywood, from historic accuracy to modern satire, from Muppets to mo-cap. A Christmas … Continue reading Why “A Christmas Carol” Still Works 175 Years Later.
Christians don’t like being old they HAVE to do something. Doesn’t that violate the whole “saved by grace, not by works,” thing? But while salvation isn’t earned by works, salvation, once gained, leads inevitably to works. They are the result, not the cause. This is why Jesus gave commandments even though he was coming to … Continue reading 4 Things All Christians NEED To Do
I’ve gotten a bit of attention for calling myself an R-Rated Christian. Usually, those two phrases go together like peanut butter and barbecue sauce. I’m happy to announce that most of the reactions I’ve gotten have been good. I’ve been able to find other Christians who are proud to don their over-eighteen moniker, and if … Continue reading R-Rated Christianity
I hadn't had butterflies like this since I first went up in the Superman Tower of Power at Six Flags St. Louis (I screamed, but I screamed like a manly man, darn it!). Richard Dawkins is one of the best-known, most-vocal, and most-influential atheists of our time. And from what I'd heard, The God Delusion … Continue reading Why “The God Delusion” Poses Little Threat to Christianity
