God

Temptation - Did the Pope really change the Lord's Prayer?

Temptation – Did the Pope really change the Lord’s Prayer?

Did the Pope really change the Lord’s Prayer?  He did.  Sort of.  Pope Francis did change the translation of the Lord’s Prayer.  But the original Greek remains.  Christians believe, should believe, the Bible is the inspired word of God.  The translations are not the inspired word of God.  We hope they translators do a proper job.  But a look at various translation and especially at various commentaries on the Bible tells us they often don’t agree.  Even on key points like “lead us not into temptation”, they don’t agree. 

Temptation – Did the Pope really change the Lord’s Prayer? More

Who is God?

Messed Up American Theology: Who Is God?

Who Is God?  Since a majority of Americans don’t believe even some of the basic teachings of the Bible, there’s no choice but to believe American theology is messed up.  And I mean really basic stuff.  Like critical things about Jesus.  Not surprisingly, they don’t really know about the Holy Spirit either.  And while I say not surprisingly, it’s very sad.  If the theology is messed up, so are we.

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Our Thoughts and Prayers Go Out ...

Our Thoughts and Prayers Go Out …

When we say, “our thoughts and prayers go out to you”, who are we sending them out to?  Do we actually believe someone’s listening to them?  Assuming the answer’s yes, do we also believe that someone can / will do something about them?  The answers to those simple questions matter.  If we can’t honestly answer “yes” to both of them, then it’s just words.  Presumably good intentions, but with no expectation of any results.  Essentially, without belief in some sort of response to our thoughts and payers, it’s wasted breath on our part.  And a meaningless gesture to the recipients.

Our Thoughts and Prayers Go Out … More

Blessed are the meek - lamb

Blessed are the meek

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  Yeah.  That sounds about right.  The meek.  The weak people.  The ones who never stand up for themselves.  They just take whatever comes their way.  Truth is, they’re probably the only kind of people who would even accept this old broken down world as part of their inheritance.  Everyone else is smart enough to turn it down.  Of course, there’s always the question of whether we’ll just literally blow the whole thing up in one huge nuclear war.  Then the only inheritance is going to be a whole lot of cosmic dust.  For the meek.  Yeah – that sounds right.  Blessed are the meek – Not!

Except that it really doesn’t sound right.  On the off chance you don’t recognize the opening line, here it is again, with some “context” provided by text formatting.

Mt 5:5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

So it’s from Jesus.  The creator of this whole universe we live in.  Including this old broken down world.  And the creator of me and you.  Given that, something’s got to be wrong with that whole first paragraph.  The thing is though, I dare say, the majority of the world believes the first paragraph is true.  Unfortunately, if we’re honest, a look at the world around us shows that a number of people calling themselves Christians hold that same view.  Clearly, the truth of this simple beatitude is lost on much of the world. 

Blessed are the meek – it must be true.  Somehow.

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Which is more important - Christmas or Easter?

Which is more important – Christmas or Easter?

Which is more important – Christmas or Easter?  Since so many people only go to church on Christmas and Easter, I’m guessing it’s a tough choice.  So they cover the bases, so to speak, and go to church for both.  But what if I told you that choosing between the two of them is kind of like forgetting that there are four bases in baseball?  That covering the bases thing is leaving out two really important days?

Which is more important – Christmas or Easter? More

The problem of talking about problems

The problem of talking about problems.  Most people don’t like it when other people talk about their problems.  On the flip side, lots of people don’t like to talk about their problems either.  So should we talk about our problems?  Or should we stay silent?  Maybe something in between?  And if it’s the in-between approach – how do we decide when to talk and when to stay silent?

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Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God?

Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God?

Are we supposed to believe God – believe in God – or follow God?  Are those three sets of words all different?  Or do they all mean the same thing?  Well, it depends.  When were you born?  What culture do you live in / come from?  Most important, are you willing to learn what they meant when they were said?  In some cases, that’s almost two thousand years ago.  In others, several thousand years ago.  We need to look at what they meant when they were said, in order to understand what they mean today.

Are we supposed to Believe God, Believe in God or Follow God? More

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