An earnest interlocutor responded to me, “God wouldn’t hold it against me if I don’t believe in him, would he? If he hasn’t made faith clear enough, isn’t that his responsibility?”
Is unbelief a sin? Surely not!
Culturally, we don’t take unbelief very seriously. We tend to think of unbelief as a neutral characteristic, if not even something that might show a particular strength of character. We might consider someone who doesn’t believe as being sharp minded, thoughtful, or not gullible.
Many Christians even diminish the nature of unbelief. I recently read a book by a popular pastor who claimed that Jesus didn’t call his followers to believe,
What comes to mind when you think of a Pharisee? A self-righteous finger-wagger? An arrogant rule follower?
Jesus was a Pharisee.
There were two major Jewish groups during Jesus’ time: the Pharisees and the Sadducees (a smaller number of Jews were part of the Essenes, a separatist group). The Pharisees and Sadducees both emerged after the Hasmonean dynasty (The Jewish rulers who gained independence after the Maccabean revolt (167-160 BC) were known as the Hasmoneans).
The Sadducees controlled the Temple and had political favor with the Romans. They accepted only the Torah (the first five books of the Bible) and rejected oral tradition.
Parents, we’re doing too much again: Melissa Edgington says, “We’re too often in constant contact with our children. They don’t have any opportunities to learn critical thinking skills because they text us every question in their brains to get quick advice about what to say, which door to walk through, which paper to fill out, and on and on forever.”
Don’t do everything for your kids: O. Alan Noble agrees, “Parenting and guilt seem to go hand-in-hand. Why is that? Society constantly pressures us to Do More and Be More and Get It Right. We are told to practice the latest techniques in parenting to ensure the health and prosperity of our children.”
This week, while many celebrate Halloween, Protestants reflect on a much more significant holiday: the start of the Reformation. In commemorating the Reformation, we don’t merely look back at an event that took place 500 years ago, but consider the spirit of reformation that we pray remains in us as followers of Jesus Christ. Ecclesia semper reformanda est: “The church must always be reformed.” It is the unofficial motto of the Protestant church.
On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his document, the 95 Theses, to the door of All Saints Church in Wittenberg. For that reason, October 31st is still celebrated as Reformation Day by Protestants.
“What’s the thread between your addiction and your longings for your future?”
“Escape,” he responded.
Given his story, escape made perfect sense. How else could he cope with the overwhelming weight of life? When pain comes—as it inevitably does—we are tempted to seek escape. We often avoid hard conversations in hopes of escaping conflicts and let downs. In an attempt to numb the hurt, it’s easy to scroll, eat a bowl of ice cream, buy something on Amazon, or watch porn.
The global market for pain management drugs is substantial and rising. In 2023, the market was valued at $80.1 billion or $84.07 billion.
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