Category: Common Questions
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Infant baptism (paedobaptism) is theologically rooted in the Abrahamic covenant, where circumcision marked infants as members of God’s people. This perspective views Christian baptism as the new covenant sign, aligning historically with Jewish immersion rites that focused on community initiation rather than just personal repentance. Therefore, infant baptism is understood as an act of welcoming…
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Soteriology Culture: Have We Made the Gospel Too Small?
Soteriology Culture: Have We Made the Gospel Too Small? Modern Christianity has created a “soteriology culture,” reducing the Gospel to a transaction for eternal life while neglecting the actual call to discipleship. This post argues that true salvation is not a “bait and switch” but an invitation to apprenticeship (talmid)—where grace opposes earning, but never…
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Genesis 1: Find Your Value Beyond What You Do
Genesis 1 offers a profound narrative challenge to both ancient and modern worldviews. Unlike other creation myths, God creates man in his own image in order to partner with them in the stewardship of the earth. The climax of the creation story is actually the 7th day in which we find that our value is not…
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Understanding Genesis 1: A Theologically Revolutionary Text
We must read Genesis 1 from the perspective of its original ancient audience, rather than a modern scientific one. This post highlights that the creation account is a theological statement contrasting Israel’s God with other ancient Near Eastern deities. God creates the cosmos as a cosmic temple, his creation by speaking, and his subordination of…
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Beyond the 7-Day Debate: What Genesis 1 Really Says
Tired of the endless debates over Genesis 1? This article argues we are asking the wrong questions. Instead of viewing it as a modern science textbook, discover how placing Genesis 1 in its original ancient context transforms it from a source of conflict into a powerful theological declaration about who God is. It’s not about how God…
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God and Grief: How Timeless Love Meets Tragic Loss
How do you reconcile belief in a good God with that of deep suffering? This is my journey of theological formation through the journey of losing six children. Through suffering and pain, we can find the doorway to deeper communion with Christ as He suffers with us. Suffering finds meaning in the cross of Christ…
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The Messiah Born in a Family Scandal
Jesus birth is one of great scandal. Most translations make it sound like they were rejected from a hotel or motel but this is an unlikely reading. In reality, Joseph’s own family rejected him from their guest room and they then stayed in the barn. Walk by different places during the Christmas season and one…
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Hell, Free Will, and a Loving God
How can a loving God send people to hell?Why would a loving God send someone to hell? This question is often asked as there is something in mankind that makes this feel wrong and unjustified. It is difficult to reconcile a loving God with some people going to hell. To sum up a prior article written,…
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How Can a Loving God Send People to Hell?
This post tackles one of the most emotionally difficult theological questions: How can a loving God send anyone to hell?It argues that God is not only love, but also just. Justice demands consequences for wrongdoing, especially when sin is against an infinitely holy God. Using the “slap analogy,” the post illustrates how the seriousness of an offense increases based…
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Is God Really Good? Making Sense of Suffering and Divine Compassion
How does one reconcile a good God with such great evil and sorrow in the world? This is a question that many wrestle with over the course of their life, including this author. How does one explain that four different children have been lost over the last few years by this author alone? Suffering is…