This is the second in a series of articles contrasting Allah and Yahweh: Muslims and Christians agree that God is one but understand oneness differently. The Islamic doctrine of tawhid, or absolute oneness, is more than strict monotheism. Tawhid celebrates Allah as singular, indivisible, and monolithic. Muslims insist that Allah has no “partners.” To say that Jesus is the Son of God, or that God exists as a Trinity, is to commit the unpardonable sin of shirk. But the Qur’an does not … [Read more...]
Tawhid and the Trinity
This is the first in a series of articles contrasting Allah and Yahweh. Muslims and Christians agree there is one God but disagree as to His name, nature, and attributes. The god of Islam is Allah, meaning “the god” in Arabic. In the days of Islam’s founder, Muhammad, this meant that of all the tribal gods worshiped on the Arabian Peninsula, Allah was the only true deity. Key to the Islamic concept of God is the doctrine of tawhid, or absolute oneness. It’s more than strict monotheism. … [Read more...]
The downward spiral of depravity
Romans 1 is a graphic depiction of human depravity, which is not a steep vertical fall, but a descending spiral of ungodliness that begins with rejection of God’s revelation and ends with a fateful last step into outer darkness. It’s a story we should tell more often because it cuts to the chase. Paul doesn’t promise happiness, wealth, or comfort to the sinner who receives Jesus as Savior. Rather, he warns those who persist in rebellion against God of the peril they face when the divine … [Read more...]
Homosexuality: Answering objections to Scripture
Christians often find it difficult to have meaningful conversations with people struggling with same-sex attraction. To a great extent, that’s our own fault for delivering biblical truth with a sledge hammer rather than with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16). Even so, it’s hard to carry on a civil discourse when you’re accused of being a homophobe engaging in hate speech. What’s more, some LGBT supporters express such hostility toward Christians that they won’t listen to a biblical … [Read more...]
Why is hell forever?
The doctrine of hell is disturbing. The very idea of suffering and separation beyond the grave elicits a wide range of responses, from anguish to anger. The possibility of departed loved ones languishing in outer darkness only adds to the grief of those laying flowers on their graves. Some atheists cite hell as a reason to deny the existence of a loving God. What’s more, Anglican cleric John Stott, who wrote the influential book Basic Christianity, found the idea of eternal suffering in … [Read more...]
Jesus as the firstborn
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a disturbing take on the apostle Paul’s description of Jesus as the “firstborn over all creation.” Consider how the Watch Tower renders Col. 1:15-17 in its New World Translation: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; because by means of him all other things were created in the heavens and on earth, the things visible and the things invisible, whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All other things have … [Read more...]
Does the Bible support self-defense?
The mass shooting earlier this month at Sutherland Springs Baptist Church in Texas left 26 people dead, made a hero of a civilian who confronted and shot the murderer, and raised lots of security-related questions for Christians: Should I buy a gun? Does my church have a security plan? Is it ok to defend myself, or my church family, when threatened? How do I reconcile Jesus’ instructions to buy swords with His rebuke of Peter for using one? What would Jesus have done in … [Read more...]
Is God an ethnic cleanser?
In The God Delusion, atheist Richard Dawkins vents: “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” It seems odd that Dawkins, who has made a career out of pillorying a God he says does … [Read more...]
Is Islam hostile to Christianity?
November 5 is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. North Korea continues its run as the nation most brutal toward its Christian citizens, but the vast majority of the top 50 persecutors are Muslim-dominated nations, according to the 2017 World Watch List. Which begs the question: Is Islam hostile to Christianity? Many Muslims worldwide condemn the violence done in the name of Allah, especially to Jews and Christians. They desire peaceful coexistence with their … [Read more...]
Apologetics: How to make a universe
This is the second in a two-part series on Stephen Hawking’s contention that science has resolved the need for God. In the previous column, we examined the logical fallacies theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking employs in the Discovery Channel series, “Stephen Hawking’s Grand Design.” Now, let’s turn our attention to how a universe is made. While Scripture tells us that God spoke the world into existence (Gen. 1:3-26; Ps. 33:9; Heb. 11:13), Hawking contends that nothing more than matter, … [Read more...]
Apologetics: Why is the world broken?
Nearly everyone admits the world is broken, at least to some extent. There’s a disconnect between “what is” and “what ought to be.” People pursue happiness, only to die sad and alone. Our stuff wears out, loses its luster, or gets stolen. Buses run late, baristas can’t make a decent latte, and the wrong team wins the Super Bowl. Worse, evil runs rampant. ISIS bombs innocent concert-goers. Governments starve their people, even in resource-rich countries. Twitter wars trash … [Read more...]
Stephen Hawking’s grand design
This is the first in a two-part series on Stephen Hawking’s contention that science has resolved the need for God. Every so often, a renowned scientist captivates a global audience through a combination of brilliance, charisma, and an uncanny ability to communicate complex ideas in simple terms. Carl Sagan comes immediately to mind. So does Neil deGrasse Tyson. And, of course, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, whose dazzling intellect and sense of humor, despite severe physical … [Read more...]
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