This is the ninth in a series of articles on biblical terms that describe the afterlife and the unseen world. In the previous column we saw how Scripture describes heaven as the intermediate state between death and resurrection for followers of Jesus as they await future resurrection and glorification. Now, we look in more detail at heaven as well as the new heavens and new earth. What about heaven? The New Testament reveals many truths about this intermediate state for followers of … [Read more...]
Atheist, Baptist to debate God’s existence, Nov. 8
Does human suffering make belief in God unreasonable? That’s the topic of an upcoming debate sponsored by the Clay-Platte Baptist Association and hosted at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City. James Morgan, a former pastor in St. Joseph, who says he lost his faith and is now an atheist, takes the position that human suffering does indeed make belief in God unreasonable. Morgan is a member of the Clergy Project, which was established in 2011 “to provide a safe haven … [Read more...]
Is heaven our final home?
This is the eighth in a series of articles on biblical terms that describe the afterlife and the unseen world. Is heaven the final destination of all who rest in Jesus? Or do we spend eternity someplace else? In 2 Corinthians 5, the apostle Paul describes two different and mutually exclusive states of existence for the Christian. While we are on earth, “at home in the body,” we are “away from the Lord.” And when we are “out of the body” we are “at home with the Lord” (5:6, 8). The New … [Read more...]
Engaging the culture without losing Christ
We live in a time when fewer and fewer Americans are self-identifying as Christians, and more and more Americans are explicitly rejecting Christian values. Christian understandings of sexuality, marriage, the sanctity of life, gender, and religious liberty are increasingly seen as outdated, if not dangerous. Younger people especially are rejecting religion in general and Christianity in particular as lifestyles of intolerance and even oppression. The idea of America as a Christian nation, … [Read more...]
Heaven can’t wait
This is the seventh in a series of articles on biblical terms that describe the afterlife and the unseen world. In the last column we defined the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory and argued that this long-held teaching finds no support in Scripture. Perhaps the strongest argument against the doctrine of purgatory is that it undermines the sufficiency of Christ. Just before His death on the cross, Jesus declares triumphantly, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Among other things, this … [Read more...]
FBC Buffalo to host apologetics confab
BUFFALO, Mo. – Ted Cabal, general editor of The Apologetics Study Bible, is the keynote speaker at the “Shield of Faith” Apologetics Conference Oct. 7-9 at First Baptist Church of Buffalo. Cabal, professor of applied apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has collaborated with such renowned apologists as Norman Geisler, Ravi Zacharias, and Lee Strobel. He has engaged in numerous campus talks and debates with atheist philosophy professors, and currently he is completing a … [Read more...]
Observatory earth
A stunning astronomical event next year will shed light on our world’s intelligent design. How? By leaving us in darkness. In Mark Twain’s classic story, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” a denizen of nineteenth-century New England named Hank Morgan mysteriously finds himself thrown back into sixth-century England. The resourceful Hartford man, taken for a magician and sentenced to burn at the stake, recalls reading about a total solar eclipse that took place on that date in … [Read more...]
Does the Bible teach Purgatory?
This is the sixth in a series of articles on biblical terms that describe the afterlife and the unseen world. Do some Christians undergo purification from the stain of sin between death and entrance into heaven? Many who answer yes to that question embrace the doctrine of purgatory, which became official Roman Catholic dogma in A.D. 1438. Simply stated, purgatory is a place or state of suffering where the dead bound for heaven achieve the holiness necessary to enter into the presence of … [Read more...]
HLGU’s Anthony Allen: Merging Higher Education with a Biblical Worldview
HANNIBAL – In this radio interview with Harold Hendrick, Anthony Allen, president of Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) here, shares his passion for making HLGU a place of both higher learning and a Biblical worldview. “HLGU blends faith with education in every discipline,” says Allen. “We help students discover, develop and demonstrate God’s purpose in their living.” Listen to more of Harold Hendrick's great interviews at haroldhendrick.com. … [Read more...]
A look into Tartarus
This is the fifth in a series of articles on biblical terms that describe the afterlife and the unseen world. If Sheol or Hades is the temporary abode of deceased people, is there a transitory place of punishment for some demons? It seems the answer is yes, in a place the New Testament refers to as Tartarus. Tartarus is mentioned only once, in 2 Peter 2:4. Many translations render it “hell,” including the King James Version and the New American Standard Bible, while others, like the … [Read more...]
Americans prefer discussing politics rather than God
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Politics trumps God for most Americans when it comes to conversations with their friends. Six in 10 Americans are more comfortable talking about politics than their spiritual beliefs. And most say they aren’t interested in having more spiritual conversations. By contrast, evangelical Christians prefer talking about God over politics by a 2-to-1 margin. Those are among the findings of an online survey of 1,004 Americans about their views on spirituality and politics … [Read more...]
Luke nails it
Acts 19 starts with Paul leaving Apollos in charge of the church in Corinth while he continues his missionary journey. It ends with Paul’s encounter with an angry mob. And, as a recent article in Biblical Archaeological Review tells us, it’s a very reliable depiction of life in the Roman world. Upon his arrival in Ephesus, Paul meets some believers whose instruction was incomplete. He teaches them about the Holy Spirit and baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus. But then things get … [Read more...]
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