In a culture of exposure, I grew up hearing one message repeated over and over to young men: “Stop viewing women as sexual objects.” It was a needed message. Men needed to be told to see women as human beings—daughters, sisters, mothers, made in the image of God. But lately, I’ve found myself wondering when will we also tell women to stop viewing themselves as sexual objects? We now live in a time where it’s not uncommon to see women showcasing themselves online in ways that leave little to … [Read more...] about Women: Rethinking Self-Image
Character
The Son Makes Us Free
The publication called The Hedgehog Review is an intellectual publication written by intellectuals for intellectuals. One article that particularly stood out began with this sentence: “How do we foster the conditions conducive to a truly enduring moral and ethical order?" There are highly intellectual people writing, trying to find this moral and ethical order for themselves. There are a couple of comments in the book section, one mentioning a graduate student in the Germanic Studies … [Read more...] about The Son Makes Us Free
Avoiding Simple-Mindedness
I want to begin with a clearer understanding of simple-mindedness with a quote from Signs of Being Simple-Minded: "Understanding what it means to be simple-minded involves recognizing certain characteristics and their implications for how individuals perceive, process information, and interact with the world. While the term “simple-minded” can carry different connotations depending on context, it generally refers to a style of thinking characterized by a lack of complexity, or depth in one’s … [Read more...] about Avoiding Simple-Mindedness
A Biblical View of Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we look forward to being old is when we are kids? George Carlin, a famous comedian, made that observation in one of his monologues. Here is a short version of it: Views on Aging by George Carlin "Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions. “How old are you? I'm four and a half!” You're never … [Read more...] about A Biblical View of Aging
Laodicea – A Warning
After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, the Greek Empire stretching 3,000 miles from Macedonia to the Punjab, was divided into 4 unstable powers under 4 warring, ambitious marshals. Asia Minor and Macedonia were under Lysimachus, Egypt and southern Syria under Ptolemy, and Greece under Cassander, and Asia and northern Syria under Seleucus. Hence, in Daniel 11, the description of Ptolemy as the king of the South and Seleucus as the king of the North. Seleucus established a dynasty of … [Read more...] about Laodicea – A Warning
Gratitude, A Life Altering Virtue
The command to praise God and Jesus Christ can bring into question the what, why and how to. Those called out of the world as God’s people are to proclaim the praises of God the Father, and by extension Jesus Christ: “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9). The Greek word for “praises” in 1 Peter 2:9 means virtues, or … [Read more...] about Gratitude, A Life Altering Virtue
The Closeness of God
If we are honest with ourselves, we don’t always have the feeling that God is relevant to our everyday lives. I don’t mean in the overall sense of knowing God’s plan and purpose. I am thinking of something more up close and personal. The longer time goes on, with the subsequent increase of corruption in our societies, the more difficult it is to feel the personal closeness of God -- that He is there for us on a real and personal basis. We may have understanding in our head, but the daily … [Read more...] about The Closeness of God