For centuries, mainstream Christianity has taught the doctrine of the Trinity as an unquestionable truth. It has been described as a mystery, something beyond human comprehension, and many have been taught that to deny it is to reject God Himself. But what if this doctrine is not only inaccurate but also functions as an Idol of the Mind—a humanly crafted concept that distorts God’s true nature? Idolatry is often associated with physical statues and images, but Scripture defines it much more … [Read more...] about Misrepresenting God Distances Us from Him
Paganism
Valentine’s Day
The observance of Valentine’s Day is recognized as sort of a joyous celebration of love and romance, an opportunity to make somebody that is special to you feel special. It’s sort of a very nice idea and it’s become, as many of the hallmark holidays, sort of a very widely accepted ubiquitous global tradition. Endorsed by Christianity, endorsed by commerce and certainly by schoolteachers, it’s one of those holidays that everyone seems to participate in and there is a lot of social pressure to be … [Read more...] about Valentine’s Day
Where is AI Leading Us?
Artificial Intelligence is advancing at an exponential pace. AI’s processing power and programming algorithms are advancing incredibly rapidly and largely out of the sight of the general population. The limitations of power intensive hardware are being solved faster than alternative power sources can be developed. And AI is exhausting the supply of internet text used by programmers to teach it and is now training itself. In some functions, it is already better than human beings, and soon it … [Read more...] about Where is AI Leading Us?
Christmas: Does It Matter?
In a popular 1965 Broadway musical set in tsarist Russia, the main character insisted that tradition provided balance in the villagers’ lives and that, without traditions, their lives would be “as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” Traditions are indeed comfortable and somehow reassuring. If we leave the security of the customs we have grown up with, we feel shaken and a bit unstable, as Tevye so eloquently said. Tradition plays a powerful role in the customs that various cultures embrace. … [Read more...] about Christmas: Does It Matter?
Christmas Trees: Authentic Worship?
I would like you to think through the question in the title of this message because I think it will lead us to a place of agreement. My first question is really, Are you authentic? Do you value authenticity in other people? Honesty, integrity, consistency? I think we’d all agree that we value those characteristics in others, and I think we probably generally think of ourselves as that sort of person. Truth matters even in popular culture such as the phrase “keep it real”. The idea … [Read more...] about Christmas Trees: Authentic Worship?
The Decline of the American Empire
Steve McCann takes us on a journey through American history by applying the causes that led to the decline and fall of ancient empires. He enumerates six stages that have precipitated the rise and the current decline of the American empire. If we don't learn from the past, it will likely repeat itself, this time in the American nation. Mr. McCann draws heavily from Sir John Glubb's essay on the Fate of Empires: "A cursory examination of history reveals that the United States is mired in … [Read more...] about The Decline of the American Empire
The Missing Dimension in Morality
We have a very real problem that pervades our world – and that problem is the missing dimension of morality. As one political commentator noted, “This is not a constitutional problem. It is a moral crisis.” The lack of morality is a disease of the mind, and one definition of madness is “extremely foolish behavior.” Why do so many of society’s influential people do things that leave us shaking our heads in bewilderment and asking the question, “What were they thinking?” What characterizes … [Read more...] about The Missing Dimension in Morality