There is a great deal being said in recent days about Jesus being divisive. What is a stunning turn of events is that it is not being declared by people outside the Christian faith who you would expect to have a negative view of Jesus. Instead, it is being proclaimed by people within the church …
Tag: Christianity
Loving Your Enemies
Several years ago, I wrote a book titled The Provocative God: Radical Things God Has Said and Done. The focus of the book was to address radical passages in the Bible that we have either become so familiar with that we fail to recognize their radical nature, or that, due to their radical nature, we …
Whatever Happened to Hope?
Do we live in troubled times? Of course we do. I don't need to give you a litany of the terrible things happening in our world. You see it 24/7 on your news feed, social media, and from the people around you who are sharing and passing along more of the same. It is a …
Can We Really Love Our Enemies in Times Like These?
I am reminded of a line from a song by Larry Norman, "The Beatles said all you need is love, and then they broke up". If four lads from Liverpool who were making serious bank together couldn't get along, how are we supposed to actually love one another in a time of such division and …
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What Ever Happened to Civil Debate?
One of the more formative experiences in my childhood came in the 6th grade. We had a teacher who encouraged open debate and critical thinking. Several times during the school year a subject would arise in which there were multiple, strongly held, varying positions among the students. Our teacher would use those times to set …
Did Jesus Claim to Be God
A brief video exploring the self identity of Jesus and His claim to be God.
We All Need Forgiveness: An excerpt from my upcoming book, The Provocative Christian: How Gospel Focused Living Changes Everything.
On June 6, 1944, allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France. One of the hardest hit units was the 116 infantry regiment of the American 29th Infantry Division. They landed on Omaha Beach in the first wave of landing craft. David Silva was a 19-year-old infantryman in the 29th Division. When the ramp dropped …
How Can I Believe in a Dead Man Rising?
If it is true that Jesus actually rose from the grave then it is the most significant event in recorded history and it changes everything. If it is not true, then it is the greatest hoax perpetrated in all of recorded history. Can we be sure either way? In this Easter message, I take a …
I Have Good News, Bad News, and Good News.
We have all heard it before, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want first? Most often I think people say, give me the bad news first, to get it over with and hopefully end on a high note with the good news. The Gospel, the basic message preached by Jesus is …
Paul, Athens, and Navigating Culture
Ancient Athens Have you ever felt like you live in a culture that you don't recognize any longer? The values you are faced with every day are nothing like what you grew up with. The practices that people carry out in their lives each day are at times shocking to you. How do you respond …
Wanting Christianity Without Christ
When we live in our own cultural setting, with little real exposure to other cultures, it is easy to miss how we got to where we are. When we live in our own microcosm of time and ignore the centuries it took to get to this moment, it is inevitable that we will have blinders …
The Sanity of Belief: Why Faith Makes Sense
By Simon Edwards Lately, I have been spending a vast amount of time on the subject of apologetics. If you don't know what apologetics is, don't feel bad. It's one of those almost insider words that theology nerds throw around. However, it is a terribly important subject. It comes from the Greek word, Apologia, which …
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The Flip Side of Justice
Want to make people uncomfortable? Just bring up the topic of justice in American culture today. There will be immediate reactions of every conceivable type. Some will cry out about the level of injustice with claims that America has never been concerned about justice and that the entire enterprise is rotten to the core. Others …
Talking to 80 Muslim Students about Jesus
It was the type of opportunity about which one can only dream and pray to come to pass. A group of exchange students from more than two dozen countries visited Northland Church in order to have a 90 minute presentation and Q&A about Christianity and Jesus. They came as part of a program, supported by …
Being a Person of Hospitality
This sermon was preached on November 3-5th at Northland, A Church Distributed, in Longwood Florida. The link includes the whole worship service which I hope you will find uplifting. The sermon starts at the 39 minute mark. Being a Person of Hospitality We have lost something in our culture. It is the practice of valuing …
The Provocative Christian 