Among the most prominent distinctions within Protestantism is the primacy of preaching. As such, it should come as no surprise that our history is replete with men who excelled in this discipline. One might think of such notable giants as…
The belief that Christ Ascended into heaven is one the cornerstones of Christian faith and theology. Its seminal place in Christian thought is cemented in many of the great creeds, most notably the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. The Ascension is …
In The Big Short, Michael Lewis shares a quote he heard in a Washington D. C. bar: “the truth is like poetry and most people [expletive] hate poetry.” The quote is circular in the nature of its meditation—Why do most people hate the truth? Why do most people hate poetry? The quote is…
There are few images more familiar to those of us who grew up in evangelical churches than that of Jesus with a lamb around his neck. From VBS lessons on flannel boards ( Yes, I know this dates me, but for you youngsters, they were the forerunners to the Smartboard) to illustrated children’s Bibles, this…
We are experiencing a real and present threat against our freedom today in the West. We saw what happened in Paris a few months ago, as well as the recent attacks in Southern California, Holland, Indonesia, Egypt, and so on. It seems that no nation is exempt from this outbreak of terror…
This past August my family and I visited Orlando, Florida. We stayed in two different resorts, each with their own water park. We visited some friends as well, and enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach. However, the main attractions, at least for our children, was to be a day at…
Four years at Chapel Field Christian High School forever altered my ability to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Every morning, in patriotic duty, we stood, placed our hands on our chests, and recited the well-known declaration of devotion. Then, in Christian duty, we remained and renewed…
The long line of ants parading across the kitchen counter leads to a jar of sticky strawberry jelly left open last night by someone who raided the fridge for a midnight snack. A perturbed voice echoes through the house: “Who forgot to put the jelly away? Daa-ad?” Blame. We point a finger…
This question is important not simply for academic and eristic purposes, but also for the purposes of public policy and national security. Notice that the tile of this paper is a question about the nature of Islam, a religion, and not necessarily about the character of Muslims qua Muslims, the followers of Islam. One might conclude that the majority of Muslims is peace loving, or even that a super majority is peace loving, say 95%, I do not know. It would be difficult to know such a thing like that. The best current polling that we have on the attitudes of Muslims from countries around the world, though, is not all that reassuring for non-Muslims. Nevertheless, one can believe in the irenic outlook of the vast majority of Muslims and still believe that Islam itself is not necessarily a religion of peace. The focus of this effort then is on the nature of Islam.
This paper is divided into two parts. In the first part I probe the beliefs and practices of Muhammad and the founding generations. This will involve looking at the primary documents, the Qur’an and the Hadith reports. In all, this early period will take us up through the first three generations, after which some conclusions will be drawn. In the second part, I examine how Islam has been assimilated and practiced in certain periods in history up to the present, and then present some final conclusions. ...
The story was a familiar one - they would be princesses. The society cultivated three Chinese sisters through a complex set of demands and rituals all prescribed by tradition. Their society carefully refined them to serve as representatives of the people, incarnations of the country. In the end their…
On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther famously nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in the city of Wittenburg ultimately serving as the starting gun for the Reformation. Luther was at that time a local priest and doctor of theology at the local university and was therefore…
Among the most prominent distinctions within Protestantism is the primacy of preaching. As such, it should come as no surprise that our history is replete with men who excelled in this discipline. One might think of such notable giants as…