Category: Faith

Relevant to What?

kevingdrendelLeave a comment

SONY DSC

I read a thought provoking article by Patrick Schatzline on the danger of the Church being “relevant”. Take this quotation from a mentor to the author:

‘Relevant means ‘connection with the subject at issue.’ If the subject at issue is the Great Commission, given by Jesus to His church, and the church is connected to that subject, then relevant is still in and will be until He returns. When the church loses the connection to that issue, then the church becomes irrelevant.

Zing! Right between the eyes! Are we so relevant to the world that we are virtually indistinguishable from it? Continue reading “Relevant to What?” →

Stereotyping and the Church

kevingdrendel3 Comments

DIverse People Holding Text Church

One thing that is a constant theme for me, something that is always just beneath the surface of my thinking, one that is continually rising to the top, is the truth that people are not stereotypes.

I am probably as guilty as anyone of stereotyping. Sometimes stereotyping is useful, but we must never forget that people are not stereotypes. Stereotyping people into groups, and stereotyping groups themselves, can be an impediment to truth and an impediment to real dialogue, effective communication and understanding. Continue reading “Stereotyping and the Church” →

Jesus Is

kevingdrendel1 Comment

Jesus st sunset

I have heard it said that Jesus never actually called Himself God. Even if the Gospels recorded those exact words in Jesus’s mouth, I believe many would find ways of discounting what He said. It was no different in Jesus’s day.

Jesus did not say, “I am God” in those exact words, but what he did say could not have been misunderstood by his audience. Jesus made many statements, but one in particular strikes me as the most significant. Before I get to that one statement, a little background is helpful. Continue reading “Jesus Is” →

The Genesis Project

kevingdrendelLeave a comment

I highly recommend the Genesis Project to you. They have started “in the beginning”; meaning, they have started with Genesis. These guys have broken Genesis down into an easily understood story with a narrative and graphics.

It is presented in a very simple and clear way, but do not think that the simplicity and clarity means that the presentation is simplistic. It is not. The presentation has substance and insight. Check it out!

The first part of Genesis

The second part of Genesis

If you agree that these presentations are well done and insightful, you might consider a donation to this non-profit project.

Donate here.

Belief in God is not Blind Faith; Encounters with God

Faith is not blind or irrational. It is evidence based, but it does take some risk to act in hope and confidence on the evidence.

kevingdrendelLeave a comment

Ryan Sun

Paul said that he is not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes. (Romans 1:16) Belief (faith), therefore, is obviously central to spiritual life in Christ.

What is meant by faith, though? Is faith “blind”, as some describe it? Is faith is antithetical to science? Does science discount faith? Does faith require the suspension of intellect? Does faith require us to abandon obvious evidence to the contrary?

I have not found any of these things to be the case. Faith does require a “leap”, but faith is not like jumping out over a yawning chasm. The gap is much shorter, and the landing is much more sure than one might suppose.

Continue reading “Belief in God is not Blind Faith; Encounters with God” →