What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word "abomination?" I'll give you a hint ... it has to do with a topic that's super controversial in the Christian community right now. Among other references, you may have heard this verse quoted a time or two on the topic I am referring to: "If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. -- Leviticus 20:13 There it is. The biggie. The issue of the day. At this point, your pulse may be quickening for one of two reasons. Perhaps you consider yourself a gay Christian, and you're Continue Reading

Want to be happy? Me, too. And having that desire doesn't make us shallow people. I've heard some Christian teaching to the effect that "joy" is different than "happiness," that joy is deep whereas happiness is shallow. You know -- happiness depends on circumstances, but joy can be had regardless of the externals -- you've heard the drill. There's some truth there, but it's possible to get a bit religious with this. We can end up squelching joy if we insist it's not even an emotion. Truth is,  it's pretty difficult to separate joy from happiness. According to Webster's, happiness Continue Reading

Have you ever felt nervous about causing bad things to happen by mentioning a run of "good luck?" Have you kept quiet about  how glad you feel that you haven't had car problems in six months, or no one in your home has gotten a cold this winter? This is another anti-biblical cultural paradigm that has crept into our thinking. I'll bet I've heard the phrase at least twice a week lately, sometimes from Christians. "I don't want to talk about (my hope, dream or blessing) in case I jinx it." Really? Recently, I read through the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible). In the middle of Continue Reading

It's December 24th, 1944. An icy wind blows over the Vistula River in eastern Poland.  A small group of German soldiers is camped out in an abandoned farm house. The Russians outnumber them twelve to one. Behind them wait cruel SS troops, ready to shoot deserters. Death looms on every side. Despite the cold, its stench pervades the atmosphere. Gerhard Link is not yet old enough to grow a beard. Forced to serve in Hitler's war machine, he has seen  several comrades fall in battle. Hunger, fatigue, and fear are his constant companions. Tonight, he waits for more shells and Continue Reading