Religion and Politics: A Cautionary Note to Christians

This past week Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum reignited the controversy over President Obama’s religious beliefs, and triggered a larger discussion of the relationship between religious beliefs and politics. I have been concerned for some time about a dangerous trend I think I see among believers, and I would like to address it in this post.

Questions About the Afterlife - Part 2 - The Resurrection

Review

1.  The Bible teaches humanity is both material (the body) and immaterial (the spirit).

2.  Death ruptures that wholeness.

3.  The Bible teaches that there is life after death (Lk. 23:43).

a.  The time between death and the resurrection is sometimes called the “intermediate state,” in-between death and the resurrection.

b.  For the righteous, I argued that this involves the spirit resting in the presence of God (2 Cor. 5:6-8).

c.  The Bible doesn’t say much about the state of the wicked, but 2 Peter 2:4 mentions wicked angels cast into “hell” (tartarus), to await the judgment.

4.  But the Bible also teaches the body will be raised and joined with the spirit in the resurrection, life after life after death.

Questions on the Afterlife: Part 1 - Life After Death

Part 1: Life After Death

I.               Life: What Is a Human Being?

A.              The Bible teaches that God created human beings in some sense as both material and immaterial.

1.              “Outer self – inner self” (2 Cor. 4:16).

2.              “Kill the body  - cannot kill the soul” (Matt. 10:28).

Introduction to My Book Project

I have been doing research on Islam for some time now, and I have finally begun writing what will be a small book introducing Islam to Christians and explaining crucial similarities and differences between the two faiths.  I have planned the following chapters-

The Gospel of King Jesus

Introduction

This year’s theme is “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you,” taken from 1 Peter 2:9. At some point this year I am going to preach through 1 Peter to put this theme in context, but this morning I want to speak with you about the basic meaning of this year’s theme.

We can proclaim the excellencies of God in a lot of ways. We can do it through worship, praising Him for His awesome splendor. The NIV translates this expression, “declare the praises” of God. We can even do it in the way we live, proclaiming God’s love and righteousness through our own good works. The NLT reflects this idea, “you can show others the goodness of God.”

The Song of Simeon (The Original Songs of Jesus' Birth - Part 3)

Introduction

Working through the opening chapters of Luke has been like going to a wonderful party with lots of great food. You want to taste everything, but you only have room on your plate for so much. And in Luke 2, there are several people and events that I would love to preach abouy – the shepherds, Anna, the story about Jesus in the temple at age 12 – but I am going to have to save those stories for another time. What we have been meditating on together are the songs in these opening chapters, the Magnificat of Mary, the Benedictus of Zechariah, and today, the song of an aged Israelite named Simeon.

The Original Songs of Jesus' Birth - Part 2 The Song of Zechariah

Introduction

You all got to meet my niece, Darby, this past Wednesday. I have had lots of pretend nieces and nephews, but it was very cool to spend some time with my only real one. Incidentally, I had the same effect holding her that I do preaching to you – I put her right to sleep!

You all know that I have joked that my sister-in-law Kelli and her husband Ryan timed having Darby just to steal the spotlight away from Kristi and me, since she was born just a few weeks after we were married. But they had waited a long time to have a child, so it just made that time of year even more special for all of us.