Sam Hardman If you’re interested in a film that brings deep spiritual issues into sharp relief, Terrence Malik’s A Hidden Life is a worthy choice. My wife and I watched it last week with friends who had recommended it, and I have been rolling its themes around in my mind every since. I am no film critic, …
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Sam Hardman What does it mean to be blessed by the Lord? I suspect that many – perhaps most – thoughtful Christians struggle with this question at some level. We are naturally inclined to think of God’s blessing as being demonstrated toward us when we get more of the things we want. If we want …
Sam Hardman Every now and then a U.S. Supreme Court decision comes along that the Church of Jesus Christ cannot ignore. Bostock is such a case. The June 15, 2020, ruling holds, in essence, that the definition of “sex” under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes “sexual identity” and “sexual orientation.” …
Kevin Steyer George Bernard Shaw once said, “There is only one religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.” This statement is false, but it is surprisingly not that far off the mark. There are of course countless more manifestations or denominations than there are actually totally different religions. In fact, slightly modifying Shaw, …
Sam Hardman “Divide and conquer” is a strategy as old as war itself, although the pithy phrasing “Divide et impera,” is usually attributed to Julius Caesar. He not only coined the phrase, but also applied the strategy with notorious success in his conquest of Gaul 2,200 years ago. Why is this relevant now? Here’s why: …
Kevin Steyer One of the films that I have watched in recent years that made a profound impact on me is Ida, a Polish film from 2013. It is about an orphaned teenage girl who is about to take her vows to become a Catholic nun. Before she does so, she is given the opportunity …
Dan Hanselman I have never personally seen such division, hatred, and grief in my lifetime. It seems like America is intent on tearing itself apart right now, as it becomes increasingly clear that there will be no returning to the “old normal.” As I write this, we are over two months into a global virus …
Sam Hardman Imagine being responsible for feeding twenty-three thousand orphans in a poverty-stricken country at a time when many parts of the global food supply chain are broken. Imagine being one of those orphans. This is no mere thought exercise. It’s happening right now in Nicaragua. The ORPHANetwork, a Christian ministry that works with churches …
Sam Hardman How is it that we so readily fall prey to lust? Presumably we don’t wake up in the morning plotting how we might engage in lustful thoughts and lust-producing actions. Lust catches us unawares and just happens, so it seems. At least that’s how we may excuse ourselves. But is that really how …
Sam Hardman When we encounter things that we believe to be objectionable – ideas, images, music, film, etc. – how should we respond? In my most recent sermon I said something that is open to misunderstanding and that I want to clarify. The text I was speaking on was Romans 12:1-2 in which, among other …