Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
The Book of Revelation, also known as The Revelation of Jesus Christ to John or the Book of the Apocalypse, is basically a letter which discloses important information for John the Apostle to communicate to our Lord’s servants in various churches in the old Roman empire of Asia. It prophesies what must take place in …
I believe everyone has seen at least one cartoon depicting a city street corner with a straggly-haired person in a monk’s habit, holding a sign stating, “Repent, the End is Near.” They are usually portrayed as a kind of crazy person publicly announcing what no one else accepts as true. They get no respect and …
My thoughts about the future of life on earth change over time, as I learn more and find deeper meaning in scripture. I also consider the changing political, geographical, and astronomical events upon and surrounding our world as I connect the pieces of the puzzle. But in this turbulent current time, it is important to …
Many authors, including myself, believe that God has dealt with humankind differently through several dispensations or ages. These progressive ages are historical time periods in which God dispensed various methods of social organization and management to his people. The ages were not separate ways of salvation, but ways in which humans are reconciled to God …
“Do you believe aliens are among us?” For a Christian minister, that question arises more often than you might imagine. We are not considering foreign nationals illegally breaching our country’s borders; we are discussing intelligent beings other than human, originating outside of the earth’s boundaries. Or, maybe, they are coming from another dimension or realm …
According to widespread Christian preaching, God took two people to heaven without them first dying. Why and how this was done is not answered in scripture, just that they were here one moment and not the next. There is, however, a Greek term for this event; it is said that God ‘translated’ them to his …
While I write this, there are wars (Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas) and rumors of wars (Israel-Iran, NATO-Russia, U.S.-China, China-Taiwan, and more). Regional wars change fast, so who knows what will be happening in just a few weeks. Jesus said that this would happen before the end of this age, so these events are just the beginning …
When I was twenty years old, back in 1963, an American singer-songwriter named Bob Dylan1 wrote a song in an “attempt to create an anthem of change for the time.” The song is titled ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’.2 That happened sixty years ago and the times did change. But the point I’m making today …
“So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’” (Matthew 27:24-25, ESV).1 …
I recently read a very good article about the LGBTQ rainbow flag, in Wisconsin Christian News. The author was Rob Pue, an ordained minister and the founder of the newspaper. He was writing about a recent community bike ride in his city called the Annual Naked Bike Ride. This social crusade, which began in Spain …