Studies on the Fringe of Christianity
Someone recently told me that they were having trouble forgiving a family member who said some hurtful things. She felt guilty because she just couldn’t forgive them, but others were pressuring her to forgive and forget. I asked her if the offender had apologized or repented for their actions. She said, “No! I wouldn’t feel …
All major cities in Jesus’ day had large walls surrounding them, the purpose being for privacy, defense, and protection from outsiders. Many had watchtowers or walkways on top to scout for problems, and maybe a surrounding ditch or moat at ground level, but all utilized gates to filter who passed through the walls — basically …
The story about Jezebel is recorded in 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament, but for those who do not know much about this character, here is an overview. According to Hebrew scripture, Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Tyre in Phoenicia during the 9th-century BC. Phoenicia was a coastal …
I wrote about gay and transgender issues about five years ago, but continue to get questions concerning those groups and what is God’s point-of-view on the LGBT lifestyle. Those descriptive alphabet characters change over time, but currently the official identification is LGBTQIA+ and they stand for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/transvestite, questionable/queer, intersex, asexual, and ‘plus …
Our thoughts contribute to how our body handles disease. “Depression, anxiety, stress, anger, and fear all have widespread and well-documented physiological effects which can affect essential aspects of our biochemistry, from hormone production, to our perception of pain.”1 Negative attitudes may actually determine if we are to become infected in an epidemic or if some …
Evil is very evident in everyday life, and even more so to the Christian, because God explains it in Holy Scripture. He tells us how it came about, what it does to society, the steps needed to help eliminate it from our lives, and how it will, one day, be forcibly eradicated from the entire …
Not long ago, I received an email letter from a visitor to The Outlaw Bible Student website; it was from a lifelong research scientist, university professor, and author. This letter wasn’t positive or negative directly toward me, but from the tone of it, I knew it was unquestionably from an atheist.1 I have found that …
We have all been profoundly affected by the current coronavirus pandemic. Psychological surveys indicate one result of this global crisis is a growing mental health emergency, the consequences of which may be felt for years to come.1 And new medical problems, resulting from the untested, experimental, and sometimes forced mass vaccination of the population, compound …
When we come face-to-face with a moral decision, we sometimes make the wrong judgement call and compound a problem, rather than solve it. Many then just chalk it up to human nature and move on. Others, however, will feel some guilt, at least for a while. If you include yourself in this latter group (guilt), …
Yes, that is an odd title, but if you have read some of my stuff, you already know how weird I am. If you haven’t figured out what the title refers to, read on; it will all come together, soon. I have gotten into the habit of listing a song related to my subject matter …