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Are you trapped in your past trauma?

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“Instead, the wandering is slow. It’s healing. It’s devoid of shame. God takes those who have been traumatized and frightened by the hand and leads them through.” – Dr. Jill Richardson (First 5) What is ‘trapped trauma’? Trapped trauma describes people who are trapped by their past negative experiences. They can’t seem to move past it. It hangs like an anchor to their souls. I began to read about this condition that many find themselves ‘trapped’ in.  I have not experienced physical trauma, but I do know the symptoms of emotional trauma, and it can feel as torturous as the physical and I have been trapped by it. Trauma does take time to heal, but often people will resist the steps needed to be freed from it. While in slavery in Egypt, the Israelis had been beaten and abused. Yet, as God wanted to release them from their captivity, the Israelites resisted Moses encouragement and instructions to move out of their slavery into the Promised Land. They remained trapped in Egypt as they struggled to …

Have the Seven Seals of the Book of Revelation Been Opened?

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By Dr. Michael L. BrownOriginally posted May 13, 2020 The same, unusual subject came up three times on the same day, this past Monday, May 11. Was God sending a message to me about the end of the world, taken straight from the pages of the Book of Revelation? First, a caller to my radio show asked if we might be in the first phase of the breaking of the seven seals in the Book of Revelation and therefore in the beginning of “the tribulation.” Then, a friend left a message on my cell phone asking what he should make of a respected Christian leader in another country telling him that the first of the seven seals was being opened? Then, I spotted this headline featured on Drudge Report: “‘Four Horsemen are ACTIVE’ Bible scholars claim Book of Revelation seals broken…” As the article explained, “Bible scholars have sensationally claimed the end of the world could be upon us as they believe the Four Horsemen, who bring about death, war, famine and disease before the …

Why did Jesus die so fast on the cross?

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One of the questions often asked about Christ’s crucifixion is why did Jesus die so fast? According to the Gospel writers, Jesus had been on the cross about six hours (9 am to 3 pm) before He died. Crucifixion was a favoured form of execution used by the Romans because not only was it brutal but there were tricks that could extend the excruciating punishment for days. Since people were hung onto the cross by hammering their arms and feet into the wood, they normally died by suffocation. As they hung from their arms, their chest cavity was stretched out making it impossible to breathe. In order to breathe they had to painfully push up with their feet in order to gain a breath. Death would finally come when the person no longer had the strength to push up for air. If the Romans wanted to be extremely brutal, they would put a seat on the cross so the person could rest which would extend the dying process for days. But the Roman’s crucifixion of …

Satanic attacks becoming more blatant and deceptive

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In his vision of the end times, the Apostle John reported two interesting incidents taking place that would have a profound impact on the end times. In the first few verses of Revelation 9, the Apostle John saw a star falling from heaven with a key that unlocked the abyss releasing a horde of demonic locusts on the earth. These creatures described as having human faces were allowed to torment the world for five months. In verse 11, we are told that the king of this army of locusts was Abbadon or Apollyon that literally means ‘the destroyer’. Many suspect that John’s reference to Apollyon referred to the ancient Greek god Apollo, that had the locust as its symbol. Ironically, many of the ancient Roman emperors such as Caligula and Nero looked upon themselves as human manifestations of Apollo. It suggests that this particular demonic spirit focuses on influencing political leaders and both Caligula and Nero initiated horrific persecutions against Christians. Then in verses 13-16 at the sounding of the sixth trumpet, John saw four …

Consenting Adults?

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In my last three articles I wrote about sexual immorality in the areas of pornography, child pornography, and sex trafficking. Although no one to my knowledge defends child pornography or sex trafficking, there are many who defend their use of pornography. In this last article in the series, I want to address their rationale. In my research for this I read information from both sides of the pornography debate. There are some very bizarre justifications and some very extreme anti-pornography views. Yet there are common reasons for pornography use. The first reason is that it’s my business. No one has the right to tell me what to do in the privacy of my own home. While this may seem valid, pornography is not just in your own home. By its nature, it is voyeuristic because you are watching other people have sex. To do this you have to have other people.  These other people are most often found on the internet or in videos. This makes it not just a private event. As well, pornography …

The Disinformation Dozen: Should people be banned?

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This afternoon, we went for a drive, and we passed a small park. Usually it’s a small open space, with no-one there. Today I was surprised; the tiny park was filled with people, families with little children and several dogs. I guess we all want our spring break. I was surprised by something else; no-one was wearing a mask. COVID safety didn’t seem to be a concern for anyone. People were just enjoying the sunshine, as if the COVID pandemic never happened. Call it COVID denial, if you like, but I see this and hear this everywhere. My work takes me to many places, and I haven’t found anyone who really believes what we are told about the virus and vaccines. I have seen one organized protest, but most people just get on with their lives. The Government and medical authorities tell us what we should know, and do, and everyone thinks what they want. The disconnect is huge, and growing. If you are wondering, I am not a denier, or a strong supporter of …

Sorting Out the Israeli Elections

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown Do you have your scorecards ready? We’re going to do our best to sort out the results of this week’s elections in Israel, the fourth in a period of just two years (can you imagine that?). But first, a disclaimer: by the time you read this article, the outcome may have changed. That’s how inconclusive the final voting turned out to be. A shift in affiliation by one of the many parties receiving votes could change things overnight. Plus, on Friday, 450,000 double-sealed votes will be counted (including military votes, votes from abroad, and votes sent in because of COVID). That could shift things as well. Let’s start with an overview of how a government is formed in Israel. The Knesset (Parliament) has 120 seats, and so, to form a government, you need 61 seats. The problem is that there are many parties in Israel, quite the opposite of our two party system in America, in which smaller parties are virtually meaningless. And in Israel, although the parties are led …

Albert Mohler warns ‘they’re coming for you too’

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In a recent podcast, Albert Mohler, who serves as the President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, warns that the recent call by a USA Today columnist for the NCAA to ban Oral Roberts University (ORU) from future sports tournaments is a warning for all believers. Mohler was referring to a column by Hemal Jhaveri, when she called for the NCAA to ban ORU from its tournaments because the university does not embrace the LGTBQ+ ideology. She even suggested that the school should be booted from the NCAA because of its position prohibiting premarital sex and homosexual behaviour among its students. ORU’s rise to prominence at the NCAA’s national basketball tournament has many in the secular media referring to the team as the Cinderella story of this year’s March Madness. The 15th seeded ORU Golden Eagles advanced to the final sixteen round by beating the No. 2 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes and No. 7 seeded Florida Gators. This is only the second time in the tournament’s history that a 15th seeded team …

How a black woman’s Christian love impacted a Neo Nazi

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I was encouraged when I read the story on Christian Post of how Michael Kent, a self-professed Neo Nazi, was led to the Lord by his black probation officer, Tiffany Whittier. Kent said his hatred of blacks started when he was 12 years old and was starting to hang out with a black friend, until his mother kicked Kent out of their house stating she would not have a “blue-eyed devil” in her home. By the age of 15, Kent was attending Neo Nazi rallies. He became involved with drugs and this along with his dislike for Blacks led to several altercations with the law. He had been in an out of jail several times, and most of his previous parole officers had treated Kent as a number and didn’t deal with the racial issues that dominated Kent’s life. However, Kent’s life was transformed when Tiffany Whittier, a Black woman, was assigned to be his parole officer on what would be his life changing last release. Tiffany is a believer, and when she showed up …

Columnist calls for ORU to be banned from NCAA basketball tournament

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Many secular sport’s writers are referring to Oral Roberts University (ORU) as this year’s Cinderella team at the NCAA Division I national basketball tournament, after ORU came from behind to beat the 7th seeded Florida Gators 81-78 to advance to the 16 team round (Sweet 16). Also referred to as March Madness, the annual tournament determines the best college basketball team in America. In its previous game, the 15th seeded ORU Golden Eagles beat 2nd seeded Ohio State in the tournament’s first round allowing ORU to advance to the 32 round and became only the second 15th seeded team in history to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. Oral Roberts will play Arkansas on Saturday. Oral Roberts, a charismatic Christian evangelist who died in 2009, started the Oral Roberts University based in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1963 to “develop Holy Spirit empowered leaders through whole education to impact the world.” It has grown to become one of the most influential Christian universities in the world expanding to six colleges and offering 70 undergraduate and 20 graduate degrees. …

When in ‘doubt’ pray in ‘tongues’

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In an article on Charisma News, Ruth Zschomler shared the amazing story on how the gift of tongues saved a woman’s life. On August 9, 2011, Kathi and David Byker were abruptly awakened from their sleep in Grandville, Michigan by two men wearing hoods and brandishing knives. The pair quickly bound Kathi with duct tape on her ankles and wrists and demanded that David pay a ransom for her release. One of the assailants put a knife to Kathi’s throat saying she would be killed if David didn’t provide the money. After blindfolding Kathi and gagging her mouth with duct tape, Kathi was dragged into the family’s SUV and driven away. David was then given a cell phone number to call once he had gotten the money. The message was clear without payment, Kathi would die. As she was lying in the back of the SUV and being driven away, Kathi was terrified as the driver repeatedly warned her he would kill her if she tried to sit up. Terrified, Kathi stated she wanted to …

Sex Trafficking’s Evil

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The sex trafficking crime is truly an evil and dark sin. Millions of people around the world are lured, threatened, and are forced into drug addiction. Then they are used as a thing, a product, to be sold outright or to be rented for rape and other sexual abuses. This is not pornography. This is not passive watching of sex. This is the rape of others for the purpose of money. The media calls it an industry. This is such an offense to anyone with any sense of right and wrong. It is like calling serial killers, the serial killer industry. It is a crime, not an industry. I read an article that the sex trafficking criminals rake in about $100 billion a year. Of course, no one really know since much of this takes places in dark corners and behind closed doors. Of the victims we know about, 97% of them are women — young women and teenage girls READ: Trafficking in persons in Canada, 2018 These are our daughters, sisters, and in some …

The Atlanta Killings: Why we need to be bold

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You probably heard the news about the killings near Atlanta, Georgia recently. On Tuesday, March 16, a young man took a gun and killed eight women in massage parlours near the city. Six of the women are described as ‘Asian’ and apparently they were from Korea. The man with the gun claimed to be a Christian and attended a Baptist church. It’s a terrible event. It’s also complicated. The man with the gun claimed that he has a sex addiction and he was trying to remove temptation. The victims were all female, and most were Korean, and apparently most of them were older than forty, or even fifty. They were at work when someone came in with a gun. READ: Suspect in Atlanta-area spa shootings might have intended more shootings in Florida, mayor says That seems simple, but in the morality of our times, there is now a hunt for someone to blame. The victims were all women, and the killer might hate women. That would be a feminist interpretation. The victims were mostly ‘Asian’ …

The Difference Between the Political Spirit and the Christian Spirit

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown Writing for The Atlantic on March 10, Shadi Hamid opined that in America today, “As Christianity’s hold, in particular, has weakened, ideological intensity and fragmentation have risen. American faith, it turns out, is as fervent as ever; it’s just that what was once religious belief has now been channeled into political belief” (his emphasis). While this is certainly true, it is also true that religious belief has been merged with political belief. Yet, in many ways, the Christian spirit is very different than the political spirit. The two often make a very bad mix. But before I explain what I mean, allow me to add the standard caveats. I do believe that followers of Jesus should vote and be politically informed. I do believe we should have a positive impact, as salt and light, on every aspect of American life, including politics. I do believe there are godly and ethical politicians. I do believe that some Christians are called to be heavily involved in politics or even run for office. I do believe that …

More Dead Sea Scroll fragments of the Bible discovered

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The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) is reporting that archaeologists have found nearly two dozen fragments from the Book of Zechariah and Nahum in a cave known as the “Cave of Horrors” that was originally discovered in the 1950s in connection with the Dead Sea Scrolls. In 2017, the IAA decided to re-visit these caves over concerns that looters were working the caves. To access the Cave of Horrors, archaeologists had to repel down a 260-foot cliff. The cave got its name from the skeletons of 40 men, women and children that had taken refuge in the cave hiding from Roman soldiers during the second century Jewish revolt that took place between 132 AD and 136 AD. Archaeologists also found the remains of a Roman camp near the cave leading some to speculate that they knew the Jews were in the cave and simply decided to starve them out. And though the cave had not been studied for nearly 60 years, this second effort proved worthwhile. In addition, to discovering fragments of the Bible, they also …

Child Pornography

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Child pornography is worse than you think. Child pornography is on many dark web sites. It is also on more easily accessible sites.  Ready for some surprising numbers? The numbers I use here come from Children’s Advocacy Centre website (cacjc.org) but I have seen similar numbers elsewhere. The article written by Tammi Pitzen, “The Shocking Facts About Child Pornography” mentions that there is no way of knowing the actual numbers since this is a hidden and secret evil abuse of our children. Here are some from the article: 3,000 approximate number of English language websites that distribute child pornography; 1 in 7 youths report being solicited for online sex; 11 is the average of exposure to adult material; 34% of teenage girls and 15% of teenage boys have shared photos or physical descriptions of themselves online; and 58% of the 1,536 pornography sites (2008) reported by the Internet Watch Foundation were housed in the United States. A young girl or boy chatting online can be easily manipulated by a predator. The child shares some pictures …

Was Jesus a racist? Should we cancel Him?

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Was Jesus a racist? Some people claim that He gave a racist put-down to a woman who asked for help. If the accusation sticks, Jesus might be cancelled. One label that we all don’t want is “racist.” It’s the new mark of shame. Statues are being pulled down and schools are being renamed, and careers are being terminated. The Royal Family is being severely criticized, and books by Dr. Seuss are being cancelled from publication. My concern is that racism will no longer be a social issue if everyone is called a racist. The label needs to be applied with care, or there will be push-back and denial. Also, people can learn to keep quiet when they might be judged, without changing their ideas. I know someone who is a manager in the radio business, and he will not tolerate any jokes that make fun of groups of people. I don’t think he is racist, but he is also extremely careful to avoid a label that might ruin his career. Prejudice and bigotry exist everywhere, …

Smaller, but stronger?

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To say that the pandemic lockdowns have been difficult for the church would be an understatement, but a recent poll by Lifeway of regular protestant church attenders reveals that 68% of the people surveyed said that they plan to return to church with the same regularity they had in the past. However, what is concerning 9% stated they will attend less if at all. And according to Lifeway, there was evidence of this in January this year when nearly two thirds of the churches that reopened reported that they were running 70% below their normal attendance. Some believe this happened because people are still fearful of returning to public gatherings, and those numbers will increase once the pandemic is behind them. And while those number suggest that there is room for concern, the Lifeway poll also revealed that nearly a quarter (23%) of those surveyed planned to increase their church attendance. Significantly, the age group most likely to do this were those between the ages of 18 to 29, where 43% stated they were planning …

Prophecies Are Not Simply Newspaper Headlines in Advance

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown Now that the New York Times, Politico, and other, major secular outlets have covered the failed presidential prophecies, why don’t we make this a teachable moment and ask a basic question about prophecy? Specifically, when prophecy is predictive (and therefore foretelling rather than forthtelling), is it equivalent to headline news in advance? The reason I ask this question is because the recent presidential prophecies were presented like news headlines in advance, informing us of specific dates and details, none of which came to pass. Yet millions of Christians were urged to believe these specific words and were rebuked when they saw fit to question them. But is prophecy normally that specific, especially in terms of dates? Is this the biblical pattern? To be sure, many events are predicted in the Bible with specificity, and on rare occasion, there are specific times and dates put on the prophecies. But that is certainly not the norm. Instead, future prophecies are frequently spoken in such a way that there is some level of …

Freedom of speech means freedom to preach the Gospel, even on a campus

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In an 8-1 decision, the US Supreme Court ruled in favour of a former student of Georgia Gwinnett College, Chike Uzuegbunam, after the institute prevented Chike from sharing his faith on campus. The court ruled that it was in complete “violation” of Chike’s constitutional rights. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts was the only Justice who dissented in the final ruling. In a controversial move the 12,000 student school had set up two small areas on campus where people were allowed to exercise their constitutional right to free speech. But in the end, even these were not free speech zones if a woke student was offended by what was said. According to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who represented Chike in the lawsuit, the space where the college allowed free speech only represented 0.0015% of the school’s total property. In 2016, Chike was sharing his faith and distributing leaflets on campus, when he was initially stopped by college security. After being told these type of activities were only allowed in the two free speech zones, Chike then …

The Pornographic Truth

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What is the number one problem in our world? Everyone has an answer, and it depends on where you live, your gender, age, whether you are poor or rich, etc. Your answer also depends on your faith. Everyone has faith, some just don’t call it that. I have faith in God. Others have faith in science. Few, a lessening number daily it seems, have faith in government. A growing number are putting their faith in humans while still others have faith in occultic practices. A survey of what people and experts think the number one problem in the world gives different answers. Climate change, poverty, and divisiveness top many lists. I went through several lists and none listed pornography or sex trafficking. Even the Christian sites listed things like science and disbelief. One of my sayings is that: “Some things you can’t unsee.” Pornography is one of those things. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what gender you are, images of pornography stick in your mind like gum under a table. They infect …

The sciency argument: Prove to me that God exists!

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Are you an Atheist? Do you know one? I am writing as someone who believes in God. Imagine the arguments I could have with an Atheist. You can only imagine, because I don’t want those arguments. Prove to me that God exists! / Prove to me that God does not exist! There is no answer to those questions. We all choose what we want to believe. The words of the Bible: “He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15) We can’t prove the existence of someone who is invisible, who tells us that He is invisible. We can be convinced somehow, and we can choose to believe, or not. You might have read an article, in the news, about how Physics can prove that God does not exist; or maybe prove that He does. The article keeps getting published with different titles. I think the title is click bait, to get our attention, and the words that follow are a good explanation of why we can’t prove anything about God. READ: Can …

Jordan Smith, 2015 The Voice winner, provides a key to success

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You may remember Jordan Smith, he was the believer that won Season 9 of The Voice in 2015. Raised in a Christian home of pastor parents, Jordan who also served as the church’s worship leader, attended Lee University a private Christian university based in Cleveland, Tennessee. It is interesting to note, that his success was due in part to perseverance, because he had previously auditioned for the show and been rejected. But he was accepted the second time and his first song, Chandelier, resulted in a four chair turn by the coaches that resulted in Jordan choosing Adam Levine as coach. During Season 9, he was the first artist from The Voice to top the iTunes pop chart when his song Great is Thy Faithfulness pushed ahead of Adele’s Hello to the number one spot. The song also placed number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on Billboard’s Christian Song chart. His semi-final rendition of Queen’s Somebody to Love would once again send Adele’s Hello to second place on iTunes. Amazingly, it …

2,000 to go and then the end will come?

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In an interview with CBN, Wycliffe Bible Translator (WBT) President John Chestnut said that the COVID pandemic has only slightly disrupted the organization’s mission of translating the Bible into the language of all the people groups in the world. In fact, Chestnut noted that in some instances translation efforts actually increased as workers were not disrupted by other activities. However, other translations were slowed down because of the inability of workers to travel to different regions. So far WBT has translated the Bible into 500 different languages and is currently working on 2,700 translations. At this point, there are 4,700 language groups involving nearly 1.5 billion people in 167 countries that do not have a Bible in their language. The organization’s goal is to have the 2,700 translations it’s currently working on completed over the next four years, with the goal of starting translating the Bible for the remaining 2,000 languages in 2025. Over the years, I have kept an eye on how Wycliffe’s work is progressing, because of the statement that Jesus made in …

Venezuelan believers had crosses carved in their backs and were forced to eat pages of the Bible

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Four Christians in Libertador, Venezuela were horribly attacked on February 16, 2021 at a drug rehabilitation center being operated by the House of Restoration, a church in the city. According to a report by Open Doors, the group was assaulted by eight hooded members of a local drug gang associated with the Communist regime of President Nicolás Maduro Moros. When the regime’s socialist policies resulted in the utter collapse of the country’s economy, Maduro’s government reportedly linked up with drug lords to ensure additional revenue. Though none of the church members were killed all required hospitalization. The attackers brutally beat the believers, stabbed them, forced them to eat pages out of the Bible, carved large crosses on their backs with knives and broke ribs and limbs. In addition, members of the attacking group also pronounced curses on the believers and the church. In an interview with Premier Christian News, Dr David Landrum, a spokesman for Open Doors noted: “The cutting of crosses into the bodies of these young Christians, and the forced eating of pages of the Bible is deeply disturbing.   …

Now Is the Time to Let Your Light Shine

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown For many years now, I’ve said that I’m not as much concerned with the presence of darkness in America as I am with the absence of light. Darkness will always be present, but light can drive it out. That’s why our greatest need is to get our light shining brightly again. Otherwise, darkness will prevail. As Jesus said in a different context, “If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23b) We all know the saying that you can’t put the horse before the cart. But before you can hitch the cart to the horse, the horse needs to be healthy. Without that, no one is going anywhere. And that’s where we stand today in America: the greatest need is a healthy Church. Then, with a healthy Church, the “cart” of cultural and moral and political change will follow as a natural consequence. But it’s not a matter of either-or, as if we must focus either on spiritual life or on cultural life. Instead, …

Bullied by Love?

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Many people claim to be Christian yet do some very anti-Christian things. In North America, we have politicians who go to church on Sunday and then enact unbiblical policies Monday. The United States president is an example of this hypocritical confusion by saying he is a devout Catholic and then speaking and acting in favour of abortion.

Why is that pastor in jail?

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We were driving today, and we went further than we usually do. We drove out of the city to a suburban place, for our shopping. That travel is permitted, under our COVID restrictions, the change of scenery was nice, and I like to get away from the busy places where infection rates might be higher. It was all good, until I saw a huge crowd of people, on a street that is usually quiet. We drove closer, and we saw people waving signs, to protest something. It was a surprise. When we got close, we could see that no one in the protest rally was wearing a mask, or doing anything to prevent Covid infections. There was no social distancing in that crowd. A large crowd of people were protesting something at a suburban courthouse. I didn’t have to ask what was happening. A pastor named James Coates is in jail because churches are restricted, for COVID safety. READ: Despite pastor behind bars, members of GraceLife Church near Edmonton continue to defy COVID-19 rules My …

Are You a Fool According to the Bible?

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By Dr. Michael L. Brown As defined by the Scriptures, a fool is not someone who is uneducated or a person with a low IQ. Rather, a fool is someone who is deeply deficient spiritually and morally. As summed up in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Are you a fool according to the Bible? Am I? Let’s look at just a few of the characteristics of the fool as laid out in Proverbs. 1) “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice” (Proverbs 12:15). The fool is always right in his (or her eyes), never willing to take correction, never willing to listen to sound advice, never willing to acknowledge error or wrong. Perhaps we are not this extreme in our stubbornness, but is this our general tendency? Can people approach us easily, without fear? Do we receive correction with humility and even appreciation? That’s why Proverbs 9:8 says, “Do not rebuke mockers or they will …

Survey reveals that Bible reading increased people’s mental well-being during lockdowns

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A recent survey by Christian Research discovered that people are reading their Bibles more during the COVID pandemic and associated lockdowns, and this is not a wasted exercise as many stated it is having a positive impact on their mental health. The age group reporting the largest increase was those aged 25 to 34, where over 50% indicated that they are reading their Bible more often. The survey also revealed that people are using new ways to engage with scripture. While print versions of the Bible still remains popular, Bible apps are being used more often, and a surprisingly 30% reported that they are now listening to the Bible. This growing interest in listening to scripture shouldn’t surprise us because it has its reward as the Apostle Paul tells us that “faith comes from hearing” (Romans 10:17). The survey also found that the Bible reading increased people’s hope that things were going to improve. The Bible tells us that hope is a vital component of faith (Hebrews 11:1). The survey revealed: 28% stated that Bible …

Jerusalem’s Pilgrim road was built by Pilate, and it was a sign of things to come

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Archaeologists have determined that a road thought to have been originally constructed by King Herod Agrippa (41 AD to 44 AD) was actually built by Pontius Pilate who was governor of Judea from 26 AD to at least 37 AD. Agrippa was the grandson of King Herod who ruled at the time of Christ’s birth. Known as the Jerusalem Pilgrim Road, it is a popular tourist site for both Jews and Christians. The stepped road, that was over a third of a mile long (600 meters), started at the Pool of Siloam (a mikveh or ritual bath) near the southern gates of the city and travelled up to the Jewish temple. And we see a reference to the upward incline in Acts 3:1, when we are told that Peter and John were going “up” to the Temple. Jews used this road for pilgrimages to the Temple during three of the feasts, Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. Josephus estimated that upwards of two million would visit Jerusalem during those festivals. Jewish pilgrims started their …

Belief or Experience?

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I have two things on my mind. Okay, probably more than two and that’s a stretch some days. The first thing is about belief. The second thing is about our story. Not the story of you and me. Your story, my story, everybody’s story. We all have our histories and experiences that make up who we are now and how we got to be who we are now. These two things are related. What we believe about ourselves and who we are. I once gave a sermon about two twins. They had the same family and the same things happened to them. But the mother loved one and didn’t love the other one. As they became men, one had the belief that he was successful and felt loved and confident. The other one, the one not loved, grew up feeling less than others, not all that valuable, and afraid of being rejected. He grew up thinking that he was not good enough to succeed.  Same genes, same parents, different beliefs. There are many examples like …

Online Censorship: Are they banning the Bible now?

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Are some parts of the Bible being banned from the Internet? A woman in England, Seyi Omooba, posted some Bible quotes about homosexuality on Facebook. She stated that the Bible position on the subject is “clearly evident.” Several people called for her to be fired from her job, and later she was fired. READ: Theater Fired Christian Actress for Facebook Post Citing Bible Verses on Homosexuality, Suit Says That was not censorship by Facebook. She lost her job because people read her quotations from the Bible, on Facebook. The issue is now in the courts, and I’m sure the managers at Facebook don’t want to be involved. Other people have claimed that some parts of the Bible cannot be quoted on some Internet platforms. Paul Joseph Watson recently posted a video “Facebook bans Bible passages to YouTube.” His claims were investigated by Newsweek, and reporters questioned Facebook management. After an internal investigation, Facebook apologized and reversed the decision to ban the video. The Newsweek article is “Facebook Unbans BibleHub Passages After Censoring Them ‘In Error’” …