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Carson Phillips's avatar

What are the biggest reasons you think the church has neglected these philosophical quandaries? Is it that Bible Belt churches, where most everyone is a church-goer or church-sensitive, don’t feel the same need as churches in more secularized regions? Is it that the churches assume the same a priori beliefs on people outside the church? It seems to me that believers’ presuppositions about the raw authority of scripture might hinder conversations with those not sharing those presuppositions. That isn’t to say scripture isn’t authoritative, but it certainly isn’t for the non-believer. It’s as if believers might be speaking a separate language at times; but if we want to reach secular culture, we should speak their language too, especially since we can agree on a common language: philosophy.

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Brenda Burns's avatar

My faith has been challenged more in the past eight months than at any other time in my life. My daughter left her husband and two precious children and moved to another state. I was hurt and confused. I was filled with anger and doubt. The only way I survived was through counseling and taking care of those two precious children. During these months, I have come to understand why she had to run (I will never grasp her reason for leaving her kids though). Through counseling with my pastor, I have learned that her leaving is not my fault and I have to take care of myself. I like the passage about the armor of God from Ephesians 6. I finally understand the reason believers have a helmet of salvation. First of all, we have to KNOW that we know! Secondly, we have a HELMET of salvation on our HEAD so that when the heart is shattered into a million pieces and we cannot make sense of tragic events in our lives, our belief in a sovereign God takes over and helps us return to the Word where God can slowly mend those broken pieces of our hearts. I have questioned my God so many times these months of pain. There are days that the devil would have me believe that God doesn’t care, that He doesn’t listen, that my little grandchildren will not survive, that I myself will not get through this. I wish that I could say that I have been steadfast and righteous in these months, but I have drifted into sadness, depression, and despair. Some days it seems that I take two steps forward and three steps back. Just this week our ex son in law has moved the children to another state in an effort to get them away from everyone in their past. So…with my helmet back on my head, and the sword of the Spirit in my hands, I will again attempt to stay strong, knowing that God is faithful!

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