Category Archives: Theology and Life

The Discomfort of Theological Mysteries

For something as common as the headache (for which 98% of people experience – who are those 2% of people?!) doesn’t it induce a headache to think we don’t actually know the exact mechanisms for their causes?! The same is true for the theological questions that evade any satisfactory answer – quite despite the biblesContinue reading “The Discomfort of Theological Mysteries”

The Personal Experience of the Person of God

The placebo effect in the medical/scientific world shows the mysterious interplay between mind and experience and therefore to a degree reality (both subjective and objective). Fake medications relive pain, experiments in managing expectations cause us to anticipate pain and therefore feel it (although no pain stimuli are physically triggered). Similarly, do you want to improveContinue reading “The Personal Experience of the Person of God”

Doctrines Prescribed for Anxielitic Effect

“If we are justified through faith then we have peace with God through Jesus Christ.” (Rom 5:1). Today everyone is thinking about peace because everyone is thinking about tackling anxiety. The famous anxiolytic passage of the Bible is Philippians 4:6-7. Paul calls us not to be anxious about anything but to pray with thanksgiving inContinue reading “Doctrines Prescribed for Anxielitic Effect”

Retraining our Hearts with Curiosity

Unless you are spiritually sadistic, the proclamation of the coming judgment isn’t an easy topic to part from your lips. As we speak of the love and the lordship of the King Jesus we end with a call to repentance in some form or another. Repentance is logically predicated on our hostile relationship towards GodContinue reading “Retraining our Hearts with Curiosity”

On Flattery of the Self

“In their own eyes, [the wicked] flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.” (Psalm 36:2) In verse 2 of Psalm 36, the poet is speaking about those who have no fear of God or regard for who He is. Such a lack of regard or thought for the one who is HimselfContinue reading “On Flattery of the Self”

Feeling Religious?

Feeling religious? Probably not (that word is very much out of vogue, but I say ‘bring it back’. Sorta Ol Skool, whisky and cigar style). More likely you’re feeling spiritual. That’s the good stuff because it feels so good. Apparently. Religion on the other hand doesn’t feel good at all. Apparently. How do we know?Continue reading “Feeling Religious?”

Productive Suffering

Getting into the mindset and the head of the apostle Paul is rather uncomfortable at times. It’s uncomfortable because we like ourselves the way we are. That’s to say that we are comfortable with what we’ve got now. In one sense we assume we have enough strength to do what we need to do, thatContinue reading “Productive Suffering”