HillFaith – Page 30

PUEBLA 2019: A Monday Journey Way Out, Including A Taste Of Cactus

Workday one in Puebla, Mexico, for our band from Friendship Baptist Church (FBC) fell on February 3, which also happens to be the national holiday celebrating adoption in 1917 of the country’s current constitution.

Fireworks are a big deal in Mexico and a major battle of the revolution that lasted from 1910 to 1920 was won by the constitution forces here in Puebla. So the celebrations in this region are much like re-enactments in the U.S. of battles from our Civil War. Continue reading “PUEBLA 2019: A Monday Journey Way Out, Including A Taste Of Cactus”

PUEBLA 2019: Today We Sing, Tomorrow The Hard Work Begins

Our group of Friendship Baptist Church (FBC) men from Maryland in Puebla for the 19th consecutive year on a construction mission always join the Hananeel congregation in their Sunday service and it is invariably a memorable experience.

These folks love to sing, their band members know their stuff and the congregation lets loose. It’s all in Spanish, of course, and I’ve always had trouble picking up the rhythm of the language. Slowly but surely, I think I am getting it.

Regardless, these people sing to the Lord with joy and adoration and they can carry you along. Continue reading “PUEBLA 2019: Today We Sing, Tomorrow The Hard Work Begins”

PUEBLA 2019: There Was A Time You Couldn’t Pay Me To Do This

It wasn’t that long ago that no amount of money would have been enough to get me to do what I will do for the fourth time in five years, starting early tomorrow morning, February 2.

Me and more than a dozen buddies from Friendship Baptist Church in Sykesville, Md., and thereabouts will board a United Airlines flight from Dulles International Airport to Houston. It’s the first leg of a trip that takes us to Puebla, Mexico, arriving late tomorrow evening.

Why are we going there?

Continue reading “PUEBLA 2019: There Was A Time You Couldn’t Pay Me To Do This”

Would You Stake Your Life On A 1-In- 10-To-The-140th-Power Chance Of Surviving?

Mathematics, simple or otherwise, has never been my forte, but one thing I understand from those who eat, live and sleep numbers is that odds, or chance, can be measured, as in probabilities.

That means the probability of the proper alignment in the right proportion under the correct environmental conditions for the creation of the first living cell can be expressed as numbers. But we aren’t talking about numbers like 2+2.

Above photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash.

Continue reading “Would You Stake Your Life On A 1-In- 10-To-The-140th-Power Chance Of Surviving?”

Here’s The ‘Big Bang’ Explained In 332 Concise, Plain-English Words

Those who have worked on the Hill for at least five minutes — especially legislative directors and press secretaries — know the infinite value of “Talking Points” and “Executive Summary” for getting to the essence of an issue because there’s never enough time.

Tim Stratton of Free-Thinking Ministries knows the value of such tools and applies them to the biggest issues, including grasping quickly, accurately and logically the multiple profound implications of the Big Bang.

Continue reading “Here’s The ‘Big Bang’ Explained In 332 Concise, Plain-English Words”

NBC’s ‘Cold Case Detective’ Explains Why He Is A Christian

Imagine that you are veteran congressional investigator with years of experience digging into documents, probing witnesses, weighing evidence and sifting claims and counter-claims.

Would that be a good background for evaluating the credibility of the claims of Jesus Christ to be the only way to Heaven and the reliability of the Bible as the word of God? You would certainly have many of the most critical skills required for such an investigation, no?

Meet J. Warner Wallace. No, Wallace is not a former congressional investigator, but he is one of the world’s most respected experts at solving the toughest crime cases, the ones that have gone unsolved for years.

Continue reading “NBC’s ‘Cold Case Detective’ Explains Why He Is A Christian”

Iranian Christians Refuse Judges’ Order To Renounce Christ. What Would You Do?

What if you were marked for persecution?

It’s hard to imagine how any of us would react in the instant of a trial, but two Iranian followers of Jesus Christ know for themselves, as they reportedly refused two judges’ order to renounce their faith earlier this month.

“Iranian Christians Saheb Fadaie and Fatemeh Bakhteri were asked by presiding judges Hassan Babaee and Ahmad Zargar to renounce their faith, but refused to do so” during a January 15 trial, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

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Who Said DNA And Suffering Are Meaningless, Atheist Dawkins or Jesus?

Oxford Professor Emeritus Fellow Richard Dawkins is among the world’s most famous atheists, thanks largely to his prolific pen, which produced such well-read books as “The God Delusion” and “The Blind Watchmaker.”

Less appreciated perhaps is the unmitigated bluntness with which Dawkins so forthrightly discusses the implications of his conclusions about the origin of man and the universe for the rest of us.

Writing on the Moral Apologetics blog last year, Theologian Tom Thomas pointed to the stark difference between Dawkins’ view of suffering and tragedy in human existence that of Jesus Christ. Continue reading “Who Said DNA And Suffering Are Meaningless, Atheist Dawkins or Jesus?”

How To Deal With What Or Who You Fear Most On The Hill. Or Anywhere Else, For That Matter

If you’ve worked for any length of time on Capitol Hill, odds are you’ve run up against something or somebody that makes you feel uncomfortable, inferior, “dumber,” insecure, or maybe even fearful.

Don’t worry, we’ve all been there and you are not even remotely alone in having such feelings, whether you are a disciple of Jesus Christ or not. Believers are just as susceptible as anybody else, but they have two unique resources for dealing with such challenges.

Continue reading “How To Deal With What Or Who You Fear Most On The Hill. Or Anywhere Else, For That Matter”

So You Think That Neat ‘Multiverse’ Theory Explains It All …

No, when people talk about the “Multiverse” theory, they aren’t talking about music with a lot of stanzas or choruses. Odds are, they are talking about more basic issues like “how did the universe get here” and “why are there human beings.”

You can’t talk about those kinds of issues on Capitol Hill or anywhere else these days without somebody, sooner rather than later, confidently pronouncing something like “our universe is just one of many universes that are constantly evolving and forever changing.”

And hey, if Neil deGrasse Tyson believes in the multiverse theory, it must be true, right? I mean, right? Well, no, as a matter of fact, allow me to introduce Regis Nicoll and a fascinating analysis of the countless problems with the multiverse theory. Continue reading “So You Think That Neat ‘Multiverse’ Theory Explains It All …”

‘This Is Us’ Star Chrissy Metz Has No Qualms About Expressing Her Faith

If you have followed the “This Is Us” tv series, you will recognize Chrissy Metz as “Kate,” daughter of Jack and Rebecca Pearson and sister to brothers Kevin and Randall.

What you may not recognize is Metz boldly declaring her Christian faith despite that often being a ticket to professional oblivion in tinsel town.

“It is hard I think, now, to just be really vocal about your faith, or what you believe in because people want to think ‘it’s not cool,’ but I’m like, I don’t care!” Metz recently told Faithwire’s Lindsey Elizabeth.

Continue reading “‘This Is Us’ Star Chrissy Metz Has No Qualms About Expressing Her Faith”

Four Advent Questions To Start Your New Year (And Maybe Change Your Life)

Just before Christmas, it was my pleasure to share a celebratory hour or so with members of the Faith & Law Society in the Longworth HOB, hosted by the group’s extraordinary executive director, Lauren Noyes.

Among the highlights of the gathering was hearing a brief address by Bill Reidel, Lead Pastor of the Redemption Hill congregation that meets at 400 D Street, S.E. in the District of Columbia.

Continue reading “Four Advent Questions To Start Your New Year (And Maybe Change Your Life)”

Is Christianity Just An Insurance Policy Against Going To Hell?

It’s been an argument of critics for much of the modern era, the contention being that humans yearn to know what happens after they die, so they invent religion to supply the answer.

“So a lot of people will try and say ‘well, yeah, if you become a Christian, you’re going to go to Heaven,’ but it’s not just fire insurance,” Cross-examined.org’s Dr. Frank Turek says in response to a student’s question in the following video.

Continue reading “Is Christianity Just An Insurance Policy Against Going To Hell?”

No, Jesus And Mithras Weren’t Both Born Of Virgins (Myths About Christianity Debunked)

Unless there is some way to determine if the rock from which sprung Mithras — the ancient mythical god at the heart of the mystery cult known as “Mithraism” — was a virgin, that is.

That Jesus’ virgin birth was stolen from the Mithras myth is one of the many allegations raised by Christianity’s critics, ancient and modern. They contend the New Testament authors borrowed heavily from multiple pagan religions to elevate an obscure itinerant preacher named Jesus to divinity.

Not so, contends Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, an expert on such matters who teaches at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). Jones addresses a bunch of the supposed parallels.

Continue reading “No, Jesus And Mithras Weren’t Both Born Of Virgins (Myths About Christianity Debunked)”

Would You Go To Jail For Your Basic Beliefs, Like This Chinese Pastor?

Pastor Wang Yi of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, is in jail, accused by the Communist government in Beijing of “inciting subversion of state power.”

The pastor absolutely denies the charges, which are based on the fact he preaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ, including His claim to be “the King of Kings” and His injunction to “render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and the things that are God’s to God.”

Continue reading “Would You Go To Jail For Your Basic Beliefs, Like This Chinese Pastor?”