Category: Theology
Why Letting Your Kids “Figure It Out” is a Bad Idea
Posted on December 20, 2017 in Family, Theology by Nathan Cherry
I confess that I don’t understand the impulse to “let kids figure it out” for themselves. Not only does this go against the biblical imperative to teach and train our kids, it goes against our instinct as parents.
When Can Hobbies and Recreation Be A Bad Thing?
Posted on November 30, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
When we can’t make it to church on Sunday, it’s not a problem because we “live under grace” and God’s okay with it. The end result is a Christian that sees Sunday morning as the primary time to “be a Christian” but doesn’t attend faithfully (which is okay) because of distractions and recreations.
This is an issue that stirs up all sorts of trouble with Christians. Accusations of legalism and judgment abound when someone starts stepping on toes regarding recreation. It’s hard to comprehend Christians getting angry over someone saying they should be faithful to their Christian duties. Welcome to modern America.
Is Calling God “Mother” Theologically Helpful?
Posted on November 28, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
Our culture currently wants to elevate women above men. Men are viewed by many as nothing more than a problem to be corrected. There’s no celebration of our differences as men and women, and no teaching of how to properly exercise our God-given femininity and masculinity. Modern feminism has as its goal to elevate women above men rather than to seek true equality. Are we really going to change how we communicate our relationship with God to accommodate culture? Are we willing to alienate people with terrible mothers in order to make God “more inclusive” for people with terrible fathers?
The Miracles of Jesus Revealed The Wonder of the God-Man
Posted on November 14, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The simple answer is yes! He had to show us that He was Lord over all heaven and earth. He couldn’t just come and die for us without first showing us Who He really was. He knew we wouldn’t believe that He was God’s Son without some evidence, some proof that He more than just a man. He knew our hearts would doubt, even if we watched Him die. So He came as a baby, lived as a man, and bent time and space to His will with just the words of His mouth.
He needed to walk on the water so we knew that the powerful ocean was under His command. He needed to calm the storm so we knew that the untamable wind obeyed His voice. The mighty earth with vast oceans and dizzying mountains belong to Him and He wanted to make sure we knew they would bow to Him when commanded to do so.
If I Get To Define Grace We Are All in Trouble
Posted on November 7, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
In some ways, American Christians have bought into the false teaching that it’s important to feed their self-worth. We’ve become so caught up in making sure we love ourselves, and making sure everyone else does too, that we’ve created our own personal idol out of our self-worth. We end up projecting our idea of grace onto the church…
Why the “Ordo Solutis” is a Critical Doctrine to Understand
Posted on October 18, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
The first order says that a person, of their own volition (though through the preaching of the Gospel), decides to have faith in Christ. This faith that a person decides to exercise is the catalyst for the entire salvation process. Once a person decides for him/herself to exercise this faith, repentance and regeneration follow and the salvation process commences and is completed.
The problem with this view is…
How Do Christians Think Biblically (and Economically) About Prison?
Posted on October 17, 2017 in Money, Public Policy, Theology by Nathan Cherry
When we forget that people in prison for committing crimes are still people, it’s easy to justify 30 or 40 years in prison. When we forget that punishments are supposed to have a purpose, it’s easy to throw someone in prison for selling marijuana, stealing a bottle of alcohol, or not paying their taxes. When marijuana is legal in one state but not another, it adds a whole new level of intricacy to the equation.
Hurricanes Remind Me of Two Great Truths About God
Posted on September 27, 2017 in Theology by Nathan Cherry
It’s been observed that “there’s no atheists in foxholes.” This refers to the horrors of war and the men and women that bravely defend our country. When in the midst of life-threatening war, no atheists can be found as soldiers pray to God for safety. I think we could aptly apply this wisdom to hurricanes as well: “there’s no atheists in hurricane shelters.”
These two devastating forces of nature remind me of two immutable facts: