Paul Crouch, who built a Charismatic Christian television network empire, has died at 79. Loved by some, ridiculed by others; a great blessing to some, a superficial showman to others. Whatever you may think of the man is okay with me. But one thing about him deeply convicted me and is to all of us inescapable. In the mid 1970s, on the ceiling of a room in his house, he saw a vision. A map of North America appeared. From it pencil-thin lines streaked in all directions. Crouch asked, “Lord, what does this mean?” God responded with just one word:…
[ Read More → ]
Time Magazine gave the world an article titled, “The 25 Best Inventions of the Year.” If I could play God, I would be one of those inventors. A Olympic-size swimming pool that floats in a dirty body of water and cleans the dirty water flowing into it from its surrounding. A procedure to change a person’s memory–like in the science fiction films. That, in the right hands, would be used to help people suffering from things like PTSD. A light generated by a weight on a very slow-motion pulley that would replace dangerous and polluting kerosene lanterns all across the…
[ Read More → ]
In the aftermath of disaster, people worship. It’s happened in the Philippines after the great Typhoon. And we see it wherever there are believers. We’d like to think that when disasters strike, churches would be miraculously exempt from damage. After all, they’re God’s houses. But if they were, I wonder what effect it would have. Would it really make a positive difference? Somehow I think not. I suspect we would start to lean toward a magical take on our beliefs rather than living them out by faith. We would focus on what happened or didn’t happen versus meeting God in…
[ Read More → ]
I used to have what I called “Star Trek Theology.” I figured that there may be all kinds of creatures or people on other planets and that God may well have given them a revelation of himself something like he did to us on earth. Then I learned that physics are constant throughout the universe, and that the parameters for intelligent life are so incredibly fine tuned that the likelihood of life on another planet is extremely small. Almost to say: “We’re it.” Along comes a new report from the National Academy of Sciences that Earth-size planets orbiting sun-like stars…
[ Read More → ]
The German magazine Der Spiegel reports evidence that the National Security Agency has been spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone since 2002. God help us all. Angela Merkel has long proven herself to be among the world’s finest national leaders. And she’s one of my heroes. The revelation that my country has been tapping her cell phone–along with earlier revelations in France, and now Spain, and who knows how many more national leaders and citizens whose victimization haven’t yet been revealed–is a shock, and I am left ashamed of my own country’s betrayal of our closest allies. It…
[ Read More → ]If you have questions or comments related to this blog, please post them as blog comments rather than emailing me, because others may have similar thoughts, and I can respond to everyone. Yet I welcome emails for more personal questions or comments.
You may disagree with me or dislike what I write. If so, please be respectful in your comments. I reserve the right to delete comments that I determine to be disrespectful, offensive, misleading, or soliciting.
I grant you the right to quote me as long as you give proper credit for what I write. And I reserve the right to quote you and promise to give you proper credit.
