Browsing Tag:

Freedom

In Bible Study, Blog, Leviticus on
July 4, 2022

Do Christians Have the Freedom to Eat Pork?

Today is the Fourth of July, which means it’s America’s Independence Day. This annual holiday is such a fun one to celebrate. Everyone is dressed in bright red, crisp white, and dark navy blue. The night sky is lit up by fireworks, sparklers, and bonfires. Many spend the day at the beach or the lake. Others watch parades march down Main Street. And a large number of both children and adults engage in eating a classic American food—the glorious hot dog.

Hot dogs aren’t for everyone (I’ve seen some documentaries that have made me question the goodness of that little sausage), but they sure are popular. It’s estimated that Americans consume about 150 million hot dogs every Fourth of July![1] But as a Christian living in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, you may be wondering if you ought to participate in this American ritual. After all, doesn’t the Bible condemn eating pork? And since hot dogs are made out of pork (unless you buy those kosher ones made out of beef), should Christians really be eating hot dogs on the Fourth of July?

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Self-Love on
February 21, 2022

Enough About Me

Women in America are increasingly unhappy. And nobody quite seems to know why. After all, women have more rights and more opportunities than they’ve ever had before. Yet, women still feel unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and simply unhappy.

And when women feel this way, our culture tells them that they just to practice a little self-care. You just need to go get your nails done. You just need to go do some yoga. You just need to say no to others. You just need to focus on yourself. While these things may provide a modicum of relief, discontentment sets in soon afterward. What is the problem? Why are women so unhappy? In her book Enough About Me, Jen Oshman suggests that the problem is that women are focusing on themselves too much.

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In Bible Study, Blog, Luke on
January 31, 2022

Jesus Draws Near to the Powerless

I cannot imagine what it must be like to never be able to walk or run. I cannot fathom what it must feel like to never be able to stand up and stretch and move around. As a person who likes to be in control of her life, I can’t conceive how frustrated I would be and how powerless I would feel that I couldn’t do normal, everyday tasks, like buying groceries, or putting on clothes, or going to the bathroom.

It can be easy for able-bodied people to take these things for granted, to forget how many things we need our legs for. I thank God that He has blessed me with legs that can run, walk, bend, stretch, skip, jump, crouch, and squat. But the unimaginable, the unfathomable, the inconceivable, the frustrating powerlessness is a reality for many people, including the paralyzed man in Luke 5.

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In Blog, Book Reviews, Self-Love on
November 1, 2021

Flourish

A couple years ago, I saw an Instagram post about a Christian women’s conference that had recently happened not far from where I live. In the picture, there was a wall full of cards attached to strings with clothespins where the women attending the conference could take pictures. On each card, there was a different affirmation – I am enough. I am radiant. I am chosen. I am a masterpiece. I am valued. I am victorious. I am captivating. I am redeemed. I am cherished. I am adored. I am worthy.

Do you notice a theme running through all these phrases? They all focus on “I.” They’re not focused on God. They’re not focused on the Bible. They’re all focused on who “I” am. This infatuation with the self is becoming increasingly popular in the Church, especially among Christian women. When women shout these Christian-sounding phrases, they believe that they are helping themselves and other women like them to be free of the guilt and the shame and the trauma and the low self-esteem they’ve struggled with. But, as Lydia Brownback writes in her book Flourish, this self-focus is not as freeing as it appears.

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In Blog, Feelings, Theology on
August 16, 2021

My Feelings are Valid, or Are They?

My feelings are valid!

If you’ve followed any female influencer who prioritizes self-love and self-care for any length of time, you’ve probably heard this phrase before. Or perhaps you’ve even used it yourself. We live in a culture that highly prizes, validates, and affirms one’s feelings, whether they be good or bad. And this culture is even trying to train us to always speak in a way that will never leave anyone out, offend anyone, or hurt anyone’s feelings. Rene Descartes, a French philosopher who lived in the seventeenth century, once said, “I think, therefore I am.”[1] But is appears our culture has changed this to, “I feel, therefore I am.”

Many people today find their identity in how they feel, so they want their feelings to be validated because that then validates their identity – who they are as a person. But the problem with this phrase is that not all feelings are valid. Therefore, as believers, we cannot and should not affirm those feelings which are in fact invalid.

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