Website: http://christianreader.com
Eric has written 252 articles so far, you can find them below.
The Third Commandment states: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Although this commandment is typically understood to mean how we use the name of God in our speech, this is not primarily [...]
Full Story »
In early 2009, the late Michael Spencer (aka the Internet Monk, or iMonk) wrote an article entitled “The Coming Evangelical Collapse.” In this article, Spencer gave his assessment of the future of the evangelical movement. His forecast was not a pleasant one, especially for those who believe that evangelicalism is doing just fine. I tend to agree with most of Spencer’s reservations about the effectiveness of the movement in the years and decades to come, and like Spencer I also believe that this is a good and necessary thing. Movements, in general, serve a limited purpose and can be found scattered throughout the history of humankind. Like successful countercultures (for a very interesting book on this topic, get a copy of Nation of Rebels: Why Counterculture Became Consumer Culture), movements tend to move from the fringe to the center, only to be replaced—or at least modified—by a new movement coming in from the fringe. Simply put, evangelicalism is beginning to feel the strain of life at the center.
Full Story »
One of the most sobering chapters in all of Scripture can be found in Deuteronomy 6. In this well-known portion of the Old Testament, we are informed that the Law of God is more than just a series of directives handed down by a Divine Deity. In fact, we learn that obeying the Law is [...]
Full Story »
In what might be classified as an “entertainment irony,” it has taken a straightforward film set in the past to pry the public’s attention away from a complicated film set in the future. With all of the overblown adoration and critical acclaim being heaped on Inception—Christopher Nolan’s most recent movie—for the last six months or so, [...]
Full Story »
Until about two years ago, I never paid much attention to the messages blazoned on the backside of the car in front of me. Lately, however, it seems that bumper stickers have become the last bastion of free speech—the final frontier of public politically incorrect expression. As I was making my way home from work [...]
Full Story »
The Bible is a book of contrasts. It is filled with stories about man’s stubborn propensity to settle for the good over the best, to take the easy road rather than the difficult, to walk in darkness instead of in the light. Even though we read time and time again in the Scriptures that God [...]
Full Story »
Forget for a minute that you exist. Forget about your life, what it is and what you expected it would be. Forget about your likes and dislikes, your preferences and annoyances, your motivations and discouragements. Forget that you have a mother and a father, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, co-workers and colleagues. Forget that [...]
Full Story »
The Christmas season is one of traditions. Advent calendars, Christmas trees, egg nog, fruitcake, caroling, and good will toward men are just a few of the many traditions that have come to signify the entire experience of Christmas. While many may disagree about which traditions should or should not be celebrated (for instance, fruitcake does [...]
Full Story »
Every year around Christmas time, we are treated to yet another (often just a repeat of previous “findings”) naturalistic explanation of the biblical “star of Bethlehem.” It seems to be a foregone conclusion of these types of writings that if an astronomical explanation for the star was to be found, the entire birth narrative—and ultimately [...]
Full Story »
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17) There is a certain church that [...]
Full Story »
