Post Author: Bill Pratt I pointed out recently that the divine commands given by God to the nation of Israel in the first five books of the Bible (the Law) were not directed at Christians. The law was written for us, but not to us. Christians are not under the Law. But this doesn’t mean … Continue reading How Should Christians Apply the Law? Part 1
Post Author: Bill Pratt There are many reasons why a Christian may not want to celebrate Christmas: it’s too commercial, it encourages greediness, it focuses too much on Santa Claus. I want to consider another reason, which is that Christmas is based on pagan beliefs and influences, and that if we celebrate Christmas, we are … Continue reading Should Christians Celebrate Christmas? Part 1
Post Author: Bill Pratt New Testament scholar Daniel Wallace recently wrote an informative blog post on what he considers to be the fifteen most common myths about Bible translation. While I suggest you read his post in its entirety, I have picked out a few of the myths that I think are the most important … Continue reading What Are the Most Common Myths About Bible Translation? Part 1
Post Author: Bill Pratt I am speaking to the born-again Christian. Why should you go to church? Unfortunately, there are many of you out there who have decided that you no longer need to attend church, for whatever reason. You worship in your home, you read your Bible, you pray, so why do you need … Continue reading Why Should You Go to Church?
Post Author: Bill Pratt In the Book of Exodus, God commands Moses to tell the Israelites to take plunder from the Egyptians, and the Israelites did so as they were preparing to leave: The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The Lord had … Continue reading Should Christians Borrow Ideas from Non-Christians?
Post Author: Bill Pratt Tomorrow is a big day in North Carolina because we are casting votes on whether a marriage protection amendment should be added to the state constitution, something that a large number of other states have already done. I have written on marriage and gay marriage in the past, and you can … Continue reading Why Should You Vote “For” the NC Marriage Protection Amendment?
Post Author: Bill Pratt Oftentimes you’ll hear pastors or priests tell us to listen to what God has to say to us, but how exactly are we supposed to do this? Should we expect God to communicate in a booming voice, much like he spoke to Moses on the mountain? If not like this, then … Continue reading How Do We Listen to God?
Post Author: Bill Pratt As I’ve corresponded with skeptics of Christianity over the years, I have been amazed at what I call hyper-skeptics. These are people who throw the word “contradiction” around when they should really use the word “difference.” A contradiction occurs between two statements when one statement is “A is B” and the … Continue reading How Do You Prove a Contradiction in the Bible?
Post Author: Bill Pratt If you’re reading a Bible passage, when should you start thinking about how it applies to your life? Many of us think that this is the first thing we should do after reading a passage, but I want to discourage that way of thinking. Before thinking about how a passage applies … Continue reading When Reading the Bible, When Should We Look for Application?
Post Author: Bill Pratt Many people wonder why we don’t see miracles such as the parting of the sea, the raising of the dead, and people walking on water. It seems like miracles were pretty common in the Old and New Testaments, but today nothing like that seems to happen. Why? First of all, I … Continue reading Why Don’t We See Miracles Today? – #5 Post of 2009