Another Great Quote by C.S. Lewis

20 Cognitive Biases That Affect Your Decisions

Good stuff here from Mental Floss. The first step in avoiding these pitfalls is being aware of them.

Stranger in a Strange Church Land

Stranger in a Strange Land is a 1961 science fiction novel by American author Robert Heinlein. It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who comes to earth in early adulthood after being born on the planet Mars and raised by Martians (Wikipedia).

Many times I feel like a stranger in a strange church land.

As far as the church is concerned, it's as if I was raised by Martians on Mars but then later dropped off on earth. When I look around me what I largely see seems foreign. I often feel out of place and time. I imagine it's something like how Moses felt when, after fleeing to Egypt, he said, "I have been a sojourner in a foreign land" (Exodus 2:22).

I live in the Bible Belt of the USA. The biggest evidence of the church I see around me is lots of mostly empty church buildings. Once or twice a week they partly fill with people. Beyond that I see little else that indicates that the church exists here (the not being allowed to purchase alcohol before 12:30 on Sundays doesn't count as evidence of anything other than silly tradition). This is a largely secular society where most folks are expected at a cultural level to "be in church." However, my guess is that the vast majority of these don't know Christ. Many are on a membership role that means less than the paper it is printed on.

When I read the New Testament I see a church that spent much time together. I see a church that was pushed to the margins of society. I see a people who carried out the one anothers faithfully within the body. I read of family gatherings where they shared the Lord's Supper meal together. I see people who gave sacrificially to meet tangible needs. I see the people of God following the lead of the Holy Spirit. I read of elders within the body setting an example of servanthood.

A massive disconnect exists between what I see in our modern church culture and what I see in the bible. In fact, the two are so different that they are completely different things.

Because of this disconnect, I consistently feel like a stranger in a strange church land. The disconnect doesn't compute with me. It feels like I was raised on Mars with one expectation of what church should be, and then traveled to earth to find something totally different. It is odd indeed.

Despite these feelings I do have hope for the church. This is a great hope based in Jesus Christ and his faithfulness.

Do you ever feel like a stranger in a strange church land?

Vote Now for Your Favorite All-Star Pastor!

(WARNING: This post is satirical. Please don't actually vote.)


In light of our obsession with all-stars in this culture, you can now vote for your favorite all-star pastor! Why should the athletes and actors get all the headlines? Vote now to promote those who do the most for Jesus!

There are a few simple rules to follow:

1. The person has to be living (I'm sorry if Jonathan Edwards is your homeboy. You're not allowed to vote for dead people).

2. You can vote for anyone who is a pastor, theologian, seminary president, seminary professor, etc. Don't worry - their theology doesn't matter.

3. You may only vote one time for one person.

4. As in basketball, the top five vote-getters will compose the "starting five." The next seven will make up the "bench."

5. You can vote by calling this toll-free number: 1-888-BEST-PASTOR.

6. Vote for any of the following or feel free to vote for someone not on the list:

Thabiti Anyabwile

Voddie Baucham

Alistair Begg

Rob Bell

D.A. Carson

Francis Chan

Chuck Colson

Mark Dever

James Dobson

Mark Driscoll

Sinclair Ferguson

Norman Geisler

Billy Graham

Franklin Graham

Wayne Grudem

Josh Harris

Johnny Hunt

Bill Hybels

T.D. Jakes

David Jeremiah

Tim Keller

Tim Lahaye

John MacArthur

C.J. Mahaney

Brian McLaren

Joyce Meyer

Albert Mohler

Joel Osteen

J.I. Packer

John Piper

R.C. Sproul

John Stott

Jerry Vines

Frank Viola

Rick Warren

N.T. Wright

Philip Yancey
Ravi Zacharias

Call Now! Let them know how much you love and admire them. Tell them through your vote how much you want to be like them!

If you vote right now, you have a really good shot at receiving a free copy of a hand-autographed book written by your favorite person. Don't wait! Vote now!

Results will be provided in a few days. Thanks.

(Reminder: This post is satirical. Please don't actually vote. Thanks.)

Authorship of Hebrews

Who wrote the book of Hebrews? I don't know. However, since many other people have stated their opinions, I'll give mine as well.

This may seem simplistic, but here we go:

As I read Hebrews, the themes seem Pauline. The big pictures remind me of Romans, Galatians, etc.

However, the language seems fairly complex, like Luke would write. The wording reminds me somewhat of Luke-Acts.

My guess is this: Paul preached a series of sermons to a largely Jewish-Christian audience. Luke, sitting nearby, took notes on Paul's teachings. Later, Luke went back to his notes and wrote out in full what Paul said. So the themes are Pauline, but the language is more Lukan.

I freely admit that I'm no Greek scholar. Much of my conclusion is based on what I have heard from others. However, it seems to make sense in light of the data.

I'm glad we don't have to worry about the inspiration of Hebrews even though we are uncertain of the author.

Complaining, Sin, and the Sovereignty of God

We live in a society that complains about everything. We live in an era that is the most advanced technologically in history, yet we complain. We have machines to do nearly anything for us, but we gripe and gripe and gripe.

I understand why non-Christians complain. Because they do not know God, they are concerned primarily with themselves. When focus is on self, that person will complain.

But why do Christians complain? We have been told very clearly not to complain. In Philippians 4:14, Paul writes, "Do all things without complaining and disputing." This passage follows immediately after the great Christ Hymn of 2:5-11. In light of the context, we ought to be serving rather than complaining.

I believe there are at least two reasons why Christians (including me) complain:

First, we do not really grasp the depth of our sin. If we truly thought biblically about the holiness of God and the utter rebellion that our sin is, we would also see that we deserve absolutely nothing good in this life. John tells us that sin is lawlessness. What we do deserve is an express ticket to the Lake of Fire.

Second, we do not really believe that God is sovereign. I must admit that I give lip-service to God's sovereignty, but I'm not consistent in acting like I believe it is true. If God is sovereign, then this means that He controls all my circumstances. Since that is the case, I have nothing to complain about.

We complain because our focus is inward instead of Godward. We would do much better by focusing on meeting the needs of others instead of thinking about what would make our lives easier.