Tag: Christianity

Is God obligated to heal disease?

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FLOYD ROGERS

I was asked if God could cure a person with social anxiety disorder.  I was a bit surprised when they laughed at my response.  God can cure any disorder, but does one need to be cured of anxiety to be in God’s will?

Nowhere in the Bible does it say we will be without pain or suffering; at least not before the second coming.  Consider that Paul asked God three times to take away his thorn in the flesh.  God responded by telling Paul, “My grace is sufficient…” Paul had what he needed even without being delivered from his thorn in the flesh. In fact, Paul went on to write, that he would delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties.  I believe 2 Corinthians tells us Paul’s weaknesses led him to depend on God, and thus, made him stronger in spite of his initial assumption that he needed to have his thorn removed.

Can someone ask why God cannot do such-and-such without assuming they know what God should do?

I’m very interested in reading your responses. Please post them below or on the station’s Facebook page.

Hate crimes charges filed after man screams obscenities and exposes himself at church in Edmonton

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David Ingram, Music Director & Reporter

The Archdiocese of Edmonton Thursday issued a statement announcing that charges have been filed against an individual who disrupted Mass on December 13 at Santa Maria Goretti Church. Edmonton police have charged the individual, who is not named, with mischief to religious property. The charge is a hate crime. The suspect is also charged with mischief.

The website of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton says police have banned the suspect from all archdiocesan property.

The Archdiocese is not releasing further comment while the case remains before the courts.

Is it true that atheism is a conclusion rather than a belief?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

An atheist writer once opined: Atheism is a conclusion, not a belief. Is there merit to this non-believer’s words? To answer this question we need to be clear on a few things.  What is the difference between “a conclusion” and Christian faith. What is Christian faith? It is also important to ask from where does Christian faith come? Let’s consider these things and determine if the writer’s conclusion is reasoned.

Let’s use Webster for the definition of “conclusion.” It seems to be the most, if not one of the most, widely-accepted dictionaries. Webster defines a conclusion as a reasoned judgement.  I’ll concede that one could reach atheism as a conclusion depending on what evidence he or she has. To be clear, I did not say it is a correct conclusion. One must rule out the source of Christian faith or not be aware of its source, before he or she can call the writer’s conclusion reasoned. So what is Christian faith?

I’ve watched debates where non-believers reject a Biblical definition of faith while accusing Christians of re-defining words to win an argument. But a Biblical definition is the only one that matters if we are talking about Christianity and what Christians believe. The book of Hebrews tells us, “…faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” This is part of the needed information. This definition says nothing about the source of our faith. It speaks only to its definition. So from where does Christian faith come?

Saving faith is a gift from God. Ephesians says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…”  For a person to reasonably conclude that there is no God they must reasonably reject all evidence of God. They must have a reason to reject the idea that saving faith is a posteriori knowledge (knowledge from experience) that comes as a gift from God. If one does not have a reason to reject this evidence, then they have only an idea or a belief. It is not sound logic to say, “God does not exist therefore he could not give you knowledge of His existence,” without first demonstrating there is no God.  Let me restate that a different way: A logical argument can’t use the premise “there is no God” if the conclusion is “there is no God.” That’s circular logic.  At the center of all of this is the difference between saying “I don’t know” and having a reasonable conclusion.  If an atheist says “I’m simply not convinced…” or “I don’t know,” then they have not reached a conclusion.  

As of this writing, Webster online defines atheism as, “a lack of belief or strong disbelief in the existence of a god or any gods.” An atheist who doesn’t know if God exists has not reached a conclusion. An atheist who says he or she strongly disbelieves in God has a belief; that is, a belief that God does not exist.  The writers claim that atheism is a conclusion is either based on limited evidence, rejection of evidence without reason, or a belief.

What are your thoughts?

Is it wrong to be wealthy?

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FLOYD ROGERS – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

A YouTube video titled, “Why most rich people will end up in hell” was brought up in discussion. For full disclosure: I did not watch the video.  I’ve found that a person usually doesn’t really know what they’re talking about if they can’t make a point without telling me to watch someone else’s video. But the title piqued my interest.  After all, the Book of Matthew does say, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

The Bible uses a lot of metaphor. Its books are written in the common-person’s language. People back then were not that different from modern folks who use metaphors like saying my car died on the way to work.  We know the person who says this doesn’t believe their car was alive.  I think Matthew is using a similar metaphor here. I don’t think he’s saying it’s impossible for a rich person to go to heaven, but that it can be very hard for a rich person to do so.  But why?

Our redemption is a gift from God.  We don’t earn it, but we can reject it.  We can also allow things to become more important than God and money can become a stumbling block. Too, other types of wealth can cause us problems. Consider that the book of Matthew says, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…” It’s not wrong to love your family, but it is wrong to love people more than God.  The point I’m making is that a thing does not have to be intrinsically evil to become a stumbling block. Could this be why Matthew records Jesus asking, “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”

What are your thoughts?

StowTown Records Releases Highly-anticipated Brotherhood Project

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SPECIAL STOWTOWN RECORDS

Nashville, TN (November 20, 2020) – Collectively, they have enjoyed more than 100 accolades, industry honors and fan awards. Over the past two decades they have received multiple Grammy® nominations and GMA Dove Awards, as well as countless Fan Awards from The Singing News Magazine. Since bursting onto the Gospel Music scene, Ernie Haase & Signature Sound and The Booth Brothers have each established their place firmly atop the genre’s ladder of success. Thus, in 2015 when the announcement was made by IMC Concerts that these two groups would be uniting for multiple concert events, excitement abounded from fans nationwide. 

Obviously, the live concert events proved to be a tremendous success with sold-out crowds each night. From those live events comes a brand new release from StowTown Records. Brotherhood, by Ernie Haase & Signature Sound & The Booth Brothers, features two of the most acclaimed artists at their very best. This collection of camaraderie, laughter and timeless music allows fans the opportunity to own a collective piece of history that can be enjoyed day after day.

IMC Concerts & StowTown Records President Landon Beene shares, “When the idea of bringing these two artists together was first presented to us, we knew it would be something special. Their talents flowed together extremely well on stage and it was an electrifying event. We are thrilled to make it available as a live recording.”

The recording features timeless classics, delivered with the same infectious energy that has attributed to the overwhelming success these two groups have enjoyed over the years. From start to finish, this recording truly captures the bonds of brotherhood these talented individuals share.

Brotherhood is distributed by Provident/Sony and is available on all digital platforms worldwide and wherever fine Christian music is sold, including christianbook.com, barnesandnoble.com, and amazon.com. 

Brotherhood Track Listing:
Life’s Railway to Heaven
Home
All the Gold in California
Jesus Is Coming Soon
I’ll Fly Away
Sweet Beulah Land
Going Home
In the Garden
Look for me at Jesus’ Feet