The Gift of Daniel

It’s finally fall, and that means gift giving season is just around the corner. As a follow up to the Lessons from Babylon series, I want to recommend two books that would make good gifts, especially to the young people in our lives who are going to have to make their way in these cultural waters. Or you can gift it to yourself.

Recommended Reading for the Times

This week I offer links to some pieces I think you’ll find helpful, pieces on navigating the times we find ourselves in.

Sin in Heaven?

Let’s look at one of the gotcha questions people sometimes throw at Christianity.

Will we have free will in heaven*? I have to say I cannot find a single passage of scripture that speaks to this unequivocally. The answer to this question really seems to stem from what theological camp you belong to.

But let’s say for the sake of argument that the answer is “yes, we will have free will in heaven”.

People will then ask if it will be possible that there could be another rebellion in heaven. Could someone do what Satan did, what Adam and Eve did, and decide to go their own way?

A Compass and a Weathervane

I live in the same town where I grew up. When I was young, I could tell you which way was north anywhere in town and still can. But I was surprised, years later, to find out that ended pretty much at the edge of town. The neighboring towns that I thought were west and east of us are actually almost north and south. The road heads off to the west and east then gradually curves. Before long you’re going a direction you didn’t expect. I only realized this years later when looking at a map.

Turns out it’s not just roads. People who hike off trails tend to go in circles. They think they’re going straight, but their path slowly veers to one side. But there’s a bit of ancient knowledge that can solve this problem. A compass has exactly one purpose: To point to the north. With this seemingly magical device, you can tell when roads (or your feet) curve. As long as you can tell where true north is, you can travel in a straight line.