If we start in Genesis and read through the Old Testament, we come across many different names for God. When we get to 1Samuel, we meet a new one. It's clear who it refers to, but it's telling us more than we realize. We'll get more out of these passages when we understand what it means.
You may have heard someone say this: "Christians are good so they'll be rewarded. Atheists are good for goodness' sake, and that's more moral." The first time I encountered that claim, it felt very wrong, but it took me a bit to work out exactly why. I want to get you to think about it, so you're ready if you run into this. Let's examine what drives Christian morality.
Humans love stories. We need the drama, the conflict resolution, the excitement. We want to lose ourselves in adventure. But we also need heroes. We want to root for them as they overcomes adversity or evil. There is a particular type of hero we love more than all others, and that tells us something about ourselves.
This week, I'd like to share a selection of interesting pieces from across the interwebs.
Every group has its own insider language. Specialized vocabulary makes communication easier, and it lets us identify those in our group. But it also shuts out other people. The thing is, we don't always realize we're speaking a special vocabulary. When we try to communicate with outsiders using it, we don't get our message across effectively, if at all.
Christians, we have our own dialect. When we use it with unbelievers, they may not understand what we're saying. Or worse, they may misunderstand.
