The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 1 - 13 of 13
Q: My mother claims to be a Christian but there is no evidence of it at home. How can this be? - B.M. A: Living for Christ in the home is the acid test for any Christian. It's far easier to live an excellent life among our friends when we're putting our best foot forward and are conscious of public opinion, than it is to live for Christ at home. Our own family circle knows whether Christ lives in and through us. A true Christian will not give way at home to bad temper, impatie...
Q: When I was young, my Sunday school teacher helped the class memorize an Old Testament passage when the world was very wicked: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). When I was little I couldn't quite imagine that kind of living, but doesn't it seem that the world has regressed? This verse describes our world today. - W.R. A: When everyone does what is right in his own eyes, there is no possibility of order and peace. Too many people today feel that mo...
Q: No wonder Christmas is a more favored holiday than Easter. Christmas speaks of a new life [the infant Jesus] that brought joy. Easter brings thoughts of death [His gruesome death], yet there is the new life found in resurrection, which is curious. What does the Bible verse mean when it says that death is swallowed up in victory? - B.I. A: Think about the holes children make when they dig in the sand on the seashore. When the waves come in, the holes are swallowed up by the...
Q: I read a lot about blending various faiths from around the world and many support a one-world religion. Years ago, this was frightening to some, but now people from all faiths are coming on board as "people of faith." We're told that we should concentrate only on the common ground of our beliefs, which is to be the best we can, do the best we can, and love others. The world says this is what can bring humanity together. Is there room in Christianity for this kind of...
Q: It's surprising to see young people fighting for social action and at the same time completely steeped in the pursuit of self-pleasure. It doesn't seem that these two lifestyles can work together. – S.A. A: Human nature seeks to please itself. When something brings pleasure, we are inclined to call evil good, even if we know that down deep it is dead wrong. To make ourselves feel better when things go wrong, we blame others. Evil cleverly disguises itself as good, and human...
Q: My teenagers think their mother is quite old-fashioned because of my warnings about pornography. The culture has done a very bad thing by teaching young people that there is nothing wrong with obsessing about sensual images, cleverly changing the meaning of words to take the sting away. - P.P. A: Pornography is both a symptom and a cause of the widespread immorality and corruption of modern society. It reaches people of all age levels through a multibillion-dollar industry...
Q: I've had a lot of sorrow in my life and it seems my friends are weary of my troubles. I suppose others have problems equal to mine but for me it can't get worse. My family tells me that I shouldn't share my troubles because it drives people away. How does one go about as though nothing is wrong? Isn't that dishonest? - N.F. A: There are anguishing scenarios of human suffering. All one has to do to hear the cries of the hurting is to listen to the news for just a few...
Q: How troubling to hear talking points about social justice standards defined by identity, diversity, and social action. This is causing confusion in areas of education, public service, and even in churches, saying that all people are basically good and deserve to live as they like regardless if it hurts anyone else; and that preaching against sin is robbing people of their individual rights to live free from any imposed standard. Is there an answer? - T.S. A: Many people who...
Q: What does the Christian message mean to say that there is a cost to following Jesus? Didn't Jesus pay the price? - C.F. A: God has paid the greatest debt we will ever incur, and once we understand the incredible sacrifice He has made for us, we will be compelled to turn to Him in obedience and love. Many people want the benefits of their faith, but they hesitate at the cost of discipleship. To be a disciple of Jesus means to learn from Him, to follow Him. The cost may be...
Q: Why do people resent the message of Christians today that Jesus is the answer? Surely they cannot believe that the world will ever find a way out of the mess that the world is in today. - D.D. A: The world is in unending conflict. Lawlessness is in conflict with the lawful. Intrigue and dishonesty are in conflict with truth and honesty. Intolerance is at odds with tolerance and human understanding. Lust and pleasure are in conflict with propriety and purity. Godlessness is...
Q: I'm a Christian but I disagree with the teaching about the narrow road -- a rejection of all that is exciting about life. I can still be a follower of Christ but take part in all the world has to offer, right? - W.C. A: When American astronauts astonished the human race with their spectacular first visit to the moon, they took Apollo 11 on a very narrow trajectory through space. Now suppose the NASA control center in Houston had received word from Apollo 11 that the...
Q: Is it true that people find different ways to God? - P.C. A: People come to Christ in many different ways; your experience won't necessarily be like someone else's. This is not to be confused with the fact that there is only one way to salvation and that is through Jesus Christ. He is the only way of salvation (John 14:6). Some conversions are sudden and dramatic, a radical change from one way of living to another. Some people are convicted of sin in church or at an evangelistic meeting in a basketball arena. Others find...
Q: Is God like us or is God basically a vapor or something that is in the atmosphere? - G.W. A: God isn't made of atoms or molecules; He isn't part of the created world. He exists in a wholly different realm. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that "God is Spirit" (John 4:24). Because He is a Spirit, God isn't limited in any way. He is far greater than the material world (which is one reason we aren't to worship idols or nature). We cannot confine Him to one place,...
