By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. It takes moral courage to grieve; it takes religious courage to rejoice. Søren Kierkegaard, The Soul of Kierkegaard: Selections from His Journal Do we look happy to you? The other day I had a conversation with one of my Buddhist friends. During the conversation, he said something interesting. “If Moses,Continue reading “Does Religion Bring Happiness?”
Category Archives: Religious Studies
Beliefs Have Consequences
by Harold W. Anderson, M.Div., Ph.D. Belief is powerful. It changes things and the more people believe it, the more things change. This, I suppose, is the lesson of systems. A singular belief can be something powerful for the person who holds it, but it may have little impact upon others. But a belief thatContinue reading “Beliefs Have Consequences”
What Happens When You Die?
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT, M.Div. I attended the funeral of a good friend recently. Her son and husband did the eulogy and did a very good job. However, following that, the minister started speaking. In his words, we received insight into what he thought happened after we die. Quoting from John 14, aContinue reading “What Happens When You Die?”
Faith…But Faith in What?
by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT, M.Div. It is difficult to know what the word for faith in the New Testament means because all too often, the term is used without definition. One of the few biblical definitions is given in Hebrew 11:1, which states “Now faith is being sure of what we hope forContinue reading “Faith…But Faith in What?”
Goodness, not Self-Interest, Is Our Truth
Sermon based on I Peter 1:17-22, written by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. on April 18, 1999 Let me begin this morning by telling you several different scenarios. I want you to think about each one and answer to yourself what you think you would do in these different circumstances. Here’s the first scenario: You areContinue reading “Goodness, not Self-Interest, Is Our Truth”
From Global Village to Spiritual Village: The Tongues of the Spirit
A sermon on Acts 2:1-21 delivered May 23, 1999 by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. Have you heard of the newest gadget? It’s really cool. It’s called Robo-Pup, and it was created in Japan by Sony’s research and development labs. This thing is amazing! Here’s what PC Magazine had to say about it: Aibo can performContinue reading “From Global Village to Spiritual Village: The Tongues of the Spirit”
The Sermon: A Dialogue of Faith
With the encouragement of my wife, some of my future posts will be edited versions of sermons that I have preached over the years. Before doing so, I wish to take a moment to briefly express what I believe a sermon to be and what it needs to do. There is…awesome power in a sermonContinue reading “The Sermon: A Dialogue of Faith”
Walking through Grainfields
4th of July sermon preached by the Rev. Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., July, 2005 Before I became a marriage and family therapist, I was a minister. The last church I pastored before retirement was a church in Brush, Colorado, a community that politically and theologically was my opposite. I embraced a liberal mindset; most inContinue reading “Walking through Grainfields”
Rushing Headlong towards Civil War?
Two clergy worry about the divided nature of our country and wonder what type of sacrifice is necessary for the division to be healed. They worry if it can it be healed or are we as a country rushing headlong into another civil war? Hundreds of thousands died in the last one. What will happenContinue reading “Rushing Headlong towards Civil War?”
I Don’t Get It…. Is Heaven Really that Important?
The Church is the Church only when it exists for others . . . not dominating but helping and serving. It must tell people of every calling what it means to live for Christ, to exist for others. In short, it is much easier to see a thing through from the point of view ofContinue reading “I Don’t Get It…. Is Heaven Really that Important?”