By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div., MFT When I was growing up, I was told that I must “believe.” In our house, belief was equated with faith so believing in the right things made a person faithful. What were we supposed to believe? It was the standard affair for anyone growing up in middleContinue reading “Asking “Why?””
Tag Archives: God
Stepping Back: Escaping the Echo Chamber
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div. I grew up in the Church of the Nazarene that valued “testimonies.” Testimonies were rituals where a person would give a report of how a problem occurred and God, through prayer, fixed the problem. After hearing enough testimonies, I began to realize that if a person wanted toContinue reading “Stepping Back: Escaping the Echo Chamber”
Beware the Devil Wearing the Mask of Christian Nationalism
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div. Note: This article is longer than normal, but it contains a great deal of information on Christian Nationalism and how to oppose it. Claiming that it is a fascist organization, I offer six ways that we might oppose this group along with the MAGA movement. I think itContinue reading “Beware the Devil Wearing the Mask of Christian Nationalism”
Faith Without Religion
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div. I have to admit, I enjoy TikTok, and I am a little concerned that on my feed at least, there are so many expressing their dismay about religion in general and Christianity in particular. Now, before the chorus of loud “Amens!” begin to ring out, let me alsoContinue reading “Faith Without Religion”
Faithful Living and the Difference between Kerygma and Myth
by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div by Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div It is impossible to use electric light and the wireless and to avail ourselves of modern medical and surgical discoveries, and at the same time to believe in the New Testament world of spirits and miracles. WeContinue reading “Faithful Living and the Difference between Kerygma and Myth”
Does Religion Bring Happiness?
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?”
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?”
Margins Beyond Individualism
By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D. I recently posted a blog entitled “What does it mean to be a critical thinker?” One of my readers sent a response written from a Social Darwinism point of view. This is the response I wrote to his response. When completed, I thought my response was something I’d like toContinue reading “Margins Beyond Individualism”
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”