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: love
Faith, Judgment, and Edification
As many of you are aware, I have been teaching philosophy and ethics for the past years, and a written response I received from one of my ethics students was as interesting as it was informative. The student wrote: “Ethics is based upon knowing the good, knowing the good inside each one of us. WhatContinue reading “Faith, Judgment, and Edification”
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”
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. 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. We may think we can manage it in our own lives, butContinue reading “Faithful Living and the Difference between Kerygma and Myth”
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?”
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”
Facing the End of Life
By Rev. Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., LMFT Last March we were bringing our vacation in Maui to a close. While packing our bags, Becky received a call from Becky’s youngest sister. Since we were busy packing, Becky let the call go to voicemail and thought she would call her sister back on the way toContinue reading “Facing the End of Life”