A Lie Is a Lie…Right?

By Harold W. Anderson, Ph.D., M.A., M.Div. Emmanuel Kant believed that a lie was a lie and lying was and is always wrong.  Do you agree?  Most of my ethic students weren’t quite sure.  Surely, they thought, a little lie—sometimes called “a white lie”—won’t hurt anything, would it?  In fact, contrary to Kant, they wouldContinue reading “A Lie Is a Lie…Right?”

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?”

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”

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”

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?”