“You can’t really believe in the Bible, right? It’s been translated so many times! Not to mention the thousands of errors and the fact that the Council of Nicaea totally suppressed stuff they didn’t like. There’s just no way you can know what it originally said.” If you’re strangely inclined to trust the Bible, you may have heard some arguments like that before. But how to respond? Thanks to the dedicated research of a host […]
I’ve written a number of pieces about Christian hip-hop over at Evangelical Outpost, as well as entrenching myself in the genre as a reviewer (both written and in podcast form) for The Christian Manifesto. When I was asked to write a few guest posts here at The Two Cities, I really wasn’t sure what I should focus on. I considered writing about The Dark Knight Rises, but that’s been pretty well covered here (I didn’t […]
Decisions. I face them. You have them. We all make them. Myself, more reluctantly than others. For anyone who has ever gone shoe shopping with me (and you know who you are, because you’ll never forget it), you’ve seen firsthand the incredible crippling power of analysis paralysis. One decision many twenty and thirty-somethings face is that pertaining to their line of work. Their career. Their dream vocation. We’re blessed to live in a society were […]
“How is it they live for eons in such harmony the billions of stars when most men can barely go a minute without declaring war in their mind against someone they know.” -St. Thomas Aquinas The other night, Curiosity touched down on the surface of Mars. Engineers screamed and shouted inside the Mission Control Center in Pasadena, CA. Chants of “Science! Science! Science!” rang out over the crackle of the EDL leader announcing touchdown. We […]
Whether you know it or not you’re an idol. Many people have role models and they call these people idols. At the moment the world is watching the greatest athletes competing in the Olympics. Many of these athletes are ‘idolized’ in their home countries. This year American television audiences are gearing up for the tenth anniversary of the hit show American Idol where new stars are born. Many of us have role models and idols. When […]
Rapper KB dropped a killer debut last month with Weight & Glory, an album that puts to rest all debates on whether hip-hop is good or bad. If we’re judging by music, lyrics, theology and phat beats, the verdict is in: behold, it was very good. Weight & Glory is a musical sermon that urges listeners to recognize the weight of God’s glory, and to respond in worship. The 14-song set includes guest vocals from […]
Many beer connaisseurs claim that the best beer in the world is made in a small town in western Belgium called Vleteren. This beer is known as Westvleteren. It is brewed by Trappist monks in their monastery and the proceeds support various charities. It is incredibly rare and hard to find in Belgium, let alone other parts of the world. So during my travels across Belgium I had one main prerogative: find Westvleteren. Other Trappist […]
“One thing my dad always used to say was that it was only fair for him, or any pastor for that matter, to receive the same sort of compensation as any other teacher in that local market. Besides… being poor doesn’t make you any holier.” For whatever reason, about 4 years ago, this statement was pressed by the mother of one of my best friends as a conversation emerged around the subject of money came […]
I know it’s the 21st century, but here’s the thing: I’m a Christian. By definition, I have old-school beliefs. That might be a newsflash to the critics, who often react to biblical, traditional and altogether unsurprising beliefs with dropped jaws, as if Christians haven’t preached these things for two thousand years: “Do you seriously believe that?” Yes. Yes, I do. I still believe the Bible is the word of God. It’s true and inspired and […]
This week I’m in Amsterdam for the International Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature. Yes, that’s right, a Bible conference in Amsterdam. I can already say that this city is one of my favorites. It is absolutely wonderful. The canals and architecture are picturesque and make me wish I intended to stay longer. Of course, there are some sketchy bits to Amsterdam as well. The infamous “Coffee Shops” house copious amounts of weed that can […]
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