Social media can at times seem like a combat zone, and I have a tendency to add to the fury by posting a statement or question which can generate some heated debate. A few weeks ago, I posted this comment, which at the time I didn't think was very controversial: "Every Christian must be an active member of a local church. You cannot be your own pastor any more than you can be your own doctor or lawyer. On top of this, you were born again into a new family, to which you are to give and from...

In 1510, a young Augustinian monk arrived in the city of Rome for the first time after a journey of roughly 800 miles. A lawyer by training, he had hoped that his pilgrimage might somehow bring peace to a mind long troubled by the weight of his own soul. Penance, he had been told, was the way to deal with his guilt, and so he made his way to the "Scala Sancta" or "holy stairs": the steps Jesus supposedly ascended to face His trial before Pontius Pilate. The only way the truly penitent could...

It's hard to read the news these days without getting the impression that wickedness and hostility seem to be the dominant themes in the world. It's hard to look away from what's going on, a bit like not wanting to seeing a car wreck but not being able to take your eyes off of it. One of the frequent questions in the Bible is why the wicked seem to succeed and the righteous falter. Abraham alludes to it when he intercedes for Lot who is living in Sodom. It is a key theme in the book of Job....