CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Two Questions about God and Evil

Jun 10, 2017

God, and evil, are two of the biggest issues one can possibly discuss. And when they are brought together this is not something any short article can do proper justice to – not when entire libraries are filled with books

Evil, and Humanity Without God

Jun 5, 2017

The latest Islamic terror attack – this time at London Bridge – has in one sense sort of dampened what I was going to say here. But I will say it anyway. In the face of such blatant evil, it

Our Wounded God

Apr 21, 2017

There is only one religion in the world in which it makes sense to speak of a wounded God. And even more unique, this was a case of self-wounding. What religion would ever dare to speak this way? Just one:

God, Evil, Suffering and Justice

Apr 7, 2017

The recent Syrian gas attack has again raised numerous questions. One question I will simply mention here but not deal with is whether in fact Assad was behind it. But that is not my focus here, so we will leave

2 Corinthians and the Heart of Christian Life and Ministry

Feb 18, 2017

I have a confession to make: I did not always love Second Corinthians like I do now. A lot of it is about Paul defending himself and his ministry, and he even speaks about boasting in this if he must.

On an Interventionist God

Jan 24, 2017

It is as regular as clockwork: whenever tragedy strikes the atheists and God-haters come out in force, attacking believers, taking cheap shots, and making smart-alec remarks, as if they are somehow on the high moral and intellectual ground.

Can God Do Anything? Further Reflections

Jan 16, 2017

It was not my intention to offer more discussion on a topic I wrote about yesterday, but various responses to it on the social media have led me to take it further. The original piece was about how we understood

Can God Do Anything?

Jan 15, 2017

When discussing any topic about God we are of course greatly limited in our understanding. He is infinite and we are not. He is perfect and we are not. The good news is that God has revealed himself to us

How is Your Hardship List?

Dec 10, 2016

Your what? OK, let me explain. If one reads through the 13 epistles of Paul in the New Testament, one will often find Paul presenting a list of the many hardships he has had to endure for the sake of

With Christ in the School of Suffering

Oct 4, 2016

Most folks are not thrilled about suffering, and rightly so. But Christians view suffering in a much different light than most. While we are not told to seek out suffering, it has a redemptive and faith-building role to play. Scripture

Yes Evil Really Does Exist – and Goodness Too

Sep 16, 2016

G. K. Chesterton once remarked that “Certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of Christian theology which can really be proved.” Every day we see decisive evidence of the reality of sin and evil, and sometimes

God, Suffering, Lament, and Mourning

Aug 29, 2016

Oftentimes a diverse and unrelated bunch of events will nicely come together, and inspire a hopefully coherent and unified article. This is one of them. Thinking about brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering in various ways is one

God, Satan and Self

Aug 14, 2016

This is a theological and biblical exercise, dealing with topics that have been debated for centuries. Indeed, entire libraries have been written on such topics, so this is going to be the briefest of brief introductions to it all. But

The Need for Perspective

Aug 13, 2016

Anyone who has flown on a plane knows about perspective. From many thousands of feet up in the air we can see things far differently than when we are earth-bound. We start to see a much bigger picture, and can

God’s Suffering Servants

Jul 9, 2016

Jesus said quite explicitly on various occasions that the servant is not above the master (Matthew 10:24-25; Luke 6:40; John 13:16; John 15:20). The disciple of Christ cannot expect to be exempt from what his Lord has gone through. And

Divine Justice: Overcoming Evil is Good News

Jan 19, 2016

In an age of rampant biblical illiteracy (especially among Christians) the restatement of basic biblical truths becomes imperative. And if you happen to be in the book of Exodus right now (as part of reading through the entire Bible in

The Book of Lamentations

Oct 22, 2015

Why do I suspect that most Christians have given this Old Testament book a wide berth, and never bothered to read it? While perhaps most Western Christians may not have even read the entire OT, many would be put off

The Dark Night of the Soul

Sep 20, 2015

My title of course comes from the title of a famous volume by the Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross (1542-1591). His volume dealt with a common experience that many believers will encounter during their journey with God. Believers

On Mecca and Natural Disasters

Sep 13, 2015

That all sorts of nasty and destructive things happen in nature is not in dispute. But for the Christian, how much of this might be the result of the direct hand of God is a matter of some debate. The

Three Responses To Garissa

Apr 7, 2015

If you don’t know what I am talking about here, perhaps I need to add a fourth response: that of rank ignorance. This is of course the university in Kenya where 148 people – mostly Christians – were killed by

About CultureWatch

We live in an age where we see evidence of cultural decline, the erosion of values, the decline of civility, the denial of truth and the elevation of unreason. Many people are asking, “Where is our culture heading?” This website is devoted to exploring the major cultural, social and political issues of the day. It offers reflection and commentary drawing upon the wealth of wisdom found in the Judeo-Christian tradition. It offers reflective and incisive commentary on a wide range of issues, helping to sort through the maze of competing opinions, worldviews, ideologies and value systems. It will discuss critically and soberly where our culture is heading. Happy reading!

Bill Muehlenberg

Commenting Rules

Readers are welcome to post comments on the material posted here, but some simple rules apply:

No trolls allowed
I reserve the right to refuse comments.
This site is meant to express my point of view. If you are looking for a soapbox to promote your own views, create your own website or blog site.
Comments should be brief (preferably under 100 words), polite, constructive and informed.
Comments which are simply attacks on myself, or are done in bad taste, or use rude language, or are possibly defamatory will not be posted.
You must state your full name to have your comments posted.
I may reply to some of your comments but will not be able to respond to all.

If you are happy to abide by these rules, then by all means, send in your comments. Happy writing!

CultureWatch

Bill Muehlenberg's commentary on issues of the day...

Two Questions about God and Evil

Evil, and Humanity Without God

Our Wounded God

God, Evil, Suffering and Justice

2 Corinthians and the Heart of Christian Life and Ministry

On an Interventionist God

Can God Do Anything? Further Reflections

Can God Do Anything?

How is Your Hardship List?

With Christ in the School of Suffering

Yes Evil Really Does Exist – and Goodness Too

God, Suffering, Lament, and Mourning

God, Satan and Self

The Need for Perspective

God’s Suffering Servants

Divine Justice: Overcoming Evil is Good News

The Book of Lamentations

The Dark Night of the Soul

On Mecca and Natural Disasters

Three Responses To Garissa

Copyright

Useful Links

Newsfeeds

Billmuehlenberg.com