CultureWatch

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

Christianity is Thriving in China While Dying in the West: Suffering is a Major Difference

Jun 12, 2019

Maybe it should not be this way, but it is anyhow: the way believers respond to biblical truth is often determined by where they are at – by the environment they are in. Christians living in nations where suffering and

Suffering and Christian Growth

Jun 5, 2019

It goes without saying that over time Christians are meant to grow spiritually, experience progressive character development, and increasingly become more Christlike. Scripture is certainly quite clear in what it expects of believers.

God wants us to be like him,

Gutting the Gospel

Jun 4, 2019

Those who are Christians have been entrusted with the gospel. That is just what Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 2:4: “we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people

Human Suffering and God’s Presence – Part Three

Jun 3, 2019

In this series I have been looking at the biblical truths about God’s presence with his people as they suffer. Part One looked at the evidence of this from the Old Testament and Part Two looked at what the New

Human Suffering and God’s Presence – Part Two

Jun 2, 2019

In Part One of this article I looked at the issue of suffering as found in the Old Testament, and the wonderful truth that God promises to be with us in our suffering. He may not always deliver us from

Human Suffering and God’s Presence – Part One

Jun 1, 2019

Everyone suffers. The question is, how do we cope with it? The Christian believes various things about suffering, including the wonderful truth that we are not alone as we suffer. This is a major theme that emerges from the biblical

God, Grace and Grumpy Old Men

May 28, 2019

Yes, sadly there are such things as grumpy old men. I suppose I am one of them – at least many folks might think so. Not that I want to be. As a Christian I want to be known for

Nuggets From the Book of Ezra

May 26, 2019

Having just again finished reading the book of Ezra, I was struck by how many deep theological truths and spiritual gems are found in this short book. While only 10 chapters long, it contains so many great principles and lessons

We All Have a Role: Giftings and God’s Glory

May 25, 2019

There is no one in the Body of Christ who is dispensable. There are no superfluous Christians. We are all needed. We all have something to offer. We all contribute to the work of the Kingdom. We all bring unique

Refusing the Prophetic Word

May 7, 2019

I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet. I am not claiming any inspiration, only perspiration. But there certainly have been God-sent prophets of course. Biblical prophets with inspired prophetic words which became part of the biblical

Difficult Bible Passages: Philippians 1:15-18

May 5, 2019

This is another one of those passages which can so easily be misused and abused by some folks. It has to do with the preaching of the gospel, and those who do it with bad motives and the like. But

What a Waste!

Apr 29, 2019

The world is full of things being wasted. A young person is cut down in the prime of life because of bad choices with drug use for example, and we speak of a wasted life. A fave sports teams may

Easter and the Nations: ‘He Shall Put Everything Under His Feet’

Apr 21, 2019

We rightly celebrate Easter this time of year as we think of the wonderful exchange that took place at Calvary: our sins and impurity for his forgiveness and righteousness. New life in Christ is at the heart of the Easter

When Believers Turn On Their Own

Apr 19, 2019

One of the clearest teachings of Jesus has to do with our public witness: how nonbelievers will know that Christ has sent us. He said our unity and love for one another will be what convinces the world that we

And You Think You’re Having a Bad Day!

Apr 7, 2019

We all have troubles. We all have bad days. We all have difficult circumstances to deal with. We all face obstacles in life. But if you are a Christian, you have resources available to help you cope and to help

Christian Ministry, Vocation, and the Glory of God

Apr 4, 2019

Christians can often have some rather cloudy thinking when it comes to issues such as our calling as believers, Christian ministry, and what it means to glorify God. As to the issue of bringing glory to God, there are some

Prayer, Faith and Testing God

Mar 29, 2019

OK, these are certainly some rather large topics that I am attempting to cover in a very short article. But it follows on from a piece I penned yesterday on the absence or silence of God. In it I mentioned

Divine Hiddenness: On God’s Silence

Mar 28, 2019

Many believers throughout the ages have experienced what appears to be the silence, absence, distance, hiddenness, or unresponsiveness of God. Prayers seem to be unanswered, God seems to be nowhere near, and we can have a sense of divine abandonment,

Courage in the Face of Battle

Mar 19, 2019

Most of us are not on actual front lines, with machine guns in our hands, bullets flying overhead, and bombs exploding all around us. For that we can all be thankful. And we can also be thankful for those who

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

CultureWatch

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

Christianity is Thriving in China While Dying in the West: Suffering is a Major Difference

Suffering and Christian Growth

Gutting the Gospel

Human Suffering and God’s Presence – Part Three

Human Suffering and God’s Presence – Part Two

Human Suffering and God’s Presence – Part One

God, Grace and Grumpy Old Men

Nuggets From the Book of Ezra

We All Have a Role: Giftings and God’s Glory

Refusing the Prophetic Word

Difficult Bible Passages: Philippians 1:15-18

What a Waste!

Easter and the Nations: ‘He Shall Put Everything Under His Feet’

When Believers Turn On Their Own

And You Think You’re Having a Bad Day!

Christian Ministry, Vocation, and the Glory of God

Prayer, Faith and Testing God

Divine Hiddenness: On God’s Silence

Courage in the Face of Battle

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