CultureWatch

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

The Sin of Sodom

Aug 16, 2017

Today there is a determined effort being made by some renegades and activists in the church to completely undermine and twist the scriptural position on homosexuality. A number of theological revisionists have appeared over the past half century arguing for

On the Promises of God

Jul 31, 2017

All believers should love the promises of God, and all should want to claim those promises. But the simple truth is, many of these promises are conditional. They are not automatic, in other words, but they very much depend on

On Christian Assurance

Jul 13, 2017

In writing about theological issues one must bear in mind that biblical truths are bound together and must be understood together. As D. A. Carson puts it, “every part of Christian doctrine is tied, one way or another, to every

“Once Saved, Always Saved”

Jul 11, 2017

The question as to whether a Christian can lose his salvation is another one of those hard-core theological debates that gets thrashed around ad infinitum, ad nauseam. Positions are usually entrenched, the opposition view is often misrepresented, and heat rather

On Family Loyalty and Christian Discipleship

Jul 6, 2017

Sometimes the sayings of Jesus can seem to be a bit hard to understand, especially if it seems – superficially at least – that they may contradict other biblical truths. Consider the issue of marriage and family. There is no

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 13:10

Jul 2, 2017

This is a passage which is problematic because of various strong views associated with it. So it might be better referred to as a contentious passage. It says this: “but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.” What disappears?

On Not Suffering Fools Gladly

Jun 23, 2017

I must begin this piece by making a confession. I have long thought about this phrase, and have long thought about writing something on it. But I figured it was more or less a worldly phrase, and maybe not one

Predestination and Election: The New Testament Data

Jun 12, 2017

The biblical and theological issues of predestination and election are a stumbling block to some folks. I have had various Christians, including not a few Catholics, say that they just cannot believe in these things. Sadly, this is normally because

Women, Leadership and Scripture: A Brief Bibliography

Apr 30, 2017

I just penned a piece on women and head coverings, and mentioned that this was part of a much larger debate over the role of women in leadership positions. I mentioned that I had not yet written any direct articles

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Apr 29, 2017

I could have entitled this article, “Do Christian women today need to wear head coverings?” For that in good measure is what this particular passage addresses. But a simple yes or no answer is not so readily forthcoming, as I

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Kings 22:21-24

Apr 23, 2017

In this passage of Scripture we read about a deceiving spirit sent by God via false prophets to the wicked king Ahab. The major context is 1 Kings 21-22. But the more immediate context is 1 Kings 22:19-25 which reads:

Art and the Second Commandment

Apr 11, 2017

Sadly some Christians have a very low view of art, and in good measure this is due to a faulty understanding and application of the Second Commandment. The prohibition against graven images has been wrongly interpreted and as a result

Whose Side is God On?

Mar 6, 2017

Around the time of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was asked if God was on his side. His response is a classic: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 24:36

Feb 21, 2017

This passage can seem to be rather jarring. That is, it does not appear to fit in with what we know about basic Christian teaching. The passage in question, Matthew 24:36, has Jesus saying this: “But about that day or

Divine Love and Hate, Part One

Nov 23, 2016

It never ceases to amaze me when I hear Christians giving God advice: telling him what he is allowed to do or say. They have put God in the dock and want him to fall in line with their fallen

Divine Love and Hate, Part Two

Nov 23, 2016

In Part One of this article I offered around a hundred Bible passages which speak about God hating certain things and certain people, and how his people can also follow him in this. The biblical material on this is pretty

Jeremiah 29:11 and the Health and Wealth Gospel

Aug 19, 2016

There are so many memorable passages in Scripture, but they can be misused and abused if not handled correctly. Jeremiah 29:11 is one such passage. It is not really a difficult passage to understand, provided it is read in context.

Was Ancient Israel Meant to Have a King?

Mar 20, 2016

Plenty of debate actually arises over the issue of the monarchy in ancient Israel. Especially when we see imperial presidencies like Obama’s in America (Trump’s could well be the same if he gets in), Christians are now talking a lot

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:2, 15

Feb 24, 2016

These two rather similar verses are not so much difficult passages as ones that can be easily misused. I have had people tell me for example that if we all just adhered to these passages, everything would be good, and

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8

Feb 2, 2016

The main difficulty with this passage is that it is another text which has been utterly mangled by those who seem to delight in twisting God’s word for their own (often evil) ends. The ability of people to distort and

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...

The Sin of Sodom

On the Promises of God

On Christian Assurance

“Once Saved, Always Saved”

On Family Loyalty and Christian Discipleship

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 13:10

On Not Suffering Fools Gladly

Predestination and Election: The New Testament Data

Women, Leadership and Scripture: A Brief Bibliography

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Corinthians 11:2-16

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Kings 22:21-24

Art and the Second Commandment

Whose Side is God On?

Difficult Bible Passages: Matthew 24:36

Divine Love and Hate, Part One

Divine Love and Hate, Part Two

Jeremiah 29:11 and the Health and Wealth Gospel

Was Ancient Israel Meant to Have a King?

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 John 4:2, 15

Difficult Bible Passages: 1 Peter 4:8

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