By Don Ruhl Man says that suffering speaks against God. Atheists argue: If there is a God and He is all-powerful, He must not be loving, for suffering exists. Or they argue: If there is a God and He is all-loving, He must not be all-powerful, for suffering exists. Sometimes they simply reason: Suffering [...]
Archive | February, 2012
The Thorns of Life
By Don Ruhl Thorns are small irritations in life A thorn is not like falling off a cliff, or going through the brunt of a hurricane. Thorns often make pleasant things a little less so. Picking blackberries is fun and profitable, but the tiny thorns that get stuck in your clothes and somewhat [...]
Are Christians really supposed to love their enemies?
Love Your Enemies By Don Ruhl Enemies are one of the more difficult problems of life. We should not be guilty of making enemies through our own fault, that is, people should not dislike us because of our difficult ways. To have enemies is good, if because of our righteousness someone opposes us. [...]
Why is the church’s blood not shed today?
By Don Ruhl Why is it that there have been times and places when the church has been persecuted to the point of blood, but at others the church has not been persecuted in this way? (Heb. 12:4). Sometimes the world likes the church, and at other times the world hates the church. There [...]
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit
By Don Ruhl The subject of the Holy Spirit is not an easy one to discuss. If you have not discovered this, then just talk to any number of people from any church, including the Churches of Christ, on almost any topic about the Holy Spirit and you will find out fast just how many [...]
God Authorizes Accurate Translations of His Word
by David Fanning I [Note: David has a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Biblical languages with an emphasis on New Testament Greek.] Prior to God preserving the New Testament in the first century A.D., He empowered the apostles to preach the first gospel sermon in each person’s own language (Acts 2:8-11); thus making it [...]
Whiter than snow
By Don Ruhl For centuries the weather has had a dramatic affect on people, such as whether they could farm, travel, or even survive, and if shelter was not available, they had to migrate according to weather patterns. Their lives were contingent upon the weather. Even today in many other parts of the [...]
Who is a Christian?
By Don Ruhl The name “Christian” should paint a picture of goodness in our minds. Yet, it has been used loosely. The name “Christian” is used to describe anyone who has a religious inclination or was born in America or into a “Christian family.” This has complicated Christianity and softened its message. Christianity in [...]
Have you swallowed a spiritual placebo
A Spiritual Placebo By Don Ruhl What is the placebo effect? Let us assume some researchers want to discover whether caffeine increases intelligence. They gather a group of fifty people from all walks of life and to them they administer caffeine. They also assemble a control group of fifty people from all walks [...]
Understanding Biblical Poetry
Understanding Biblical Poetry By Don Ruhl Why do we use poetry? It prevents a quick reading, causing us to pause and think about what is being said as we try to interpret the images. This reflection happens by seeing images rather than words. Poetry helps us to understand a more complex subject by [...]
