Throughout history, some passages of Scripture have comforted readers, while others have challenged them. Romans 13 is a clear example of a passage often invoked to justify control. It has been quoted to enslaved people seeking freedom, as well as to those who sought to help them. It was used from pulpits during apartheid in…
The topic of suffering has been a difficult idea to reconcile with a loving God. The question, why do bad things happen to good people, has been at the forefront of this. The book of Job tries to answer this question, while also examining various popular beliefs at that time. Yet, unlike what many would…
One of the seemingly most difficult doctrines of Christianity appears to be the Trinity. Quite often, within discussions, confusion seems to follow. As I was finishing up my coursework for my bachelor’s, I enrolled in a class that centered around the Trinity. It wasn’t a topic I was all that interested in at that time,…
In my last post, I stated that religion, and in particular, Christianity, can have value for an atheist. This really stems from my view that Jesus can also be seen in a non-religious manner. As I mentioned before, during some of my teenage years, I was an atheist, and what I would call a militant…
I wrote a little while back on Facebook about how the older I get, the more faith becomes important for me. Some really great questions were brought up in the comments. Those questions were also answered, but nonetheless, they have been on my mind ever since. A few years ago, I wrote an article titled,…
Was Mary raped by God? Is the Crucifixion a historical event? These were the topics that I had a chance to discuss with the Godless Engineer, John Gleason. While the topics were clearly controversial, the conversation was pleasant. So this summer, I had the chance to participate in two live discussions. While I’ve done a…
People come to faith for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they are born into it; other times, they have a Paul-like moment where everything just snaps. Other times, like for me, it’s a return to the faith. Hello and welcome. My name is Dustin White, and I’m an ex-evangelical, former atheist, and an anti-apologist. For…
There are times when the world seems overwhelming. Life continues to throw punches, and they all can’t be blocked. Everything can just begin to wear you down, and in those moments, it’s not uncommon to cry out in lament. In Psalms 137, we see that happen. In just a single sentence, this unnamed man cries…
Millennia before I sat down to try to tackle the question of why bad things happen to good people, another had set out to do the same thing. Drawing on traditional wisdom and using it as a framework for his own argument, the author of the Book of Job created a foundation that a host…
Why do we suffer? I’m not sure that question can ever be fully answered. The ways in which we suffer are exceptionally diverse, and the factors that lead to suffering are infinitely varied. But in order to even begin to understand how suffering could coexist with an all-loving God, we need to at least scratch…