Applied Theology
My friend Denny Burk asked an incredibly insightful question: Why don’t we call it the royal fetus? The remark, of course, was in reference to Prince William and his lovely bride Kate Middleton, who are—as we used to say—“with child.” They are expecting. But what are they expecting? Well, they are not expecting... Continue Reading →
I own a coffee roaster and a small coffee roasting business. The secret to roasting great coffee is controlling the flame. The roaster uses real fire to heat a turning and churning stainless steel drum. As the drum turns and churns the coffee beans, the heat from the flames begins to warm the beans; then... Continue Reading →
I hear a common refrain from those who favor abortion. It usually goes something like, "The Bible is silent on abortion," or "the Bible never condemns abortion." Is this true? Is it true that the Bible does not speak to abortion? On the surface it appears true that the bible does not condemn abortion. There... Continue Reading →
Who hasn't heard the horror stories of coat hangers, toilets, and back-alley butchers? One of the major arguments in favor of passing Roe in 1973 was the promise that women would no longer be butchered or mutilated in the process of ridding their bodies of unwanted babies. Now, after Roe, all abortions would supposedly be... Continue Reading →
I remember the first time I was confronted with a serious pacifist. I was in seminary, and a certain professor—who is a well-known and well-respected scholar—challenged us in class and afterward to re-think the violence of our Christian past and adopt a peaceful future. His argument was compelling. I remember when challenged, he... Continue Reading →
Happy Thanksgiving! We set aside today to remember Him to whom all thanks is due. Thanksgiving was instituted by proclamation of the President of the United States--George Washington--on October 3, 1789. You do not need for me to explain it to you because you can read it for yourself below. As you can see, the... Continue Reading →
I went to bed late but arose early, hoping against all hope that my waking would prove the nightmare of President Obama’s reelection to have been just a bad dream. But it was not a bad dream; it was a bad reality, a sad statement about the soul of our once great nation. I am... Continue Reading →
I just read this devastating account of a couple in Lahore, Pakistan, who killed their 16 year old daughter because she was talking to a young man. In many Shariah-compliant Muslim communities, parents are driven to kill their children (almost always their daughters) in order supposedly to preserve the honor of the Muslim family. As... Continue Reading →
One of the greatest secular songs ever written, Gordon Lightfoot’s The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald stands as a monument of musical story-telling. Inspired by a Newsweekarticle of the November 10, 1975, events that led to the loss of the Great Lakes’ greatest ship, Lightfoot penned a masterful poem capturing the weight of the tragedy... Continue Reading →
Are human beings exceptional? Is there something about humans which makes them intrinsically superior to dogs or ants or even poisonous stinkweed? If you saw my post yesterday, then you will already know the answer is, “Yes!” Human beings are intrinsically of greater value than weeds and wildlife. Jesus once told His followers, “Do not... Continue Reading →
Steve Jobs died one year ago. The value of his life and the effects of his ideas will remain with us for decades. Steve Jobs was one of the most creative guys who ever lived. But he is not the only techno-creator of our lifetime. I thought it might be encouraging for us to... Continue Reading →
In his recent U.N. address, President Barack Obama boldly prophesied that the future would belong to those who do not insult the prophet Muhamad. I both hope and suspect his is a false prophecy. The problem with his approach is that it is impossible. Exploring the question of what insults the prophet Mohammed yields answers... Continue Reading →
There were many instances from my days of growing up under the moss-laced cypress trees of southern Louisiana that I would be asked by my father or my mother, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?" Most of the time, I was not. I was only "ashamed" of getting caught. Shame is not an emotion we naturally... Continue Reading →
However, the much more positive perspective on the miracles of Jesus is that they often led to faith (as was their design). When the man born blind received his sight in John 9, he said, “I believe.” And he worshiped at the feet of Jesus (John 9:38). When the lame beggar outside the temple was... Continue Reading →
(Continued from Part 1) From the earliest stages of the Old Testament, instructions were given for people by God concerning miracles and their proper functions. In Deuteronomy 13:1-3, God’s people received a succinct, yet irrefutably clear, annunciation of the function of miracles. There are two primary functions of the signs and wonders. First, the signs... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 