We have met the devil, and it is us: A Brief History of Hell and Satan (part one of two) By Christian Piatt This column was originally published in the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper             While Jonathan Edwards wasn’t the first to preach about hell and condemnation, his ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ sermon in 1741 crystallizes the beginning of a modern movement in the church. Edwards employed fear of punishment as a primary means for conversion and... Read more

No, not bats in the belfry: there is, in fact, a bat in my bedroom.  I was watching TV, minding my own business, when he swooped down over my head. Those little guys are really quiet! Anyway, I followed him through the house and finally trapped him in the bedroom.  I’m now awaiting animal control to take him to a new home. We’ve had a problem with bats in the area, and with the possibility of rabies, I decided to... Read more

I spoke with the publisher today, and they are very excited about the book.  they are fast-tracking its publication, in fact. The final edits will be done by the end of the week, and I’ll give my final sign-off on their changes next week.  They are pushing to go to print by the end of September, with a release date of late October. Whew! Perhaps one of the best things about this schedule is that, if they stick to it,... Read more

If Windows can offer updates, why not Jesus? Originally written for the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper Many of Jesus’ stories are hard to relate to today. I mean, how many of us know what a mustard seed looks like anyway? And in the currency of Jesus’ day, how much was a talent? So mostly for my own amusement, I decided to offer some new interpretations on a few of Jesus’ most famous parables, as if he were telling them today. We’ll... Read more

Nature reminds us what’s in our nature to forget I was sitting on the porch of our Northside home last week when a nearly solid sheet of rain advanced quickly toward me. I moved inside where my son, Mattias, napped peacefully as the rain began to pound violently on the rooftop. Only minutes before, the air had been cool and placid, and the sky had given no indication of such a downpour. The clouds, now boiling, turned angrily dark. I... Read more

Without God, does church still matter?   I enjoy the company of atheists and agnostics. Some of my best friends are agnostics. What’s more curious is that they enjoy my company. As a self-proclaimed churchy guy, you might think they would find me annoying in my faith. However, I spend more time talking about what I believe with those who don’t claim a faith than I do with those who identify themselves as Christians. Sometimes I feel like these friends... Read more

If you enjoy this blog and would like to receive updates when I add posts and such, please just scroll down the page to ‘Register’ on the bottom left of the screen. you can then create a username, provide an email address, and the system will send you a temporary password. One you receive that password and loging, you’ll have a chance to update all your information, including an easier password to remember. Look forward to chatting soon! Christian Read more

There’s freedom in spontaneous generosity I was taking my son, Mattias, to the train depot recently as a reward for good behavior. Of all the places in the world, he is obsessed with the depot downtown. I hardly discourage him, partly because I love trains as well, and also because it’s free and still makes him happy. Talk about a win-win. On our way down the street, I was approached by a man asking for some money. I told him... Read more

Thanks for visiting. I’ve been posting for several months at MySpace, and may continue to do so, but my hope is to focus more here on my own site (www.christianpiatt.com) and my blog. I look forward to your thoughts, questions and comments, and I hope you will enjoy the posts I share. As always, I welcome ideas for future columns, blogs or even books. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think! Peace, Christian Read more