God is supposed to be omnipotent and omnipresent, which means all-knowing and present everywhere in space and time. Considering this, Calvinists have the notion that God had already chosen who He was going to save before the universe was created. In effect, Jesus’ death on the cross would only be valid to those that God had … Continue reading My Thoughts on Calvinism: PART IV – Limited Atonement Read more
To a certain extent, Unconditional Election makes sense. I agree that God loves us unconditionally and wants to have a relationship with us. I agree with St. Paul when he says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God— not because of works, lest any man should boast.” — Ephesians 2:8-9 RSV But if God designated certain people to go to Heaven and certain people to go to... Read more
I once watched an anti-abortion documentary called the 180 Movie. The host interviewed several people asking questions regarding Nazi-Germany and the Holocaust. One of the questions the interviewer asked was, “If you could kill Adolf Hitler when he was a child or in his mother’s womb, would you do it?” The answer was a resounding ‘yes’ for many of the ones he interviewed. Some even admitted to not only being willing to kill him, but his mother and the rest of... Read more
As a part-time Bible school alumni, I learned many ideologies adopted by certain Christian denominations can be traced back to the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. One of the most influential figures to come out of this movement was a man by the name of John Calvin, which is where the ideology of Calvinism comes from. While Christians who identify as Calvinists are a minority throughout the world, they have certainly had a tremendous influence on the development of Christianity here... Read more
A friend of mine once embarked on a missions trip to Honduras to perform building repairs on a local church. He told me a sad story about one of the men he worked with on his missionary team. The man left his wife and kids behind at home because he was convinced God had apparently told him to go on global missionary work. As a result, his wife divorced him and took the kids with her, leaving him to perform the Lord’s work without his... Read more
As someone who spent a significant amount of my life in conservative Christian circles, I understand how sheltering a religious bubble can be. When you grow up having a certain set of views, it can be intimidating to hear ideas and opinions that seemingly go against what you grew up believing. In my youth, it was especially evident in who I chose to associate with in high school. I think the easiest people to be friends with are those we agree... Read more
I’ve always been flattered by the amount of positive comments from foreign strangers when I mention that I’m Canadian. I feel fortunate to live in a country where we seem to have a humorous reputation of being overly polite and excessively apologetic. But behind the seemingly friendly reputation, Canada isn’t exactly as free, polite and peaceful as it famously pretends to be. And like every other first-world nation on this earth, it doesn’t come without an underlying darkness. While Canada seems to... Read more
Everybody is a product of their past. The choices I’ve made and the people in my life have shaped me to become who I am today. That being said, I’d like to share with you something close to my heart. I grew up near a small town in the Canadian prairies. I attended kindergarten through junior high at a school so small the classrooms were split into two grades. Everyone in my class was tight-knit and pretty close, so it was... Read more
In my early twenties, some former friends I once worked for told me if you plead the blood of Jesus, God will protect you from any potential problems or hardships. In lieu of this, God would also bless you immensely with prosperity. Upon hearing this, I recited this form of prayer almost every day for about a month. That lasted until I accidentally crashed my pickup truck into another vehicle on my way home from work one day. Prior to the... Read more
When I was 11 years old, I endured the process as a young Catholic to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. I never really understood why I had to do it at the time, as I can barely remember what I learned in Catechism classes due to my low attention span. I remember walking up the aisle lined up behind my peers, each one of us with our godparents at our sides. As we approached the archbishop in front of the altar, he... Read more
Coffee and Crucifix
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