Anatomy Of A Miracle
Filed under: Answering an Atheist, Bad Things, Christian Living
I recently answered several questions about miracles. The questions originally came from an agnostic/atheist type (Agath) who thought miracles were nonsense and I partly agreed. Agath’s questions were aimed at Christians and for obvious reasons. Who else makes more noise about miracles.
My intent was to answer Agath’s questions, which implied God doesn’t exist and therefore miracles can’t happen. My intent in this post is quite different.
I want to bring a little sense to the grab bag approach to miracles popularized in some circles. It might seem strange but in one sense I agree with Agath here. But that really shouldn’t surprise you. Because Atheists and Christians differ on a few important issues doesn’t mean they disagree on everything. It also doesn’t mean all Christians agree.
So, this post is aimed at Christians who I believe are confusing the issues and making it difficult for practically minded people to believe.
The problem, as I see it, is this. Some Christians are claiming a large number of miracles – of the most sensational kind – and suggesting miracles are promised on demand.
I say “some” because not all Christians agree. I, for one, am of a different opinion and I’m not alone. Many of us are a little skeptical about all the claims.
And it’s a sensitive issue for everyone. Who hasn’t been desperate enough to want a miracle occasionally? When life gets hard, unpredictable and cruel, what better (easier) way to solve the problem than pour a miracle on it.
God, however, hasn’t promised that and the few promises He has made that require miracles in order to be fulfilled have little to do with your personal problems or wish list.
So, let’s analyze the concept of miracles and answer a few questions. Read more
Natural Disasters – God’s Fault?
Filed under: Answering an Atheist, Bad Things, God's Sovereignty
A friend recently sent me an email posing an assortment of questions about miracles. The questions originally came from an agnostic/atheist type (Agath) – my friend is neither – and were intended to discredit God and belittle believers.
A summary of each question is included for your reference. I summarized them because unedited they were quite long but I was careful to retain the essence:
- If God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, as the Bible claims, why does He allow people to die in floods and tsunamis or children to die of cancer?
- Why are miracles reported less frequently and in fewer numbers in modern times?
- If God is so powerful why does the Devil exist?
- Why are the Ten Commandments so shallow/narrow? Why do the commandments say nothing about children’s rights, mathematics or the internet?
- Why doesn’t God heal amputees (restore lost limbs)? Why does God only heal things that have a statistical possibility of healing on their own, e.g., cancers?
- Doesn’t the conflict between Christian, Muslim and Jewish beliefs cancel each other out? If one is right wouldn’t the others be considered atheists?
I can’t say whether Agath is genuinely open to real answers or not but he apparently won’t accept fluff. According to my friend “God works in mysterious ways” won’t do, hence this post.
Disasters, Diseases And Miracles – Accusations vs Issues
I’ll discuss only the first two questions in this article. The others will come later but since the first two are closely related and Agath offered an answer for each they seemed like a good place to start. Read more
Review: 90 Minutes In Heaven by Don Piper
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“90 Minutes in Heaven”
What is surprising is the beginning.
Traveling home from a church conference Don’s car is met head-on by an eighteen-wheeler. The car was totaled and so was Don, at least for the better part of two hours.
Don was trapped in his car with all four limbs broken, those on the left side mangled. Pronounced dead by medical personnel, he remained in his car for 90 minutes (hence the name of the book) while traffic was being cleared.
Though glum it wasn’t all bad. Don, while dead, found himself in heaven experiencing what he confesses is difficult to put into words:
- Being met by a host of friends and family who seemed to know he was coming.
- Being enveloped by a light the brilliance of which was beyond earthly comprehension.
- The ravages of old age, slumped postures and wrinkles, gone.
- Time had no meaning.
- Joy pulsating through him.
- An array of colors not known on earth.
- Celestial tunes that surpassed anything he had ever heard.
But, for whatever reason, after experiencing a taste of heavenly bliss God sent Don back to earth…and excruciating pain. His dream was countered with a nightmare.
Confined to a bed for over a year and living with constant pain, he longed for death – his return ticket to heaven.
Initially the pain was so severe and constant, sleep only came when he passed out. At the printing of his book he was still living with pain. Read more
Mourning Brings Comfort
In Jesus’ famous sermon He mentions eight things not usually associated with happiness. Most of them are considered painful and all of them are thought difficult to achieve.
The first item on the list is “Poor in Spirit” and the second is “Mourning,” which is to say, it starts off badly and gets worse. Poor in Spirit we dealt with in the last post so we’ll talk about mourning now.
Remember that the common thread through the first section of this sermon is happiness and it seems very out of place. The eight things mentioned sound more anti-happy. We think happy people are those who avoid them and Jesus is suggesting something completely different.
The truth is every person experiences every item on the list and we see them as negatives to avoid. Jesus is suggesting they can lead to a positive outcome. Read more
Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People
It’s an age old problem. It happens in every generation. Good people die before their time, sometimes in horrible ways, or are disabled by unfair injuries or are crippled by unexpected financial loss…and we really get upset about this! Our sense of justice is offended.
When bad things happen to people we perceive as good, especially children, we become indignant. Why doesn’t God stop all the unnecessary pain and suffering? Why should any child be afflicted with disease, neglect or abuse? Why should any good person at any age endure painful experiences?
And the fact that God created the world in the blink of an eye begs the question. With all that power, why doesn’t He protect innocent people from bad things and prove to everyone how benevolent He can be? To any person who hasn’t become emotionally callous this is a fair and reasonable question but is it really an emotional issue? We can’t reasonably consider this question without asking several more first. For example… Read more
Tim Pepper - Beautiful Frustration