What To Do When God Says No

That Word Does Not Mean What You Think It Means

It's a pet peeve of mine to hear someone say that God hasn't answered his prayers.

Does the God of the Bible refuse to answer prayer? He does; however, He has revealed to us the instances in which He does so. He's not willy-nilly about it (or anything else, actually).

In some of these cases, He actually refuses to even hear the prayer. Here's the close-to-comprehensive list of situations where God does not answer or hear a prayer.

1. Not having righteousness (Proverbs 10:24; find out how to get righteous)
2. Turning away from hearing Scripture (Proverbs 28:9)
3. Denying repentance (Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 59:2, Hosea 5)
4. Lacking forgiveness toward others (Mark 11:25)
5. Doubting God (James 1:6-7)
6. Seeking selfish gain (James 4:3)
7. Refusing to live with a wife in an understanding way (1 Peter 3:7)
8. Ignoring God's will (1 John 5:14)

Did God Send the Coronavirus?

One of the most common questions surrounding the Coronavirus outbreak among spiritually-minded people is, "Did God send this sickness on us?"

Short answer: Yes.

He is just as in control of this sickness as He is over the stars of the sky and the hairs on your head.

But there's a longer answer.

Good Mythical Morning: Not Christian Programming

Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, creators of Good Mythical Morning.
Original photo by King of Mars - Own work. Text added. CC BY-SA 4.0

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Introduction

I first heard of Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal some thirteen years ago. As YouTube launched and revolutionized the way content was presented and consumed online, Rhett and Link emerged as elite crafters of comedy. I have never forgotten their fast food folk song and it still regularly enters my mind when I go to Taco Bell. They're very likable and very funny.

One of the first things I learned about this duo was that they were Christians (as you can see explained here, preserved in the Wayback Machine). Around the time I discovered them, I had just become a Christian myself, so I was quite intrigued. Their videos never really touched on explicitly Christian themes (except for the time they did some work for VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer), but their videos did seem like good, clean fun. I thought it was great that committed Christians had a presence on YouTube.

Do Theology: A Podcast

If you've not heard, I've started a podcast with my friend Kenn Chipchase. We just released the second episode of our conversations, which functions as Episode 01, since the first one served as an introduction.

The State of the Conservative Christian Union

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Let's be open and honest, here. Evangelicalism is a complex world. It's a sub-culture of what has been called "Christendom," and it has diverse definitions. Furthermore, there are sub-sub-cultures that exist within Evangelicalism and, as they are studied, the more confusing everything seems to get.

One of the sub-sub-cultures of Evangelicalism is conservative Christianity and, today, the conservative Christian network can be difficult for people to navigate, especially as denominations become less important to the average Christian. This article exists to give an overview of that flavor of Christianity, providing an up-to-date analysis of what exactly is going on. It's a bit sad that things are so political in the church, yet we do well to be aware.

Diversity! But Not Like That

Diversity, Sans Truth

Our world is really fired up about diversity these days. In America, we've moved well beyond the skin pigment acts and orders of the 1960s and the homosexuality hush of the 1990s. We've entered into a strange pseudo-reality that tells us the world is ending next week unless we take money from well-to-do white people and give it to ultra-minority transsexuals who will save the planet. "How will they save the planet exactly?" you may ask. They'll deliver us through the government savior, who will take us to work, murder our children, and actively prevent bovine flatulence. Or something like that.

Meal Plans and Common Counsel

Healthy Living

A physically healthy lifestyle is often characterized by three elementary components: a balanced diet, sufficient water intake, and basic exercise. It's been proven throughout countless generations that if a person has these three factors at play in his life, he will remain in good physical shape outside of an act of God. Interestingly, these simple practices are often overlooked as many people look to the latest fads and novel concepts to achieve good health. Celebrity diet plans and trendy Instagram meals tend to stir up more excitement than what we already know: bad foods are bad, water is good, and if you don't move, you'll grow outward.

Does God Look Like Us?

Answering audience questions at our debate at Payson Bible Church on November 8, 2019.

Last November, I had the privilege to engage in a debate with a Latter-day Saint (Mormon), named Kwaku El. His YouTube channel is a popular resource here in Utah Valley for young members of his church. Our debate topic was, "Is the Triune God a mere idea?"

The LDS Church teaches that God the Father is a man of flesh and bones who once lived a life like us, sinned, died, and was subsequently exalted to godhood. They believe that Jesus, God's son, is his literal offspring and we are all his literal brothers and sisters as offspring of God. They believe that the Holy Ghost cannot be in many places at once, but is limited just as physical humans are. For more information about Mormonism, you can check out the great resources over at CARM.

If you'd like to hear the full debate between me and Kwaku, you can watch it via high-quality video on YouTube or listen to it in podcast form.

My Favorite Albums from the 2010s

The following albums are my personal favorites from the past decade. Objective measurements were not used in the making of this list!

Also, these are listed chronologically -- not in any other way. Enjoy!

Here's the Spotify playlist of all of the albums below!

2019: A Christian Music Review

"Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world."

Martin Luther