Parchment & Pen Blog

Just as we test the historicity of any event, not through emotional conviction, but with historical evidence, I would like to devote some time to laying out a brief historical case for the Resurrection of Christ, the central issue of the Christian faith. Here is what we need: 1. Internal Evidence: Evidence coming from within the [...]

This is an Easter updated repost—Happy Easter! Download PDF (with family discussion questions) I have an interest in the death of the Apostles. We all should. Every Christian should spend some time looking into the historical records. There are many legends concerning their deaths which makes the historical evidence hard to interpret. Many times the accounts conflict [...]

Not too long ago, I was sitting with a group of Christians and engaged in a discussion with a young man about theology.  Immediately, some of his statements began to concern me as I found them inconsistent both with scripture and the historical foundation of Christianity.  I looked around waiting for someone else to jump [...]

I have often said that it is easier to tell when someone is a true Christian than to tell if they are not. In other words, some people wear their conviction on their shoulder. The power of the Holy Spirit could not be clearer. Their passion, understanding, grace, humility, and faith are clearly evident in [...]

I sat down with a young lady not too long ago and had a conversation. This was a conversation about faith—her faith. Better put, this was a conversation about a faith that once was and is no more. She was a very interesting and bright lady—inquisitive, well-read, and very suspicious. She began by telling me that [...]

Look the word up. Good word. This will represent our new “side blog” which will contain plugs, announcements, and other things that don’t deserve a formal blog post. -Please pray for my friend Michael Spencer. My heart breaks for him. -Parchment and Pen is #4 in religious blogs on Technorati. -I am down this evening [...]

I am so often torn by my own sinfulness to the point of despair. I wonder, “How can a Christian such as myself be so sinful?” This is because I know myself. If you know yourself well enough (and are not in denial), I imagine you often say the same thing. I am comforted by the fact that [...]

I like to be personally preemptive in my own theology, making myself aware of the weaknesses of particular positions I hold. Some of the weaknesses are significant and some are relatively minor in my view. This helps me to keep perspective about why people disagree with my position. It also helps to disarm conversations so [...]

“The history of Science is the history of bad ideas.” This is a quote that I heard recently. I think that it is a rather tongue-in-cheek way of expressing our (post)modern culture’s current attitude with respect to the authority of science. During the modern period, science was king. The scientific revolution produced hopes of a [...]

I sit here with a bit of a conflicted soul. On the one hand, I got the new issue of Christianity Today and found that it is devoted to the importance of doctrine in spiritual formation. Giddy. That is what I was when I read it. However, I also received an email yesterday that serves to [...]

"He Hates the Buildings" [ 2:07 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Most certainly, there are many more things I love about Christianity than what I hate. However, I thought I would spend a bit of time here and open up the conversation in a different direction. These are the top eight things I “hate” about Christianity, in order. (Oh, and since we have thousands of first-time [...]

In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a parable about the importance of forgiveness.  The message – whatever someone has done against you cannot compare to the wrong that God forgives us for.  Since God is willing to forgive a debt we cannot pay, we need to forgive others.  That means, whatever transgressions have been committed against [...]