Tag Archives: christianity

Treasures in Heaven: What We Get Wrong and Why it Matters

Posted by Caleb Coy on

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In one of the most oft-repeated memory verses, we are told not to be obsessed with earthly treasure, but heavenly treasure instead. And while it is as true as can be, how we often see and interpret it sometimes misses the very point it makes. Continue reading →

Weird Al, The Christian

Posted by Caleb Coy on

With a new satirical biopic now out, Weird Al is once again in our hearts and minds with his silly novelty music.

An American treasure since the 80’s, Alfred has taken a very specific brand of music making and created something we will always need in hard times—a laugh. I fell in love with his stuff in middle school, and it wasn’t long after that I learned something else special about Al. He’s a practicing Christian. Continue reading →

Don’t Look Up: A Christian Apologetic?

Posted by Caleb Coy on

I know what you’re thinking: Don’t go there. The Netflix hit Don’t Look Up is a political satire and an allegory for climate change. There is no Christian subtext.

Ok, the movie obviously wasn’t written by a baptist studio, an evangelical media startup, or Kirk Cameron. It was written by a liberal comedian. And the idea of a random comet hitting earth and destroying all human life for no reason contrasts with the end-times beliefs of most Christians, not to mention the disbelief in climate change by many—but not all—evangelicals.

Continue reading →

Today’s Featured Series: 1 Peter 3:15 and a Loving Apologetic

Posted by Caleb Coy on

For day 4 of our blog anniversary celebration, I’m taking us on back to a series from a couple years ago.

1 Peter 3:15 is often a go-to verse about apologetics. But what does it have to say about apologetics in context, and what do we learn from it? Join us to explore.

5613445322_4d82061d92_b1 Peter 3:15 and a Loving Apologetic
Part 1: Examining the entire verse
Part 2: The verse in context of the chapter
Part 3: The verse in context of the entire letter
Part 4: Applications I could have used in my youth

Responding to Violence In Churches

Posted by Caleb Coy on

The past few weeks I have been hurt to see the news of church shooting incidents. Times like these may rock our faith. Sometimes this means feeling intimidated, insecure. Sometimes this means questioning our commitment to peace. Sometimes this means fearing that some sort of change is coming we can’t handle. Continue reading →

from the Warblr—Will the Religious Right Wake Up on the Right Side of the Bed?

Posted by Caleb Coy on

This past weekend The Warblr chose to publish my Op-Ed. I am thankful for the opportunity.

Will the Religious Right Wake Up on the Right Side of the Bed?

“I wish I could say that the Charlottesville horror—those coddled little Nazi’s with tiki torches shouting “white lives matter” at a statue until someone was killed by a terrorist—was completely isolated from our culture, that this is not America. But it is America, because you’ve tolerated it for far too long. You’ve allowed the lunatic fringe, the alt-right, the conspiracy peddlers, and the petty rumor mill to influence you, hijack your religion, seduce your otherwise outstanding zeal.

You helped create this. Will you repent of it?”

 

American Gods and America’s gods

Posted by Caleb Coy on

To peek into the world of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods is to peel back the curtain of America’s culture and see, through one artist’s creative lens, the temple of what the culture truly worships. It is a perverse world that feels too ancient, and yet uncomfortably familiar. In one way it feels like a post-colonial protest. In another it feels like an anthropological experiment. This is an untold story not just of the religious practices America does not admit are religious, but also of the religious practices that have carried over from immigrants across the world. Continue reading →

He Brews: The Coffee Christianity Obsession

Posted by Caleb Coy on

 

bible coffeeI wish I had a free cup of coffee for every time I saw a picture of someone with a Bible and a cup of coffee.

It has now become a staple of Bible study in America, reaching beyond just millennials, white girls, hipsters, preachers, or even the middle and upper class. Sometimes it seems that everybody except the Mormons is taking their daily coffee with their daily (or at least periodical) Bible reading. If you notice the images in blogs, websites, and posts. Can you drink of the same cup I drink of? Apparently, we all are.
Continue reading →

What I think when an abortion clinic is bombed during an Islamic terrorism crisis on Thanksgiving

Posted by Caleb Coy on

I think to myself, when will we American Christians see the irony?

When we label Islam a violent religion with no teachings of peace, when we use violent rhetoric to attack doctors who perform abortions, when we treat refugees like potential threats to a country defined by mass immigration—what are we missing?
Continue reading →