Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. —1 Corinthians 10:27 (KJV) From 2008 until 2013, millions of TV viewers followed the dark story of lead character Walter White in the critically acclaimed series Breaking Bad. As a struggling high school chemistry teacher, White descended quickly into the murderous world of illegal drug production—crystal meth in particular—after being diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He tried to justify his increasingly wicked actions ... Read More
Genesis 3:1-19, Session 3: Humanity’s Fall
"The Fall" and Other Christian-ese By Philip Nation You are embarking on a session that might be quite familiar to you. It deals with the tragic story of sin entering our world. In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve listen to the Devil, doubt God's goodness, and commit the first sin. It initiates the chaos we now encounter through our own sinful nature and the brokenness of the world. As you lead your group this week, I want to throw out a caution that you keep in mind every week. Every industry ... Read More
Biblical Illiteracy and the Knowledge of God (Part 2)
One may make a formidable case that sin is its own penalty. In Genesis 3, for example, when Adam and Eve chose to believe the lie rather than the truth—which is the definition of sin—that was evil. From that evil evil resulted. Their turning from life—which is the definition of death—resulted in further death. The lie that they believed and then perpetrated of God resulted in their distortion of truth about everything else, beginning with themselves and one another. For the first time in ... Read More