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In many of our dissenting places of worship very great encouragement is held out to doubting. A person comes before the pastor, and says, “Oh! Sir, I am so afraid I am not converted; I tremble lest I should not be a child of God. Oh! I fear I am not one of the Lord’s elect.” The pastor will put out his…

When a ship first leaves the stocks it is well for it to go on a trial trip, but to have a ship always being tried would be very absurd. It is time that it took voyages in earnest, and was registered in the merchant service; there will be trial enough in the actual execution of service. Some Christians,…

Guilt is very suspicious. When you have done wrong to a man, you cannot believe him. Nothing renders you so full of doubt toward another as your own consciousness of having acted unjustly toward him. Now, when a sense of guilt comes over the soul, nature begins to say, “Can the Lord be a sin-pardoning…

We may not ask for any witness to begin with beyond the testimony of God, nor will any other witness be given. I charge you not to say, “I will believe in God when I obtain the inward witness.” No, you are bound to believe in God first, on the sure testimony of His Word. If you believe His Word you shall…

Some years ago there went into a Methodist class meeting a lawyer who was a doubter, but at the same time a man of candid spirit. Sitting down on one of the benches, he listened to a certain number of poor people, his neighbors, whom he knew to be honest people. He heard some 13 or 14 of these persons…

When a dove flies over a landscape it sees the clear streams and the fields of corn, but when a vulture passes over the same landscape what does it see? A dead horse here and there, a carcass, or a piece of carrion. Everybody sees according to his eyes. A graceless, impure-minded man cannot see purity.…

Jeremiah warns that a people who refuse to give God glory will reap the darkness of judgment. Today in England 78% of parents object to letting their children under ten play outside. Only 25% said they felt secure in their own homes. Is this a sign of reaping what we have sown? --Jim L. Wilson and Rodger…

Many Christians across the country set aside the first Thursday in May as the National day of Reason.” The date began in competition to the National Day of Prayer when the groups decided to offer some Americans an alternative. Those who observe the day encourage others to spend the day performing community…

A new Pew Research poll suggests the percentage of Americans 30 and younger who have doubts about the existence of God is growing. Overall, 68 percent of young Americans told researchers they never doubt God’s existence. That number is down 15 percent from surveys taken five years ago. The survey indicated…

In an article for FaithWorld, Tom Heneghan writes, “In the Netherlands, where faith has faded more dramatically than in many other parts of Europe, two churches close down on average every week. The sacred art left over is piling up in cellars and storerooms around the country.” --http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2012/05/03/as-dutch-churches-shut-their-sacred-art-finds-new-uses-abroad/…

Thomas Jefferson, our nation’s third president was the author of the declaration of Independence, but had no problem editing someone else’s work. The Smithsonian Institute has just completed a careful restoration of an edited version of the Bible, Jefferson created, known as The Jefferson Bible. As he…

An ad in a local paper asked, “How You Can Be Part of a Christian Community With Integrity and Not Believe All Those Things You Thought You Had to Believe.” The church sponsoring the lectures is a Mainline Denomination church, but would like to assure you that “you don’t have to check your mind at a…

BELIEF Camp Quest, a summer camp at a state park outside Nevada City, CA has a secular twist. It is for the children of atheists and other non-believers. The campers play games that encourage children to think positively about evolution and their “freethinking” heroes like Isaac Asimov. Of course their…

In Decision Points, George W. Bush writes, “At first I was troubled by my doubts. The notion of a living God was a big leap, especially for someone with a logical mind like mine. Surrendering yourself to an Almighty is a challenge to the ego. But I came to realize that struggles and doubts are natural…

Associated Press A new survey of Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists, agnostics, Jews and Mormons outperformed Protestants and Roman Catholics in answering questions about major religions, while many respondents could not correctly give the most basic tenets of their own faiths. Forty-five…

The study of Internet search engines and how they are used may provide insight into the ways people ask questions and look for answers in life. Jason Hellmann works for a communications company in Washington DC. His job is to help optimize search engines by studying the ways they are used. In his spare…

Maybe there are more reasons than we know to bring rather than send our offering to church. In Lake Mary, Florida the bomb squad detonated a suspicious cardboard box found outside a church. They discovered it had $2,500 cash, apparently a donation to the church. --The Week, May 21, 2010, p. 6. Illustration…

“Can you be Christian and not believe in the resurrection?” shouts the headline in the Salt Lake Tribune. What a crazy question. You would think that when the journalist came up with that question, as soon as she began to research it among Christian clergy, she would have decided that it was a foolish…

The number of people who claim no religious affiliation, meanwhile, has doubled since 1990 to fifteen percent, its highest point in history. Christianity is plummeting in America, while the number of non-believers is skyrocketing. A shocking new study of Americans’ religious beliefs shows the beginnings…

BELIEF New research has revealed a growing skepticism among younger generations in America. The leading indicator of this shift is an increasing number of people answering “None” when asked if they prefer one religion over another. In surveys taken in 1990, 8.1 percent of respondents indicated their…

BELIEF It’s been 40 years since Apollo 11 touched down on the surface on the moon, but there are still people who don’t believe the event ever took place. Unbelievers point to alleged discrepancies in film and pictures taken on the lunar missions They point out odd shadows, and unusual behavior from…

TESTING GOD A Ukranian man who claimed God would keep him safe was killed by a lioness in the Kiev zoo. The man reportedly shouted, "God will save me, if he exists," and then lowered himself into the lion's enclosure at the zoo. He took his shoes off and walked up to the lions. Officials say the lioness…