Heaven

1+ day, 4+ hour ago   (263+ words) Sunday, Oct. 11, is the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mass readings: Isaiah 25:6-10a; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6; Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20; Matthew 22:1-14 or 22:1-10. How ready are we to enter the kingdom of God? Jesus lays out the drama in the Gospel: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened…...

2+ day, 19+ hour ago   (306+ words) © 2026 The Christian Century. A theology of heaven for our time I also recognize how manipulative life-after-death preaching can be. I’ve heard the fearmongering altar calls, the vivid descriptions of hellfire, the horrible descriptions of “God the righteous judge” that render…...

4+ day, 7+ hour ago   (294+ words) The first chapter of Ephesians is one of those texts in Scripture that Christians cannot read enough. It is full of comforting truth about God’s redeeming love, the work of Christ, and the reality of all kinds of spiritual blessings…...

4+ day, 10+ hour ago   (888+ words) Sometimes “I don’t know” is an honest Christian answer. I have become more comfortable saying that as I have gotten older. There are things God has revealed clearly in Scripture, and there are things He hasn’t explained in the level…...

4+ day, 18+ hour ago   (193+ words) The next chapter is a mystery. That doesn’t make this one a waiting room. I was buttering toast when I began wondering what proof of an afterlife would actually change. Not an assurance. Not somebody speaking confidently in a room…...

4+ day, 18+ hour ago   (224+ words) What is man, that thou art mindful of him? — Psalm 8:4 I have asked that question many times walking through life. In a world of 8 billion people, why does God still see me? Still hear me? Still reach for me? That…...

5+ day, 9+ hour ago   (232+ words) So we have the gospel, meaning literally “good news,” being turned into some strong-arming by God. However, for most who heard this, the most life-changing element was the eternal implication of following Christ. Yet now even this heavenly offer is…...

5+ day, 20+ hour ago   (1535+ words) Is my ambition too worldly? One thing I have always thought about as a Christian is this: What really makes a Christian different beyond simply being a good person? And yes, Christians should be good people. Kindness is a fruit…...

6+ day, 2+ hour ago   (366+ words) This is a short preview version. At the end you will find the links to the complete versions. There is a phrase that repeats itself on the altars of Santa Muerte: — God first. Then the White Girl. The devotee murmurs…...

6+ day, 11+ hour ago   (608+ words) Some of my earliest memories reach all the way back to age two, when we visited family and spent long, sunny summer days along Sugar Creek in the Ozarks—the very same hills and hollows where my mom was born…...