By Philippe R. Sterling Have you ever heard of a myrmecologist? No…it’s not a person who studies murmuring! Myrmecology is the study of ants. Myrmecology (from Greek: myrmēx, ant and logos, study) is a branch of entomology (the study of all insects) that focuses on the scientific study of ants. Some early myrmecologists, considering ant

By Bob Vacendak Is assurance of salvation “of the essence of saving faith” in the Gospel of John? Of course, when we say of the essence we mean: “Is assurance of salvation a necessary part of saving faith?” Since the Reformation, scholars have debated the assurance of salvation. The crux of the issue is: Can

By Vince Deegan When Free Grace folks tell unbelievers what they must believe to have eternal life—that is, to be saved from the lake of fire and live in the kingdom of God forever—we tell them they must believe in the gift and the Giver. The gift is eternal life. The Giver is Jesus Christ.

By Mike Lii1 Introduction Free Grace theology is unified around the concepts that (a) salvation is by faith in some truth about Jesus and (b) this salvation, when received, can never be lost (eternal security). However, Free Grace theologians do not all agree upon (1) the truth about Jesus that must be believed in order

By Mike Lii It is one of the most iconic moments in Super Bowl history and probably the most famous example of an athlete celebrating his victory too early. In 1993, during Super Bowl XXVII, Leon Lett of the Dallas Cowboys scooped up a fumble by Buffalo Bills’ quarterback Frank Reich, then proceeded to run

By Dix Winston In 1999 the NFL instituted the red challenge flag, allowing a coach to challenge certain calls made by the officiating team. Once the flag is thrown, the referee reviews the video replay from a number of different camera angles. If there is indisputable visual evidence, the ruling on the field will be

By Philippe R. Sterling Life is often difficult. One of my most difficult years was my second year in college. I was taking some of my most demanding classes: organic chemistry, physics, and physiology. Three weeks before finals I got a severe sinus infection, which made it look as if I had a softball under

By Marcia Hornok Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Did an innkeeper reject Mary and Joseph? Was Jesus born the night they arrived? Did a multitude of angels sing? Did a special star guide the wise men all the way from the Orient to Israel? Did anyone kneel at the manger? Does Santa Claus

By Mike Lii During this time of year, children are often asked, “Do you believe in Santa?” It is interesting to note that when it comes to answering this question, people have nowhere near the level of confusion or over-analysis that they have about answering the question: “Do you believe in Jesus?” Most interpret the

By Nancy Rempel* *All names in this story are pseudonyms except for Billy Graham and the apostle Paul. Maybe it’s all up to us to be persuasive and winsome enough. To be clever super-saints—Billy Graham and the apostle Paul all rolled into one—before we can lead someone to Christ. Maybe God waits for us to