By L. J. Anderson
Today we’re diving into Flight by Chuck Black, the second book in the StarLore Legacy series—a Christian science fiction retelling of the life of Moses. As a longtime fan of speculative fiction and biblical storytelling, I found this entry both engaging and thought-provoking, though not without some theological and literary issues worth discussing.
By L. J. Anderson | January 2025
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has opened exciting possibilities in technology, creativity, and communication. But with that potential comes ethical responsibility—especially for Christians. Today, I want to speak plainly about a disturbing trend: the use of AI-generated deepfake worship videos that feature the voices, faces, and names of non-Christian artists like Eminem or Rihanna singing worship songs without their consent.
Continue reading “Why AI-Generated Worship Videos Featuring Celebrities Are Ethically Wrong”Spoiler alert: It’s not just unethical. It’s deceptive—and Christians should have no part in it.
I want to explore a question I’ve been thinking about lately: What exactly is syncretism, and can it ever be good? I was prompted to reflect on this while reading Most Moved Mover by Clark Pinnock for a PhD course on the doctrine of God. On page 72, he makes an interesting statement: that not all syncretism is bad.
That made me pause. My first reaction was, “That’s just not true.” But as I kept reading, I began to realize that the issue might not be disagreement on values; it might be disagreement on definitions. So let’s dig into that. What is syncretism? Why is it typically viewed negatively in Christian theology? And is there ever a case to be made for it being helpful (or at least not harmful)?
Continue reading “Is Syncretism Ever a Good Thing?”
Review by Logan Anderson, Ph.D. Student, Theological Studies, Liberty Theological Seminary, Lynchburg, VA.
Dockery and Morgan have edited an excellent foundational work for new or prospective higher education teachers. It is sufficiently broad as to be applicable in any discipline within higher education and specific enough that it gives very pointed help to a Christian educator in the evangelical tradition. Christian Higher Education is a “multiauthored, symphonic, and theologically shaped vision for the distinctive work of Christian higher education” (13). One important thing to note regarding this book is that the editors acknowledge differences of opinion and methodology between the authors. They specifically left many of these differences as they hoped it would give a glimpse into academic and student life from a variety of angles within the evangelical tradition (13). Each author brings a unique perspective to the discussion and the editors sought to preserve that in many instances. Despite the fact the chapters are written by different authors and address different topics, this review will primarily address the major sections of the book rather than individual chapters for the sake of brevity since this book is twenty-seven chapters long.
Continue reading “Christian Higher Education: Faith, Teaching, and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition. David S. Dockery and Christopher W. Morgan, eds. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018. 576 pp. $50.00. paper.”
Kingdom’s Hope by Chuck Black is a fast-paced action and adventure book based on many Old Testament stories. It is an easy read designed primarily for kids; however, adults can find value in it, especially when reading with kids, as it includes discussion questions and presents biblical stories in a new way. As this is part of a series where the story builds directly off of the last book, this review will be more truncated than the last one. I will link to the previous review so you can go back and look at it if you so like.
Continue reading “Kingdom’s Hope. The Kindom Series Book Two. Chuck Black. New York: Multnomah Books, 2006: Book Review by L. J. Anderson”
I took a class on intercultural communication in my second semester at Moody Bible Institute back in 2018. My professor and I ended up clashing over several different things in that class which likely comes as no surprise to those who know me.
Continue reading “Living Counterculturally”
One of the biggest questions that we struggle with as Christians is—what happens to those who have never heard about God? This is a very important question and, in many ways, the answer is fairly depressing. Does God have mercy on those who were never reached by Christians? The short answer is no.
Continue reading “What Happens to People Who Never Hear the Gospel?”
Kingdom’s Dawn by Chuck Black is a book that I grew up with as a high schooler. As a kid, I was only sort of interested in following God and reading the Bible, but I was very much interested in knights, swords, and the battle of good versus evil. This made the Kingdom Series an excellent series for me as it engaged my mind with Scriptural ideas while being entertaining. Below is my review of the book and an engagement with its theology now that I have read it again as an adult.
Continue reading “Kingdom’s Dawn. The Kindom Series Book One. Chuck Black. New York: Multnomah Books, 2006: Book Review by L. J. Anderson”
Summary
Surviving and Thriving in Seminary is a book focused on, well, surviving and thriving in seminary. Shocking, I know. But do not let the title deceive you. It is a worthwhile read even if you do not plan on going into seminary. That said, the book is intended for seminarians or soon-to-be seminarians. It goes over three distinct areas. Initially, it focuses on preparing your mind, heart, and family for the rigors ahead. This section is highly valuable even for non-seminarians as it applies across the gamut of ministry contexts. Any time you or I begin a ministry, even as a layperson, we need to recognize what is to come.
Continue reading “Surviving and Thriving in Seminary: An Academic and Spiritual Handbook. H. Daniel Zacharias and Benjamin K. Forrest. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017: Book Review by L. J. Anderson”
Simple religious pluralism is an attack on the uniqueness of Jesus by viewing all religions as an equally effective means of getting to God. Thus, Islam, Mormonism, and Hinduism, despite being completely contradictory religions by nature, are all perfectly legitimate ways to God. Not only are they ways to God, but to argue that one is the only way is inherently wrong. Yet, this is precisely the claim by Jesus in Scripture.
Continue reading “A Short Argument Against Simple Religious Pluralism and For the Uniqueness of Jesus”
L. J. Anderson - Author and Blogger 