Most Christians know what they believe, but far fewer know why they believe it. And fewer still have taken the time to compare the popular teachings in Christian culture with what the Bible actually says. That tension—between tradition and Scripture, assumption and truth—is where Contending for the Truth lives.
Continue reading “When Doctrine Gets Personal: Why I Wrote Contending for the Truth”Category: General Theological Teaching
Book Review: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas – A Classic Romance With Surprising Depth
by L. J. Anderson
I recently finished reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, and I have a lot of thoughts. This is a book I’ve wanted to read for years—mainly because I’m a big fan of the 1993 movie adaptation. I’ve watched that version more times than I can count, so I figured the book would be just as enjoyable, if not more.
But surprisingly, that wasn’t quite the case for me.
Continue reading “Book Review: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas – A Classic Romance With Surprising Depth”Share this:
Why the Nicene Creed Focuses on Jesus: A Look at the Creed’s 1700th Anniversary
The year 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. This foundational Christian document was first written in 325 AD at the Council of Nicaea, and it still plays a vital role in how we understand Christian doctrine today.
In this post, I want to take a few minutes to walk through the original creed, read it aloud, and explore why it places so much emphasis on the Son, Jesus Christ, and not as much on the Father or the Holy Spirit.
Continue reading “Why the Nicene Creed Focuses on Jesus: A Look at the Creed’s 1700th Anniversary”Share this:
Book Review: Flight by Chuck Black – A Sci-Fi Reimagining of Moses With a Tech-Driven Twist
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.
Continue reading “Book Review: Flight by Chuck Black – A Sci-Fi Reimagining of Moses With a Tech-Driven Twist”
Share this:
Why AI-Generated Worship Videos Featuring Celebrities Are Ethically Wrong
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.
Share this:
Is Syncretism Ever a Good Thing?
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?”Share this:
Living Counterculturally
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”Share this:
What Happens to People Who Never Hear the Gospel?
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?”Share this:
A Short Argument Against Simple Religious Pluralism and For the Uniqueness of Jesus
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”Share this:
John Wesley on Christian Perfection
One can learn a lot regarding faith and practice by studying some of the great theologians of the past. This is even, maybe especially, true regarding those that one tends to disagree with. John Wesley’s view of Christian perfection is certainly one such case of this. Most contemporary Christians who engage with it find John Wesley’s view of Christian perfection to be wrong, and perhaps rightly so, but does that mean it is not worth looking into? This paper seeks to discuss Christian perfection according to John Wesley, engage with it theologically, and demonstrate that, though there is a ton of value in it, Wesley’s view is slightly extreme.
Continue reading “John Wesley on Christian Perfection”
L. J. Anderson - Author and Blogger 