Browsing: Bible

The shift away from celebrating Christ during Christmas isn’t accidental. It’s the result of a culture that increasingly prioritizes instant gratification, external displays of success and an artificial sense of joy over genuine spiritual reflection.

Seventy years ago in the fall of 1954, the dream that was Tidwell Bible Building came to fruition and was completed. Since then, thousands upon thousands of students have made their way through the building’s halls and classrooms, becoming a part of Baylor’s long legacy of scholars.

Movies like “The Exorcist” clearly reveal that God has power in the fight against evil. If it didn’t, the holy water and exorcisms wouldn’t have worked. In “Annabelle: Creation,” they trap the murderous doll in a closet by pasting Bible pages to the walls. Horror movies like these directly acknowledge that God is real, and He has power against evil.

One of the most important things to remember is that the revival doesn’t only exist in “thin spaces” or events that ignite this passion among our generation of believers. The moments and the time after are what truly matter. It is easy to live stagnant, knowing and trusting God’s plan for you, but there are no limits, and there should never be a point at which you stop actively pursuing your faith.

When you replace the word of God and the seriousness of going to church by making it a popularity contest, you start to lose people. There is something so beautiful about having a diverse mixture of friends — some who share your beliefs and some who don’t.

As part of a semester project, Baylor student researchers found that there’s an increase in closeness to God connected to an increase in Bible reading, that sororities are more likely than fraternities to have religiosity and that lower- and working-class students feel less sense of belonging at Baylor.

Living in gratitude and out of complaint is worth the effort. In this life, we will experience great joys, milestones, trials and hardships. Beginning to practice and implement a posture of gratitude will change our hearts and our lives.

The idea of eternal punishment insinuates the notion that it’s not possible to grow past your mistakes. What makes the most sense based on this interpretation is purgatory — a temporary place for purification.

The Bible does not reject capital punishment, but it does provide requirements for it. A person can be killed justly if they have killed unjustly, but they must also be treated with humanity in the process.

Rachel Held Evans, author of the recently published “A Year of Biblical Womanhood,” spoke at Chapel on Monday about her year-long project to discover how to live the life of a “biblical woman” according to laws set forth in Scripture.