Andrew Gilmore's Blog, page 11

Christianity Is Not an Ethnicity: What Jesus Really Meant When He Said "Born Again"

The most famous passage in all of Scripture is John 3 in which a Pharisee called Nicodemus visits Jesus at night.

During the encounter Jesus uttered the renowned verse sixteen stating, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” This is the foundation for Christianity. It is the gospel encapsulated in one sentence.


Photo by Janko Ferlič
But the impressive nature of the chapter is the deep subtext which eludes...

How to Work for God without Losing Your Religion

I'm over at Beliefs of the Heart today where I wrote a piece called How to Work for God without Losing Your Religion.
Photo by Samuel Zeller

Kingdom work is critical. Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. And yet serving the Lord in any capacity without the proper motivations bastardizes the Gospel, transforming it into a sort of karmic Christianity. Or worse!

Here's how the post begins. I hope you'll take the time to click over to Sam Williamson's site to read the rest:

A...

The Unbeliever’s Greatest Question (And How to Answer It)

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon

Did you know I write some articles only for my email subscribers?

This month, I wrote about a problem that haunts all humanity, especially the unbeliever. Here's how it begins:

Toward the end of a book called If God Made the Universe, Who Made God?, the editors included an essay titled, “Intellectuals Who Found God”. It’s a short section, detailing the conversions of six men to Christianity. The piece included no introduction or concluding thoughts—just disparate trans...

Another Age of the Earth Theory

You might remember my crazy age of the earth theory I wrote about a couple of years ago. In that post, which you can read here, I argued that since we measure time by the earth’s rotation and since that rotation is slowing down a little every year, it follows that time, at least as we used to measure it, is not constant. Therefore it is possible that the first seven days were seven literal days as marked by one full rotation of the earth on its axis, but measured in thousands of days as measu...

What Jesus Would Say to the Helpless and Hopeless Inside Each of Us

I'm excited to be featured on Unlocking the Bible today!


Photo by Ethan Sykes

I wrote about what Jesus wants you to know in times when you feel overwhelmed or in situations when you are without hope. Here's how it begins:

If you are a human, no doubt you have felt hopeless at times. You’ve endured seasons in your life when everything around you seemed to be crumbling, and you couldn’t do anything about it. 

If you are human, you’ve probably felt helpless a time or two. You may have...

If You Really Believe Luke, You Just Can't Be a Pessimist in 2019

If you had a few days left to live, what would you tell those around you?

You'd probably ensure that your loved ones know they are loved. You might reminisce with them about the past. You might even try to bury the hatchet with some contentious people from your past.


Photo by Bruce Mars
But in addition to nostalgia and forgiveness, I can bet there would be a good deal of practicality wrapped up in your last few days. Things like where you store the password for the retirement account. How to sta...

What I Read in 2018

[Editor's note: If you're here for the book giveaway, scroll down to the bottom or click here for details.]

I dreaded writing this report.

When I thought back to the past year, I remembered having read only one or two books worth sharing with you all in my annual What I Read post. I was embarrassed because as an author, I feel like it's my obligation to be reading deep and wide in order to hone my craft, become more knowledgeable in my subject matter, and to support the concept of reading as a...

Martin Luther: Anti-Hero?

Did you know I write exclusive content for my email subscribers?

I just sent this month's article, and it's all about Martin Luther and Christian "heroes."


Thierry Ehrmann (CC)

Here's how the email begins:

Tomorrow is an important day. 

Millions of youngsters will commemorate the occasion by dressing up and knocking on neighbors’ doors in search of confections by which they might sate their brains’ never-ending quests for endorphins. 

I am writing, of course, about Reformation Day, the da...

Five Counterintuitive Lessons Jesus Taught about Entering the Kingdom of God

When I read through the gospels, I can't help but notice how often Jesus shatters the expectations of those around him. On page after page, he upends the disciples' notions of living for God. He crushes first century assumptions about the Jewish Messiah. He defies common knowledge regarding healing.


Ben White

Of all these mind-bending episodes, Jesus's most common lessons centered on the Kingdom of God. First century folk erroneously assumed God's kingdom would be just like earthly kingdoms: fo...

I Should Probably Be a Pillar of Salt by Now

Author Jessie Clemence hosted me on her blog last week, and I wanted to share the article with you here.

I love Jessie's writing because she has a distinct and entertaining voice. Which is just an academic way of saying she's genuine, funny, and you feel like you know her by reading her words. Her newest book is geared toward mothers, and it is called I Could Use a Nap and a Million Dollars: Biblical Alternatives to Stressed-Out Living .

You should check it out!


Photo by Rich Brown

Anyway here's a...