(The previous chapters can be found by clicking on A Godless Fundamentalist under Topics on the right hand side of this page. To receive email notifications whenever subsequent chapters are published, hit the follow button.) by John Ellis The apartment was unusually dark and quiet when I opened the door. No low hum from the … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 16 “The Pigsty Part 2”
Tag: Jesus
Reading Ecclesiastes in the Time of the Coronavirus
by John Ellis Buying the post-Enlightenment secularist package includes owning the non-refundable subscription of nihilistic despair. A dirge-filled affair where doomed actors strut on the world stage’s perpetually revived production of the Theatre of Cruelty. No matter how honest we believe ourselves to be, though, like Andre Breton we have zero desire to listen to … Continue reading Reading Ecclesiastes in the Time of the Coronavirus
A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 4
by John Ellis One of the sad ironies embedded in my authority figures devotion to protecting my testimony was that while they were busy guarding my external actions, Satan was further warping and hardening my rebellious heart of stone. Even if my authority figures had been successful in protecting me from outward acts of sin … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 4
A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 2
by John Ellis Desiring sympathy and solidarity as we seek an autonomous existence apart from God isn’t new. That’s part of the trap our first parents, Adam and Eve, walked into. In Genesis 3, the Bible calls Serpent-Satan, “crafty.” He is beguiling and a master at feigning understanding through his soothing slither of commiserating words. … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 2
A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 1
by John Ellis On August 2, 1975, I was born for the first time. Interestingly, one of the most vivid metaphors that Jesus used to describe salvation is birth. During a clandestine meeting with a Jewish religious leader, Jesus made the astonishing claim, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he … Continue reading A Godless Fundamentalist: Chapter 1
Why Sex Outside of Marriage Is a Sin
by John Ellis Below in italics is my attempted re-creation of a story I haven’t read in at least three decades. No doubt, my blatant plagiarism contains some errors. My apologies to the author, whomever that might be. I’ve also attempted to remain true to the original story’s thematic tone and objective – a tone … Continue reading Why Sex Outside of Marriage Is a Sin
The Gospel and Poverty
“Blessed is the one who considers the poor.” Psalm 41:1 by John Ellis In 2011, successful Wall Street bond trader Chris Arnade walked into one of the Bronx’s worst neighborhoods. Prior to his foray into America’s world of poverty, Arnade was warned that “it was too dangerous, too poor.”[1] He didn’t care and went anyway. … Continue reading The Gospel and Poverty
The Necessity of Christ’s Active Obedience in Salvation
by John Ellis During membership interviews at my previous church, the elders ask the prospective member to briefly share the gospel. It’s not asked as a membership test; if you forget to include Jesus’ Resurrection, you don’t fail and aren’t prevented from joining the church. The question is asked because the gospel is central to … Continue reading The Necessity of Christ’s Active Obedience in Salvation
Death’s Unnatural Intrusion Into Childhood
(I wrote this in early 2016, and it remains one of my favorite articles that I've written.) by John Ellis Assuming normal physiology, humans don’t begin to taste deeply of physical death until sometime in their twenties. The day to day existence of children is punctuated by life. The brain is awakening – new sounds, … Continue reading Death’s Unnatural Intrusion Into Childhood
How to Convince an Atheist that God Exists
by John Ellis According to the most recent data I could find, self-described atheists make up 4% of America’s population. Pew reports, “this is up from 2% in 2011.” Add in the 5% of Americans who describe themselves as agnostic, and nearly 1 out of every 10 Americans are sceptics of the highest order. In … Continue reading How to Convince an Atheist that God Exists
Practically Known Theology 