Category Vlog

What is the Christian faith all about?

Book Recommendation: Basic Christianity by the late John Stott

In this classic book John Stott explains the basic message of the Christian faith.

  • who did Jesus claimed to be?
  • what did he try to accomplish?
  • what should be ‘our’ response?

You can see the vlog here

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Why is happiness not equally widespread?

Here is the link of the vlog

We went to have some conversations last week with students in Delft. We met a Dutch Ph.D. student. When we asked “what do you think about God?” she said that one difficulty she has is the following: if an all-powerful God exists why is then happiness not equally spread? Here some reflections we have

Here are some points we have to include while trying to find a good explanation about this ‘widespread unhappiness’ in our world:

  • what does it not mean that God is all-powerful?
  • what is happiness and why is it not equally widespread?
  • If God exists does he care? in what way?
  • what did Jesus say and do about the unhappiness in the world?

This is an open conversation and we will be happy to hear what you think?

Four things that help me make sense out of evil and suffering

A few thoughts about suffering and evil that help me personally

  • Suffering and evil is a reality we all face day in and day out. In this vlog, I share four things that I find helpful when I think about suffering and evil.
    • First, a helpful distinction. It is not only an intellectual problem.
    • Furthermore, who has to give a response to the problem of suffering and evil?
    • In addition, what is evil? why is there so much suffering in the world?
    • Finally, what is the Christian responds to suffering and evil?
  • What are your thoughts to these four things? leave a reply and I will be happy to respond.

You can watch the vlog here 

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Make room for thought: is faith unreasonable?

View the vlog here

MAKE ROOM FOR THOUGHT: Is faith unreasonable?

Students in Leiden here in The Netherlands run a week with talks about the meaning of life.

So they asked me to prepare a talk about the question of faith in relation to reason. My talk was under the general topic of MAKE ROOM FOR THOUGHT. Here then is a summary of my talk in 5 minutes.

We all have the same starting point: we believe something about reality. The real question then is: which view makes more sense? Would like to hear what you think. leave a comment or ask a question. Stay safe!

 

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Living with Hope and Courage in All Circumstances

Some things we cannot change easily, the fact of the corona pandemic and lockdown we are going through is an example. But we can do something about how to respond to this pandemic.

This is a talk I gave at ICF Delft Sunday, October the 6th 2019. With the corona pandemic and the lockdown we experience these passages can bring comfort and strenght. They also can show us how to deal with uncertain times, even with death, with courage and hope.

Talk theme: living with hope and courage whatever may come

We all live our lives without knowing what may happen in the future. All humans are fragile in one way or another. For instance, we cannot avoid death or the death of loved ones. Furthermore, we need to know who we are to be able to live a life free from wrong expectations or the trap of performing to be accepted.

We want to live with values that will help us live a life worth living. Who can help us live with hope and courage during our short and fragile lives?

The Christian faith has an answer to these questions. Our passage this coming Sunday from 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5 talks about

  • certainty in death – future promise connected with a past historical event
  • a meeting with the King  that inspires hope
  • courage to live with kingdom values
  • an identity rooted in a love relationship with God

Click below to listen to the talk from about minute 29.

Outline: A Creed. A Meeting. An Identity. A lifestyle.

New Church (Nieuwe Kerk) in Delft.

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