Dr Paul Allen

A Muslim migrant in Rome recently  stabbed a Christian man  in the throat for wearing a crucifix around his neck. The assailant, a 37-year-old Moroccan, is accused of attempted homicide; " religious hate " is cited as an "aggravating factor" in the crime. This is hardly the first "religious hate" crime to occur in the context of the cross in Italy. Among others, A Muslim boy of African origin picked on, insulted, and eventually beat a 12-year-old girl during school  because she too was wearing a crucifix .  A Muslim migrant  invaded an old church  in Venice and attacked its large, 300-year-old cross, breaking off one of its arms, while shouting, "All that is in a church is false!" After a  crucifix was destroyed  in close proximity to a populated mosque, Cinisello Balsamo's mayor said  concerning the identity of the culprit(s) : "Before we put a show of unity with Muslims, let's have them begin by respecting our civilizatio...

“And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love.” ( 1 John 4:16 ) It is said that the most quoted verse in all the Bible is the passage in John 3:16: “ For God so loved the world , that he gave his only begotten Son , that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Surely that is a magnificent testimony to the love God has for us, and without it none of us would know God. “We love him, because he first loved us” ( 1 John 4:19 ). But God “loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” ( Hebrews 1:9 ). How is it that God “commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” ( Romans 5:8 )? “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” ( 1 John 4:10 ). Human love is usually reciprocal. That is, we love if and when we are loved in return. Yet those of us who are twice-born are commanded to love each other, and the godly husband is...

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) What does it mean to successful? That is a vital question for anyone to ask – one that determines a person’s priorities and direction in life. Whether you are a pastor, an accountant, a school teacher, a stay-at-home mom , an office manager, a construction worker, an engineer, or any other occupation – if you are a believer in Jesus Christ – this question pertains to you.  What does it mean to be successful? What does true  success  look like, not in terms of getting a new promotion or a raise, but in the highest and loftiest sense of that word? Consider the “heroes of the faith” listed in Hebrews 11. From a worldly perspective , these individuals would hardly be regarded as successful. - Successful people aren’t mocked and scourged. - Successful people don’t get chained up in prison. - Successfu...