Dr Paul Allen

Main stream media tags the Norwegian killer as a Christian, and Christians , naturally object.  What, I wonder, do our objections say about us? First, is it really inconceivable that this man is  a Christian? It may be unlikely. And I may not like it. But I fear our objections run flat into our confession .  We are sinners . We are capable of all manner of sin. Are we not betraying a Pelagian sensibility if we protest, “Well, we’re sinners. But not like THAT!!” I know a man who was a believer. He was well respected, and served God ’s people in a position of visible leadership.  He wrote some of the most beloved songs that are still sung among God’s people. While he was a believer he started an adulterous relationship. To keep himself from being caught he murdered the woman’s husband. Could such a man be a Christian?  Well, God says he, David, was God’s own friend. Do Christians commit murder?  Of course they do Is there some magic number, somewhere between one and a hun

Cover of How Now Shall We Live? Author: Chuck Colson Norway is one of the most beautiful places on earth. A Nordic paradise of fjords, coastline, glaciers, forests. Norwegians are rightfully proud of their prosperous, peaceful society. Well, today, Norway is in a state of absolute, total shock in the aftermath of one of the most cold-blooded, heartless acts of terrorism since 9/11. The Norwegians are desperately trying to explain this senseless slaughter. The killer has been described as a right-wing extremist, a fundamentalist Christian , an anti-immigrant fanatic, and mentally ill .  Most likely, in my opinion, a fascist. But here are two root causes of this horrible act that few in Norway, or the rest of the Western world for that matter, will acknowledge: Evil and sin. You see, Norway is one of the most secular countries in Western Europe. Hardly a shred left of the Christian faith that once dominated the country. So, without that Christian understanding of fallen human natu

Image via Wikipedia Last Friday (July 22, 2011), a bomb went off in Oslo killing eight people and injuring many more.  Soon afterward, a gunman went on a shooting spree at an island youth camp in Norway , killing 68 people. The gunman was arrested and later claimed responsibility for both attacks. When interviewed by the police, Breivik claimed that his actions were intended to save his country and all of Europe from Marxist and Muslim infiltration. Because of his belief that it is failing on the issue of immigration, he wanted to create as much loss as he could for Norway’s Labour Party.  The bomb, therefore, was placed near buildings occupied by Labour Party members, and the shooting occurred at a Labour Party youth camp. Political terrorism has not been unusual in the twentieth and twenty-first century, but this attack hits home for those of us who claim to be Christian because Breivik has identified himself as one of us on his Facebook page . He claims to be a Chri

Image via Wikipedia Last Friday (July 22, 2011), a bomb went off in Oslo killing eight people and injuring many more. Soon afterward, a gunman went on a shooting spree at an island youth camp in Norway , killing 68 people. The gunman was arrested and later claimed responsibility for both attacks. When interviewed by the police, Breivik claimed that his actions were intended to save his country and all of Europe from Marxist and Muslim infiltration.  Because of his belief that it is failing on the issue of immigration, he wanted to create as much loss as he could for Norway’s Labour Party. The bomb, therefore, was placed near buildings occupied by Labour Party members, and the shooting occurred at a Labour Party youth camp. Political terrorism has not been unusual in the twentieth and twenty-first century, but this attack hits home for those of us who claim to be Christian because Breivik has identified himself as one of us on his Facebook page. He claims to be a Christian. 

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