Dr Paul Allen

The industry that contributes most significantly to Iceland’s GDP, besides fishing, is the mining, processing, and exporting of aluminum. As Icelandic education and technology have increased, so has their efficiency in producing aluminum. And yet there is a factor that slows the process down; one which the Icelanders have chosen to embrace, rather than dispel. The one factor that makes their aluminum production slower than it could be is the widespread national belief in fairies. Well, not really fairies. It’s actually the sincere belief in elves, trolls, and gnomes. But collectively they are referred to as fairies or in their language Huldenvolk, or hidden-people, or secret-people. According to a 1975 national survey, only 7% of the population were certain of the existence of Elves, but only 10% of the population were certain there were no Elves. Leaving a whopping 83% of Icelanders who doubted the existence, but not enough to go on record as calling themselves, unbelievers. My questi...

Jesus tells Mary, “Touch Me not” (John 20:17, KJV); but then later, speaking to Thomas, He says, “Reach hither thy finger and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side” (verse 27). The seeming incongruity of Jesus’ statements is resolved when we examine the language Jesus employed and consider the basic difference between the two situations. In John 20:17, the word translated “touch” is a Greek word which means “to cling to, to lay hold of.” This wasn’t just a touch; it was a grip. Obviously, when Mary recognized Jesus, she immediately clung to Him. Matthew 28:9 records the other women doing the same thing when they saw the resurrected Christ. Mary’s reaction was motivated, possibly, by several things. One is simply her loving devotion to the Lord. Mary is overwhelmed by the events of the morning, and as her grief turns to joy, she naturally embraces Jesus. Another motivation is Mary’s desire to restore the fellowship that death had broken. She h...

Doubting Thomas (1621 1623) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “ Doubting Thomas ,” we call him. Yet the reason he doubts that Jesus has risen from the dead may have more to do with the fact that he was not present when Jesus first appeared to the apostolic band ( John 20:19 –25). Is it entirely obvious that any of the others would have fared any better if they had been absent on the critical day? Certainly Thomas does not lack courage. When Jesus purposes to return from Galilee to Judah to raise Lazarus from the dead, and the disciples, understanding the political climate, recognize how dangerous such a course of action will be, it is Thomas who quietly encourages his colleagues: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (11:16).  On occasion Thomas articulates the question the entire band is wanting to ask. Thus, when Jesus insists he is going away, and that by now they really do know the way, Thomas is not just speaking for himself when he quietly protests, “ Lord , we don’...

Jesus represented as telling Mary not to touch him, by Hans Holbein the Younger. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25) The resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the most important event of human history. If it didn’t happen, the most influential world religion is a sham. If it did happen, “all things are possible” ( Matthew 19:26 ). The resurrection is a fantastic claim. Jesus’ own disciples didn’t believe it at first. And Thomas struggled more than anyone with his skeptic side. And in his experience1 in particular there is hope for all of us stumbling doubters. Jesus knows how and when to reach us. Jesus’s death had been difficult and confusing for everyone. Having been welcomed into Jerusalem like a king, he was dead before the week was over. And when the shepherd was struck the sheep scattered (Mark 14:27). But they re-ga...

Image via Wikipedia   "And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God ." ( John 20:28 )   Thomas has been called " doubting Thomas " because of his initial reluctance to believe in the Lord's resurrection, but neither the Lord nor the other disciples ever viewed him in such a light. His later ministry, as the first missionary/martyr to India , speaks clearly of his great faith.   It is only in John's gospel that we have any specific insight into Thomas' character. When the other disciples sought to dissuade Jesus from returning to Jerusalem , it was Thomas who urged, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" ( John 11:16 ). Thomas understood the dangers awaiting them, but was ready to go wherever Jesus desired him to go.  In the upper room when Jesus spoke of going away, Thomas, still willing to go with Him anywhere, was the only one to ask, "Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" ( John 14...