Rich Murphy 
There are many churches, ministers and believers who say that drinking anything alcoholic is wrong, even going so far as to call it a sin. It’s not uncommon for the same people to interpret scripture to back up their viewpoint, saying things like when Jesus turned water to wine, it was actually grape juice, not … Read more
The United States of America seems to be becoming more politically divided than ever. That’s not to say that it wasn’t politically divided before. Ever since the beginning, there have been two main political parties in the US, which were essentially opposed to each other over a variety of issues. Those weren’t the same parties … Read more
Ever since the beginning, Christianity has been under attack by those who have wanted to infuse it with false teachings. Paul had to deal with those who wanted to turn Christianity into legalism, teaching that Christians were made perfect by obeying the law; a false teaching. At another time, he had to deal with the … Read more
The history of Israel, as recorded in the Bible, is rather unique in world history. There were other nations that had kings and there were even other nations that had judges as leaders. But what makes Israel unique is that they passed from being a theocracy that ruled though judges, to a kingdom. The time … Read more
Jesus used a variety of teaching methods in his three-and-a-half-year ministry here on Earth. Sometimes He lectured. Other times He taught by example. Still other times He used parables or stories to teach a lesson. He wasn’t the first to use those, as we find some in the books of the Prophets. The Jewish rabbis … Read more
Racial discrimination, most commonly referred to as just “racism” is one of the hottest issues of the day. While different people have different ideas about the severity of the problem, it is unlikely that there are many who would claim that it doesn’t exist at all. Racial discrimination has existed in one form or another … Read more
Many people have the idea that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are different Gods. They see the God of the New Testament as a God of love, while they see the God of the Old Testament as one of wrath, killing people who don’t live up to … Read more
The Bible is full of different characters, some of whom are well known and some of whom would be called “supporting actors” in Hollywood parlance. We see a lot of different people who actually fulfilled very important roles, even though not a lot of words are written about them. How important these people are is … Read more
The life of Jesus, in the three-and-a-half years that He walked on the Earth, touched many people, some more obviously than others. His 12 disciples were probably the ones impacted the most greatly, as they walked with Him and heard His teachings much more so than others did. Many are mentioned in the gospels, who … Read more
Prayer, it is said, is a conversation with God. Yet for most of us, it seems to be a one-way conversation. We talk to God, but don’t really hear Him respond. Is this because God doesn’t speak to us today or just because we aren’t listening? Is God perhaps using a language that we don’t … Read more