Author Archives: Clarke Morledge

About Clarke Morledge

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Clarke Morledge -- Computer Network Engineer, College of William and Mary... I hiked the Mount of the Holy Cross, one of the famous Colorado Fourteeners, with some friends in July, 2012. My buddy, Mike Scott, snapped this photo of me on the summit.
January 27, 2013

Call Yourself a “Christian”?

By Clarke Morledge

What does it mean to "follow after Jesus" as opposed to simply being a "Christian"? Carl Medearis has some thought-provoking ideas.

What does it mean to “follow after Jesus” as opposed to simply being a “Christian”? Carl Medearis has some thought-provoking ideas.

If you call yourself a “Christian”, what do you mean by that? For some, being a “Christian” is something you inherit from your parents. For others, “Christian” is a political label. Does the word “Christian” communicate something you really mean to say?

I have a missionary friend of mine who supports the ministry of Carl Medearis. I had heard of Medearis before, and I have a book by him in my library that remains unread, Muslims, Christians, and Jesus: Gaining Understanding and Building Relationships. Like many folks today with tight schedules, I simply have not had the time to read the book. But I am a cheap guy, and so when my missionary friend sent me a link to download a **FREE** copy of Medearis’ latest book as part of a limited time offer, I thought “Sure, I’ll get it…. but I’ll probably never read it.” So I downloaded an electronic copy of Speaking of Jesus: The Art of Not-Evangelism. It is a fairly small book, so I just happened to glance at the title of the last chapter, “Gays, Liberals, and Muslims“….. Say whaa??

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5 Comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Witnesses

January 23, 2013

Gnosis: The Inside Scoop

By Clarke Morledge
The Nag Hammadi Library is the largest and earliest discovery of Gnostic Christian texts, discovered in Egypt in 1945 by two peasant brothers digging for fertilizer.

The Nag Hammadi Library is the largest and earliest discovery of Gnostic Christian texts, discovered in Egypt in 1945 by two peasant brothers digging for fertilizer.

What is that new stock tip? Where is that sale that no one else knows about? What secret knowledge can I get to win in Fantasy Football? The human quest to get the “inside scoop” is no surprise. But when it comes to Christian spirituality, an obsession to get insider knowledge can lead to folly.

Whether it is a get-rich-quick scheme, the latest diet fad, or even many forms of alternative medicine, the characteristics of an obsession with getting the “inside scoop” are basically the same. Someone gives you some special tip that is trivial at first yet seems helpful.   You have gained some valuable insight that others might not have.   But then this self-proclaimed “guru” encourages you to place your confidence in that person to gain more and more knowledge that will lead to success, wealth, health, or peace in a way inaccessible previously. You find yourself engrossed in what the guru says and you become skeptical of ordinary ways of knowing things. In many cases, you end up shelling out lots of money and/or time or other valuables to obtain what is promised to you, and any other discipline on your part is typically a short-cut to the ultimate goal. You may eventually learn the hard way that you have been duped, or you continue on in the ruse, ever more hopeful for that which was originally promised to you will finally come your way.
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January 12, 2013

Wideness of God’s Mercy: Pluralism #4

By Clarke Morledge

I like playing soccer. But playing pick-up soccer is pretty difficult when you do not have any goals. Sometimes you have to improvise with a pair of shoes, a few backpacks, or if you are really lucky, a set of orange highway department cones.

Mmmm…. those look like some mighty fine cones ….. perfect soccer goals!

If you want to mess with the opposing soccer team, just move those improvised goals when they are not looking. When on the opponent’s side of the field, sneak that one cone farther apart from the other one to make that goal wider. Then just wait a few minutes. Pretty soon, you’ll be hearing, “Morledge! What are you doing messing around with the goals?! You can not make the goals wider for you!”

There is always a temptation to try to widen the goals. But it does not just happen in soccer. It also happens when we think about God and salvation. How wide is God’s mercy when we consider who will be saved and who will not be saved? What a troublesome question! In an age drawn more to the love of God as opposed to His justice, does human sentimentality confuse us in our understanding of the parameters God has set for salvation?

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December 29, 2012

Habits of the Hobbit Heart

By Clarke Morledge
J. R. R. Tolkien wrote his first children's book about Middle Earth in 1937. Popular film director Peter Jackson adapted a modern retelling of the tale to the big screen in 2012.

J. R. R. Tolkien wrote his first children’s book about Middle Earth in 1937. Popular film director Peter Jackson adapted a modern retelling of the tale to the big screen in 2012.

J.R.R. Tolkien wrote the books, and film director Peter Jackson has put them on the big screen. The Lord of the Rings trilogy and now The Hobbit have made a huge mark at the box office. But did you know that Tolkien was instrumental in the conversion of C. S. Lewis to the Christian faith?

Tolkien, a Roman Catholic,  and Lewis, an atheist, were both veterans of World War One and eventually colleagues at Oxford. Tolkien took a late night walk with Lewis and another friend, during a period in 1931 when Lewis was questioning his atheism. Lewis had a great deal of interest in ancient myths and the truth hidden in such stories. Within days, Lewis committed his life to Jesus Christ, owing much of his conversion to his conversation with his friends.
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December 23, 2012

Have a Merry Mithras!?

By Clarke Morledge
Roman bas relief from 2nd or 3rd century depicting Mithras, a central figure of the "Mystery Religions" of the early Christian era, killing a bull.

Roman bas relief from 2nd or 3rd century depicting Mithras, one of the gods of the “Mystery Religions” of the early Christian era, killing a bull.

Who was born on December 25th? Born of a virgin in a stable with shepherds present? Who had twelve disciples? Who was killed and buried in a tomb, and then rose up three days later after his death? Students of the Bible might think the answer is obvious. Not so, according to a popular movement known as “mythicism”. For the “mythicists” this original ancient figure is Mithras, a Persian god. Christianity is really just a copycat faith of Mithraism. Should we be wishing one another a “Merry Mithras” instead during the Christmas season?
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7 Comments   |  tags: , , , , | posted in Apologetics