When it comes time to teach the Christian faith, either to converts or children, it seems that the go-to moral code is the Ten Commandments. These ten simple rules were inscribed on stone for the people of Israel wandering in the desert, and were part of a larger law given to the people at that time.... Continue Reading →
Fear is a Terrible Teacher
It seems to be a common refrain: religion is all about using fear to control and educate people. Fear is the worst way to teach people. It is a last resort of the desperate, bad teacher. Pay attention, or doom on you. Remember this, or doom on you. It is certainly true that we ourselves,... Continue Reading →
Modern Prophets
Looking at the old testament of the Bible, it seems like there were a lot more prophets among the people than in modern times. Such an observation begs the question of whether God is withholding such gifts in our own times. If you consider that the events of the old testament played out over several... Continue Reading →
Christian Thoughts on the Movie and Tale of the 47 Ronin
My family rarely goes to the theater to see movies. Therefore it was only a few weeks ago that I finally got a chance to the 2013 movie 47 Ronin from Redbox. While I have written a book on lessons for Christians from samurai warriors, this was my introduction to the national legend of the... Continue Reading →
Christians as the Soul of the World
Sometime in the second century after Christ, a letter to Diognetus was written explaining Christianity. The author is unknown, and it is not known if the Diognetus that it was addressed to was the Diognetus that tutored Marcus Aurelius - but those details are unrelated to the importance of the letter, now known as the... Continue Reading →
What Does Religious Freedom Look Like?
It is a tenet of this blog to avoid current events. This post will push the limit, since there are current events that inspired it and will be mentioned; however the purpose is for more persistent. Christian persecution is again making world headlines. A woman in the Sudan has been sentenced to death for refusing... Continue Reading →
Already Dead: The Samurai and Fear of Death
If there is a single factor for why the samurai were such incredible warriors, it is probably the fact that they viewed themselves as already dead. As it is written in the Hagakure, Book 1: "The way of the Samurai is found in death…This is the substance of the Way of the Samurai. If by... Continue Reading →
How to Defeat Fear
We are called as Christians to be fearless, and to not fear men, the world, or evil. And yet we are still afraid of many things. How do we conquer our fears? That's probably the wrong question. How do you work through the fear, persevere through the fear, resist letting the fear paralyze you.... Continue Reading →
The Urge To Purge
As a Christian you profess a faith in a God who provides for you, but from whom you are distracted by things of this world... If you know you could be happy with half the things you own... If you want less stuff in your life, and feel the need to simplify... If you recognize... Continue Reading →
Christian Samurai Film ‘Masterless’ Coming Soon
Adam LaVorgna and Craig Shimahara on the set of Masterless. For a few years, I have helped with the promotion and distribution of a Christian samurai short film called Good Soil. Now, writer and director Craig Shimahara is creating a new, feature-length movie called Masterless. While Good Soil was a historical fiction, based on real... Continue Reading →