Solomon's Colonnade

God's Image in Man: Lost and Found!   What is man? What went wrong with us humans? Where are we headed for? Is there any hope for the human race? See why a Christian anthropology is so crucial for the times we live in. Current humanistic notions about man simply makes no sense. We look at Belgic Article Article 14. 

Learning from Donkeys   We take a break from the Belgic and take a quick look at what Isaiah can teach us about these tumultuous times, especially with regards to the US presidential elections. Looking at Isaiah 1, we see why is it important that Christians learn from dumb donkeys. 

Divine Providence: Its Beauty & Its Problems   In light of Article 13 we look at the Biblical teaching on God's providence. This is one of the most comforting doctrines of Scripture, but when misapplied and misunderstood can also become one of the most troubling ones. Biblical providence has nothing to do with the human notion determinism, which is rooted in rationalism. When speaking about Providence, let us stay close to the language of the Bible, or else we end up in troubled waters. 

On Angels and Demons Continuing with Belgic Confession Article 12 we look at what the Bible teaches about the spiritual realm. Can the West survive as a civilization by continuing to deny the Biblical worldview? We look at 1) Angels 2) Cherubim and Seraphim 3) The Angel of the Lord and 4) Satan and the demons. 

In Defense of a Creator In light of Belgic Confession 12 we look at the so-called struggle between science and faith.  Is there such thing as neutral science? Why are some scientists nowadays making such extravagant claims about God's supposed non-existence?  Why is 'evolutionism' not science in the sense of the word? 

Sharing in the Life of God Today we cross over from Belgic 10 to 11. We look at both the deity of the Son and the Holy Spirit. I am much indebted to Donald Fairbairn's "Life in the Trinity" and to Marianne Meye Thompson's essay: "Eternal Life in the Gospel of John". 

Honouring the Son Still in Belgic Confession 10. Believing in Christ's deity is the most crucial pillar of Christianity. We look at the wonderful book by the late Dr. Larry Hurtado "Honouring the Son". 

Who is this Man?   That's what Jesus' disciples asked when he stood up from his sleep to calm the ferocious storm in Mark 4.  We look at Christ's Divinity in light of Belgic Confession Article 10. Those who attack it, consider Christ's divinity not only the cornerstone of the Christian faith but of Western culture and thought. What do you believe, and why? 

The Trinity, Islam and the Scriptures Article 9 of the Belgic Confession looks at the Biblical backing for the doctrine of the Trinity. Why are Protestants often so weak with regard to the Trinity? I give four reasons. We also look at how Islam was designed to oppose Christianity's most fundamental article of faith from the days of Abd al-Malik, and the building of the Dome of the Rock. Lastly we look at the Holy Scripture's rich testimony to a Triune God. 

The Trinity; Heart of Christianity We look at Article 8 of the Belgic Confession. The Trinity as the heart of Christianity. Rip it out and we die! And yet, by and large, Protestantism is by no means strong here. Why? And what are the reasons? 

The Bible in Our Revolutionary Times In light of Belgic Confession Article 7 we discuss the Bible's sufficiency, necessity, clarity and divine authority especially for these revolutionary times we are living in. 

Has the Bible Been Corrupted as Muslims Often Claim? We look at the formation of the Biblical canon, and at the reliability of the New Testament canon, and why the popular Muslim claim that the Bible has been corrupted is utterly baseless and empty. 

Against this Book Nothing can be Said Article 4 of the Belgic Confession states that "nothing can be alleged" against the 66 canonical books of the Bible. A deep faith struggle in my own life fifteen years ago serves to illustrate this point well. 

Bedrock: What Christians Stand On The Bible's truth claims come down to one thing in the end: Reliable eyewitness testimony. Why is eyewitness testimony so crucial for verity in history? Why is it of even greater import in terms of the Gospel and its claims? Lets look at how solid the Biblical eyewitness testimony really is. 

Reverence for Life in the Old South Africa We take a look at how the Bible preserved life (in the midst of a brutal and bloody global century) where one would almost not have expected it to happen! In South Africa between 1910 and 1990. 

What Happens When the Lights Go Out? God's greatest gift to any nation is the Word of God. What happens when nations turn their back on it? The lights go out. We take a look at what happened to two great Christian nations (Britain and Germany) when they tossed the Bible aside and considered man to be autonomous. We go to Southern Africa around the year 1900. 

Men Spoke from God   Belgic Confession Article 3 tells us where the Bible came from. It quotes II Peter's words that "men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit". We look at how the Bible came into being.  

Introduction to Christian Doctrine Does the phenomenon of religion baffle you? Why are the vast majority of 7.6 billion people on the globe so religious, even if they don't always practice "institutional religion"? We ask this question in light of Articles 1 and 2 of the Belgic Confession.    

Knowing God Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias once asked: "What are the two most crucial questions any generation can ask?" His answer was: "Is there a God? And what is He like?" We look at these two questions in light of Belgic Confession Article 1.  

Introduction to Christian Doctrine   Why should we know how to articulate our Christian faith?  And why is it so important now?  Join me on a journey through Basic Christian Doctrine, with Holy Scripture as our guide and the 1561 Belgic Confession as a very handy template.