tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-196986902011-04-21T19:47:49.779-06:00ETC RadioThe radio publication end of Every Thought CaptivePhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.comBlogger1631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166165758435603302006-12-14T23:54:00.000-07:002007-05-14T08:13:46.222-06:00Discipleship and QLCCWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Dallas Willard’s new book, The Great Omission, opens with this observation: “The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples.” Part of Willard’s point in this book is to rejoin two concepts that are often pulled apart. To be a Christian is to be a disciple.Discipleship is not Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166163977471982462006-12-14T23:25:00.000-07:002006-12-14T23:26:17.483-07:00Paying Attention to God-QLCCWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.The things I pay attention to have a bearing on the shape of my soul. Paul tells us as much in Philippians 4:8 when he says we should think about the things that are true, honorable, just, excellent, and so on.Contrast Paul’s list with your typical night on TV. The kinds of images and ideas presented therePhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166163294422873802006-12-14T23:14:00.000-07:002006-12-14T23:14:54.433-07:00New Year and QLCCWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.A recent Barna study showed some alarming trends in the commitment levels of many who consider themselves Christian. About one out of five considered church attendance to be important to their spiritual maturity, and of those who held a biblical worldview, only 25% thought a community of faith was important Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166100729333482952006-12-14T05:51:00.000-07:002006-12-14T05:52:09.343-07:00Advent: His PeopleWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor of Quail Lake Community Church.Scripture tells us that when Christ came into the world, he came to his own people. He entered history at a particular time and place and lived his life among God’s people. The Gospel of Matthew helps us understand exactly what it means for Christ to come to his own people in his genealogy.When you take a Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166100083906650742006-12-14T05:41:00.000-07:002006-12-14T05:41:23.906-07:00Advent: ChurchWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor of Quail Lake Community Church.I think we all know it is very easy during this season of the year to get caught up in our work, trips, and lists of things to do. During this “happiest season of the year” we seem to be more busy and preoccupied than ever as we hop from work to shopping to home to even more shopping.It may seem a little Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166099555704700092006-12-14T05:32:00.000-07:002006-12-14T05:32:35.726-07:00Advent and HopeWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor of Quail Lake Community Church.Hope is a neglected virtue. We often hear a lot about faith and love, but we don’t often think about hope and what it means for the believer. In fact, the Christmas season is a wonderful time to remind ourselves of what hope means.We do not hope in hope, we hope in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1166098832521289102006-12-14T05:20:00.000-07:002006-12-14T05:20:32.540-07:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1164916673993990222006-11-30T12:57:00.000-07:002006-11-30T12:57:54.093-07:00Advent: The Wise Men ComeWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.In the advent story there are probably no more mysterious characters than the wise men. We don’t know exactly who they were or where they came from. About the only thing we do know is what they came to do—they came to worship a child as King. As enigmatic as these characters are, they have a lot to tell Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1164911601949325882006-11-30T11:33:00.000-07:002006-11-30T11:33:21.980-07:00Advent: Herod ReactsWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.As we approach another Christmas, one very helpful way of interacting with the biblical story is to watch the different reactions to the birth of Jesus. The local ruler, Herod, is a fascinating person for several reasons, not the least of which is how he reacts to Jesus. When he hears the wise men are Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1164910424227147782006-11-30T11:13:00.000-07:002006-11-30T11:14:55.543-07:00Advent: Priests and Scribes ReactWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.As we enter another advent season and make our way to Christmas, it is good for us to remind ourselves of the characters surrounding the birth of Jesus. One particular reaction to the birth of Jesus typically goes unnoticed in large part because it comes and goes so quickly. When Herod hears of the birth Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1164906241570684042006-11-30T10:04:00.000-07:002006-11-30T10:04:01.690-07:00Is The Bible Intolerant? 3Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.I think we have all heard people attack the Christian faith by saying we can’t trust the Bible because it has been changed so often over the centuries. This slogan finds a great deal of popular support in books and movies like “The Da Vinci Code.” The only problem with it is that there is no evidence for Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1164905134140734932006-11-30T09:45:00.000-07:002006-11-30T09:45:34.186-07:00Is The Bible Intolerant? 2Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Oftentimes people will argue against the truth of Christianity or Scripture by using well-worn slogans. These slogans are designed to dismiss an argument even before something important is said and give the skeptic a way out of believing. One such slogan is that more people have been killed as a result ofPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1164904014833918522006-11-30T09:26:00.000-07:002006-11-30T09:26:54.860-07:00Is The Bible Intolerant? 1Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Have you ever heard a skeptic dismiss Christianity or the Bible with a slogan like, “the Bible has been changed thousands of times over the years,” or, “more people have been killed in wars over religion than anything else”? If you have, then join the club. I have actually encountered these kinds of Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1163631547050643412006-11-15T15:58:00.000-07:002006-11-15T15:59:07.053-07:00Catholic Bishops and SexualityWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.In a recent conference, our nation’s Roman Catholic Bishops addressed concerns about receiving communion and sexuality. The immediate concern for them was that many believers think they can live sexually immoral lives and still believe they are in harmony with their church and their faith. The conclusion Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1163616119740745142006-11-15T11:41:00.000-07:002006-11-15T15:58:32.740-07:00Missouri and CloningWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.A ballot measure that recently passed in Missouri allows research to move forward on human embryos. The measure allows for the cloning and destruction of embryos for research, and, in an Orwellian twist of language, was supported by a group called the Missouri Coalition for Lifesaving Cures. A writer at Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162485957435655302006-11-02T09:45:00.001-07:002006-11-02T09:45:57.436-07:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162485944274480712006-11-02T09:45:00.000-07:002006-11-02T09:45:44.276-07:00Happiness-In a Biblical Sense: ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, Pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.In their wonderful book, The Lost Virtue of Happiness, J.P. Moreland and Klaus Issler want to reengage Christians with a biblical and classical notion of happiness and provide practical ways of attaining it. Early in the book they clarify the difference between what we typically take for happiness from howPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162485084613760302006-11-02T09:30:00.000-07:002006-11-02T09:31:24.613-07:00Peterson and Worship: ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, Pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.In his book, Run With The Horses, Eugene Peterson says this about worship and life, “Worship defines life. If worship is corrupt, life will be corrupt.” This statement is based on example after example of the life of God’s people in the Old Testament. Every time they allowed corruption into their temple andPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162484659271692782006-11-02T09:23:00.000-07:002006-11-02T09:24:19.286-07:00Christians and BiologyWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, Pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Is Christianity incompatible with modern biology? The columnist John Derbyshire thinks so. In a recent column detailing why he lost his Christian faith, he notes, “Creationists are absolutely correct to hate and fear modern biology. Learning this stuff works against your faith.” In an ironic twist, Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162481799034723372006-11-02T08:36:00.000-07:002006-11-02T08:36:39.066-07:00Youth and Doctrine 2Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, Pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Should teenagers be taught doctrine and theology in church? According to Time magazine, the latest trend among youth pastors is to return to Bible-centered youth groups. In the light of a large number of teens that have left the faith in the last couple of decades, many youth leaders have reacted by Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162480457011313622006-11-02T07:56:00.000-07:002006-11-02T08:14:17.123-07:00Youth and Doctrine 1Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, Pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Is the best way to attract and keep teenagers for Christ to entertain them into the Kingdom? Time Magazine recently ran an article titled, “In Touch With Jesus.” The article notes that youth pastors are growing weary of sugarcoating the Gospel with MTV-style services. Statistics show that over the past Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162479344807986482006-11-02T07:39:00.001-07:002006-11-02T07:55:44.820-07:00Mind and Body 1Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, Pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Recently, US News and World Report ran a large article on human consciousness called, “Is There Room for the Soul.” The author recognized what is at stake right off the bat when he struggled with the idea that the human mind is nothing but a biological add-on. He notes, “There is, indeed, something Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1162478382125280272006-11-02T07:39:00.000-07:002006-11-02T07:39:42.143-07:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161718812240188922006-10-24T13:39:00.000-06:002006-10-24T13:40:12.263-06:00Embryonic Stem Cells and VotingWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.As the political season heats up, there is one topic that is creating a buzz again in commercials and the media. Several celebrities are coming out in support of candidates who support embryonic stem cell research. As our heartstrings are tugged with several emotional and moving appeals, we need to be Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161277740489870642006-10-19T11:08:00.000-06:002006-10-19T11:09:00.793-06:00Luke 24: Hiddenness of God 2Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.There are times in our lives when it seems that God is hidden from us, and as the Old Testament prophet puts it, the heavens seem like brass. In Luke 24, we read the story of two disciples taking a trip on the very day that Christ rose from the grave. These two disciples, however, did not believe that Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161274161691159402006-10-19T10:08:00.000-06:002006-10-19T10:09:21.703-06:00Utilitarianism and Truth-ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.What makes an act good? In our pluralistic culture, what kinds of political acts can qualify as good and how can we judge those kinds of things? When it comes to some of the most contentious political and social debates of our age--things like stem cells, abortion, gay marriage and the like--the principle Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161273496457635432006-10-19T09:58:00.000-06:002006-10-19T09:58:16.806-06:00Luke 24-Hiddenness of God 1Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Have you been through a season in life when it feels like God is just absent? During these times our prayers seem empty and God seems hidden. So what should I do when that happens? Two disciples took a walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day Christ rose from the dead. Even though Jesus was walking withPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161272159993758722006-10-19T09:35:00.000-06:002006-10-19T09:36:00.056-06:00Daniel-Mind on Fire 2Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.The life of Daniel is a great story for many reasons, not the least of which is that he exemplifies a believer who loves God with all his mind.As the book opens we discover that Daniel and his friends are the cream of the crop in Judah. They were intelligent, well educated, and likely one their way to Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161208309962625052006-10-18T15:50:00.000-06:002006-10-18T15:51:49.973-06:00Gender VarianceWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Recently in a school in Florida, a child was enrolled in kindergarten as a girl when he is actually and genetically a boy. In a school in California teachers are no longer lining elementary children up as boys and girls. These stories illustrate a trend among educators of young children sometimes called “Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1161206502349680542006-10-18T15:21:00.000-06:002006-10-18T15:21:42.400-06:00Thinking Beings 1Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger, pastor at Quail Lake Community Church.Did you know that the scientific classification for humans, homo sapiens, means “thinking beings”? This is not only a scientific classification, but for the Christian, it is a spiritual reality as well. As we were made in the image of God, we were given minds and the ability to think and reason. God Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1160088943110170972006-10-05T16:54:00.000-06:002006-10-05T16:55:43.120-06:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1160071370907277232006-10-05T12:02:00.000-06:002006-10-05T12:02:50.926-06:00Daniel 1: Mind on FireWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.The life of Daniel in the Old Testament is a great story for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that he exemplifies a believer who loves God with all his mind.At one crucial point early in the book, Daniel refused to take the king’s diet and requested nothing but vegetables and water. And as it turns out, Daniel’s faithfulness to Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1160070678775616142006-10-05T10:58:00.000-06:002006-10-05T11:51:19.143-06:00Apes and Men: Nothing-But-eryWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.A recent cover article in Time magazine proclaims that there is not much at all separating you from the primate world. The piece details how close your genetic make up is to an ape’s and then concludes that the differences between the two are entirely wrapped up in those few genes. You are intended to believe, with all the convenient pictures Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1160067372034159852006-10-05T10:46:00.000-06:002006-10-05T10:58:08.910-06:00Belief and Behavior--Absolute TruthWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In the latest edition of Time, columnist Andrew Sullivan writes on faith and belief in an article titled, “When not seeing is believing.” Part of what he asserts is that a superior religious belief is not about doctrines or creeds, but just behavior. He says, “practice is more important than theory,” and, “love is more important than law.” Now Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1160066764026353702006-10-05T10:28:00.000-06:002006-10-05T10:46:04.153-06:00Belief and Absolute Truth 2Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In the latest edition of Time, columnist Andrew Sullivan writes on faith and belief in an article titled, “When not seeing is believing.” His point is that the root problems in our world are a result of people taking religion seriously and actually believing in absolute truth. His solution is that believers need to take a different approach to Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1160065615970683602006-10-05T10:23:00.000-06:002006-10-05T10:26:56.020-06:00Belief, Doubt, and Absolute TruthWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In the latest edition of Time magazine, columnist Andrew Sullivan writes on faith and belief in an article titled, “When not seeing is believing.” Part of what he contends in this piece is that adherence to absolute truth is on the rise in our world because of fear. His argument is that when we are afraid and unsettled in this world we cling toPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1159933318722167182006-10-03T21:41:00.000-06:002006-10-03T21:41:58.736-06:00A Mind on Fire 1Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger.Christ was once asked what the greatest commandment was. He responded that all the law and the prophets are summarized in two commandments—one of which included the directive to love God with all our minds. We are often quick to agree that we can love God with all our feelings during worship service, but we don’t always consider what it means Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158856507333398942006-09-21T10:34:00.000-06:002006-09-21T10:35:07.336-06:00Truth and Ice Cream-ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.A Christian apologist today gives a lecture called, “Christianity is not Ice Cream.” It is a talk about truth, relativism, and what we mean when we say that Christianity is true. You see, you and a friend can argue about the best flavor of ice cream all day, your opinions can conflict, you may never convince your friend that mint chocolate chipPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158856141897251752006-09-21T10:28:00.000-06:002006-09-21T10:29:01.910-06:00Jeremiah 34-LyingWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.There is a great deal of value in keeping our promises. We are too often accustomed to people in the public eye, and often in our own lives, who are untrustworthy, and that can sometimes erode our sense of how important it is to be truth-telling people. In Jeremiah 34 we have the story of King Zedekiah and two promises he makes. The first is aPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158853205586837272006-09-21T09:39:00.000-06:002006-09-21T09:40:05.600-06:00Jeremiah 33-Call to GodWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.How well would you communicate with someone if you did not speak their language? If you wanted to talk to them, how much effort would it take to communicate? No doubt it would take a good deal of work and time. Now ask yourself, how well do you communicate with God?In Jeremiah 33, God tells the prophet, “Call to me and I will answer you, and IPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158850622868631702006-09-21T08:56:00.000-06:002006-09-21T08:57:02.870-06:00Reading and Images, ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.You should never underestimate the advantages of reading a good book. Learning to read good books trains and develops the mind and the soul in ways that nothing else can. In his book, Full Gospel, Fractured Minds?, Rick Nanez makes the case that Christians need to return to reading in order to more fully develop the gifts God has given each of usPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158850152697993272006-09-21T08:37:00.000-06:002006-09-21T08:49:12.710-06:00Beckwith, Tenure, and IDWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.The controversy over Intelligent Design continues to swirll, not only in public school systems, but in the noteable university of Baylor, as well. Francis Beckwith, a professor known for his prolific writing and recognized expertise on church/state issues, has recently had his tenure blocked in large part because of his support of Intelligent Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158849443578989632006-09-21T08:36:00.000-06:002006-09-21T08:37:23.596-06:00Screening Babies for GenderWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.If you could genetically screen your next child, what might be some good reasons to do so? Scientists can now screen for many harmful diseases and potential problems, and a growing population of parents is screening embryos so their children will not be born with problems such as cystic fibrosis. But an alarming number of parents are beginning Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1158793084540372622006-09-20T16:58:00.000-06:002006-09-20T16:58:04.600-06:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157648646080064452006-09-07T11:03:00.000-06:002006-09-07T11:04:06.096-06:00Shaping Worldview-The Body of Christ: ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.When we struggle to learn how to live out a Christian worldview, one discipline can be of great help to us, but is often neglected. The community of the Church-the body of Christ-can be an invaluable tool in shaping us into disciples.In the fellowship of believers we can be sharpened, as the Proverb states, “as iron sharpens iron.” Another Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157647803448536532006-09-07T10:50:00.000-06:002006-09-07T10:50:03.473-06:00Jer 32-A Prayer for the ConfusedWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.When you go to God in prayer and have something to ask of him, how does your prayer usually begin? When you need something from God, what is typical of the content and structure of your prayer? If you are anything like me, you usually spend your time with God asking for things. There is nothing wrong with this kind of prayer, but we can learn Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157647004071689382006-09-07T10:36:00.000-06:002006-09-07T10:36:44.090-06:00Williard-The Great Omission: SinningWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Has it ever bothered you, if you are a follower of Christ, that you often don’t see the moral transformation in your life you think you should see? I imagine we all find ourselves dealing with this frustration from time to time. Dallas Willard, in his book, The Great Omission, notes that, “We want to do good, but we are prepared, ready, to do Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157646215233657392006-09-07T10:23:00.000-06:002006-09-07T10:23:35.410-06:00Williard-Great Omission: DiscipleshipWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Dallas Willard’s new book, The Great Omission, opens with this observation: “The word ‘disciple’ occurs 269 times in the New Testament. ‘Christian’ is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus….The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples.” Part of Willard’s point in thisPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157645153091589532006-09-07T10:05:00.000-06:002006-09-07T10:05:53.103-06:00Ruth 2-ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.How does God answer prayer? Well, in the life of Ruth, we read Naomi's prayer over her that God would help her find a homeland. We also read Boaz's prayer over Ruth that God would repay her for her kindness to his relative Naomi.As it turns out, Ruth did find a home-it was Naomi’s. And Ruth was repaid for her kindness-when she married Boaz. In Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157518873052042742006-09-05T23:00:00.001-06:002006-09-05T23:01:13.053-06:00Wilberforce-The MovieWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In February of 2007, Walden media will release a film titled, “Amazing Grace.” It is the story of William Wilberforce and the British abolition movement. In case you did not know, a large part of why England abolished the slave trade in the early nineteenth century is the work of Wilberforce and his colleagues in Parliament.Still referred to asPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1157518855013562642006-09-05T23:00:00.000-06:002006-09-05T23:00:55.023-06:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1156428901923328392006-08-24T08:14:00.000-06:002006-08-24T08:15:01.940-06:00Chesterton and Hope-ReduxWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger.Hope is a neglected virtue. When is the last time you reflected on hope or took steps to build the virtue of hope in your life? We hear a lot about faith and love, but not much about hope.As a virtue, it is an interesting character trait in that we need it the most when it seems the most unreasonable to have it. It is easy to be hopeful when Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1156397654090939232006-08-23T23:34:00.000-06:002006-08-23T23:34:14.146-06:00Paying AttentionWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.The things I give my attention to have a bearing on the shape of my soul. Paul tells us as much in Philippians 4:8 when he says we should think about the things that are true, honorable, just, excellent, praiseworthy, and so on.Contrast Paul’s list with your typical night on TV. The kinds of images and ideas presented there sell to a broad and Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1156394876914898672006-08-23T22:47:00.000-06:002006-08-23T22:47:56.923-06:00Embryos To Order-Loss of VirtueWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.The Abraham Center of Life, an embryo bank in Texas, is on the cutting edge of both medical technology and cultural change. The Center not only allows parents to adopt spare embryos, but it allows them to custom order children as well. Think of the possibilities. A parent could imagine the best life for their child and then pick the smartest, Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1156393406690020632006-08-23T22:22:00.000-06:002006-08-23T22:23:26.700-06:00Designer EmbryosWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In Texas there is a human embryo bank, the Abraham Center of Life, where prospective parents not only can adopt embryos, but in the future will be able to custom order them as well. According to Wesley J. Smith, a fellow at the Discovery Institute, the Center will allow potential parents to file through their list of donor parents, pick the Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1156370127543258202006-08-23T15:55:00.000-06:002006-08-23T15:55:27.556-06:00Twentysomethings and ChurchWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.One of the more disturbing trends in the American church is how we lose the majority of young adults between their high school graduation and their early thirties. According to Barna, as many as 52% of them simply leave the church. Several pastors and authors explain this loss in terms of disillusionment-they argue that twentysomethings are Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1156363897464168972006-08-23T14:11:00.000-06:002006-08-23T14:11:37.476-06:00Jeremiah 33-The Lord Is My RighteousnessWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Near the end of Jeremiah 33, God declares to his people that when the Messiah comes all his promises will be fulfilled. This Messiah will be a legitimate and righteous king ruling with justice. And after God’s work is done in his people, their city will now be named, “The Lord is our righteousness.”This name change is significant. Up to this Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1155226480155844652006-08-10T10:14:00.000-06:002006-08-10T10:14:40.156-06:00New BumperWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.This has been Every Thought Captive, a Christian worldview minute sponsored by Quail Lake Community Church. For more information, please visit quaillake.org.Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1155226445400568322006-08-10T10:13:00.000-06:002006-08-10T10:14:05.423-06:00BreakbreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1154027986248007122006-07-27T12:49:00.000-06:002006-07-27T13:19:46.320-06:00Reading: Chambers' AdviceWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.During Oswald Chambers’ life, he corresponded with a lot of people, many of whom were ministers. When one minister confided that he was drained, Chambers asked him what he was reading. After his friend responded that all he read was the Bible and books directly related to it, Chambers told him, “there’s your problem.” His wise advice to his Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1154022739664850112006-07-27T11:51:00.000-06:002006-07-27T11:52:19.676-06:00Reading-The Corrosion of ImagesWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.You should never underestimate the advantages of reading a good book. Learning to read good books trains and develops the mind and the soul in ways that nothing else can. In his book, Full Gospel, Fractured Minds?, Rick Nanez makes the case that Christians need to return to reading in order to more fully develop the gifts God has given each of Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1154021421006883782006-07-27T11:30:00.000-06:002006-07-27T11:30:21.140-06:00Colson and Emergent TruthWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In a recent article in Christianity Today, Chuck Colson details a correspondence he recently had with a young theologian who was enamored with a new movement within the evangelical church. The theologian defended a popular notion that the highest truth is relational and not something that can simply be known.Colson does a good job of exposing Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1153808735827800642006-07-25T00:25:00.000-06:002006-07-25T00:25:35.833-06:00Stem Cell VetoWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.President Bush used his first presidential veto recently to knock down a bill allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The bill had a surprising number of supporters in both the Senate and the House, but as we all know, consensus is not a gauge of truth. The bill, if it became law, would allow the destruction of up to Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1153807722047308272006-07-25T00:08:00.000-06:002006-07-25T00:08:42.053-06:00Jeremiah 29-Salt and LightWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.How should we live as Christians in a world that is far from virtuous? This is one of the questions the Church has been struggling to answer for centuries. As far back as the first disciples and their followers, pastors and theologians have tried to answer this question for every generation since Christ. If you think we have it hard in our Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1153807268712053012006-07-25T00:01:00.000-06:002006-07-25T00:01:08.720-06:00Jeremiah 29-A Promise To ExilesWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.If you know one verse in the book of Jeremiah, it is likely to be 29:11-“I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” It may be a familiar verse, but it is the kind of verse you should know.The problem with familiar verses, however, is that we sometimes lose the Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1153806115914090052006-07-24T23:41:00.000-06:002006-07-24T23:41:55.983-06:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152815391132761582006-07-13T12:29:00.000-06:002006-07-13T12:29:52.886-06:00Reading Old Books-LewisWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Not counting the Bible, how old was the last book you read? Chances are it was written in the last few years. When was the last time you read a book written more that 50 years ago? 100 years? 400 years? In his essay, “On The Reading of Old Books,” C.S. Lewis encourages us to look to the roots of Christianity and the books written by our Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152814432321079232006-07-13T12:13:00.000-06:002006-07-13T12:13:52.396-06:00Modern Science-NanezWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Is Christian theology an adversary or friend of modern science? In the last few decades evangelicals have tended to answer in terms of adversary, but when we take a look at the history of modern science much of it was birthed from the hearts and minds of deeply committed Christians. In his recent book, Full Gospel, Fractured Minds?, Rick Nanez Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152813149719792082006-07-13T11:52:00.000-06:002006-07-13T11:53:19.650-06:00Naturalism and EthicsWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.What happens when we remove God from ethical reflection? If God does not exist, what happens to morality? In his recent book, The Right Darwin, Carson Holloway argues that it is hard, if not impossible, to judge ethical behavior or set ethical standards if God does not exist. In a system like Darwinistic Naturalism, all measures of ethical Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152766144382497202006-07-12T22:49:00.000-06:002006-07-12T22:49:04.386-06:00Oswald Chambers1Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In his book, Abandoned to God, David McCasland details the life of Oswald Chambers, the well-known author of the devotional classic, My Utmost For His Highest. Well written biographies are always a wealth of information and inspiration, and this one is no exception. Oswald Chamber’s life was full of unforeseen twists and turns, and through it Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152765228355246472006-07-12T22:33:00.000-06:002006-07-12T22:33:48.370-06:00Patriarchal TrinityWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.There have been times in the life of the Church when popular opinion has driven doctrinal choices and when the latest cultural fads have become the foundations for how and why we do church. Each time that happened in our past, the branch of the church that swallowed the pill whole faded significantly within a couple of generations.Enter a recentPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152763754168667872006-07-12T22:09:00.000-06:002006-07-12T22:09:14.166-06:00Stem Cells and MiceWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.The world of stem cell science continues to spin. Scientists in Europe have given birth to a generation of lab mice created from embryonic stem cells. This is an especially ironic twist of scientific fate. In order to retrieve embryonic stem cells from mice, fetal mice need to be destroyed. But no matter-in what is heralded as a leap in the Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1152763673204577232006-07-12T22:07:00.000-06:002006-07-12T22:07:53.306-06:00BreakBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1151607071139327062006-06-29T12:51:00.000-06:002006-06-29T12:51:11.233-06:00Jude 5-7 ConsequencesWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Reading the book if Jude is sometimes a little like arriving early to the symphony when all the musicians are warming up. What we hear is a cacophony of sound until the conductor arrives on stage and raises his baton-then we have symphony. In verses 5-7, Jude lists a few familiar and not so familiar examples of those who have suffered for theirPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1151597412975777412006-06-29T10:10:00.000-06:002006-06-29T10:10:12.976-06:00Individualized SpiritualityWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Spirituality without religion is popular in our American culture. We like the idea of having a grasp on eternal life and ultimate reality without being told what to believe by some institution. The researcher Barna recently noted how popular it is to believe in our own, individualized forms of god, and as a recent example the LA Times columnistPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1151597385205218722006-06-29T10:09:00.000-06:002006-06-29T10:09:45.300-06:00Friend Assisted Suicide 3Welcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.The LA Times columnist, Anne Lamott killed a man. She admitted as much in her article, “At Death’s Window.” The man was a friend dying of cancer who wanted a way out. Lamott concocted a cocktail of prescription drugs and fed it to him in a bowl of applesauce. Her justification for this action should not surprise us if we have been paying Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1151514896168563172006-06-28T11:14:00.000-06:002006-06-28T11:14:56.176-06:00Naturalism and ConsciousnessWelcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger.Much is often made of the worldview conflict between Christianity and Naturalism. From time to time people try to downplay the importance of worldviews and their consequences, but this quote from a new book written by Naturalists confronting the idea of Intelligent Design should highlight the crucial nature of their differences: Our starting Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1151512711815503442006-06-28T10:37:00.000-06:002006-06-28T10:38:31.836-06:00Friend Assisted Suicide2Welcome to Every Thought Captive. I’m Phil Steiger.Anne Lamott, a columnist for the LA Times, opened a recent piece like this, “The man I killed did not want to die, but he no longer felt he had much of a choice.” That phrase, “The man I killed” should be shocking for the reader. The article is a recounting of her actions helping a friend commit suicide. What is more, later on in the piece Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1151446445576976852006-06-27T16:13:00.000-06:002006-06-27T16:14:05.593-06:00Friend Assisted SuicideWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In a recent article in the LA Times, self-proclaimed Christian Anne Lamott tells the tragic tale of the death of a friend suffering from cancer. Part of what makes the tale so tragic is that she and another friend assist in his suicide. In her piece, “At Death’s Window,” Lamott not only tells the story, she heartily supports her actions in whatPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150405136967446632006-06-15T14:58:00.001-06:002006-06-15T14:58:56.966-06:00BREAKBREAKPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150405113030423972006-06-15T14:58:00.000-06:002006-06-15T14:58:41.390-06:00Parenthood ScornWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.An advice columnist on Slate.com recently advised a reader who was in her 30s and recently married that she may want to reconsider her position on having children. Before she was married she didn’t want any, and now she and her husband were considering it. The backlash to that advice was vitriolic. Angry readers wrote the advice columnist and,Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150382159681163312006-06-15T08:35:00.000-06:002006-06-15T08:35:59.686-06:00Jer 28-Repentance and ReconciliationWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In Jeremiah 28 we have front-row seats to a confrontation between Jeremiah the prophet of God and the false prophet, Hananiah. It had to be an interesting scene there in the Temple as one very unpopular and disliked man, Jeremiah, was given a talking-to by a religious leader very popular with the people. Hananiah’s message was simple-God will Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150381277595261632006-06-15T08:21:00.000-06:002006-06-15T08:21:17.600-06:00Truth and Ice CreamWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.A Christian apologist today gives a lecture called, “Christianity is not Ice Cream.” It is a talk about truth, relativism, and what we mean when we say that Christianity is true. You see, you and a friend can argue about the best flavor of ice cream all day, your opinions can conflict, you may never convince your friend that mint chocolate chipPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150380477702559482006-06-15T08:07:00.000-06:002006-06-15T08:07:57.713-06:00Utilitarianism and TruthWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.What makes an act good? In our pluralistic culture, what kinds of political acts can qualify as good and how can we judge those kinds of things? When it comes to some of the most contentious political and social debates of our age-things like stem cells, abortion, gay marriage, spending bills and the like-the principle most often invoked is “Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150304330043410562006-06-14T10:58:00.000-06:002006-06-14T10:58:50.056-06:00Barna-Commitment to ChristWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Barna recently performed a survey that measured people’s commitment to church and to developing one’s commitment to Christ. To the issue of developing a deeper relationship with God and doing whatever it took to maintain that relationship, just over 50% of all people agreed, and of those under the age of 40 only 44% agreed.Pursuing a Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150303090102694252006-06-14T10:37:00.000-06:002006-06-14T10:38:10.103-06:00Barna-Church CommmitmentWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.A recent Barna study showed some alarming trends in the commitment levels of many who consider themselves Christian. About one out of five considered church attendance to be important to their spiritual maturity, and of those who held a biblical worldview, only 25% thought a community of faith was important to their spiritual development.We Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1150303036501620242006-06-14T10:36:00.000-06:002006-06-14T10:37:16.526-06:00BREAKBreakPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1149231206253001442006-06-02T00:53:00.000-06:002006-06-02T00:53:26.260-06:00Heroic LeadershipWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.I always deeply appreciate a book or a speaker who is able to connect the Christian worldview with the world we live in. When it comes to leadership theory, that does not always happen. But with the book, Heroic Leadership, Mark Lowney has shown how the practices of the Jesuits, a 450 year old company in his terms, lead them to great success Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1149230167018963332006-06-02T00:36:00.000-06:002006-06-02T00:36:07.083-06:00Happiness-In A Classical SenseWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In their wonderful book, The Lost Virtue of Happiness, J.P. Moreland and Klaus Issler want to reengage Christians with a biblical and classical notion o happiness and provide practical ways of attaining it. Early in the book they clarify the difference between what we typically take for happiness today from what Scripture and the great thinkers Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1149177371042994582006-06-01T09:56:00.000-06:002006-06-01T09:56:11.166-06:00Jer 27-The Yoke of ChristWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In Jeremiah chapter 27, God has his prophet do something a little uncomfortable. Jeremiah shows up in the king’s court with a yoke built for two oxen around his neck. His message is guaranteed to be unpopular as he tells the king and the assembled nobility to surrender to the Babylonians because God has given them the region. Rebellion will Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1149174960228735722006-06-01T09:15:00.000-06:002006-06-01T09:16:00.243-06:00Risking for GodWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In their book, The Lost Virtue of Happiness, J.P. Moreland and Klaus Issler make the case in one of their chapters for forming the kind of trust in God that chooses to takes risks with Him. At one point they note that pondering the reality of God’s future and ultimate victory and our eternity with Him encourages faithful living in this world Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1149173842749268752006-06-01T08:57:00.000-06:002006-06-01T08:57:22.756-06:00Rockies and ToleranceWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.USA Today recently ran an article about the Christian influence in the ranks of the Colorado Rockies. As a fan, it was encouraging to hear of the open and honest faith expressed by many of the players and the management. But there was a tone in the article that made it sound like the Rockies needed to be on the defensive because of their Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1149172833968847832006-06-01T08:40:00.000-06:002006-06-01T08:40:34.026-06:00Colorado Rockies, Character and BaseballWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In a recent article in USA Today, the Colorado Rockies were exposed, so to speak, as a team full of Christian players and management. It was encouraging to read of a group of professional athletes and administration who were not only open about their beliefs, but who were also honest about how those beliefs were effecting their professional Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147977579126181042006-05-18T12:39:00.000-06:002006-05-18T12:39:39.126-06:00BreakBREAKPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147977527691000702006-05-18T12:38:00.000-06:002006-05-18T12:38:47.706-06:00Stem Cells-DarwinismWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.Recently I mentioned a bill up for debate before the Senate that would allow the destruction of 400,000 human embryos for the harvesting of their stem cells. And what we talked about then was the exploitation of an ethic of “the ends justify the means.” There is another important angle at work here-the fact that naturalistic Darwinism has sunk Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147971874074860132006-05-18T11:04:00.000-06:002006-05-18T12:41:33.723-06:00Jeremiah-Ahikim and InfluenceWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.At the very end of Jeremiah chapter 26 we read this innocuous verse, “But the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah so that he was not given over to the people to be put to death.” This comes as the resolution to a court case in which the priests and prophets wanted to kill Jeremiah. The man Ahikam steps in and helps save his Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147970133004730512006-05-18T10:35:00.000-06:002006-05-18T10:35:33.013-06:00Stem Cells-UtilitarianismWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.There is a bill before the Senate that if passed would allow the destruction of 400,000 human embryos in order to harvest their stem cells. The medical promise of stem cells from embryos is just that-a promise. No viable treatment has resulted from their use to date, but the scientific community continues to promise great things.Part of what isPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147968512974270612006-05-18T10:08:00.000-06:002006-05-18T10:08:32.986-06:00Peterson-WorshipWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.In his book, Run With The Horses, Eugene Peterson says this about worship and life, “Worship defines life. If worship is corrupt, life will be corrupt.” This statement is based on example after example of the life of God’s people in the Old Testament. Every time they allowed corruption into their temple and their places of worship, their livesPhil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147961589212476072006-05-18T08:12:00.000-06:002006-05-18T08:13:09.223-06:00Oprah and Spiritual LeadersWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.If I asked you for a short list of important spiritual leaders in your life, who would make the grade? According to several recent polls, Oprah would make the top of that list for a lot of people. One author referred to her influence by saying she is “today’s Billy Graham.”Though Oprah does many wonderful things for people with her wealth and Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19698690.post-1147793330468348292006-05-16T09:28:00.000-06:002006-05-16T09:49:26.966-06:00Oprah-Spiritual GuruWelcome to Every Thought Captive, I’m Phil Steiger.A recent article in USA Today notes the popularity of Oprah Winfrey as one of our culture’s top spiritual leaders. One writer called her a “hip and materialistic Mother Theresa” and our “symbolic figurehead of spirituality.”Now, it is true that Oprah has done with her wealth and influence what few do; she has worked to better the lives of a lot Phil Steigerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14948892557259431751noreply@blogger.com0