Author: Van Barrett

FAITH. By the grace of God, I am a Christian.  I don't mean the superficial, thanking-God-after-winning-an-award-type Christian either.  This is real to me.  I was a mess of an individual (by God's standards) whose only hope was redemption through Jesus Christ.  Currently, I am a faithful member in good standing at a local church. FAMILY. I'm a husband and father by God's grace.  I have the greatest wife on the planet and a daughter whom I adore.  This doesn't mean we always get along, but I know I've been given far more than I deserve as it relates to them.  EDUCATION. I have an undergraduate degree in business management and a graduate degree in theological studies. Jesus, theology, evangelism, ministry, and apologetics are passions of mine, so the blog generally centers around those topics. Writing is a way for me to formulate my thoughts as not to drive my family insane since I probably border somewhere between an over-thinker and contemplative. So, there's a little bit about me, a little background that I hope will provide insight into blog posts.  Just another flawed individual seeking to be used by God. -Van Barrett (pseudonym)

The Pros and Cons of Creative Presentations of the Bible

ByVan Barrett March 23, 2025 0 Comments
 You’d have to be “off the grid” to not have heard about the popular biblical series, The Chosen. Don’t worry, this won’t be a critique of the series but it, coupled with varying reviews from Christians, caused me to think more critically, more biblically about the larger topic of the role of theatrical presentations of the sacred Scripture. Over the past decade there has been an...

Misplaced Trust: A Warning to Christians on Political Idolatry

ByVan Barrett February 2, 2025 0 Comments
 DISCLAIMER: When I first created this blog, I sought to avoid turning it into a pseudo-Christian, quasi-political collection of thoughts masquerading as Christian insight. For the most part, I’ve dodged political commentary, but this post requires it to an extent. This is because the true topic is idolatry, and politics are the object of that idolatry. It contains a serious warning for...

30 Reasons Why Pornography is More Harmful Than You Think

ByVan Barrett December 8, 2024 0 Comments
 It violates God’s moral instruction to man not to lust (Mt. 5:27-30). It violates God’s moral instruction to man not to commit sexual immorality (1 Cor. 6:19-20; 1 Thess. 4:3-8). It enslaves consumers (2 Pet. 2:19).  It separates sex from marital union. It objectifies and degrades women (primarily), stripping them of their dignity. It promotes and invites demonic activity. It promotes...

Not Going Beyond What is Written

ByVan Barrett November 3, 2024 0 Comments
 Brief post here, but I want to express something that I’m increasingly realizing about society and myself as a Christian and that is, how it’s important to have clear guidelines about what Scripture says and what it does not say. Recently, I’ve seen Christian social media posts and videos where the post passes off a relatively good activity as some sort of biblically-mandated...

The Death of Porn: Men of Integrity Building a World of Nobility (Brief Review)

ByVan Barrett September 15, 2024 0 Comments
The Death of Porn: Men of Integrity Building a World of Nobility by Ray Ortlund. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021. pp. 144. $16.99. Paperback. There’s no shortage today of books available on the topic of pornography, especially from Christian sources. It is without a doubt the scourge of Western society the past 50 years or so. Enter Ray Ortlund’s The Death of Porn: Men of Integrity Building a...

How Should We Assess and Respond to Church Scandal?

ByVan Barrett June 23, 2024 0 Comments
 If you’re like me, you’re probably annoyed, saddened, and tired of hearing about some immoral misconduct on the part of church leaders. It’s 2024, and there’s no shortage of reports of corruption, embezzlement, drug abuse, alcoholism, bullying, marital affairs, sexual encounters with minors, and undercover homosexual acts being committed by seemingly God-fearing Christian...

The Pornographic Distortion of Reality

ByVan Barrett May 27, 2024 0 Comments
 (***Warning!!! This post contains mature subject matter***) Some of this post contains an excerpt from a created-but-never-published post from 2016. The contents are as true today as they were back then. I want to address pornography but not in the traditional way. Without being salacious, I want to address its effect on men (primarily) and society. This writing won’t be lengthy or...

What is Repentance?

ByVan Barrett April 15, 2024 0 Comments
 If you’re like me and have some familiarity with “Christian-nese,” you’ve probably heard various definitions seeking to explain what repentance is. Perhaps you’ve heard it means, “to change one’s mind” or “to do a 180 degree turn” or “being sorrowful about your sin” or “a change of heart that results in a change of action.” Now, I’m not here to refute any...

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