The Words on Faith feature appeared on the weekly religion page of the Bend Oregon area newspaper, "The Bulletin" every Saturday for several years. The opportunity to write for this feature was open to any recognized religious leader in Central Oregon. United Church of God, Bend pastor Larry Walker has written articles regularly for Words on Faith and its predecessor, The Pastor's Pulpit, since 1996. These articles can be found on this page in chronological order. Although The Bulletin recently discontinued this feature, Mr. Walker continues to write periodically for the web commentary of the United Church of God. His articles are being posted on this page
The
Best Investment, Financial Security
Dealing with economic problems and worries is the main concern for many of us today. Our concerns range from the current problem of increasing unemployment and consumer debt to long term plans concerning our investments for the future.
So what is your best investment? That depends on whom or what you trust—God or money. Jesus Christ's advice is to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust [or inflation or recession] destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19-21).
We have been shocked, sobered and scared by recent economic developments in the U.S. Much has been written and discussed regarding these problems and what to do about them.
For those people who spent money they didn’t have on things they couldn’t afford, the so-called American Dream was simply a fantasy that has turned into a nightmare for them, for the entire nation and for the rest of the world. Another one-liner asserts: “Unless your income exceeds your outgo, your upkeep will be your downfall.”
Learn
Why Some Christians Don't Celebrate Easter (Mar 08)
I don't want to rain on anyone's Easter parade, nor is it my purpose to criticize anyone for how they worship God. I am simply offering the opportunity to understand more on this important subject and encouraging everyone to be better informed on what the Bible says about how to worship him. I urge you to not to simply go along with "time honored" traditions (Romans 12:1-2), but to be like the Bereans, whose response to the new truths Paul preached to them was to be "open-minded …, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so."
No,
Christmas is not Christian after all (Dec 07)
As was stated in last week's Words on Faith column, an article usually appears this time of year about the pagan roots of Christmas. As longtime readers of the Bulletin know, I have written many such articles in this column over the past several years. This year I had planned to write a less confrontational topic, pointing out an important biblical theme that is widely overlooked by those who celebrate the birth of Christ by keeping Christmas. However, after reading Mr. Schnippert's article, "Yes, Christmas is Christian after all," I decided to respond to this conclusion instead.
Vigilance
(Sept 07)
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." This eloquent statement by former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson certainly rings true today, especially with the ever-present dangers of terrorism faced by many nations around the world. Vigilance is a major theme of the biblical Holy Days, including the Feast of Trumpets (Rash Hashanah) and Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) observed this month by Jews and Christians around the world.
What's
Happening to Fathers? (June 07)
Father's Day is now celebrated by numerous nations on the third Sunday of June. So we may appropriately ask: What changes are occurring in the family role of fathers?
Hard times tend to breed deliverance-promising false messiahs. Jesus
warns that during the difficult times at the end of the age some
will even claim to be Him, "For false Christs and false prophets
will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the
elect-- if that were possible".
So when it comes to human leaders, put away the anointing oil. Only
Jesus Christ the Anointed One coming as King of Kings and Lord of
Lords (Revelation 19:16) has the solutions for all of man's
problems.
We
Sure Could Use a Little Good News (July 06)
Listening to
today’s news, I couldn’t help but recall the lyrics to one of Anne
Murray’s hit songs. It topped the charts in 1983.
I rolled out this morning. The kids
had the morning news show on
Bryant Gumbel was talking about the
fighting in Lebanon.
I mused on how ironically sad and tragic most of these lyrics are. They’re just as timely today as they were nearly a quarter century ago when this song first came out.
The recent discovery of the Gospel of Judas appears to pose yet another challenge to Bible teachings. Some are apparently ready to scrap the Bible account of Judas in favor of this Gnostic version. Yet this is one document against some five thousand New Testament manuscripts. Of course there is also the ongoing controversy of Intelligent Design vs. evolution and the widespread popularity of the highly fictional Da Vinci Code.
What is behind this trend?
Holy
Days Treasure
(Mar 06)
I know where it is!" exclaimed the man in an excited voice. My wife puzzled over this strange phone call. "It has to be there!" he continued, and asked that I return his call as soon as possible. I had mailed him treasure magazines with articles on the famous "Lost Adams diggings"--a rich vein of gold discovered by a man named Adams, whose entire mining party was massacred by Indians before they could haul out the riches. As result of reading these articles, my friend became convinced that he knew where to find this long-lost source of great wealth. However, since he was confined to a wheelchair, he was unable to get to it. Because my magazines led to his conclusion, he offered me the opportunity to split the booty in exchange for driving him to the location and trekking up to retrieve the gold.
Christ
Will Establish Liberty and Justice for All
(Oct 05)
Once again the issue of removing "under God" from the pledge of allegiance has arisen and will likely end up in the Supreme Court. The previous case was overturned because the plaintiff did not have custody of the child whose rights he claimed were being violated. The current case is being filed by custodial parents, which will force the court to deal with the underlying issue.
Hurricane Katrina (Sept 05)
Romans 8:31-39 tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Many may ask where is the love of God in such horrific devastation? Part of the answer to that question lies with you and me and other people throughout the nation and around the world whose lives have not been shattered by this tragedy.
United States is Facing
a Brand-New Kind of Identity Crisis (Mar 05)
Preserving our national and individual identity should be a top priority item and concern. History is replete with examples of civilizations that perished as result of losing their identity. Other nations and cultures have survived for millennia, largely because they have never lost their identity. A prime example is the modern nation of Israel, descendants of the ancient nation of Judah. The Jewish religion is well known for its traditions that celebrate the unique identity of the Jewish people and acknowledge the biblical roots of their history.
The subject of "rights" has been in the news a lot lately. Gay rights, abortion rights, right to die, civil rights to name a few. It seems that we are a culture obsessed with rights. We live in a nation with a founding philosophy that everyone is entitled to certain "unalienable rights" of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
"I have lost my son. My God, what did we do wrong to lose him?"
These are the words of Vijay Kumar, a grieving father whose 3-year old son was swept from his arms by the raging waters of the tsunami as it roared ashore, taking a horrendous toll of lives throughout Asia. Many victims were women and children unable to flee the wall of water as it swept them up in its fury. Millions remain in shock and grief, their families torn asunder by this massive disaster.
Biblical
Holy Days are Not Just Jewish (Dec 04)
Every year at this time many newspapers, including The Bulletin, contain articles about the celebration of annual Holy Days by members of the Jewish Community. So the names Rosh Hashanah (Feast of Trumpets), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) are probably somewhat familiar to many readers. What might come as a surprise is that these days are not exclusive to the Jewish religion. Many Christians celebrate these and other days that are usually considered to be exclusively Jewish. What might be even more surprising is the fact that these Holy Days predate the beginning of the Jewish nation.
Celebrating
Halloween Has Nothing to Do with Sunday
For some, marking Halloween on Sunday is frightful,” is that Halloween should not be celebrated on Sunday. One lady said, “It’s a day for the Good Lord, not the devil.” So since Halloween falls on Sunday this year, she plans to send her daughter trick-or-treating on Saturday instead.
Mel
Gibson’s The Passion offers incentives (Apr 04)
Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” has become a record shattering blockbuster movie, to the chagrin of many media moguls and others eager to promote values (or lack thereof) and lifestyles contrary to the Bible.
"Separation
of Church and State" Is Not Uniformly Applied
(Jan 04)
Question—what does Judge Moore’s Ten Commandments monument have in common with a Christmas tree? Answer—they are both religious symbols. Next question—so why was the monument removed when Christmas trees abound in schools and governmental buildings?