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The Three Wills of God and Miscellaneous Thoughts

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

Fowler’s Stages of Faith: 1. Intuitive-projective faith–unable to compare ideas; simple belief  2. Mythical-literal faith–making mysticism literal  3. Synthetic-conventional faith–incorporating values  4. Individuative-reflective faith–critical thinking  5. Conjunctive faith–combining the mystical with critical thinking  Walker’s Stages of Faith: 1. Instinctive faith–child-like faith 2. Literal faith–the Bible says it’s so 3. Humanistic (enlightened) faith– philosophy/psychology + Christianity 4. Rational…

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Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayers?

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

Joe, a respected bank president, and Cindy, a tireless realtor, joined a prominent Charismatic megachurch where they developed a deep, abiding love for Jesus Christ. As their commitment grew their diligent and dedicated service in the name of Christ earned them veneration throughout the congregation.   Unexpectedly, a black mole on Joe’s forearm emerged as a…

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A Bible Synopsis with Commentary: Genesis 1-11

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

The Bible’s Old Testament tells the story of God’s gift of free will and how humankind turned that free will into self-will. The narrative of this self-will rebellion unfolds throughout the books of the Old Testament. God’s plan that humankind would love him unconditionally unravels in the first 11 chapters of Genius. The first few…

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Successful Attitudes

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

The famous line “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” comes from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.” This quote suggests that an event is not inherently good or bad; instead, it is our perceptions and interpretations that shape our views of it as positive or negative. In essence, our perspective determines…

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A Bible Synopsis with Commentary: An Overview of the First 33 Chapters of Genesis

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

The Bible’s Old Testament tells the story of God’s gift of free will and how humankind turned that free will into self-will. The narrative of this self-will rebellion unfolds throughout the books of the Old Testament. God’s rigorous response and unfailing compassion become clear as we read through this account.  Genesis 1-11: The Primeval Story…

The Great Divorce

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

The Great Divorce, a novel by British author C.S. Lewis, explores his concept of purgatory. The ideas presented in the novel draw upon the writings of St. Augustine, Dante Alighieri, John Milton, John Bunyan, Emanuel Swedenborg, William Blake, Lewis Carroll, and George MacDonald. According to Dante Alighieri, C.S. Lewis, and others, purgatory represents a spiritual…

Thoughts on Prayer

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

The purpose of prayer is to develop a relationship with God. When we have a relationship with God, he blesses us. God desires for his children to prosper, but prosperity doesn’t refer to acquiring material possessions like money, success, or power. Instead, God wants us to prosper spiritually, to grow spiritually, to thrive spiritually. He…

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Random Notes on Jewish and Christian Writings

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

The Hebrew Bible, known as the Tanakh, is organized into three main sections: The Mishnah was created to preserve Jewish law and guide daily life. Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi, also known as Judah the Prince, compiled the Mishnah in Palestine around 200 CE. The Mishnah is divided into six primary sections:  The Talmud, a commentary on the Mishnah,…

The Squishy Center

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

A recent survey of 35,000 Americans by the Pew Research Center found that nearly one in four adults in the United States reported no religious affiliation. Economic uncertainty, global instability, technological advances, and demographic transitions have created a crisis within the church. The traditional definition of family has evolved; it is no longer just a…

Vindicated By Research

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

For several decades, I have recognized that attention deficit disorder can linger into adulthood. Finally, research confirms my convictions. Truveta, a healthcare data and analytics company, found that from January 2021 to 2024, the rate of first-time diagnoses rose 60 percent among those ages 30 to 44 and 64 percent among those ages 45 to…

The New Elephant

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

Psilocybin, LSD, and other psychedelic drugs have been federally prohibited since the early 1970s. However, government restrictions have not stopped people from using them. Researchers from the RAND Corporation estimate that eight million adults in the U.S. used psilocybin in 2023. A December 12, 2024, article in the New York Times highlights the growing popularity…

Quantum Computing

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

Traditional computers process information by manipulating numbers stored in siliconchips as “bits.” Each bit can represent either a 1 or a 0. These computers rely on acentral processing unit (CPU), which consists of circuits of bits that interpret programinstructions and execute arithmetic and logic operations. A supercomputer consists of multiple CPUs. Unlike traditional computers,supercomputers can…

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Preconceived Notions

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

There are many theories about who wrote the plays attributed to William Shakespeare.One theory suggests that Francis Bacon may have penned some of these works, whileanother posits that a woman could have been the true author. Recently, several fictionalaccounts have been created around these ideas. However, the straightforward historicalevidence indicates that Shakespeare himself wrote the…

A Newspaper Epiphany

ByDr. John Ingram Walker

Three decades ago, I burned myself out trying to keep up with all the brilliant doctors at DukeUniversity Medical Center. I was stagnant, frustrated, and apathetic. I felt like the student whenthe teacher asked, “Johnny, what’s apathy?” Johnny answered, “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” One Sunday morning, I dragged myself out of bed…