Cameron Hankins
Christian Writer & Theologian
The Lord's Prayer through the Psalms
You can purchase the book on Amazon.
Do you struggle with your prayer life? Many Christians do. You aren't alone in this battle. Often times, we don't know what to pray nor how to pray. The words seem to just slip our minds until we give up to do something else. It's a shame because part of the Christian life is prayer.
The most simple definition of prayer is the way we talk to God. This is why Paul tells the Thessalonians to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17). We are called to be in constant communication with God, yet we struggle to communicate with the One who loves us unconditionally. What do we do in these moments? Luckily, Jesus gave his followers an outline to follow.
Jesus prayed what we now call the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Many of us are familiar with this prayer. We've heard it on Sunday mornings, in movies, song, etc. But what does it mean?
In this study, we take a dive into the words of Jesus and pair it up with an appropriate Psalm to enrichen our experience. We practice Scripture by Scripture interpretation by allowing the Psalms to help us appreciate the words of Christ. If you honestly commit yourself to this study, you will be stretched, strengthened, encouraged, and disciplined.
Political Christianity
Brief Abstract
An upcoming project is tentatively being titled Political Christianity. It delves into how Christianity and politics can and should interact.
On the one hand, some people believe that Christianity and other religions have no role or right in politics. They rightly criticize Christianity in politics as being a power-hungry theocracy, which has led to atrocities in the name of God.
On the other hand, others believe society is founded on Christianity and should have a prominent place in modern government. While this seems outright incorrect, we must admit Christianity has always saturated government so much so that saying "God bless you" is basically a must in politics.
As with most things in life, this is a nuanced issue. Christianity, and indeed any religion, remain fundamental to people's core beliefs and values. To sideline one's religious beliefs is to deny fundament elements of a person.
In contrast, to pursue a Christian state or any religious state will lead to a theocratic state, and if history has taught us anything, its theocratic states produce power-obsessed and corrupted religion whose ambitions not only victimize those who don't join them but deteriorate the religion into an unrecognizable hierarchy thinly veneered as a divinely ordained mission.
Diving into this topic will help modern readers and religious people to navigate the political realm without necessarily compromising their religious values.