Noah's Arkhives

It is January 4th. If you are like most people, the shiny veneer of "New Year, New Me" is already starting to crack. Maybe you missed a day of that aggressive Bible reading plan. Maybe the gym membership card is already gathering dust on the dresser. The world tells you that the solution to this early failure is to push harder . It tells you that 2026 is yours to conquer—if only you have enough discipline, enough caffeine, and enough grit. But what if the Gospel offers a different resolution? What if 2026 isn’t the year you do more, but the year you learn to abide more The Idol of Productivity We live in an era where "Busyness" has become a status symbol. If you ask a friend how they are, and they say, "I've been so busy," we instinctively nod with respect. We equate exhaustion with importance. But as a researcher of culture and faith, I see a dangerous theological drift here. We have bought into the lie that our worth is measured by our output. We h...

  It is January 2026. By now, you’ve likely seen the ads for "FaithTime" or "BibleChat" pop up on your feed. You might have even heard your pastor admit that an algorithm helped organize this Sunday’s sermon notes. The "AI Revolution" isn't coming; it’s here. And it has walked right through the church doors. Two years ago, the conversation was dominated by fear— Is AI the Beast? Is it demonic? But as we settle into this new year, the conversation has shifted to something more practical and perhaps more insidious: Utility. We aren't asking if AI will destroy us. We are asking, "Can it do my devotions for me?" This rises under the banner of "Digital Discipleship." Proponents argue it’s the greatest tool for the Great Commission since the printing press. Skeptics call it the industrialization of the soul. So, can an algorithm truly help you pray? The Case for the "Digital Scribe" Let’s be charitable first. God has alwa...

 For the last twenty years, the prevailing wisdom in Western Christianity was simple: If you want to reach young people, you have to make church "cool." You need lasers, smoke machines, 20-minute TED-talk sermons, and a coffee shop in the lobby. The goal was to remove barriers, making the Gospel as palatable and "fluff-free" of dogma as possible. But as we enter 2026, the data suggests this strategy has backfired. A massive cultural shift is underway. Gen Z—the most digitally native, marketed-to generation in history—is rejecting the polished, entertainment-driven model of the "seeker-sensitive" movement. Instead, they are flocking to places their parents often left: high-church liturgies, rigorous theological seminars, and communities that aren’t afraid to preach the difficult, "meaty" parts of the Bible. Here is why 2026 is shaping up to be the year of Deep Theology. 1. The "Vibe Shift" from Performance to Authenticity Gen Z has an ex...

  Faith in the Age of AI: Discernment in a "Deepfake" World If you scrolled through social media earlier this year, you likely saw it: the video of "Pope Leo XIV" endorsing a controversial political candidate. It looked real. It sounded real. It had the weight of the Vatican behind it. Except, it wasn't real. It was a deepfake that fooled millions of believers before being debunked. Then came September, when we saw the "AI Resurrection" of prominent figures like Charlie Kirk, where algorithms generated new sermons from deceased leaders, saying things they never actually said while alive. As we head into 2026, the line between reality and simulation has vanished. We are living in the age of "Synthetic Truth," where seeing is no longer believing. For Christians, this isn't just a technological crisis; it is a spiritual one. When a machine can write a perfect sermon, feign deep emotion, and mimic the voice of your favorite pastor, how do ...

  When the World Shakes: Anchoring Your Soul in the Unchanging Goodness of God If you feel like the ground beneath you has been vibrating lately, you are not alone. As we close out 2025 and look toward 2026, the prevailing cultural mood isn't one of optimistic resolution—it’s one of low-grade anxiety. We see it in global instability, we feel it in the deep divisions fracturing major church denominations, and we experience it in the economic and personal pressures of daily life. The writer of Hebrews spoke of a time when God would "shake not only the earth but also the heavens," so that "what cannot be shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12:26-27). It feels like we are living through a great shaking right now. In times like these, the most difficult—yet most vital—question a Christian can ask is: Is God still good? The world’s answer is "no." The skeptic’s answer is "if He is, He isn't very competent." But the biblical answer is a resounding ...

 Yes, seeking salvation can absolutely feel or appear self-centered at first glance—after all, it starts with “I don’t want to go to hell” or “I want eternal life.” That’s a very human, very honest starting point. Most people don’t come to faith because they suddenly wake up one day overflowing with pure altruism toward God. They come because they become aware of their own brokenness, guilt, fear of death, or longing for meaning, and Jesus offers rescue. But Christianity (at least in its orthodox, biblical form) doesn’t leave people stuck in that self-centered motivation. It reframes and transforms it. Jesus Himself invites people with exactly that “self-interested” hook: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again” (John 4:14). “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger” (John 6:35). The offer is deeply personal and meets our deepest needs...