Noah's Arkhives

 The Parable of the Prodigal Son is easily the most famous story Jesus ever told. It has inspired paintings, novels, symphonies, and countless sermons. Yet for all its familiarity, we often miss its radical edge. We reduce it to a morality tale about a wayward child who says sorry and a softhearted dad who offers a second chance. But Luke 15:11–24 is far more disruptive than that. It is a story about the architecture of desire, the bankruptcy of self-exile, and a love that operates outside the economy of merit. **The Request That Kills** The parable opens not with departure, but with a demand: "Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me" (v. 12). In the first-century world, this was not merely impolite; it was violent. By asking for his inheritance while his father still lived, the younger son is effectively saying, "I wish you were dead." He wants the benefits of sonship without the relationship. He wants the assets, not the father. This is th...

  The Parable of the Good Samaritan: Who Is My Neighbor? Understanding the Parable In Luke 10:30-37, Jesus tells a story that has become one of the most famous teachings in all of Scripture. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by robbers who beat him, strip him, and leave him half-dead on the roadside. A priest comes along, sees the wounded man, but crosses to the other side of the road and passes by. Then a Levite—a temple assistant—does the same thing. Both religious leaders avoid the suffering man entirely. Finally, a Samaritan comes along. This detail is crucial: Samaritans and Jews despised each other, separated by centuries of religious and ethnic hostility. Yet this Samaritan stops, feels compassion, and springs into action. He bandages the man's wounds, pours oil and wine on them, puts him on his own donkey, takes him to an inn, and pays for his care. He even promises to cover any additional expenses when he returns. Jesus tells this story in response ...

  The Parable of the Sower: Seeds, Soil, and the State of Our Hearts Understanding the Parable In Matthew 13:3-9, Jesus tells one of his most accessible yet profound stories. A farmer goes out to scatter seed across his land. Some seeds fall on the hard-packed path and birds quickly devour them. Others land on rocky, shallow soil—they sprout fast but wither under the sun because they have no deep roots. Some seeds fall among thorns that choke them out as they grow. But some seeds fall on good, fertile soil and produce an abundant harvest—thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was planted. Jesus isn't really talking about farming. He's talking about how people receive God's word. The seed represents the message of God's kingdom, and the different soils represent the different conditions of human hearts. The path represents those who hear but don't understand, allowing the message to be snatched away. The rocky ground symbolizes people who receive the word with e...

C.S. Lewis: The Architect of Reason and Imagination C.S. Lewis The Architect of Reason and Imagination Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was a giant of 20th-century literature and Christian apologetics. From the trenches of World War I to the halls of Oxford, his life was a journey from staunch atheism to becoming the "most reluctant convert in all England." This infographic explores the data behind his legacy. A Life in Chapters Born in Belfast, Lewis navigated personal tragedy, war, and academic rigour before finding his voice. His life can be segmented into distinct eras of intellectual and spiritual development. ...

The Mathematical Apologist: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Life, Thought, and Global Impact of John Carson Lennox Abstract This report constitutes an exhaustive examination of the life, academic career, and apologetic ministry of John Carson Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford. Situated at the volatile intersection of rigorous mathematical theory, evangelical theology, and public philosophy, Lennox has emerged as one of the twenty-first century’s most significant defenders of theistic belief. Through a detailed analysis of his origins in sectarian Northern Ireland, his mathematical formation at Cambridge and Oxford, his experiences behind the Iron Curtain, and his high-profile confrontations with the "New Atheism," this document explores how Lennox successfully bridged the gap between the academy and the pew. Special attention is paid to the content of his major debates with Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the epistemological argum...