Come on over to alanrudnick.org

The day is here.  Check out the new blog: http://alanrudnick.org  Please update your subscription. On The Bema will become inactive. All you email subscribers please update your subscriptions at the new site. -Alan

Giving up On The Bema… New Website Coming

It is with mixed feelings that I announce that I’m giving up On The Bema in order to segue to a new website.  I started On The Bema in 2009 to blog on issues regarding Christianity and culture.  The blog racked up over 70,000 hits in its nearly 3 year life span. On The Bema […]

What’s going on with onthebema.com?

Good question. Lately, my Times Union blog has picked up a lot of activity. This blog, which jump started my blogging in 2009, has become an enigma. This blog and my Times Union blog have become identical. What do I do with it? What will it become? My book on associate pastor ministry is due […]

Can Jesus and Santa get along?

This past weekend I participated in a Christmas ritual that many parents struggle with: a visit with Santa Claus. Why the struggle? For some parents, Christmas and Santa Claus go together like white and red striping on candy canes. You cannot separate the two. Santa is everywhere and just about every culture. For others, Christmas […]

The Story Behind the Penn State, Nebraska Pre-Game Prayer

If it is one thing that came out of the Penn State-Nebraska game, it was not a loss for Penn State.  It was a win-win for both teams.  Why?  Check out how the game started: That man standing in the center is Ron Brown, an assistant coach with Nebraska.  Notice in the picture that in […]

Sins of Omission: Paterno & Penn State

By now, most the country has heard about the shocking revelation that former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky had inappropriate sexual contact with children associated with his foundation, The Second Mile.  Sandusky is accused of sexually abusing several, possibly 20, boys from 1994 to 2008.  A three-year grand jury investigation revealed that several […]

Harold Camping: My Bad

Looks like retirementville for our old pal Harold Camping.  Camping, who failed to correctly predict the end of the world, has now admitted he was wrong. The radio preacher said that it “seems embarrassing for Family Radio.” However, Camping still proclaimed that he would “more carefully than ever” look to the Bible for his end […]

Featured in Wedding Article

My good “in” with the Albany Times Union through my blog has produced several fruitful friendships. One them is Kristi Gustafson Barlette, social media strategist and staff writer, who writes about culture, trends, and relationships. Kristi interviewed me for an article on the benefits of premarital counseling for engaged couples: Counseling. That one little word […]

Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?

With Halloween upon us all the ghosts, witches, and ghouls come to play… err, trick-or-treat.  Poorly made scary movies run non-stop on TV. Millions will give out candy to kids and people will participate in those zombie 5ks. Adults spend about $6.7 billion a year for parties, costumes, and candy. With Americans spending that much […]

Why We Love the Paranormal

The sure sign we love the paranormal?  The movie, Paranormal Activity 3 raked in $53 million this past weekend, which is a record for a horror film. Sorry Footloose, your lame thoughtful remake cannot mess with the staying power of the paranormal. What is it about the paranormal that Americans find so fascinating?  A Gallup […]