Norel Iacob
Norel Iacob has been editor-in-chief of Signs of the Times Romania since 2009. In 2010 he relaunched semneletimpului.ro, which now hosts over 20,000 articles. In 2020 he introduced the English platform st.network, an international interface for worldwide authors analysing from a Christian perspective topics of interest to a general audience. Iacob studied theology at Adventus University, Romania, and has a Master of Arts degree in Religion from Andrews University, USA. He is currently a PhD candidate in Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Tilburg University, Netherlands. He has edited or authored several books, including “The End of Uncertainty: Returning from Exile” and “Fathers: The Meaning of Being a Father in Today’s Society.”
It’s just us and the Truth. Who judges whom?
The (metaphysical) Truth does not allow us to judge Him. According to the Bible, He expects to be believed and accepted so that He can be understood and evaluated. In contrast, the Truth is the One who judges us.
A fulfilled life in the presence of God: the picture
A fulfilled life is built on the foundation of faith and the desire to imitate the character of God, in a world conceptualised around the truth.
Free time and the science of living
Free time is the slice of life that an appropriate will and motivation learn to transform into experiences that make our life better, more beautiful, more balanced, and more pleasant to remember.
Trust in God and the great small step
Trust in God gives clarity to our thinking, so God asks us not to be obsessed with justice, but to be concerned with and delighted by grace.
It wasn’t me! It was Eve, the snake or the genes!
The stakes are high when it comes to homosexuality, promiscuity, alcoholism, violence, and the like. Previously seen as a result of environmental influence and moral choice, they have now become a genetical given.
Misunderstanding a “memorable misunderstanding”
The spontaneous generation of life on Earth is as likely as a whirlwind putting a Boeing 747 together using scattered spare parts in a junkyard.
The stories that restore our future
Among the words of Jesus, I was first fascinated by His surprising and enigmatic counter-questions, which generated real clashes among his tempters. In the face of the questions that were supposed to leave Him speechless, He always had a more comprehensive vision, from the perspective of which the traps were reduced to ridiculous, absurd obstacles.
How (not) to clip the wings of reformation
In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, Europe was hit hard by several disasters, the proportions of which are difficult to imagine today.
Real information is dialogue
I request from my colleagues at the ST.N editorial office at least three sources for news and at least two books for the analysis topics: one for and one against. Ideally, the reading of the first two books will give rise to the desire to look for at least two more, so that the differences are clearer. After that, there will be a...
Bewilderment
Jesus’s unpredictability is one of His most memorable traits—one that was, however, not born out of an extraordinary speculative intelligence, but out of such a different perspective on reality that even the most trained and educated thinkers could not foresee it. Therefore, Jesus’s unpredictability says more about us than about Him.
Cynicism as helplessness
The events of July 2016 deepen the social gaps that have become a mark of the 21st century. In an increasingly absurd dialogue of violence, the fighters are radicalizing. Some become religious fanatics, others nationalists. Some become terrorists, others xenophobes. What is constant is the spiral of resentments. On the other hand, the disarming spectacle of political imposture continues. Trump and, more recently...
What do we do with bad people?
“Can’t good people teach bad people to be good?” Madeleine asked her mother, with the innocence of a seven-year-old.
Chrislam: The syncretism between faith and fake news
A significant number of Christians of various denominations, both traditional and Protestant, are concerned by the online materials announcing the establishment of a one-world religion: Chrislam. The news is that this is just the first step, which will be followed by a one-world currency, and a one-world government that is up to no good.
COVID-19 prevention series: An introduction
“A healthy lifestyle has been an important part of the beliefs of the Adventist Church since its early years and remains so. We are still committed to live, share, and promote healthy living as expressed by the holistic Adventist health message entrusted to the Church. The Adventist health studies have confirmed the unequivocal benefits of increased longevity and quality of life through implementing...
Stephen Hawking’s verdict (Leaving God out)
“Because there is a law such as gravity, the Universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the Universe exists, why we exist.” This is Stephen Hawking’s statement that accompanied the book launch of “The Grand Design”.[1]