Who is Ray Burns?
I was born in 1985. I married my wife in 2007, and we live in Iowa with our 4 kids (ages 2, 4, 10, and 12 as of 2020).
I started regularly attending church when I was 10, and Christ saved me at 18. Throughout my childhood and early adult years, I became increasingly frustrated and depressed because I had many questions about why Christians believe what they believe, yet no one around me seemed to have good answers. I wanted more than a single Bible verse (sometimes taken out of context) or an answer based on tradition – I wanted to be convinced from all of God’s word that my beliefs were either correct and should be held, or incorrect and needed to change. However, I had no idea how to find that out for myself.
After being a Christian for nearly a decade, I developed a lot of anger and bad beliefs about Christianity. Finally, God brought me to someone who taught me how to read and interpret the Bible well. My life quickly changed as I learned why faith is logical and reasonable, not emotional and open to interpretation. From there, God started developing and strengthening my worldview as I found a growing desire to submit everything about my life to Jesus Christ and the authority of the Bible.
I devoted myself to reading, listening to lectures, and taking classes to keep growing in my knowledge and understanding of our great God. Yet the more I grew, the more I felt a burden for my brothers in sisters in Christ. I knew many were like me and wanted to know more about their Savior, yet didn’t know how to keep growing. God started using my own history to prepare me for serving Him in my own small way.
Onward in the Faith is the result of how God has guided my life. I know there are Christians around the world with the same questions and struggles I’ve had. My greatest desire is to serve and glorify God by equipping His people to not only understand what they believe, but why they believe it. Everything about this ministry, from the variety of topics to the lengthy discussions, is designed to encourage and equip God’s people to have a deeper, more meaningful walk with their Savior.
I believe our walk with Christ is directly tied to our theology. Good theology has completely changed my life because it’s not something for scholars and Bible nerds, but is something that affects every area of our lives in a major way. I want others to experience the peace and freedom that comes when we fully surrender to our good and perfect God, and that starts by getting a clear picture of who He is and what He desires.
In the end, I’m no one special. I’m just a guy who wants to point people to Christ by providing a resource designed to equip Christians who want to grow in spiritual maturity.
How do I read and interpret the Bible?
As much as I can help it, I try to read the Bible as the historical document that it is. This is a three-step process:
Step 1: I try to read a Bible passage in the original context. This requires considering the world view, culture, and values of the original audience. What did this text mean to the people who originally experienced it?
Step 2: I try to pull out the “timeless application” of what I’m reading. What can all Christians from all times learn from the text?
Step 3: Finally, I apply what I read to our modern context. What does this mean for us today?
You can read more about this process here.
Why do I use the New American Standard Bible?
As Christians, it’s important for us to be faithful to the word of God itself, not a particular translation. Currently, the NASB strikes one of the best balances between sticking closely to the original texts without being completely unreadable. Although there are sure to be newer translations that benefit from more recent discoveries in textual criticism, the NASB is my preferred text for reading.
What are the different categories?
Faithful and Encouragement: Practical articles to help deepen our walk with Christ
Theology Busters: Taking popular beliefs or confusing passages and testing them against what we see in the Bible
Series: Multi-part articles and ongoing topics (What Do They Believe?, 65 Theology Questions People Will Ask You, etc.)
Tuned In Recommendations: Reviews and recommendations for digital and print media
Other Interesting Topics: These tend to be more informative and will usually feature content that doesn’t fit another category
Why did you promote a certain person’s work? What about this controversial thing they’ve said or done?
I want to promote things that help deepen your faith. While I try to vet various authors or content creators, I can’t always account for what they have said or will say in the future. When you see me promote something like a book, I am simply promoting the spiritual value of the book itself and not necessarily the person who wrote it.
Does this blog cost money? How can I support this ministry?
A blog and podcast comes with expenses that I’ve been happy to cover. However, the generous donations of my readers have helped to not only cover my monthly fees, but also allowed me to earn a small income as well. In time, I’d like to replace my current income so I can devote even more time to serving Christ through this website. If you’d like to become a monthly supporter, head to Patreon and pledge as little as $1.
Can I make a suggestion for a future topic?
I’d love to hear what my readers are interested in! Simply use my Contact Me form and let me know what you’d like to see. As a way of thanking those who support this ministry, Patreon supporters at the $15 level and one-time donors of $20 can also choose a topic they’d like to read about.
Why start a blog?
In the years since I started really pursuing Christ, I’ve had a passion for teaching and encouraging God’s people in their spiritual walk. However, health issues have made it difficult to take on a formal teaching role at my church. I’ll admit it has caused a good deal of sorrow as I felt like I couldn’t fulfill my calling.
At the encouragement of others, I’ve realized that my love of writing works perfectly with my desire to teach. Thus, the ministry of Onward in the Faith was born, with the podcast being added a year later. It’s my sincerest hope that God will use this ministry to bless others and draw all of us closer to our savior.