Immigration Reform and the Church: Are Churches Responding with Care for the Sojourner?
However, what you might not know is that many evangelical leaders were speaking out about the need for such reform even before the election. In other words, evangelical leaders were willing to speak about the issue when it was unpopular to many conservatives (this is another reason why Christians should not be seen as a wing of any political party; they must speak prophetically as needed on issues).
Simply put, I get that Republicans want to win elections and that often motivates much of what they decide to act upon. But Christians are called to speak out for the care and protection of the sojourner and immigrant among us regardless of any political debate. Congress may fight about the statutes, but Christians need to love the sojourner regardless of how they got here.
What Gosnell and the Gospel Mean to the Brave …
The abortion debate is not so much about how we can somehow change the law, but right now change how we love. To have credibility in lobbying for laws against the abortion of babies, we must have the dependability of opening our doors for the welcoming of children.
Why the Bias of the Gosnell Trial Goes Beyond the Media
How many times do we—do I—say, “I’m not going to consider this point because it’s made by him”? How many times do we—do I—think, “Well, there must be something wrong here because it’s coming from those people”? Every time we dismiss an article, a book, an idea, a person because the source is from an opposing tribe, we place faction over fact, party over principle, and tribe over truth. For the Christian, this can never be. As Augustine says in De Doctrina Christiana, all truth is God’s truth, wherever it might be found. In other words, truth transcends party lines, and it is more important than group loyalty.
So how do I fight the war against evil?
Not with the weapons of this world. The answer is not in passing laws or in “restoring” America. My kingdom is not of this world. My allegiance is to the kingdom of heaven. So my weapons are not political issues.
The answer is not concealed handguns for Christians or a stronger military. Weapons of the world do not defeat evil.
Boston, Bombs, and Comparative Justice
The bombings in Oklahoma City, New York, Washington and Boston were horrific, make no mistake. But let us also be very clear. God does not view the death of an innocent American as any worse than an innocent Palestinian, an innocent Israeli, an innocent Iraqi, or an innocent Afghan. Let us dispense with the comparative justice concept. The murder of any human being is a stain against the image of God – for every human was made in the image of God.
And that should make us be very careful as we consider our response to whoever it was that murdered and maimed those people in Boston, as well as the victims and the families of the latest drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
World Upside Down: Part 2, When the Christians Show Up a Riot Breaks Out
As Rowe points out in World Upside Down, the political story told in Acts is a bit more complex. While it is true that Paul is vindicated by Imperial Roman officials, it’s also true that wherever the gospel spreads in the book of Acts there is violent social upheaval, much of it centered on economics. In these texts the gospel isn’t politically neutral but observed to be highly disruptive, something that, well, something that turns the world upside down.
A Letter to the Grandkids On Baptism
Grandad would just like to write this letter to all of you, those baptized already and those who will be. These are just a few things I really want you to know about your baptism that I’ve been thinking about.
You should be careful to get there on time because the beginning of the worship gathering is not a throw-away of announcements (which you should pay attention to anyway). Rather, at least in our case, the beginning of our corporate worship is thoughtfully put together with the aim of directing our thoughts toward God. From the opening Scripture to the closing benediction every piece of the liturgy is a piece to a puzzle that, when assembled, gives us all a fuller picture of the gospel.
How can you encourage those who are striving to use this medium for good? Here are 5 ways that are simple and don’t take much time, but that I promise will put some wind in the sails of your blogging friends.
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