The Problem with Saying ‘All Lives Matter’
So when you hear the words “Black Lives Matter,” don’t be so quick to assume it’s a judgement about white lives. Instead, see “Black Lives Matter” for what it is: a rallying cry to make a difference and take down the unjust status quo that holds racial equality at bay in America. You can join the movement and commit yourself to the social and economic liberation of black people, or you can choose to stand on the sidelines. But don’t silence the cry with the words “All Lives Matter.” This is an emergency.
The obvious reason the NRA isn’t commenting on the Philando Castile police shooting
But there’s another, more obvious explanation: Castile was black, and gun ownership in America — down to the NRA’s messaging — is largely built on white identity.
Trump, Saddam and why people mistrust the media
So what was different last night? Clinton’s campaign said it was different. In Politico, we learn that Trump’s Hussein praise “finally caught up with him” because “Hillary Clinton’s campaign tore into his latest comments.” NBC News notes that Trump said this at a rally with Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), which could lead to a clash and some awkward questions; otherwise, the only new thing is that “Hillary Clinton’s campaign seized the opportunity to once more paint Trump as unfit for office.”
And so on. The story is not that Trump argued that the United States would be better off if a dictator had been allowed to stay in power in Iraq; the story is that things are different now, because the presumptive Democratic nominee is whacking him for saying it.
America is not stranded between a Hillary and Donald place
America is not stranded between a Hillary and a Donald place. America is up in arms because we churches have shifted from faith to being political; possibly much more than we realized. Every human being needs to run…not for office…but into a God-believer who strives to die from a cross that others (even enemies) might live. May we be among those who give life to any who have grown to think there is no more hope.
Iowa Churches Can’t Discriminate During Services ‘Open to the Public’
A 2007 amendment to the Iowa Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination in public accommodations on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, among other factors.
Religious institutions are exempt, but only when they are doing something “related to a bona fide religious purpose.” The language is vague, and no churches have been disciplined for discrimination.
But the newest explanation from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission (ICRC), a law enforcement agency commissioned to end discrimination in Iowa, wrote that “a childcare facility operated at a church or a church service open to the public” would be subject to the regulations.
A Pastor’s Take on Short Term Mission Teams
Every time I have the chance to visit with full-time, long-term, career missionaries, I ask them to share their thoughts about short term mission teams. In all of those discussions, I’ve never had a missionary tell me they think short term mission teams are indispensable to the Great Commission. Instead, I usually hear cautionary tales about short term teams that cause disruptions, setbacks, distractions, and lots of busy work for those missionaries who are planted on the field.
Christians are free to drink. And, they’re also free not to. What are the deciding factors? Well, whether or not you have a taste for it certainly plays a part. But the main thing is to keep the goal in mind: loving neighbors like Jesus does—with nuance and wisdom.
9 Sins the Church Is Surprisingly OK With as Long as You Love Jesus
I think there’s a lesson here for the church. What if the big sins, you know the ones you try hardest to avoid, aren’t the greatest threat to your joy and the church’s mission?
Maybe it’s the sins lying underneath, the ones considered normal or acceptable, the ones going undetected, that are affecting the church the most.
No one is unreasonable. Or to be more accurate, no one thinks that they are being unreasonable.
That’s why we almost never respond well when someone points out how unreasonable we’re being. We don’t see it, because our narrative of the world around us won’t allow us to. Our worldview makes it really difficult to be empathetic, because seeing the world through the eyes of someone else takes so much effort.
The underappreciated art of saying thanks
But, if you really don’t want to say thank you, if you consider the phrase nothing more than two useless words better left to previous generations of the considerate, that’s totally fine. Just don’t ask anyone to do anything for you, ever.
OK, so I’ve goofed again. First I skipped the baptism of Jesus when talking about what the gospels say about baptism. Now I’ve forgotten one of my favorite passages on baptism: Titus 3. Let’s read what Paul says in this passage: