Why Christians Should Engage Non-Christian Art
But when we shy away from “non-Christian” art thinking we are godlier for it, we are closing ourselves off to the depths and heights of the human experience God intends us to live. We are closing ourselves off to others.
The Seduction of Worldly Political Power
The following passage regarding Matthew’s account of Jesus’ temptation helpfully exposes why Christians ought to be wary of the seductions of earthly political power.
The third temptation is even more centrally political. “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this will I give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me’” (Matt. 4:8-9). This is . . . the ultimate political temptation of world rule. . .
The temptation requires a total ambition of the kind only present with Alexander the great, the Caesars, and a few others. It also requires the kind of arrogance that believes, “I am good for the world. If I ruled the world . . .” Among candidates for benevolent dictatorship, Jesus would of course, rank top. But his response to the devil shows that all of this is misconception. Jesus insists: “Worship the Lord God, and serve him only” (4:10; Deut. 6:13). This is the crucial political lesson. Many politicians assume that their getting to power is the answer: then they can do good. Jesus understands that getting to power is not the answer; instead, unqualified submission to God is required to do anything good. The beginning, middle, and end of politics is obedience to God.
The Trouble with Being Salt and Light
The problem lies in the misapprehension that our value is directly related to our uniqueness, that we have to stand out and make people gasp in amazement to be worth loving, or even worth existing. Could we even hear it if someone – say, even Jesus – told us we were common, and yet utterly important and loved?
Smartphones Make You Tired and Unproductive, Study Says
After accounting for sleep quality, the researchers found that work-related smartphone use in the evening was associated with fewer hours of sleep. The subjects who recorded shorter nights also reported depleted reserves of self-control, and those who felt morning exhaustion also indicated they were less engaged during the day, a domino effect that shows how an unending workday ultimately leads to poorer work.
Police: Man tried to pay tab with trillion dollar bill
Police say Michael Williams, 53, of Sumter tried to pay his bill with a debit card, but it was declined. He then offered to pay with a trillion dollar bill.
Police were called, and Williams was arrested on an unrelated charge of contempt of magistrate’s court.
A Father Plays Call Of Duty With His Son, Watched By Thousands
Jason Munkel and his father Bill are 39 years apart in age, but since last year, they’ve been sitting down together to play Call of Duty: Ghosts almost every night.
They also broadcast their gameplay to more than 120,000 followers, who watch the father-son duo pursue and shoot enemies on the screen, and talk to them during the game. Sometimes they do this for six to seven hours a day, and their audience has grown dramatically in just one year, though not all watch every day.
Enterprising Girl Scout Sells Cookies Outside Marijuana Clinic
Danielle, who set up her table of Girl Scout cookies outside The Green Cross medical marijuana dispensary in San Francisco earlier this week, sold a whopping 117 boxes in a single day. She appears to have tapped into a niche market fueled by the drug’s well-known propensity to stimulate appetite.