The Greatest False Idol of Modern Christianity
Dig just beneath the sunny “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Bible covers, and the “God’s judgment is coming” bullhorn warnings and you’ll find that much of America has imagined a powerless God who’s mostly just keeping Heaven tidy until all the Christians get there. In the meantime, we live in perpetually frightened freak-out mode.
The truth is, Fear has become a false God, one too many of us worship with complete and undying devotion.
Churches and church leaders who dream of racial harmony have found a great starting point. What they do next is vital.
- Will they seek out other races and listen to their stories?
- What books will they read?
- Will they involve themselves in their communities?
- Will they learn new languages?
- Are they willing to make adjustments in the feel of their worship services?
- Will they accept new leaders in the church and treat them as equals?
Mummy Mask May Reveal Oldest Fragment of the Gospel of Mark
A text found on papyrus used on a mummy mask may be the oldest copy of a gospel known to exist—a fragment of the Gospel of Mark that was written during the first century, before the year AD 90. Until now, the oldest surviving copies of the gospel texts date to the second century (the years AD 101 to 200).
But, we must allow Him the time, the attention, and the focus He deserves — none of which is learned by squandering time on social media.
We must be more intentional with our time and habits. We must swap scrolling for disciplining, liking for loving, and clicking for thinking.
So, here’s to the New Year! May it be full of less scrolling and more doing!
Jesus is very capable of a double meaning, and I think both Vander Laan and McKnight are right. Jesus fulfills the Law and the Prophets both by correctly interpreting them and by personally fulfilling what they have all been pointing to. It’s the same thing.
Jesus doesn’t explain this fully in these few verses, but the rest of the SOTM — as well as the rest of Matthew — offers a series of lessons in reading the Old Testament in and through Jesus.
Seven things that worry me when we disagree…
- Be careful about anyone who insists that Scripture is clear about every issue.
- But also be wary of those who think we cannot agree on anything.
- Be very concerned about people who claim to speak for God in areas He did not speak.
- I am never comfortable with proof texts.
- Watch out for one verse wonders.
- Stop the conversation when anyone implies — or says — that you would agree with them if you just cared enough about what God says.
- Never judge someone’s heart by saying they do not love God or his people if they do not agree with you.
It made think about why I am the way I am. Could it be that my mother instilled this in me growing up? That you help people in need? That you visit the widow and help her around the house? Here I was with my son passing this valuable lesson along.
I worry that we are not training our children up today. How do we expect them to become servants if we don’t develop it? How are they going to see the value when they think they are the center of the world?
The Department of State Warns Against Visiting the United States
Today’s post is meant partly in jest to show how easy it is to make any country sound unsafe. I used the information page for Thailand, which has no current warnings or alerts but does have a pretty scary-sounding introduction in its dedicated overview. I kept to the original language of the Safety and Security section as much as possible, replacing events in Thailand with similar events in the U.S., and from this perspective it almost seems like visiting Thailand would be safer than staying home.
Five-year-old boy gets a bill for missing school friend’s birthday party
A FIVE-year-old boy has been handed an invoice – for missing his friend’s birthday party.
And now his parents claim they have been threatened with the possibility of court action if they don’t stump up the cash.