Reflections on the SCOTUS Decision
I suspect that the loss of the “Christian nation” (which was never Christian, since the church is God’s holy nation as a people rebirthed into Israel) has shocked some, generated fear among many, and led to despair for some. We now live in a post-Christian culture, and this is an opportunity for believers to live authentically in the present as a people who bear witness to the future that God wants to bring into the present; that is, to bring heaven to earth. We find ourselves in a situation analogous to the original audience of 1 Peter, which Peter characterized as a fiery trial that will refine the people of God for the sake of authentic witness.
SCOTUS: Too Much and Too Little
As believers, we must be clear: personal identity based on sexual orientation defines self-hood as the sum total of our fallen human desires. Through it, we get no glimpse of how the covenant of grace defends our real identity in Christ, or why, say, biblical marriage is a God-designed creation ordinance and a living reflection of Christ and the Church, not merely a man-made convenience for pair-bonding or affection.
Our culture wants us to believe that sin is an old, outdated idea. It wants us to believe that the concept is dead. That it isn’t worth talking about because it’ll just offend someone. But, sin is real. It is as alive and well as that enormous, beheaded rattlesnake. It is destroying someone you know right now. It is destroying you, whether you acknowledge its existence or not.
The most and least racially diverse U.S. religious groups
The nation’s population is growing more racially and ethnically diverse – and so are many of its religious groups, both at the congregational level and among broader Christian traditions. But a new analysis of data from the 2014 Religious Landscape Study also finds that these levels of diversity vary widely within U.S. religious groups.
In Iraq, I raided insurgents. In Virginia, the police raided me.
We’ve seen this troubling approach to law enforcement nationwide, in militarized police responses to nonviolent protesters and in fatal police shootings of unarmed citizens. The culture that encourages police officers to engage their weapons before gathering information promotes the mind-set that nothing, including citizen safety, is more important than officers’ personal security. That approach has caused public trust in law enforcement to deteriorate.
The 7 Lies of Living Cross Culturally
Expats are uber inquisitive on the front end. “What is that? How do you say this? What’s that smell? Why do they do that? What’s the history behind this? Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? Why? Why?”
Like a 5-year-old. We embrace ignorance on a quest for answers.
BUT (and this is where it ALL falls apart): We think when we get an answer, we understand it (you should read that sentence again). Soon we “know” (finger quotes) everything.
Like a 16-year-old.
When we have answers, we stop asking questions. This can be a fatal flaw for expats. There is ALWAYS more to it.
Exodus from Puerto Rico could upend Florida vote in 2016 presidential race
Puerto Rican voters tend to lean Democratic, but a great number of the newcomers do not identify with any party, making them appealing targets for politicians and recruiters on both sides. Like those living in other U.S. territories, people in Puerto Rico cannot vote for president in the U.S. general election.
Minor league team suffers brutal loss when player who hit go-ahead home run doesn’t touch home plate
The Greenjackets reportedly saw that he didn’t touch the plate. They then appealed to the umpires and had the home run overturned. Levya was called out, and the game, tied at 4-4, went to extra innings after a scoreless bottom of the ninth.
In extras, the Greenjackets hit a walk-off single to win 5-4.
Tim,
i’m curious about the religious diversity numbers. What counts as “white”? Do Russian/Ukrainian/Baltic immigrants count as “white”? Do Middle Eastern immigrants count as “Asian? i’m just thinking that these numbers might use broad categories in a way that might actually cover up some diversity.
It was also kind of interesting to see that Atheism is predominantly a white ideology. Not sure what to make of that.
It’d be worth knowing what exactly is the Seventh Day Adventist strategy that has led to so much diversity for them.
–guy
Any time you separate out “Latino” as a separate race, you’re doing some weird things demographically. Just ask my blond-haired, blue-eyed Hispanic son.