(As always, no agreement nor endorsement implied; these articles are shared to make you think or make you laugh)
Information Avoidance: How People Select Their Own Reality
Even when people cannot outright ignore information, they often have substantial latitude in how to interpret it. Questionable evidence is often treated as credible when it confirms what someone wants to believe — as is the case of discredited research linking vaccines to autism. And evidence that meets the rigorous demands of science is often discounted if it goes against what people want to believe, as illustrated by widespread dismissal of scientific evidence of climate change.
Don’t Just Start a Church; Establish a Family
Operate as a family, not an orphanage. An orphanage is home to undernourished children and overworked caregivers. The kids do not share responsibility. Instead, the caregivers are responsible for the needs of everyone. On the contrary, in a family, every member contributes. A family is driven by responsibility. Family is a community that is responsible for one another and should be characterized by love and the fruit of the Spirit.
Why I Struggle With “Inerrancy”
I’d rather view the Scriptures, scripturally. How funny it is that we who want to restore New Testament Christianity often criticize those who use terms and words as a part of their traditions while we in using inerrancy do the same thing.
But here’s an important distinction. Though I felt Dad’s anger, I always knew what kind of anger it was. It was the anger of, “You, my son, have done something wrong, and I am angry that wrong has been done.” But there’s another kind of fatherly anger that I never felt. It’s the anger that says, “You have done something wrong, and I am angry to have such a son who would do this kind of thing.” The first kind of anger came and left. Even minutes after discipline I knew I was welcomed into the love of my father.
But the second kind of anger sticks with you. It never really dissipates. The emotions will calm, and deed will be forgotten, but there’s just something about feeling the weight of that anger–anger directed, even for just a moment, at the father-son relationship itself–that darkens the heart. I’ve heard from many friends whose fathers were angry in this kind of way. Healing is possible, but the scarring is there.
Five Things the Traditional Church Is Doing Well
- The members have a deep love and concern for one another.
- They are loyal to the institution.
- They are passionate about giving to missions.
- They offer stability to the congregation.
- The members have a historical perspective that can be healthy for the church.
How do I approach somebody with whom I disagree on religious matters? Am I more concerned with making a point or making a disciple? Am I more concerned about defeating error (as important at that is) or promoting truth? Am I more concerned with people thinking that I am a really great guy or with people submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?
Am I more concerned with winning an argument or winning a soul?
Police: Robber breaks leg, calls for help, gets arrested
A robber in Virginia ruined his own getaway — first by breaking his leg in a jump off a balcony, and then by calling the authorities to help him.