What I – a Pacifist – Would say to Obama About the Crisis In Syria
So what do I think America should do in response to the Syrian crisis? The most important thing I would say in response to this question is this: whatever my opinion on this matter might be, I couldn’t consider it a distinctly kingdom opinion. Being a citizen of the peaceable kingdom of God does not give us any special insight into how and when the sword-wielding governments of this world should and should not use the sword. These governments operate by an entirely different set of rules than the kingdom we belong to and are called to advance. They defend their self-interest, while we die to ours. They are focused on doing what is practical while we are concerned only with being faithful. And they trust the power of force, while our only confidence is in the power of self-sacrificial love.
Intervention In The Third World: A Case For Masterly Inactivity?
Cast your mind back to the 1950s, the last time U.S. policy was in the hands of an experienced and crafty gen eral, who knew well the foolish advice military men often give civil authorities and could see through the machina tions of the hydra-headed creature he baptized “the military-industrial complex.” General Dwight D. Eisenhower was President from 1953-61, a time when America’s superiority over the rest of the world was far greater than it is today. He received countless invitations and demands for U.S. intervention but always refused them. Only once, in 1958 and at the request of Leba non’s president, Camille Chamoun, did Eisenhower agree to station troops for a short while. He withdrew them as soon as possible, three months later, without having fired a shot.
In my mind, a church that sets itself to help, as opposed to attempting to hold back the tide of moral decay, is positioned to yield both beauty and justice with alarming regularity. If we really mean everything we’ve said about human flourishing and the common good these last few years, I think it’s time we acknowledge that being antagonists isn’t going to get us there. Mentors, on the other hand, live to point the way.
Criminalizing Christ: The Love Wins Incident and the Nationwide Targeting of Homeless
Conservatives love to tell folks that the best way to end poverty, homelessness, and need in our country is through the work and generosity of private individuals and private donations, not through government programs.
The answer, they say, is charity.
Yet in a stroke of cruel hypocrisy, when charities actually address these issues in real life, they aren’t commended for their work.
Rather, they are threatened with arrest.
Ministry is a contest. It isn’t a matter of winning; but a matter of finishing…who will finish?
Suffering and struggle are to be dominant. Joy and celebration are to be worshipfully engaging as well. To be like him, oh to be like him, will always be a new way for a new day.
The Bible tells a different story: We are not to be trusted, not even with ourselves. Joining the life of Jesus is not about being affirmed of every decision you make, but to be corrected in all of your ways, including your motives. New questions are asked, fresh and loving authority is in play—this is what it means to repent. God is our guide, our shepherd we follow at all cost, and we surrender this heart we want to follow to Him.
Proper Online Communication for the Christian
- Be Factual
- Be Encouraging
- Be Respectful
- Be Biblical
- Be Humble
- Be Consistent
FYI (if you’re a teenage girl)
And so, in our house, there are no second chances, ladies. If you want to stay friendly with the Hall men, you’ll have to keep your clothes on, and your posts decent. If you try to post a sexy selfie, or an inappropriate YouTube video – even once – you’ll be booted off our on-line island.
I know that sounds harsh and old-school, but that’s just the way it is under this roof for a while. We hope to raise men with a strong moral compass, and men of integrity don’t linger over pictures of scantily clad high-school girls.
The Silicon Valley tycoon who’s paying young people to skip college
The fellowship is intended to encourage bright young people like Friedman to take a risk on their entrepreneurial ideas and avoid racking up student debt. Thiel, who nabbed two degrees from Stanford before forging his career in tech, has rankled some in the academic world for his high-profile skepticism of the worth of a college degree.