Someone has said, “Wise are those who look at others with the same generosity they offer themselves, and, at themselves, with the same critical eye they have for others.” Such advice is difficult to disagree with because it amounts to treating others the way we’d want to be treated. But just because the “golden rule” […]
Most of us remember where we were when we first heard that a commercial airliner had crashed into one of the twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center. Today we reflect, as best we can, on the immeasurable pain of those who lost one of the 2751 victims from 90 countries. We remember the […]
Today is the day that science news services have been anticipating. For months they’ve been describing the excitement and fear surrounding the firing up of the world’s largest atom smasher– in yet another effort to unlock the secrets of the universe. 10,000 scientists are involved in the 10 billion dollar, 17 mile underground particle generator […]
I remember hearing my dad read this poem. He thought enough of it to have it framed on his office wall. Over the years, I’ve realized that it’s part of a legacy for which I’m deeply grateful. It was written by a 19th century Scottish minister. Certainly not high brow stuff. But seems to me […]
The longest Psalm in the Bible has 176 verses. Over and over, and in so many ways, this song celebrates the words, principles, and laws of God. Interestingly, 119 is a lot like Psalm 1 and 19, but much longer. The first two verses of Psalm 119 give a taste of the sustained, repetitive praise […]
Sometimes I wonder whether I’m half asleep even when I think I’m wide awake. I say that while reflecting on some words of the New Testament that seem dangerously extreme– and radically sensible. In his first letter to the Corinthians, and in anticipation of an unnamed impending crisis, the Apostle Paul wrote, “The time is […]
Over the years I’ve concluded that seeing “headship” in marriage as a basis for the authority of a husband to tell his wife what to do says more about the customs of fallen culture than it does about what the God of the Bible wants for us. My last post is an attempt to explain […]
Seems to me that “headship in marriage” remains one of the most misunderstood principles of the Bible. On one hand, the Bible predicts that along with the curse of weeds, burdensome work, multiplied pain in childbirth, and death– husbands will dominate their wives (Gen 3:15). The same Bible acknowledges that under the fallen conditions of […]
Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” (Matt 5:9). So why did the Teacher from Nazareth say on another occasion, “Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one […]
The FOX News Network has made a name for itself by promising to present the news “fair and balanced.” Its anchors say, “We report. You decide.” Bill O’Reilly opens his hour-long program with, “You’re in the no spin zone.” He closes with a bit of a smile and twinkle in his eye, saying, “Remember, the […]
