On one occasion, Jesus reminded his listeners that “a house divided will not stand” (Mark 3:25). In another setting, he said, “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 house will be divided: three against two, […]
With words we bless and curse, agree and disagree, expose truth, or hide it. With words we also label, name-call, and characterize in ways that can make it difficult to separate facts from perceived guilt by association. (Caught a picture of this fellow on Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda street. Was in costume for the Jewish feast […]
What we know is that the Bible says God gave the land of the Canaanites to his chosen people to show that he is God of gods. The same Scriptures make it clear that Israel’s security in the land would depend on their faithfulness to the covenant that God made with them. According to Moses, […]
When God told Abraham that he would bless those who bless him and curse those who curse him, did that mean that God-fearing people would always side with Israel against their enemies? (Gen 12:1-2). To avoid misquoting, or misapplying, the Bible, it’s important to make sure that we are drawing necessary implications rather than possible […]
With an eye on the emerging humanitarian crisis in Gaza, I expressed, in a previous post, the conviction that “It is so important for followers of Christ to rise above partisan alignments and to pray and speak out for some measure of justice, mercy, and relief for both Jewish and Arab families…” In response, one […]
As the US turns over control of the Green Zone to Iraqi authorities, and as another powerful earthquake shakes Indonesia, the eyes of the world have shifted once again to a small strip of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean. Around the world, in London, Paris, and New York, shouting crowds have taken […]
Have mentioned before my conviction that the wonders and disasters of the natural world are powerful evidence of what the Bible tells us about God, the brokenness of our world, and ourselves. For openers we have, The reminder of what God made, called good, and entrusted to us (Gen 1) The physical evidence that tells […]
A new church in our neighborhood has a sign out front that I think has such a good message for the New Year. It says, “Let’s Learn to be Different Together.” After seeing the sign for the first time, I later drove past it again to make sure that I could remember exactly what it […]
Like clockwork, each new generation rides a pendulum of reaction to “the sins of the fathers.” As grateful as we may be for the good we have inherited, we are apt to “overcorrect” what we see as the failures of our parents. Seems to me that this is happening in the way an emerging generation […]
