A good theology of suffering teaches us not to waste our sorrows, but to sidle up as close as we can to the heart of Jesus as we endure our pains. While I’d rather sound like Elijah than Eeyore when I pray, the “positive confession” can sometimes be more spiritualistic than spiritual. I want to …
The Law is the Law, or is it? – Romans 13 and the Refugee Crisis (Part 2 of 5ish)
"You Christians have been lawyering the Bible for 2000 years!” Bill Maher "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Jesus Christ Attorney General Jeff Sessions quoted from Romans 13 to support the administration’s justification of incarcerating refugees like criminals and separating parents from their children. I …
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Liberal or Conservative?
Someone asked me recently if I was a “liberal” or “conservative”? Labels are like bed bugs. The infestation begins with just two––a mommy and a daddy bug––and they multiply. Labels like liberal and conservative are simply way too broad to describe the person who tries to think and act as a distinct human being. There’s …
An Onramp to the Free-way
Some call it “prevenient grace,” others use the phrase “common grace” to describe what the Spirit does to prepare people to hear about his “saving grace.” Whatever you want to call it, the Spirit uses anything he chooses to sing his “Come to Jesus!” song, and then invites us to harmonize with him! We might …
Repelling the Victim Virus
I decided early on that I didn’t want the “victim virus” to take over my mind or my mouth, because I quickly noticed that whenever I succumbed to victimhood, “poor me” kept stumbling around in the dark, delaying my progress through the murky shadows. As Eugene H. Peterson writes, “God feels our pains, but he …
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