Joseph of Arimethea was a wealthy and respected member of the Jewish council, the same group that sent Jesus to his death. He and his colleagues had what we might call power and privilege. So, why didn’t he speak up with at least a mild objection at that time? Mark says he “was himself also …
War in Ukraine––”Noble and Necessary”?
I heard two prominent people the other day make equally asinine comments about the war in Ukraine. One came from the mouth of Russia’s infamous president and the other from the microphone of an American TV political commentator who shall remain unnamed. Vladimir Putin call the war “noble and necessary.” Let’s talk about “noble” …
How To Pray About A Demon-Driven Dictator (Part 1 of 2)
In the way I’ve always prayed for demon-driven dictators and all manner of other dangerous people, I’ve been praying about Vladimir Putin. It usually goes something like this: Lord, SAVE him. If he won’t be saved, STOP him. And if he won’t be stopped, SEND him away! Obviously, our first priority is that Putin would …
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How To Pray About the War Against Ukraine
“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!” Psalm 52:7 I’ve heard two different disturbing responses to Russia’s war on Ukraine one from right-wing “news” outlets and another from some Christians. In this post I’ll address the latter. One …
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Patriots, Christian Nationalists, and Good Citizens
There’s been quite a bit of talk lately about what constitutes patriotism, nationalism, and good citizenship. I suppose any one person could be all three, but they’re not necessarily the same thing. I love Christ and I love America in distinct and vastly unequal ways of course. That is, I love Jesus in an altogether …
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