“Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ‘stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.” (Matthew 5:22 // The Message Bible) You’re nothing to me! You are worthless and beneath my consideration! This is …
Love My Enemies. Any Way I Can Get Out of That?
If I could I’d invent a loophole to get me off the hook of loving my enemies, believe me I would––maybe something along the lines of pleading insanity. I’ve made a few failed attempts at the “unrealistic-for-postmodern-times” excuse for not following him in enemy-love. If nothing else, I could hide behind the popular alibi that …
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Single-minded Seers
“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” (Matthew 5:8 // The Message) Pure-hearted and clear-seeing are symbiotic. The pure in heart see God, and those who see God purify their hearts. They see him because their vision is not impaired by …
Justice or “Just Us”?
Justice restores the community to the way God envisioned it in the beginning. For those who aren’t allergic to the phrase, let’s call it “social justice.” (Before you slam the book closed or throw your Kindle against the wall, “social” is simply a modifier to clarify that we’re not talking about justice for “just us,” …
Where Shalom is Needed Most
Shalom is tested best on society’s margins and is exposed by how the disempowered are treated. When you find an enormous discrepancy between the opportunities for the rich and the poor or the white and the black or men and women, shalom is AWOL. Systemic injustice is what someone called “violence in slow motion.” Jesus’ …
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