“Once, when Jesus brought his disciples into Samaritan territory, he challenged their age-old prejudice. He told them, ‘Open your eyes,’ so they would be able to see a great spiritual harvest among these loathed people. Later, when framing the socio-geographical extent of their mission, he included Samaria along with Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of …
What Would Jesus Do?
When Jesus told his story of a principled Samaritan, it no doubt scandalized Jewish sensibilities. Any self-respecting Jew would have expected the Samaritan to kick the Jew while he was down. The last thing they would have anticipated or hoped to hear was that he had enough compassion on him to lend him a hand …
Lambs Among Wolves
Too many Christians are, as they say, “seldom right but never in doubt.” They may have a commanding appearance, but their mudslinging stump-speech testimonies don’t win many people to Christ. “The American cultural proclivity to reject authority and put down opponents,” says Elliot Clarke, “has bled into the church, staining all our attempts to win …
Francis #2
I recently mentioned my friend Francis, an older man with a long unkempt white beard, soiled and sweat-stained clothes, worn tennis shoes, and an odor that lasted in your mind longer than you wished. Though he is limited in social skills and displays some mental health issues, Francis reads five or six newspapers a day …
Francis
No, not the “Saint.” Come to think of it, maybe he is a saint. My friend Francis was living in doorways or behind dumpsters when we first met in San Francisco’s Tenderloin; a gentle and sober soul with a demeanor belied by his wild appearance. His riotous silver hair was as unwashed and unkempt as …
barney wiget 