The Acts’ 17 story sadly mirrors todays’ headlines. Imagine, a crowd fired up by their reactionary preachers. They rally in the Thessalonian square to defend traditional values. They shout down new ideas. The people turn violent and attack Jason’s house. They hope to bring Paul and Silas to justice before the people. Unable to find […]
Tag Archives: Bonhoeffer
Imagine, Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ faces the cross: the complex, entrenched, religiously motivated cumulative hatred of all humanity in one symbol act. Will he fight, flee, or make a new pathway through love? The weight of a sinful world presses down upon him. Who is with Jesus in the garden? Will […]
…. God judges a nation by its principles not its power. National greatness does not come from fire-power or economic clout but from ethics. Our high minded American forefathers looked to principles as our national foundation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men (people) are created equal, that they are endowed by […]
Our country is far from a united state, or so says my inbox, newsfeed and pastoral conversations. Jesus predicts, “A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand” (Mark 3:24). Given entrenched disagreement, the safest route for any pastor is on the sidelines laying low until the torrent passes. Frankly, I prefer to keep silent, not speaking […]
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