Category: Current Issues
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Venturing Into No-Man’s-Land
In World War I, the favored combat tactic was trench warfare. Battles were fought from permanent, relatively protected trenches dug into the ground from which the opposing sides would attack and counterattack. A no-man’s-land lay in between the two sides: a hellish sea of shell craters, barbed wire, bodies, and rubble. Frontal assaults on the…
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The True Heroism of Saint Patrick
“My name is Patrick, and I am a sinner.”
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The Rittenhouse Verdict Is Not . . .
. . . a moral victory for Christianity Exactly when the right to own a weapon, fight for personal liberties, and advocate for violent retaliation became entrenched in the American “version” the gospel, I do not know. I do know that none of these things have anything to do, at all, not even remotely, with…
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Mourn With Me
Cover Photo: https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/08/17/world/taliban-afghanistan-news The tragedy unfolding for the underground Church in Afghanistan is a stark reminder to put your understanding of persecution in perspective. Most people of Western Judeo-Christian origin have never truly known it. Including myself. I pray that we never will. The crisis in Afghanistan is not ammunition for your political ramblings. It…
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Biblical Prophecy and Christian Culture’s Obsession With Middle-Eastern Geopolitics
Cover Image: Israel and Hamas move closer to war | The Economist When the biblical prophets prophesied about the city of Jerusalem, some of them no doubt had in mind the geographical city in the region of Palestine, populated by the Jewish people. Yet as the theme of God’s holy city is developed throughout the…
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Don’t Call it Burnout. Pastors Get Depressed, Too
Cover Photo: Pinterest Sets Several Mental Health Awareness Month Initiatives (adweek.com) According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, major depressive disorder affects as many as 16 million people a year in the United States. That statistic is not exclusive to those who suffer from chronic depression; it includes adults that have reported suffering…
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5 Articles to Help You Inform Yourself on the Israel-Gaza Conflict
Cover Image: BBC News, Guide: Why are Israel and the Palestinians fighting over Gaza? – CBBC Newsround On the history of the conflict: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | Global Conflict Tracker (cfr.org) The Israeli-Palestinian conflict explained (sbs.com.au) On the recent developments that led to the current violence: How Evictions in Jerusalem Led to Israeli-Palestinian Violence | Council…
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Racism and Repentance (Part 3)
Remnants of the Past At the end of March, the city of Evanston, Illinois enacted a Restorative Housing Program which aims to bridge the wealth gap between Black and White residents of the well-to-do Chicago suburb. The program, funded primarily by cannabis sales tax and private contributions, will allocate a total of $400,000 (paid out…
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Racism and Repentance (Part 2): Acknowledging Sin and Committing to Change
In Part 1 of this series, I gave an overview of the nature and scope of sin. Obviously, there is more to be said on the matter, but there are four main takeaways that are relevant to this discussion: Sin entered God’s perfect creation through human agency. Sin is universal, affecting all aspects of God’s…
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Racism and Repentance (Part 1): The Universal, Generational, All-Encompassing Nature of Sin
Before I begin, I want to make several things very clear. Even if my first paragraph makes you roll your eyes, please understand my heart. I have heard and read countless articles and sermons calling out against the “social justice gospel”, critical race theory, white guilt . . . you name it. I am not…
Kingdom Ethos 