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Advent/Ferguson: 5 Ways to Respond to a Dead Black Teen, Riots and Looting
“For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good-will to men.”— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day) Should the Ferguson Protestors Be TIME magazine’s Person of the Year? As of this writing on the magazine’s website 77% say Yes, 23% say No. It’s one more media headline that hung like a dark cloud over my Thanksgiving holiday and the launch of Christmas. Maybe yours too. I confess I have no idea what it’s like to be Black in America. (Maybe I’ve had just a tiny taste this past year as the prejudice against people who believe in a biblical view…
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The Hidden Danger of Ignoring Inconvenient Rules
If you haven’t watched A Man for All Seasons in a while, now might just be a good time. It’s a story about what happens when you don’t want to keep inconvenient rules—a story very much for our times. Might be helpful for all of us who follow Jesus (Don’t gossip. Don’t have sex outside of marriage. Give sacrificially. Show hospitality.), with a specific application for President Obama, Texas Governor Rick Perry and the Ferguson protesters. The film should be a great conversation starter, especially when the House of Representatives just filed suit against President Obama for delaying requirements of the Affordable Care law until after this fall’s election. When…
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The “Ice Bucket Challenge” and the Bible
I love it when popular culture validates the truth of God’s own word. Right now the world around us is on fire; from riots in Ferguson to beheadings in Iraq to war between Israel and Palestine, and throw in a 6.0 Earthquake in Northern California. If you want a guaranteed headache, spend too much time watching the nightly news. Then sweeping the social media scene along comes the “ice bucket challenge.” Perhaps you’ve already soaked your head for the cause of research for ALS. Folks from every walk of life have joined the fun including our just past President, George W. Bush. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJaDBzaAPAc He concludes his challenge by inviting someone…