Tag: Church
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True Seprateness
Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you.” 2 Corinthians 2:17 Paul is not quoting a single passage here, but offering a summary of a message of separateness from the Hebrew Scriptures. A similar statement that we often hear…
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Misplaced Hope
David makes a timeless declaration about hope, faith, trust, and where we put our confidence. He could not be any clearer or relevant. We can either trust God or worldly power and might, but not both. The horse and chariot meant military power, but also speaks to technology. When the Israelites were coming into Canaan…
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Violence and the Jesus Way
Those who lack the incomparable energy of love and the strength of moral clarity, who neither pursue nor value virtue, who do not hold to the inherent and sacred dignity of all people, use violence as a tool for their own ambitions. Theirs is an intentional choice to further pursue and consolidate the power they…
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Seeking Dominance
Jesus never asked us to defend Christian values. He wants us to live them. The church, Christ’s body, is not to be the architect nor enforcer of particular behaviors for the world at large. We are to love our neighbors, rather than by law and legislation to dictate how they must live. Unfortunately, for decades…
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The Jesus Vaccine
Vaccines have become oddly controversial. Even so, I don’t want to give them up as a metaphor that I have used to make a point about Christianity in America. When I came back from Tanzania, where we saw about 7,000 people begin following Jesus over the course of eight years, people thought that I might…