Pat Robertson is quoted as saying that the earthquake in Haiti is God's punishment for a deal that nation made with the Devil in 1804. Robertson claims that the pact was made so that the Haitian people would be able to defeat the French who held them in slavery. CNN article on Robertson Normally I …
Author: Dan Lacich
The Upside Down World of Christianity
1) The world says: "If you want to be great, you need to climb to the top of the ladder so others will serve you." Christianity says: "The greatest among you will be your servant" Matthew 23:11 2) The world says: "Suffering is to be avoided at all costs" Christianity says: "Rejoice that you participate …
Provocative Bible Verses: Treat Them Like an Unbeliever
There is a history in much of the church that calls for shunning people who do not repent of sin. In part that practice is picked up from the words of Jesus in Matthew 18 where he says that if a person refuses to repent after a process that involved three different encounters calling for …
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Provocative Bible Verses: Being The Biggest Loser for Jesus
There is a television program called "The Biggest Loser". The premise of the show is a group of extremely overweight people compete to see which one of them will loose the most weight over the course of several weeks. It may be the only time in western culture in which the winner is actually the …
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I Went to Jail Last Night
There is a certain sense in which I am glad that most people I know have never been inside a jail. After all, people usually end up there because they have done something that in hind sight they really wish they had never even considered doing. It usually means someone was hurt in some way …
Is Anything True Anymore?
Recently there was a gathering in Australia called The World Parliament of Religions. It was a meeting of thousands of people representing every conceivable religious group and idea that you can imagine. There were the standard Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, and Jewish groups. But you also had Native American, Wiccan, Zoroastrian, (didn't even know there …
Charisma Magazine Article on Church Drop Outs
I thought some of you might be interested in this article on changes happening in churches in which I am asked about the work I am doing with Simple Churches. My part is short but the article is interesting as a whole. http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/features/2009/december/23878
Lessons from a Little Boy Lost
A few days ago in central Florida, a five-year old boy went missing late in the afternoon. He was last seen chasing after a dog. Almost immediately hundreds of volunteers along with police and fire rescue personnel began searching for the boy. With darkness setting in it became an all out effort. Fortunately the boy …
Reflections of Being Knife Attacked in South Asia
Many of you know that I just returned from a trip to South Asia. A friend of mine, Joey Shaw was also there, having arrived a few days before me for the same event. The day before I arrived, Joey and two other friends were attacked and Joey was knifed across the face ending up …
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A Church for Dogs or a Church for Homeless People?
At the risk of saying something way inappropriate I am writing this post while still emotionally charged after reading two news reports at http://www.ministriestoday.com. Both items where about churches in the Los Angeles area. One talked about a move among some area churches to seriously minister to the 8,000 homeless families in greater L.A. The …
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God, Football, and the First Amendment
I read a news article about a Georgia high school forbidding certain Christian statements and Bible verses being painted on banners that the cheerleaders made for the football team. (School bans Bible Verses) Having played football and served as a coach for 20 years, I have seen my share of cheerleader produced banners. Most of …
Provocative Bible Verses: Do Not Be Unequally Yoked With Unbelievers
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NASB) In recent weeks I have had several people quote this verse to me. They have done so in an attempt to explain why Christians should never be a partner with …
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Provocative Bible Verses: All Things to All People
As the saying goes, you can't be all things to all people. That bit of cultural wisdom is geared towards helping us cope with the many demands people place on us to try and meet their expectations and standards. It is intended to give us the freedom to be ourselves and not compromise for the …
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You’re Already Dead if You are Following Jesus
One of my favorite books of all time is Band of Brothers written by Stephen Ambrose. It was turned into an award-winning mini-series on HBO. The story followers Easy Company of the 506th Battalion of the 101st Airborne division from their time in training in Georgia, to D-Day in Normandy, all the way to the …
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Provocative Bible Verses: Wives Submit to Your Husbands
Wives submit to your husbands. It used to be those words were heard in nearly every Christian wedding. Today they are hardly ever spoken and in fact are intentionally avoided. Certainly part of the reason for the change has much to do with a renewed sense of equality that women are striving towards. But it …
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The Provocative Christian 