It is impossible to turn on the news today or go to the internet without being confronted by the news of President Obama's statement that he supports the right of same-sex couples to get married. While I can certainly appreciate his compassionate heart for people who feel they are unfairly being denied the possibility of …
Category: Christians and Culture
Why Forgetting the Church and Just Following Jesus is Not an Option
I am not great at sound-bite theology. You know the kind I am talking about. It's those pithy little sayings, often in 140 characters or less that seem so spiritual, deep, and insightful. They are easy to remember getting passed on time and again until they become accepted as a given, collective, cultural, truism. To …
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Ann Rice Leaves Christianity. Really?
Ann Rice, the one time popularizer of the current vampire genre, has announced that she is leaving Christianity. She recently talked about her decision with Joy Behar. What is fascinating about her announcement is that she still professes a faith in Christ and actually feels that in order to keep following Christ she has to separate herself from organized religion …
The Paparazzi, Facebook, and Our Need to be Known
I have been thinking recently about the seemingly growing mass of people who do things just to be noticed and known. The examples are so numerous that it is hard to decide which ones NOT to mention. Just think on some headlines over the last few months. Remember "Balloon Boy" and his parents scam to …
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Stephen Baldwin Does Not Need Your Money
Why do Christians continue to miss the point of why things happen in our lives? Why do we keep thinking that the best way for God to be honored and for people to want to follow Jesus is for us to be blessed with wealth, fame, and prestige? I ask this in light of the …
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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Some Things I Learned in Egypt
In the time I spent with my friends in Egypt recently I was humbled by their ability to live for Jesus while under the constant strain of being a minority that is not trusted or appreciated and is always being watched. I am sure that for some the strain of feeling that you are always …
Provocative Christian Living: Crossing the Racial Divide
Recently former President Jimmy Carter made the accusation that the opposition to health care reform, including the outburst by South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson is motivated by racism. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/15/carter.obama/index.html On the other end of the spectrum there are many who are saying that racism plays no part what-so-ever in that debate or other disagreements with …
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Prayer, The President, and Petty Bickering
I have been reading lots of comments on the changes that President Obama has made regarding this years National Day of Prayer. I have to tell you I am just a bit bewildered that people are getting flat out nasty over something that is intended to be an intimate, worshipful, and uplifting conversation with God. …
Sacrificing for the Least of These
In a time of economic distress, brought on in large part by an unbridled lust for possessing more and more, there is a company that is doing one of the most provocative things I have ever witnessed. A small coffee company based out of Seattle is giving away ALL of it's revenue for the month …
Hey, I’m Published!
Okay, shameless self promotion time! Recently I was asked to write an article for Church Solutions Magazine about the use of the internet in Christian ministry. The article has been published as part of their online magazine and will appear in the print version in March. So here is the link to the online version. …
Provocative Submission: Is God Really Your King?
Recently I was witness to evidence of that amazing transformation from Communism to Democracy that has been experienced in Ukraine. As a former Soviet Republic the people of Ukraine spent seventy years under communist domination. Since the break up of the Soviet Union there has been a great deal of political turmoil in Ukraine as …
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Newsweek Magazine and the Case for Gay Marriage
The cover story for the upcoming December 15th issue is titled, "Our Mutual Joy". The subtitle contends that the Bible is actually supportive of gay marriage and that opponents of gay marriage don't understand what the Bible teaches. While I will admit that many opponents of gay marriage don't understand what the Bible teaches, after …
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Why America Was Never a Christian Nation
In the wake of the election, all the debates, hype, and turmoil, it is clear that many Christians still do not understand what America is all about and what our place in it really is. I have seen numerous calls for a returning of America to a Christian nation. People; we never were a Christian …
Dan Lacich: Provocative Christian Living 