Divisiveness has been around as long as people have been fallen. Nevertheless, different circumstances and stressors make division more pronounced or push us further into it. This past year and a half has been trying for all of us. COVID, economic instability, and ongoing social unrest can make it challenging to get through the day….
Tag: politics
Nervous
Yesterday, Trump supporters violently breached our nation’s capitol building. The authorities have things more or less in hand. But the thought of a Trump-inspired coup succeeding still makes me nervous. Historically, revolutions don’t end well for anyone. Coups aside, I’m nervous about a democrat-run government swinging the pendulum far left in reaction to Trump’s…
Same Song, Different Versus
America’s 2020 presidential election is right around the corner. The usual posturing, mud-slinging, glad-handing, and promising is heightened as some cities are plagued by protests and civil-unrest. This is to say nothing of coronavirus, which has killed about 180,000 Americans and could have our economy on a ventilator before long. All of this had my…
A House of Prayer, Not Politics
I saw the sign pictured above outside a church the other day. It got me thinking—thinking about how easily Christianity is reduced to a set of political opinions. Sometimes, people allow faith to dictate their political views. But too often, I fear, it’s the other way around: political ideology defines the boundaries of faith. Religion…
Fallen, We Divide
Recently, Facebook shut down pages disseminating disinformation. The disinformation was about issues that Americans divide over. The point of disinformation? More division. It is believed that Russian hackers are to blame. It’s the old divide and conquer approach. A divided America is a weaker America. This makes sense. Jesus said something about a divided house…
Fill in the Blank
Jerome (345-420 AD) was an early church father, scholar, and monk. He is probably best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin (known as “The Vulgate” because Latin was the vulgar or common language). When Jerome was about 30 and a rising academic star, he had a dream that brought his star crashing…
I’ve Been Thinking…
In light of the socio-political climate in America, the following verses have been on my mind: You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…
Two Cities, One Gospel: Christ and Revolution
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times….” This unforgettable phrase opens Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities. Set in England and Paris, A Tale of Two Cities takes place just as the French Revolution gets going. On one side are the French commoners. They are enraged by the economic…
Does Love Trump Hate…of Trump?
It wouldn’t surprise me if Donald Trump’s first two weeks as president coincided with a global rise in stomach ulcers. News outlets and social media are a minefield of opinions and denouncements. Love trumps hate, they say. But I’m not sure love trumps hate of Trump. I’m not here to defend Trump. He’s a big…
Purpose and Politics
Many know I’m not crazy about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. During the campaign season, my mantra was, “I’m afraid it’ll come down to Trump and Clinton.” See kids, nightmares can come true. Just keep believing 😉 Now that we’re past all hope of not electing Trump or Clinton, I pray for Trump and our…
The Voice of One 