Category Archives: culture

United

Posted on April 14, 2017 by jim

People yelled as they witnessed a man being assaulted. Most of us have seen the video of a passenger being dragged off a United Airlines flight. Video and news story A very few, as some usually do, blame the victim … Continue reading →

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Republican Christians

Posted on March 28, 2017 by jim

Not since the Reformation has the choice been so clear. On one side, Christians who read the red letters of the Bible and find in the teachings of Jesus a call to help the poor, support widows, orphans and aliens, … Continue reading →

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Family reunion 

Posted on March 25, 2017 by jim

Note: This isn’t the sort of thing I usually write on this site.  But, here it is. A day on Walton’s Mountain Thousands traveled to remote Schuyler, Virginia this weekend for the Waltons 45th Anniversary Reunion. From more than a … Continue reading →

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Resident Aliens

Posted on March 16, 2017 by jim

I met Will Willlimon recently. (His preaching technique was exactly what I was taught in seminary. But that’s another story.) In my first semester of seminary I read Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, written by Willimon and Stanley … Continue reading →

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An alternative to war?

Posted on March 10, 2017 by jim
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Middle class Messiah

Posted on March 7, 2017 by jim

Recently I wrote: The Bible is clear. Jesus is with the losers, not the leaders. Jesus was an unemployed Palestinian. A Syrian refugee child. A Honduran roofer. Jesus is the dark-skinned woman cleaning your table, your hotel room, your office. … Continue reading →

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Shacking up

Posted on March 2, 2017 by jim

The Shack, the book and movie, is another stark example of the differences among modern Christians. Some Christians are quick to discredit and criticize a movie they’ve never seen about a book they’ve never read. They casually toss around words … Continue reading →

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Why Christians should oppose banning anyone

Posted on February 4, 2017 by jim

Because the Bible says discriminating is wrong. Scripture says favoritism is wrong. For example: “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold … Continue reading →

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His name was Alan Kurdi

Posted on January 29, 2017 by jim

He drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on Sept. 2, 2015. He was three years-old. Photos of his body on the beach continue to illustrate the refugee crisis in Syria. As the parent of a three year-old, it’s too painful to … Continue reading →

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We are ALL loved

Posted on January 24, 2017 by jim

I attended a charming Christmas pageant a few weeks before Christmas. The small church in a small town is probably close to 100 years old. Can you imagine all the pancake supper fundraisers that paid for this? They were lovely … Continue reading →

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Inauguration Day 2017

Posted on January 21, 2017 by jim

Some Conservative Christians hated President Obama so much, that after eight years they’ve completely divorced themselves of every message in the Bible. The idea of following the actual words of Jesus has long been on the fringe of the faith. … Continue reading →

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A Christian nation? No, thanks.

Posted on January 16, 2017 by jim

Scripture tells us that when the Israelites lost faith in the Lord, they demanded a king (1 Samuel 8) and as a result a lot of bad stuff happened to them (most of the rest of the Jewish scripture). Despite … Continue reading →

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Character as clear as black and white

Posted on January 15, 2017 by jim

The president-elect of the United States kicked-off the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend by attacking on Twitter a civil rights legend who marched with King. John Lewis, a 14-term member of Congress, announced last week that he intended to … Continue reading →

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Christians and abortion

Posted on January 12, 2017 by jim

This is really good. I tried to explain previously that Protestants didn’t always oppose abortion and didn’t do nearly as good a job as he does in explaining it. The ‘biblical view’ that’s younger than the Happy Meal  

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