“But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of […]
Like the God who made us, we humans are incessant communicators. We will use anything to talk to each other: scratches on a cave wall, reeds dipped in plant dye, Dixie cups and a long string, mechanical arms stamping letters on paper, or digital pixels bouncing off satellites into mobile devices for social media. God communicates so naturally his image-bearers would do so. Social media is not inherently evil any more than the […]
“The point is ladies and gentlemen that greed, for lack of a better word, is good” (Gordon Gekko). Capitalism, liberalism and socialism are competing economic/political/social philosophies but they share the same inherent bane. Wherever one lands on the spectrum neither philosophy can assuage the very thing that cripples economies: greed. Adam Smith (capitalism), John Maynard Keynes (liberalism) and Karl Marx (socialism) might be mortal political enemies but they all attempted to […]
“So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come” (Heb 13.13-14). We Memphians sit on the edge of the notorious New Madrid fault. It’s been relatively quiet since 1811-12 but there are regular tremors in the seismic zone. Geologists warn us about The Big One which portends […]
For every act of evil replayed ad nauseam on cable news there are a million unreported, anonymous acts of kindness. “It comes as an enormous relief to recognize that, however odious and sweeping sin is, whether in personal idolatry or in its outworking in the barbarities of a Pol Pot or an Auschwitz, God intervenes to restrain evil, to display his ‘common grace’ to and through all, so that glimpses […]
In a monumental ruling (to say the least), the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is a fundamental right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Justice Kennedy wrote the majority (5-4) opinion in which he said, “The right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person, and under the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment couples of the same-sex may […]
Bruce Jenner brought some measure of shame on manhood. From the cover of Wheaties to the cover of Vanity Fair is, after all, a meteoric fall (or rise depending on your perspective). It was partly intentional since he insists his manhood has been a lifelong ruse anyway. In any case, he has certainly given new voice to the age-old “gender war.” It’s not, however, a war between the genders but against gender […]
2015 is shaping up as the year of referendum on cartoons. Cartoons of Mohammad, to be exact. It all started in January in France. Two Muslim gunmen stormed the headquarters of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. They killed twelve, including several cartoonists who for years had disgraced the Prophet Mohammad with their drawings. In May, the American Freedom Defense Initiative hosted a “Draw the Prophet” rally in Garland, Texas. In a […]
“For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him. . . . I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, […]
On November 4, Tennesseans have the privilege and opportunity to vote on an important constitutional amendment. The famed Amendment 1 reads: “Nothing in this Constitution secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of an abortion. The people retain the right through their elected state representatives and state senators to enact, amend, or repeal statutes regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, circumstances of pregnancy resulting […]