Good and gracious God, As we celebrate the birth of our nation, we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge how divided we are. We would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the ways in which we are no longer “one nation,” as we profess in our pledge, but rather two nations… or three, or four. We must only observe the latest legislation to clearly see, the system no longer looks to the common good as a baseline... Read more
by Mark Sandlin (and friends) “That’s not Christian! You’re using Jesus to promote your liberal agenda!” I’m getting this a lot. I’ve spent a good deal of my life reading and studying the Bible (even going to graduate school for it). One of the things I do now is write this blog about what I’ve learned. The interesting thing is, I very frequently get accused of promoting a progressive agenda. Frankly, I think that says more about the Bible than... Read more
by Mark Sandlin In response to my last article, “10 Things You Can’t Do While Following Jesus,” I was accused multiple times of being political. All I was trying to do was follow Jesus. So, I thought it’d be interesting (and generate tons more hate mail) to show what a list would actually look like if I were being political intentionally. Like the first list, this is not a complete list but it’s a pretty good place to start. There... Read more
by Mark Sandlin Lots of people claim to be “following Jesus” and then they do stuff like this. Sure, people who follow Jesus do these things all the time but you can’t say you are doing them because you are trying to follow Jesus’ example. (Clearly, this is not a complete list but it’s a good place to start). 10) Exclude people because they practice another religion. Jesus was constantly including people and he did it with a radical disregard... Read more
by David Henson Don’t forget to feast this Lent. In the midst of the almsgiving, praying and fasting that traditionally mark this season, remember also to feast. But only on Sundays. For Christians, every Sunday is a feast day, and fasting is forbidden at a feast. And, it would be downright rude — to the host, to others at the feast, and to yourself — to fast in the midst of a feast. Of course, feasting isn’t the first thought... Read more
by Rand Walker Turkeys are considered the essence of ineptness and stupidity. Perhaps they are categorized unfairly, but nonetheless, the word “turkey” carries negative connotations when it refers to certain people or undesirable events in our lives. Sometimes, we invite turkeys into our lives; other times, they show up unannounced or are driven into our space by something or someone else. This is a true anecdote about such as incident in my life a few weeks ago. Some background is... Read more
by Randy Walker If you think your way is the only way, you might be “stuck in the details.” If you belittle those who do not look like you, act like you, or think like you, you might be “stuck in the details.” If dogma rules your life, you might be “stuck in the details.” First, what is meant by the idiom, “stuck in the details”? Has anyone encountered someone who is obsessive-compulsive over certain things in his or her... Read more
by Peggy Beatty In the movie, The Matrix, Neo can take a blue pill that allows him to live every day in bliss, but the trade off is that he gives up his autonomy and control to an unknown force that renders him a mindless slave – happy, but mindless. Or he can take the red pill which will afford him to learn the truth about himself. He will understand the forces that control him and learn to gain... Read more
by Randy Walker Many people are quick to assert that America was founded by Christian men and based on Christian precepts and principles. Is this true? Or is this another repeated truism taken at face value because someone said so? If America was not founded by Christian men and based on Christian principles, then who were the men called the Founding Fathers, and what principles did they base the three major foundational documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of... Read more
by Mark Sandlin and the Admin Team of “The God Article.” “Being a slave to your own truth,” might be one reasonable way to define extreme fundamentalism. On September 22nd two years ago, CNN ran an investigative report titled “Ungodly Discipline.” It takes a look at a history of biblically “justified” abuse in one specific school. It would be easy to walk away from the report and think it’s nothing more than a he-said/she-said piece on spanking in schools. It... Read more
The God Article with Mark Sandlin
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