Maybe it’s Time to Say Goodbye to Invocations (Hello, Moments of Silence)

Last updated on: May 16, 2018 at 7:58 pm By David Rupert

It’s a tradition to have an invocation. But maybe it's a vain tradition. Maybe it’s the kind of empty religious ritual that Jesus condemned. The invocations these days are rarely heartfelt. They are often written out, scripted to appeal to everyone and impress no one. With great flourish, the invokers often sound like the Pharisee, calling attention to a god of love and hope and joy, but rarely the God of the Bible. They are supposed to cause us to think about Divinity, to order our human business around his will. But too often, they are showcases for mediocrity and in today’s culture, invitations for mockery of God. So maybe we shouldn’t be fighting for invocations so hard. Read more

Rev. Graham, You Are Hurting the Reputation of the Church

Last updated on: May 8, 2018 at 1:01 pm By David Rupert

Preaching the gospel, sharing the truth, and trying to tell my friends that Jesus is the answer is hard enough. Asking people to give up their burdens and their shackles is often stopped when simple hypocrisy from a prominent leader is dangled from the tree for easy pickings. Read more

Jesus is for Losers (Count me in)

Last updated on: April 29, 2018 at 7:46 pm By David Rupert

Christian leaders have been accused of impropriety. I can't defend every failing, because I'm a failure. I don't live up to the billing and that's the point of Christianity. Jesus came for losers -- people who can't figure it out on their own. And I'm firmly in the at camp. So when a Christian figure falls, I scoot over on the bench and welcome that person to sit next to me. A few names do not indict the billions who believe and strive to stay true. I do not have to defend every person who hasn’t lived up to the standard. But who are we trying to fool? The failings of human beings who belong to a movement that fully acknowledges that human beings fall should not be shocking. Read more

GQ Says the Bible Is Overrated. Here’s What They Got Right.

Last updated on: April 26, 2018 at 9:04 pm By David Rupert

The magazine says the Bible is overrated from a literary standpoint. Well, we can argue that. The authors also rightly claim it is "rated very highly by all the people who supposedly live by it but who in actuality have not read it." Here's how I see the issue... Read more

Facebook Doesn’t Like You. And the Feeling Might be Mutual.

Last updated on: April 17, 2018 at 9:21 pm By David Rupert

Hard to believe, but Facebook is only a dozen years or so old. With more than 1 billion users, it's everywhere. But is it causing us to set our minds on whatever is "true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable?" I'm starting to think through it and hope you are too. Read more

Look Out. Christianity Will Soon be Labeled “Hate Speech”

Last updated on: April 18, 2018 at 3:44 pm By David Rupert

It seems we Christians are holding dear to the Constitution, believing it will protect us. But I think we should hold even closer to the Bible and its promise of persecution. Opposition to our way of life, to our faith, is a certainty, a little-quoted promise of Jesus. He said we would be brought up on charges, that our very way of life would be called into question. So, make your choice right now. Read more

When you can’t get out of the way of the coming storm

Last updated on: April 10, 2018 at 8:09 pm By David Rupert

Have you ever been hit by a storm, or something that came your way so quickly you couldn't duck? Like a prognosis, or a love that walked out, or an accident that swung your way. We sing the lamentations like old spirituals, the dark clouds hanging with no clear way out. Read more

If not you, then who? If not now, then when?

Last updated on: April 8, 2018 at 8:56 pm By David Rupert

"How’d we get so far down and how is it going to turn around?” Have you ever demanded that God just "do something!" I have. With all the pain and suffering and struggle around us, it seems like God gets an equal amount of blame for causing these troubles and for not fixing them. But God did do something. He created you. Read more

The Day After: What the Resurrection Means in 2018

Last updated on: April 2, 2018 at 7:20 pm By David Rupert

Are we ready to face the news again? The world seems crazy. A reading of history will confirm that leaders have always been corrupt and crass and shameful. Humans will be unjust and cruel and evil. Life will not be fair. Jesus never promised to undo that. But what he did promise was a chance for us to renew our lives, to start over. Read more

B.C. / A.D. The Birth, Life and Death That Changed History Itself

Last updated on: March 26, 2018 at 6:55 pm By David Rupert

Think about how we measure time. B.C. and A.D. both hinge on the birth, life, and death of Jesus. Where would we be without Jesus? Christianity brought the concept of equality to a world steeped in slavery, misogyny, and racism. It brought the idea of peace instead of retaliation. Christianity literally birthed modern education, politics and medicine. Read more