As Christians around the world celebrate the birth of our King, many struggle with what are thought to be compromised expressions, “Happy Holidays” and “Merry Xmas.” I can still hear my mom (God rest her soul) mumbling, “They are taking ‘Christ’ out of Christmas.” No, mom, they are not! As text messages to family, friends, and colleagues are sent on this Christmas day, I want to asure you that “Happy Holidays” or “Merry Xmas” is not only acceptable but very... Read more
I began last week’s post with a statement from a peacebuilder in the Middle East. The statement, which is an indictment of the evangelical church, essentially says that evangelicals are considered a liability and not a help when it comes to working for peace. The problem is that most evangelicals do not see the problem. After all, some are indeed working for peace and are open to learning new things. Thus, for them, this statement runs counter to their experience... Read more
“Evangelicals are the most dangerous people on the planet. We don’t see them as either the hope of the world or irrelevant. They are a liability and we are committed to working around them” (anonymous). This statement comes from a leader who is working on the front lines to make a difference in the Middle East. I have been writing and speaking over the last few months about the need for the church to be a voice for peace and... Read more
I regularly hear that Israel has no choice but to wipe out Hamas because they cannot make peace with those who are not willing to make peace with them. Is it true that there is no hope for peace because although Israel is willing to make peace with the Palestinians, Hamas has no objective except to destroy Israel? When we first came to learn of Hamas’ horrific deeds on Oct 7 and we saw the videos and pictures of their... Read more
I continue to be flabbergasted by Christian leaders who promote war and violence as the solution to the issue in Gaza. I am constantly hearing things like: “Hamas is evil and must be eradicated”—as if Hamas will actually be eradicated by this war (more on this point later); and “Just war theory says that self-defense is acceptable and even necessary”; and, Then there was Russell Moore’s article, “Bothsideism About Hamas is a Moral Failure. I believe that this sort of... Read more
Before I begin, allow me to note that You NEED to take an hour either now, or in the immediate future, and watch my interview with Greg Khalil. Greg served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian Authorities from 2004-2008. This was during the time of Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. Greg notes that everyone knew that unless certain conditions were met, and they were not, that what happened on Oct 7 was going to happen. I’m sure that some... Read more
To quote the immortal Loki (season 2 episode 4) “Burn it to the ground is easy. Annihilating is easy. Razing things to the ground is easy. Trying to fix what’s broken is hard. Hope is hard.” We love False Prophets I’m going to be brief in this post. For one, I’m tired. I am tired because, in addition to everything, I’ve had to wade through and respond to the seemingly endless YouTube sermons, op-eds, and blog posts from Christian pastors... Read more
MJMA: Okay, so the acronym doesn’t slip off the tongue as well as MAGA (though I must say I found the acronym MAGBA to be funny: “Make American Great Britain Again”). But, and here is the kicker, I can see Jesus’ disciples and many others in Israel believing that Jesus was going to MJGA. Now, I am not denouncing MAGA (though I am not a supporter). I am merely trying to point out that the Jewish people at the time... Read more
Did you know that Jesus raised a young man from the dead because “He felt compassion for her [the mother]” (Luke 7:13)? Did you know that Jesus wasn’t praising the widow for her generous offering in the temple treasury, He was condemning the religious elite who made her give when she had no money left for food: Mark notes that she gave “all she had to live on”—that can’t be good! (Mark 12:41-44)? Did you know that Jesus’ exhortation to... Read more
“Blessed are those who mourn” (Matt 5:4) Reports at the time I write (and they are certainly changing each day) indicate: Israel has reported 1,200 deaths and 2,900 injured by Hamas forces. This does not include the number of those who have been terrorized by Hamas’ attack. Reports from Gaza as of Friday, Oct 13 indicate that 1900 Palestinians have been killed and 7,400 hundred have been injured. Israel’s expected ground assault into Gaza, which is expected to begin at... Read more
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