“The Lord your God will raise up for a prophet like me…I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet who shall speak them everything that I command…But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods or presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak – that prophet shall die” (Deuteronomy 18:15-20) Modern Prediction One morning you get a random email. It says, “the stock market will... Read more
Houseless peoples camps are being raided. And it is not right to do it. Police officers, attempting to force houseless people into shelters, are forcing these people to discard sleeping bags and tents. It is wrong to do this too. Local new media does not speak about it. That is wrong too. People without their tents and sleeping bags are freezing to death. That is an abomination before God. City officials engaged in such activities are practicing evil. But let’s... Read more
Nothing gets my dander up like biblically illiterate bible quotations. Social media makes this worse. Southerners fall into this trap quite easily. Biblically illiterate Bible quoting was once the justification for supporting slavery, the death penalty, and opposing scientific education. But there is a problem for everyone who claim to hold the Bible as authoritative and never read it. The Bible Says There is no higher appeal to authority for some folks than to appeal to the Bible. “The Bible... Read more
Americans seem to loathe the phrase “business as usual.” I am not sure which word causes the biggest reaction. Is it business? Or is it usual? Both words denote something people spend too much time doing. In a media saturated culture that promises the exciting and new with each purchase, the desire to see spectacular improvement is unfulfilled. We expect it to happen. It never does. This is the condition where “business as usual” comes to be despised. Consumers want... Read more
I just watched The Social Dilemma. The documentary on Netflix that explains how social media operate. And now I understand. Or at least I think I get it. Perhaps, I am wrong. But if I listened only to what I receive through my social media accounts I would not ask if I was wrong. That may be the whole point. Broken Friendships “Whoever opposes us will face the wrath of God someday!” I saw this on a friend’s social media page one day.... Read more
The Mainline Protestant church is dying. Church leaders have known this for decades. We developed the church consultation industry to sell us solutions. The answers we bought are only apparently true. We hear “evangelical churches are growing because of their theology.” Or “we need programs and other worship styles to attract younger people.” Is the problem theology or marketing? No. The problem is a form of cultural suicide. Mainline Is Sidelined The mainline churches are failing while a few congregations... Read more
A sermons series I once preached was called The Marks of Cain. The marks I identified were rage, greed, and domination. I pondered this series over the weekend in light of the attack on the Capitol building on January 6th. I remembered John Hancock’s line in 1776. “Don’t you see any colony opposed to us will be forced to fight on the side of England? We will be putting brother against brother. Our new nation will bear as it’s emblem the mark... Read more
I am angry. It is anger borne out of frustration. I know the people who caused the violence in DC will not be held accountable. The people who participated in it may be. But the right-wing media outlets and the alt-right platforms will not be held accountable. One deluded person died. It was a farce because of evil beliefs. Primarily, it is the belief in one’s own righteousness. Second, it is the willingness to be manipulated. But I must deal... Read more
Solomon says it well. “Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself.” It is a good answer. But there is another one. “Answer the fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes.” This is also a good answer. But they cannot both be correct. To make matters even more maddening, Proverbs sets these statement one after the other in 26:4-5. While most biblical contradictions are unintentional, this one... Read more
The new Disney film Soul is a nice way to spend time. The Jazz-themed animated Pixar movie is not one of their best. But, hey, how many films like Finding Nemo and Ratatouille can a studio produce? Oh wait, there is Mulan. Too bad they tried that one again. Soul Skeptic I approached the movie as a Soul skeptic. One reason is that I am not fond of Jazz. Being an aging metal head and punk rock fan it is surprising I don’t care for Jazz.... Read more
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