According to the Gospels, Jesus’ childhood and young adulthood was in Nazareth, in the central Galilee along the northern edge of the fertile Jezreel Valley. However, we know virtually nothing about this early period of Jesus’ life. After his baptism, according to the gospels, Jesus made his home in the town of Capernaum, located on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. Continue reading
Rich Rosendahl on Syrian Refugees and Being Good Neighbors
This is the first in a series of podcasts addressing the topic of Syrian Refugees. This episode contains an interview with Rich Rosendahl from November 2015. Rich is the founder and director of The Nations, an organization focused on coaching individuals and groups on how to connect with our refugee neighbors locally and around the world. Rich has a broad range of experience in building deep relationships and networks with refugee neighbors in the Middle East and in the U.S.
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MLK’s “I Have A Dream” Speech
It is difficult to say about any of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches, “This one is his best.” The depth of content and delivery of his messages is so consistent every time he spoke. However, there are messages that are more well known and more influential in the thinking, conscience, and behavior in the history of our nation. One of those messages is his speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., delivered to over 250,000 who had gathered for the March on Washington in the summer of 1963. Continue reading
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MLK’s Message to the Church (excerpts from “Letter From Birmingham Jail”)
Below are excerpts from MLK’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, written and developed in response to an open letter issued by eight white clergymen who were opposed to the Birmingham civil rights demonstrations in Spring of 1963. Continue reading
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MLK’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech
Here are excerpts from the speech delivered in Oslo on December 10, 1964. The full transcript can be found at the Nobel Prize website.
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Gun Regulation and the Holocaust
If you think the gun legislation laws of Germany caused the Holocaust or made it possible, please note the following: Continue reading
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The Weapons of Our Warfare: The Question of Churches Arming Themselves
Yesterday I had lunch with a friend who works on the staff of a nearby church. He shared with me that they were having conversations about what to do if an extremist attack took place at one of their services or programs. According to my friend, much of the conversation centered on the idea of providing armed security (off-duty police officers) as well as intentionally arming and training some staff or congregation members. Continue reading
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Scot McKnight and Miraslov Volf on Twitter: Do Muslims, Jews, and Christians Worship the Same God
There is a fascinating discussion between the two theologians on twitter, sparked by Volf’s latest work, Allah: A Christian Response, in which he takes the position and Muslims and Christians worship the same God but have different understandings. Here are a few of the interchanges between the two of them on twitter (sparked by an initial tweet by Justin Taylor of McKnight’s comments):
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A Date That Will Live in Infamy
This speech, delivered by FDR the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, will forever memorialize in words this tragic event and period in U.S. and world history: Continue reading
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The Nine: Overcoming ISIS
Please watch this video, all of it. It is the story of followers of Jesus who have seen the evil of DAESH (ISIS) directly. Hear their stories and listen to their response. Continue reading
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Terror Is the Enemy (a guest post by Callen Clarke)
“…we must see Terrorism for what it is: an invitation to fear proffered by our enemy in order to perpetuate our conflict with him. It means we cannot win until we cease to hate.”
Another great, insightful, and challenging piece from composer, author, and my good friend Callen Clarke: Continue reading
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Like a Child
“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”—Jesus
We often talk about possessing the “faith of a child” (although Jesus never actually mentions this). We rarely talk about what Jesus actually does mention: possessing the humility and the lowness of status of a child.
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