POPE FRANCIS: a legacy of humility
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pontiff, has died on Easter Monday. Dr. Jim Denison from Denison Forum writes that of all that could be said about Pope Francis, the one character trait that stood out was his humility.
MARY, THE FIRST CHRISTIAN JOURNALIST: investigating the tombs of life
The first Christian “journalist” in Scripture that we read of was Mary Magdalene (John 20:18). She went to investigate the tomb of Jesus and when she found it empty she went to the disciples WITH THE NEWS: “I have seen the Lord! ” There are some valuable lessons to learn from Mary’s approach as we contemplate global news and seek to expand our mental capacity.
SUNDAY PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST: And the bird will sing.
We live in a Friday world. But we are Sunday people. And we are called to live as best we can as reminders that in a Sunday world we are responsible for what we know, responsible to each other, and responsible before God.
AN AGNOTOLICAL APPROACH TO GAZA: intentionally creating doubt and ignorance
The aim of this article is neither to verify nor debunk Gaza claims. Instead, the purpose of this essay is to delve into the conditions that enable misinformation to thrive and to examine the concept of “AGNOTOLOGY”—the study of intentionally creating doubt and ignorance.
CHRISTIANITY IN GAZA: For God’s sake, Church, stand out and speak up!
The covenant community of God, NOT Israel but the bride of Christ, should always be our first concern when we address the conflict in Gaza. Not the only concern, but the first concern. Not Israel but the Church. And yet, one of the less-discussed effects of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is the threat to, and possible elimination of, Christian communities in Gaza and throughout the Holy Land.
THE WAR IN GAZA: Reading the Bible upside down!
The Bible is dangerous. It contains the most wonderful passages of universal love, and it contains instructions for genocide. We always have a choice about which parts of the Bible we pay attention to. So, how do we navigate Biblical truths that seem to contradict one another and leave enough room for devout followers of the “God of love” to weaponize their hatred for the enemy and lack of love for those who are different? We just need to read it standing on our heads
EASTER IN GAZA: A terrible beauty is born
The pain and hardship endured by the people of Gaza will remain senseless and meaningless unless we can view it from the shadow of the cross, and find the terrible beauty that is born in the suffering and hardship of the Palestinian people.
LEBANON: Reframing faith in the context of conflict
We have just returned from a visit to war-torn Lebanon, meeting with local as well as Syrian leaders. Our hearts were deeply touched by the commitment and resiliency of those who follow Christ in extreme circumstances. It will be impossible to share all our experiences in a way that will give justice to the situation, the people and the experiences we had – but we would like to focus on EIGHT lessons we felt the Lord teaching us during this time of exposure.
NAVIGATING OUR WAY THROUGH DARKNESS: a Christian response to the Syrian massacres
Some Christian commentators are exploiting the suffering of people in Syria by placing graphic videos of beheadings on Social Media with inflated figures of Christian casualties. Amid a barrage of opinions, one spiritual principle emerged: The significance of Christianity is not the need to expose darkness but how to navigate our way through darkness. Darkness cannot overcome darkness. So, instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle. Here is a response from Syrian Christians to the events unfolding in Syria.
70 CHRISTIANS BEHEADED IN THE DRC: the danger of spiritual leprosy
Seventy decapitated bodies of Congolese Christians were discovered last week in a Protestant church in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). But amid the excruciating pain experienced by the body of Christ in Africa, it often seems like Christians in the West remain oblivious to the suffering of those who share the cross of Christ. Few churches acknowledged the beheadings or dedicated time during services to pray for their brothers and sisters in the DRC. This is called SPIRITUAL LEPROSY