THE CHRIST RESPONSE: when an Ayatollah is assasinated
When the news broke on Sunday morning that the Ayatollah Khamenei, has been killed in a joint USA-Israel bomb attack, one of the first Christian responses I read was by a prominent American Christian journalist/author from THE JERUSALEM POST. He responded as follows: The most wicked leader in the world is dead. Khamenei was finally assassinated on Saturday in a joint operation by the United States and Israel. “He is now burning in the fires of eternal Hell, and rightly so.”
RESPONDING TO THE BONDI BEACH SHOOTING: 4 redemptive paths shaped by Jesus
The headlines after the Bondi Beach attack told a familiar story—shock, grief, anger, and calls for justice. These are deeply human responses—understandable in the wake of violence. We mourn with the families, ache with the wounded, and wrestle with the unrelenting questions of safety and justice. But WHAT IF… Jesus offers 4 paths to a Christlike response
FEAR OR FORGIVENESS: The Church in Syria Responds
Christians in Syria were in mourning after a suicide bombing struck a Greek Orthodox church in Damascus during a June 22 Divine Liturgy. At least 20 were killed and more than 60 injured after an attacker, reported to be armed and wearing an explosive vest, entered Mar Elias, a Greek Orthodox church in the city’s Dweila neighbourhood. But for believers in Syria, and all of the Middle East, persecution is neither a new theology nor an unfamiliar territory. There has always been a deep-rooted understanding that to follow Christ is to share in His suffering. Unlike the responses often seen in the West, this has never diminished their witness—it has only refined it.
YAHYA SINWAR – Can grace and hatred co-exist in the same heart?
For those who express a continued hatred against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, the question to ask is if hatred can be justified. Are we, as recipients of grace, ever in a position to rejoice at the death of a soul who never had the opportunity to be touched by the grace of Christ like we did? Are we a John 1:16 follower or a John 1:17 believer
DEMONIZING THE ENEMY: Israel and the manipulation of shadow projections
Holocaust and Genocide never, repeat never happen without lies about an evil “Other.” A single human being may hurt, or even kill, another human being. But in order to kill a hundred, a thousand, and certainly hundreds of thousands, the victims must be turned into something sub-or nonhuman. This is how the manipulation of shadow projections operate
A Christian Response to Evil in Israel/Palestine
Defining evil in politics is notoriously complex. While politicians often reduce evil to ideologies, extremism, or oppression, the Christian point of view delves deeper. Christian theology views evil as a fundamental flaw in human nature, rooted in a broken relationship with God. This understanding shapes a radically different approach to addressing evil.
BE STILL: A Christian Response to an Olympic Offense
My friend and ministry partner for the past 3 decades wrote me a message responding to my Facebook posts after the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games with the following request: “Mike, you’ve been telling us what NOT to do on Facebook, now tell us what to do”. So, Bennie, brace yourself brother, this is not for the fainthearted … Spiritually there are three guidelines: 1. Add an AND 2. WWJS 3. Mission impossible: show some respect.
I FEEL I HAVE TO SAY THIS: I apologise
I feel I have to say this: I want to issue a public apology to all people who witnessed the knee-jerk reaction of so many Christians after the opening ceremony at the Olympic Games. I want to publicly state that the Christ of the Bible was not the Christ that you witnessed on Social Media. And I will tell you three reasons why I say that.
A NEW CONSCIOUSNESS: Gazans killed will pass the 180,000 mark.
A recent report by the Lancet Group estimates that up to 186 000 deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza – 8% of the total population. This season demands of the church to become the visible and tangible tears of a compassionate God as He, and we, behold a community in ruins. As Christians, we need to reignite a Christian consciousness in order to reflect a Christ that came to redeem, rescue and release.
THE GAZA CONFLICT AND BUBBLE-BASED-BELIEVERS
We now live in a season of bubble-based-believers. The conflict in Gaza has subtly turned Bible-based believers into bubble-based believers. It has alienated followers of Christ and firmly placed us into “bubbles” of allegiances. If you are in the crowds today don’t disregard the words of your Saviour. It still applies today to Hamas as much as it did to Nero and the Roman persecutors. Times might have changed but Christ didn’t, and neither did His teachings.