While the Crusaders once wielded swords, Christians today wield credit cards. And although the currency is no longer life and death, both scenarios embody power in a common currency of the day—the mighty sword then, and the almighty dollar now.
I count Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, and Don Miller as brothers. Further, I personally agree with them on many, points (most of the ones Brian references in his response, in fact). Few of us fit into neat theological boxes, just as few of our stories can be boiled down to a point in an essay, an opinion in a tweet, or an anecdote in a story.
I'd really like to say that this culture is different among Christians. But it's not. Perhaps it's worse. Now, more than ever, we hear a cacophony of voices say whatever we want them to about this week's controversial leader or issue in the church. It's produced a cottage industry of gossip among Christians online.
The fact is humans need sleep, between 7–8 hours a day. But most of us aren’t getting it. According to studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sleep deprivation is epidemic. In the last week articles and infographs have been circulating the web with convincing evidence that this is the real deal.
Without a doubt, Christians (and non-Christians) have expressed their views in the past in ways that have felt hateful. That is not only reprehensible, it is sad. But to label all who disagree as “haters” is to take a powerful and important word and dilute it to mean mere disagreement.
Busyness is talked about a lot. We take on too much. We don’t say no to anything, because being busy makes us feel important. Look how much I’m doing! But for me? I rush because I’m lazy. I want to get done with the dull stuff so I can get to the important stuff. Like, I don’t know, reading. Or Candy Crush.
The Passion 2014 Atlanta Conference kicked off at Philips Arena in Atlanta Friday with over 20,000 university students attending the two-day event from around the world. Students from over 1,200 universities and 33 countries attended this year's Passion conference in Atlanta. This is the first of Passion's two large-scale gatherings this year in North America for 18-25 year olds.
"It's just too easy to love 'The Poor,'" policy expert and author Amy L. Sherman says in a video interview for the study guide Seek Social Justice, an anti-poverty project. "It's a lot harder to actually do the hard work of building face-to-face relationships with real people with real needs, with real, messy issues."
Not everyone likes making New Year’s Resolutions. What could be worse than setting yourself up for failure once a year? But resolutions can be helpful. We should expect some difficulty when establishing new habits and setting new goals. Success is learning to press on and push through in order to become a better version of ourselves. Here are a few resolutions you might consider making in 2014.
We protest not because we are complainers, grumblers, sticks in the mud. We protest precisely because of our dual love for Jesus Christ, and those who are not yet covered in His blood.
