Tag: God
-
Can the SBC hold sex abusers accountable?
We will be talking about the recently released report detailing sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention for some time to come. In nearly 400-pages of detailed reporting, Guidestone Solutions, an independent investigating firm, demonstrated corruption at high levels within the SBC. What I’ve read so far is heartbreaking because of the stain this activity…
-
Jehovah Hears and Remembers
If you had to grade sins, what would be worse – murder and adultery or breaking a vow? Most of us would say that murder and adultery are worse sins than breaking a vow. Scripture, however, requires us to view a broken vow as a severe sin in God’s eyes. In 2 Samuel 21, God…
-
Beaten Back
Introduction In this article, we consider briefly whether incarceration or public judicial corporal punishment offers a more humane treatment of criminal offenders. Though the idea of public caning, or some alternative of the practice, stirs a visceral reaction in many, we should note the practice is rooted both in Scripture and world history. I base…
-
A Word to Graduates
Dear high school graduate, allow me a moment to speak to you as a father – a Christian father. This moment in your life seems extraordinary. A high school diploma is like the stamp of approval you are ready for adulthood. You’ve completed a course of study and are now prepared to make your mark…
-
Rocky Mountain Lie
“No matter what the Supreme Court does in the future, people in Colorado will be able to choose when and if they have children.” This is a quote from Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado. Does Governor Polis know something we do not? Is the Supreme Court of the United States preparing to force citizens to…
-
Just Plain Vows
I do not favor custom marriage vows, and I think ministers everywhere should discourage them. Instead, I believe there is something to be said for out-of-the-box, boilerplate vows recited by every couple. It may seem like a small thing to have an opinion about, but this is something I’d like you to give some thought…
-
Can Christ Restore?
Last week, candidate for President of the Southern Baptist Convention, Willy Rice, announced he is no longer vying for the role. Reverend Rice has been pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, FL, since 2004. Controversy arose around his candidacy for the top position in the SBC echelon when someone publicized his church ordained a man…
-
“Mickey-ing” Around with Our Children
Disney has finally said the quiet part out loud, haven’t they? The tension between The Walt Disney Company and Christians has been palpable for at least two decades. It all seemed to start when they permitted gay-pride week in their parks. A move perfectly within their right. But recent revelations should give Christian parents pause…
-
Life For Life
On November 26, 1981, in Leetown, MS, James Billiot killed his stepfather, mother, and 14-year-old stepsister with an 8-pound sledgehammer. It was a gruesome crime. The State sentenced Billiot to death in December 1982. Today, 40-years-later, he is still on death row. Billiot is one of thirty-five folks on Mississippi’s death row. They’ve been there…
-
Singing the Songs of Zion
Music is a powerful instrument. As a teenage driver, certain tunes seemed to make my foot a little heavier on the pedal. As a father, I sang to my young children to usher them into the land of Nod. Music has the power to transport us back in time and to other places. It can…
-
Tender Love
As the father of four, no one has ever asked me why or if I love my children (and I’ll never admit to having wondered that myself). That parents will love their children is just assumed. But, some parents don’t. I read once of a woman who left her newborn child in an orange grove…
-
God is Good
I was standing in a friend’s backyard recently when he turned the conversation to God – a topic he does not particularly enjoy discussing. According to him, preachers are nothing but storytellers and church-goers hypocrites. His biggest problem with God’s existence, though, is that the world is full of suffering. If God existed, in other…
500 Words 