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How did we get “wedge issues?”
In American politics, we call them “wedge issues.” These days, it can be just about anything. But, generally, it’s throwing something out there for “discussion” that won’t get discussion because the person throwing it out knows everyone has a pre-fabricated response. Gay Marriage Racism Poverty Immigration Abortion Wedge issues. When did we get “wedge issues?” 1970s, when Roe v. Wade…
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All other ground is sinking sand
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:15-16) “We need to let Paul remind us, precisely when a major…
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Idolatry 2.0
I am working my way through part of NT Wright’s work, Surprised by Scripture, and his chapter on Western gods called “Idolatry 2.0” is a fascinating read. His contention is the Enlightenment re-introduced Epicurean thought through men like Jefferson. Tired of the antics of the Church in the medieval period, the thought of God being “there” but far off was appealing all…
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The so-called wall of separation between church and state
Dallas Willard crushes the “wall of separation” argument when it comes to the First Amendment. The First Amendment is about something Congress (and, as interpreted by the the Supreme Court and state governments) cannot do. It is not about what Christian should not do. We now live under the influence of a gigantic myth about a “wall of separation” between “church and state,” a…
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The power of forgiveness in Charleston mystifies our culture
On and on the pundits go, on the left and on the right, as to how something about that act of forgiveness the family members of the shooting in Charleston extended to the killer isn’t right! It’s not a matter of some “order” to forgive. It’s not a matter of the killer accepting it. It is about the power to forgive. And…
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Black lives still matter
Let’s get this out of the way: Yes… ALL lives matter. Absolutely, positively, every one. But each of us know when there are those neglected and there is a sense of, “Does MY life matter? Is anyone seeing?” That is why, from time to time, we lift up a particular part of society to try and emphasize, YES… YOU matter! This…
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The new scarlet letter
Immediate qualifier: I don’t know the first thing about Duggars or TLC or any facts of the old case against one of the Duggars. But with the charge of molestation and the vehement blog post titles I see on my Facebook feed, I think once again to the issue of child molesters and how we handle it as a country.…
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Sin won’t go away
We want to rename it, ignore it, ridicule the thought of “sin,” but the fact of it just won’t go away. We do our best to ignore it, though. Bill Arnold in his commentary on 1-2 Samuel in the NIV Application Commentary noted this: Once “sin” is no longer in the church’s vocabulary, there is no longer a need for…
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Why conversations fail and the public square doesn’t want “religion”
This review of a biography on Richard John Neuhaus has a particular insight that I find true generally of our inability to have decent public discussion anymore. An ethicist friend once told me he had a hard time reading Neuhaus. “I know there is stuff to learn from him,” he said, “but given the things that I find so irritating,…
Tag: Culture
