RSS

Category Archives: Faith and the Public Square

Christian Persecution in Iraq

19 Mar

iraqi-refugeesNBC World News had a recent feature on the impact of the Iraq war and subsequent instability on the Christian community in Iraq (“‘People turned on Christians’: Persecuted Iraqi minority reflects on life after Saddam”). This reminded me of a time about two and a half years ago when I was at a gathering in the Middle East with a variety of Christian leaders. One of the men was an Iraqi church leader who bemoaned the reality that Christians were fleeing the country in record numbers.

Read more on these topics:

We must stand with our brothers and sisters.

Here are some key quotes from the article: Read the rest of this entry »

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on March 19, 2013 in Faith and the Public Square

 

Tags: , , , , ,

A Response to the Connecticut Tragedy

16 Dec

DownloadedFileThis weekend at Eastbrook Church, I set aside the sermon I had prepared in order to speak to the tragedy that struck Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut. My desire was to address both how we are to understand a shocking event like this and how we should respond to it as Christians.

You can listen to the message here.

You can read the manuscript that I preached from below. Read the rest of this entry »

 
1 Comment

Posted by on December 16, 2012 in Eastbrook, Faith and the Public Square

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Cardinal Dolan’s Response to Obama’s Election

14 Nov

Religion New Service reported Cardinal Timothy Dolan’s Response to the re-election of President Barack Obama. Those who follow the news and public policy know that Dolan has taken a tough line with the President’s policies, particularly the health care reform.

What do you think about Cardinal Dolan’s letter below?

Dear President Obama,

In my capacity as President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I write to express my congratulations on your re-election as President of the United States.The people of our country have again entrusted you with a great responsibility.The Catholic Bishops of the United States offer our prayers that God will give you strength and wisdom to meet the difficult challenges that face America.

In particular, we pray that you will exercise your office to pursue the common good, especially in care of the most vulnerable among us, including the unborn, the poor, and the immigrant.We will continue to stand in defense of life, marriage, and our first, most cherished liberty, religious freedom.We pray, too, that you will help restore a sense of civility to the public order, so our public conversations may be imbued with respect and charity toward everyone.

May God bless you and Vice President Biden as you prepare for your second term in service to our country and its citizens.

Sincerely yours,

Timothy Cardinal Dolan
Archbishop of New York
President
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
 
6 Comments

Posted by on November 14, 2012 in Faith and the Public Square

 

Tags: , , , ,

Four Recommendations on Election Day

06 Nov

Here are four recommendations I’d like to make for followers of Jesus on Election Day here in the US.

  1. Pray – We know as believers that God works through prayer (James 5:16). We know that our calling includes praying for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We know that our nation has a great need of turning back to God at numerous levels. Because of these things, we should pray that our nation will be awakened with a need for God, that the elections will be guided by God, and that all the candidates up for public office will be strengthened by God regardless of their political party.
  2. Think Biblically – As followers of Christ we must always filter our actions through the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures. We must let the truth of God both correct and encourage us, even as it renews our minds (2 Timothy 3:16-17; Romans 12:1-2). We must remember that Jesus is our king and our allegiance is first and foremost to His kingdom. The kingdom of God is bigger than any political party. The kingdom calls for value of human life as made in the image of God from before birth through the end of our days. The kingdom of God calls for stewardship of the environment as created by God and stewardship of finances as a gift from God. The kingdom of God calls for care for the forgotten, those in prison, widows, orphans, and foreigners in our midst. The kingdom of God is marked by truth, integrity, righteousness and justice. We must struggle to think biblically about the issues.
  3. Vote – It is a huge privilege in our country to have a voice in the political process. So many others that I have spent time with around the world do not have this privilege. The first century church did not experience anything like this. An outflow of Paul’s instructions about our relationship to governing authorities in Romans 13 is to exercise our right to vote. I encourage every follower of Jesus to take up this privilege.
  4. Love One Another – The Bible affirms again and again that we are called as followers of Christ to love one another and stand in unity (1 John 4:11; Philippians 4:1-2). Jesus Himself said that people would know we are His disciples if we love one another (John 13:34-35). Over all these things, we must stand together as one in ways that those around us, divided by so many different political philosophies and party allegiances, cannot. We must uphold the unity as brothers and sisters forged through the broken body and spilled blood of Jesus Christ.
 
Leave a comment

Posted by on November 6, 2012 in Faith and the Public Square

 

Tags: , , , ,

The Changing Ministry with Single Adults?

04 Oct

At the end of August, I posted about an article in The Economist looking at the increase of single adults internationally entitled “Singletons: the attraction of solitude.” There was a lot of great dialogue around that post which, if you missed it, was really enlightening about church ministry to singles.

Just yesterday, I came across another article from Leadership on this topic entitled “What Happened to Singles Ministry?” The author, a staff member of a church in San Diego, writes about the changing face of ministry to single adults in church settings.

Here are some major premises shared in the article:

  • Singles don’t actually want to be part of a singles ministry.
  • “Singles’ needs are best addressed in a segregated setting” is a faulty premise.
  • Singles ministries that focus primarily on the needs of singles emotionally destabilize the group.
  • Segregated singles ministries are more susceptible to becoming emotionally toxic Read the rest of this entry »
 
3 Comments

Posted by on October 4, 2012 in Faith and the Public Square

 

Tags: , , ,

← Older posts
 
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,344 other followers