Imagine that you wanted to sell a very large and beautiful diamond, but that you had a problem—there was a large gouge out of one side of the stone. What would you do? You would focus on the brilliance characteristics of the unmarred side of the gem. In a sense, this is what much of […]
The video feed was anything but pleasant; scores of teenagers mercilessly pummeling each other. It happened recently as fights broke out among a thousand young people who had flooded a mall near Pittsburgh. Employees had to bar and lock storefronts in order to protect themselves and their customers. If you haven’t seen any of the […]
There was a news report the other day of police officers in Kansas City pulling people over to give them money from a secret Santa. The emotions rendered by the story were the exact opposite of those being expressed all over the U.S. in protests against police brutality. Those who had their attentions “arrested” went […]
All paths lead to God—or so I’ve been told. Through the eyes of our culture, it is both arrogant and narrow-minded to contend that any one belief system is superior to all others. If those who are Christians are going to proclaim salvation through Christ alone, they should have very good reasons to justify such […]
Mr. Nestye was a piece of work—or so we thought. “Why,” we wondered, “is our high school principal always hassling us?” As typical teenagers, we often looked for creative ways to buck authority, but as honors students, we also excelled in the classroom. In our youthful reasoning, we felt that we deserved a little latitude […]
There was a day when American football was a man’s sport. Men yelled and snorted and belched during a game while the women of the house dutifully keep the food and drinks flowing. In spite of the occasional male glare, the women would also carry on lively—and distracting—conversations about virtually every facet of life. When […]
How do you view Muslims? If you are like many conservatives in America, it’s likely that you see Muslims through stereotypical eyes. That would mean that you don’t really know many—or any—Muslims, but that your perspective is determined by a stereotype that you’ve formed through media exposure, and through conversations with other non-Muslims. I would […]
One of the hallmarks of conservative Christianity is an unwavering support for the nation of Israel. Through conservative eyes, Israel is God’s chosen nation, so if a nation wants to be blessed by God, she must stand with Israel through thick and through thin. Exactly how biblical, we might ask, is the conservative position? The […]
Lions love zebras, but not in a way that zebras want to be loved. If a pride of lions “invites” a zebra to dinner, you can be sure that the guest will never leave. All it takes is one unguarded moment for an unsuspecting zebra to become fresh meat. When on the hunt, a lion […]
What is the most outlandish thing that you can imagine God doing in your life? How about taking your most problematic weakness and turning it into your greatest strength? Does the thought of it seem extreme? Perhaps, but the Creator of the Universe is never intimidated by the word “impossible”. The enduring beauty of David’s […]
