Conservatives demand it as necessary; liberals protest it as unloving. But what, we might wonder, does God think about capital punishment? The death penalty was common under the Mosaic Law, but the Law doesn’t accurately reflect God’s heart. Furthermore, to my knowledge, the issue is never seriously addressed in the New Testament. In Genesis 9, […]
Tag Archives: The Cross
Cheaters Are Losers
Deflate-gate. For those who follow NFL football, the deflated football discovery in the Patriots/Colts game has created quite the stir. Eleven of the twelve Patriots’ footballs were below the acceptable air pressure—giving the Patriots certain advantages in the game—but no one has been able to pinpoint how they came to be that way. That’s the […]
The Missing Dimension of Grace
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 […]
Are White Conservatives Racist?
Sadly, in many cases, I think that white conservatives are racist. I can’t provide statistics to prove my point, but I can share my personal observations. What I see may not tell the entire story, but it does tell something. As a general rule, strong conservatives are avidly anti-liberal and they’ll target those who lean […]
Victory of the Two Crosses
Grace must be thoroughly understood if we are to live in a way that honors God. If we are to grasp the essence of the Gospel—faith expressing itself through love—we must clearly understand the Biblical concepts of faith and love. Part 6 of The Divine Progression of Grace series. Filmed at The Summit Church of […]
The Priesthood of All Believers
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal….” What powerful words open the U.S. Constitution! Through the significance of this “immortal declaration”, the United States of America has long stood as a beacon for justice and equality in an oppressive world. Our government leaders have not always stood for the […]
The Great Equalizer
Imagine a society in which all people were truly considered to be equals. It would be a culture in which rich and poor were treated without bias. Women would be treated as equals with men. Race and ethnicity differences would do nothing more than provide diversity. Celebrities would be given no special status. The VIP […]
How Good Are You?
Does it really matter how good we are at what we do? After all, Christians are forgiven and adopted into the family of God. If He loves and accepts us, does it matter all that much how well we do our jobs? Have you ever walked into a building, driven a car, or crossed a […]
Are You FlaWed?
Sshh. I’d prefer that you not tell anyone if at all possible. Somewhere along the line I came to realize that I am a flawed person. But it’s not really something that I want others know. Our world demands perfection and people can be really cruel toward those who are anything less. Such a realization […]
Slow Justice Doesn’t Mean No Justice
September 8, 2012. That was the night that Brandon Bushmire’s life was forever changed. It was 11:20 pm and Brandon, a 20-year old college student had just stepped off of the curb (near our ministry center) onto a street with a posted speed limit of only 25 mph. Suddenly a speeding car knocked Brandon to […]