IN 202, Emperor Septimus Severus was cracking down on traitors to the Roman empire. Christians who refused to sacrifice to Roman gods were considered disloyal subjects who stubbornly refused to make a patriotic gesture. To the pagan mind, sacrificing was no big deal, simply an act of homage to the state equivalent to saluting a flag in modern American culture. Christians, however, saw it as a...
If you want to be an irrelevant Christian, do the following: Compromise the authority of Scripture. Compromise on the fact that Jesus alone is the Truth. Truth is always exclusive – otherwise, it cannot be truth. Preach a popular, relevant and spectacular gospel. Deny the miracles of Jesus, that he was born from a virgin, that the physically rose from the dead. Tamper with the sexuality and...
Very often we feel we cannot do something. It will just be beyond our capacity or ability. And we will simply not pursue it. Some of those things may be unimportant (at least for us), but other things are more important. Too often those things are not so un-doable as we think. Very often it is just a mental block. And in many cases, it is the “mental” block that holds us back. On...
The community said: We have ever seen such love. We have never seen such forgiveness and grace. Never have we seen such righteousness. What is the story behind this? When twenty-four-year-old Graham Staines visited India for the first time in 1965 to meet a pen pal, he fell in love with the area of Baripada and its people. The Australian made India his home, joining in work with people suffering...
Listen son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily wet on your damp forehead. I had stolen into your room alone. Just a few minutes ago as I sat reading in my paper in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me. Guiltily I came to your bedside. There are things I was thinking son: I had been cross to you. I scolded you...