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Easter celebrates Jesus’ resurrection, vindication
Every year, Christians around the world celebrate Easter. What do they celebrate? According to the Urban Dictionary, Easter is “the holiday celebrated for the day in which Jesus’ pet rabbit mysteriously laid eggs and painted them strange colors to hide them from the…Jews”.
What does the bible have to say?
The bible can comfort you or crush you…it depends how you read it. Is it mainly about what you must do or is it mainly about what God has done? Take, for example, the story of David and Goliath, the story of a teenage boy with no military experience who slays a gigantic warrior with a sling shot. If this story is mainly about you, then the moral is, “God favors the underdog, the bigger they are the harder they fall. Have courage, go out and slay the giants in your life!”
What’s in a Name?
As Americans pause to remember Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., few know how the leader of the modern civil rights movement got his name.
King’s father, Rev. M.L. King, was senior pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1934, the senior King was sent by his church on a trip to Europe. During this trip, King spent time touring the country where in 1517, a German Monk and theologian had nailed his 95 Thesis to the door of the Wittenberg chapel. The monks name? Martin Luther.
The Senior King was inspired by one humble man who spoke truth to the powerful Catholic Church and in doing so, sparked what church historians call the Protestant Reformation. When King returned home, friends said he was a different man. And not long after he returned, he had a different name.
Has move toward secularism hurt national unity?
During his inaugural address, President Donald Trump promised Americans would be “winning” like never before. Trump optimistically predicted a “new national pride (will) …heal our divisions.” Trump even quoted Psalm 133, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” But even the prosperity many Americans have experienced under President Trump hasn’t produced national unity. Indeed, a recent poll by Georgetown University finds political divisions so bad that voters believe the U.S. is two-thirds of the way to the “edge of a civil war.”
The dark change in our national mood has prompted a shift in describing America’s cultural scene from that of culture war to cultural revolution. For example, the Milwaukee Independent headline read, “From Red Hats to Red Guards: How America’s Social Crisis Parallels Mao’s Cultural Revolution.” The Wall Street Journal headline said, “The Cultural Revolution Comes to North America.” The term “cultural revolution” suggests a desire to overthrow the existing American culture.
Worlds Apart
Rabies! Central Florida has already had two rabies alerts this summer. Today, rabies is not as terrifying as it’s been in the past. Before the 1880’s, however, a person who contracted rabies faced a certain, terrible death.
Today, few Americans know the heart-warming story of the man who discovered the cure for rabies or how his scientific discoveries are at the center of American’s political differences.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Ever since July 4th 1776, American’s have had a special reverence for the Declaration of Independence. It’s been called America’s Birth Certificate. Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration, said it was “an expression of the American Mind”.
Speaking Truth to Power
On January 22nd, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, the New York state legislature passed the Reproductive Health Act, which legalizes abortion until birth. Amid the self-congratulatory cheering of the legislators, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo (Dem.) hailed the passage as “a historic victory for New Yorkers and our progressive values”.
America’s Moral Moment
On July 24th, Democrat Sen. Corey Booker spoke out against President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh: “Kavanaugh has shown us who he is”, said Booker – presumably referring to Kavanugh’s expected opposition to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion.
Make America Moral Again
On April 30th, former Vice President Joe Biden appeared on “Good Morning America” where he was asked about his recently announced candidacy for the office of President. Among the field of 21 democrats seeking the presidency, Biden is the current front-runner among likely Democratic voters, with 39% support. During the interview, Biden was asked if he had a presidential motto, he responded, “Make America Moral Again”. Biden did not say how he intends to accomplish his objectives, if elected.
Progressives at the Pearly Gates
Each year at Easter, the thoughts of millions of Americans turn to the subject of God and religion. Whether it’s the Easter Bunny or the relevance of the empty tomb, everyone has an opinion. In this sense, everyone is a theologian. Broadly defined, theology is the study of the nature of God and religious belief. There are good theologians and there are bad theologians. On balance, our politicians tend to be bad theologians.
Religious Conflict
We are less than one month into a new year and already some things feel old – like the partial government shut-down, the longest in our nation’s history. What prevents Democrats from reaching a compromise with President Trump to fund a border wall? The answer may surprise you.
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