bad religion
In his landmark books Soul Searching and Souls in Transition, sociologist Christian Smith surveyed American young adults and found that most held to what he called “Therapeutic Moralistic Deism.” They’re deists because they believe God doesn’t interfere in our lives unless we need His help to solve a problem. They’re moralistic because they believe God wants us to be good and kind to each other. And their view is therapeutic because it makes them feel good about themselves.
widows and children
Widows were the epitome of the destitute and desperate in ancient Jewish society. In his gospel, Luke often wrote of widows and their journeys of faith: the prophetess Anna who saw the newborn Messiah (Luke 2:36-38); the widow of Zarephath who ministered to Elijah (Luke 4:26; 1 Kings 17:18-19); the widow of Nain whose only son was raised from the dead by Jesus (Luke 7:11-15); and the poor widow who gave two small copper coins (Luke 21:1-4). Luke also records Jesus telling a parable about a persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8), encouraging His listeners “to always pray and never give up” (Luke 18:1).
good religion
As a pastor, I get interesting responses from people when they discover my vocation. Some will immediately apologize for the language they’ve used. Some offer a forced smile and then come up with an excuse to change the subject. One line I hear often is: “Well, I like Jesus, but I don’t like religion.”
a prophet and a roaring God
Amos is one of the most intriguing biblical characters, tucked away in the neglected corner of the Minor Prophets. I’ve struggled with the prophet partly because my son Seth once had a stuffed monkey named Amos. My main difficulty, however, has been that Amos is true to his calling as a prophet.
persistence
It was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who said, “Perseverance is a great element of success. If you knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody.” I don’t know if Longfellow had the persistent widow in mind when he wrote those words, but I believe he’s right.
In Singapore, where I live, 85 percent…
spotless
I accidentally dropped my cell phone into the garbage can. It slid straight to the bottom, and when I pulled it out, it was covered with some kind of disgusting mystery goo. Horrified, I set to work spraying, scrubbing, and disinfecting. I didn’t stop until the phone was spotless.
God called the people of Israel to “sanitize” themselves. They’d been…
adoption option
In his Apology (AD 197), Tertullian argued that the Roman government should stop persecuting its best citizens. He said that Christians not only prayed for the emperor and the empire, but they also sacrificed for the sake of their neighbors. He said they pooled their money “to feed the poor and to bury them; for boys and girls who lack…
