Newspaper (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I link these articles here because I believe the issues are important for Christians to be mindful of and to carefully weigh out. Some articles are of a controversial nature, and their inclusion here does not necessarily express my agreement with either the political or theological views of the source. I simply find these articles worth discussing and bringing to the attention of my fellow believers (or worth reminding about).
Desiring God: Why Read the Bible? If you follow any link from this post, follow this one. I sincerely wish to inspire this sort of study (more with my other posts than the Highlights). I also wish that I had come to this sort of attitude towards Bible study much sooner than I did.
The Gospel Coalition: 60 Second Summary: Defining Religious Liberty Down
The Foundry: Business Owners Battle Obamacare for Religious Freedom and Chick-fil-A Latest Example of How Same-Sex Marriage Threatens Religious Freedom
CNS News: DOJ to Colorado Family: Give Up Your Religion or Your Business
The practice of faith in and through business – actually, anywhere outside the home and the physical church – is being attacked on two fronts right now. First, through healthcare “reform” rules; second, gay marriage vs. traditional family values. There is undoubtedly both a spiritual and a political battle going on here, religious freedom is an absolutely critical issue – both to religious practitioners (of any faith), and to a moral society. Some Christians may not realize the significance of this – that government might try to restrict us to exercising our faith only within the walls of our homes and churches, for them, I recommend this article from the Resurgence. I strongly believe that the worst thing a Christian can do is take a head-in-the-sand attitude towards this issue in its current form. The next worst thing is to limit his or her response to “I’ll pray for my leaders and trust God.” While it is certainly necessary to pray for our leaders and to trust God, if we stop there, we are either adopting an attitude of pride towards the issue (it’s not worth my time to deal with that), or complacence (showing by our actions that we don’t really care about the outcome). If you are honest enough to acknowledge your stake in this issue, here is what I suggest: pray, pray, and pray some more. Then talk to your pastor, other church leaders, and fellow congregants about what is going on – make people who agree with you aware of the issue, then pray corporately over the issue. Talk about it when you’re in public, and invite bystanders to join the conversation – maybe next time you’re getting coffee with a Christian friend, ask the person at the next table what they think. Don’t be shy, but also don’t be rude or confrontational if you find out that they disagree. If they do disagree, then it’s a golden gospel sharing opportunity, and you can raise the questions about first amendment and religious freedoms as sort of an appologetics technique. Beyond that, if you can do so in a God-honoring manor, contact your elected representatives (Congress, Senate), as well as your local media, and call on them to report on the issue in an honest way.
Fox: Black Wedding Banned by Baptist Church: Racism still exists, even within the Church, and it is utterly wrong! I don’t know if lack of spine in this sense is a sin that should disqualify a pastor from ministry, but it would not bother me if the local First Baptist affiliation revoked their endorsement of that church and pastor. If you are a Christian living an a multi-ethnic community, seek to build a multi-ethnic church; if you are a part of a mono-ethnic congregation in a multi-ethnic community, seek to change that, and seek to build ministry and outreach partnerships with other congregations of different ethnicities (yes, you might also have to work across denominational lines).
Desiring God: How to Watch the Olympic Games and How Does Physical Exercise Relate to Sanctification?: I don’t have any particular comments here, I just found these topics interesting, what do you think?
Think Rhema 