All tagged peace
A little of this and a little of that, and whattaya get? An audio casserole! Variously I work through a common churchly sentiment about the culture wars, some positive and negative developments in the aftermath of Coronavirus, and the role of truth in life. Oh, and I muse about the most painful sport one can play. Come think and laugh with me.
What is the anthropology (doctrine of human nature) that lies beneath Marxism? It's important to understand that because that doctrine both undergirds and reveals what is going on in our woke-scolding era today. Herein I argue that while a Marxist can convert and come to know the living Christ, Marxism itself is beyond redemption: at its core it is atheist. Trying to transform Marxism into Christianity is like a human being trying to live among grizzly bears.
Most Christians do death just like unbelievers: avoidance, aversion, escape, pretending as though it's just not that real. But Jesus is Lord of everything, even death. What if we gave our death—now—to God as a gift? How might we go about that? What would that look like? What would the effect of that be like?
There were two angel songs to the Shepherds outside Bethlehem. One announced great joy to all people, the other announced peace to all upon whom God's favor rests. The first, we will see, goes toward inclusivity. The second goes toward exclusivity. How should we make sense of these two songs?
The Shepherds heard an angel, saw a heavenly angelic host, and they were afraid! Is fear of God healthy? For how long? Moreover, Jesus is a man of wonder. His coming is wondrous! So how can we practice wonder? And why does wonder transcend our intellect? Come, and like human tea-bags let us steep our identities in the peace-filled identity of Christ!
Is the peace of Christ merely a religious selling point, something to help people choose Christianity? I tell two of my friends' stories to develop the reality that peace can be in the Christian life. But across the Bible peace is even greater than an inward experience. What is that? Also, what is the most overlooked gift in the universe?
Low churches do things that end up causing unnecessary problems. Why is that? Life is weird. And? "Sometimes when you win you lose." The Low church lowest common denominator approach of "appeal to the most possible without causing offense" isn't working. People are not hungry for vanilla. Gallup Poll says more people are leaving Church than ever before. In this fifth episode in my series I tell some personal stories and suggest some possible remedies.
What does it mean to be a peacemaker? Is it about political balance? Is it about silent love? Dr. Charlie Self is a peace-making thinker, teacher, pastor, and social media post-er. In this interview I ask him where he gets his courage to be a peacemaker in a volatile society like ours.
What is Islam about? How does it intend to solve humanity's problems? Why are its fundamentalist adherents prone to condoning and/or practicing violence? Was Mohammad a peaceful or violent leader? Why do Muslims have a hard time laughing at themselves or their religion? Who are some of the most influential Muslims ever?
Why do so many nations & people hate the Jews? Does Israel oppose the western values of classic liberalism? Who are the most famous Jews in history? What are some hilarious Jewish jokes? What percentage of earth's population are Jewish? Why do so many Christians support Israel?
Per Buddha and Jesus, respectively, what is the central problem confronting humanity? How do each of them perceive reality? What did each of them teach we should do to solve our problems? How alike are they? And, instead of demonizing other religions, why do I respect other religions? And if they were in a UFC fight who would win, Jesus or Buddha?!
