Small, second-world nations will band together in coalition(s?) for climate-change reparations and will exert tremendous demand-side economic pain until they get it. As wealth flows downward, first- and upper second-world nations will coalesce to sanction the former for their actions and cut them off from specific products. the former will then attack the later.
In Jesus’s Name (Part 1)
Perhaps because Scripture says that “in my name” they will perform signs and miracles (Mk 16:17-18), Christians of all flavors, and almost without exception, conclude prayers for miraculous interventions with “In Jesus’s name…”. Pentecostals are quick to invoke “in Jesus’s name” to command matters to transpire. The thing is, that’s not what “name” meant in the Jewish cultural context of Jesus’s day. As Timothy Keller frequently explains, “name” connoted “personhood,” like when a son handles his father’s business affairs while the father is away, or when an ambassador exercises abroad the authority of her nation, or when mayors express the sentiments of their cities, they act in a name. To act “in name” is to act in a power-of-attorney capacity. It is to act on another person’s behalf. Show more ›
Second Amendment Restrictions
Americans might be more willing to accept gun/ammo restrictions if such were applied equally to the militarization-thirsty (and qualifiedly-immune) police. The second amendment is substantively a repudiation and protection from the one law for me, another law for thee conduct of state actors. Let them lead by example by demilitarizing themselves before they ask citizens to demilitarize. Then there would truly be no need for such gear.
Judas and Caiaphas
Speaking to Pilate, Jesus said in John 19:11, “he who delivered me over to you the greater sin.” Most readers assume that Jesus implicated Judas, but it is more probable that Jesus had Caiaphas in mind for “it was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it would be expedient that one man should die for the people” (John 18:14). “They therefore led Jesus from Caiaphas to the Prætorium” (John 18:28) complaining to Pilate that “it is not lawful for us to put anyone to death” (John 18:31). Therefore, it would appear that Jesus indicated that it was Caiaphas who “had the greater sin” for delivering Jesus to Pilate for the purpose of dying. For his part, it appears that Judas had no foreknowledge of Caiaphas’s intentions because when Judas “saw that Jesus was condemned, he felt remorse […] saying, ‘I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood'” (Matthew 27:3-4).
A New Take on Peter’s Denial
Everyone knows that Peter adamantly denied his association with Jesus, but no one examines why or how Peter found himself in his predicament. There was another disciple in the courtyard so why wasn’t denial an issue for him?Show more ›
On Trusting God
I don’t understand this, but I understand you. —Vox
On Faith
Be it unto me according to my faith and be my faith unto me according to your faithfulness. —Vox
On the Operation of Justice
The operation of justice, when it works injustice, is always unjust. —Vox
Faith “Like” Mustard Seed
“For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt 17:20 ESV).Show more ›
On Achieving
If you want the things you’ve never had, stop doing the things you’ve always done. —Vox
Similarly, if you want the things you’ve never had, start doing things you’ve never done. —Vox
Lions all around (Daniel 6:22)
Everyone knows the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. King Darius was duped into issuing an irrevocable decree to worship a sixty-foot tall idol. When Daniel refused, his political enemies hauled him before the king. Realizing the deceit of his own officials, Darius waited until the last possible moment to send Daniel into the den (Dan 6:14) saying, “may your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you” (Dan 6:16). Then at the earliest possible moment, Darius went to the den (Dan 6:19) to inquire, “has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” (Dan 6:20). Daniel responded: “they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him” (Dan 6:22).Show more ›
On God’s Complexity
God is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, yes. God is also omnitemporal, omnidimensional, and omnilingual. [Edit: Actually, wouldn’t God be translingual, that is, God transcends language? What about transtemporal? Transdimensional?]