Month: January 2021

I have been writing letters to the editor for a long time in a desperate hope to change the direction of the evangelical Christian church as it relates to politics. It is difficult to express how hard it is to not be heard. In truth, this is why social media is such a popular thing. Being on Twitter or Facebook or TikTok allows millions of people to pretend they are being seen and heard. As I look back at my previous letters, I notice a progression that has led me into attempting a true reform of what we might call the “God vote.” 

President Biden proclaims a deep connection to the Christian faith. Newly elected Sen. Raphael Warnock is pastor at the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s former church. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and nearly every other presidential candidate in the last 200 years or so have discussed their faith. For the last 50 years or so, however, right-wing evangelicals have dominated the God influence in politics. So who is right — or is the question, which side is closer to Christianity? In other words which political party deserves the God vote? 

I have attended evangelical churches where the pastor preaches that God pays attention to what we do in the voting booth. The pastor made it clear that you will be judged based on that vote. It has also been argued that God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat, which seems obvious. It is difficult for me to imagine the creator of the universe registering with some political party. It sounds like
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During the Season of Epiphany, we remember that Jesus is the Light of the World

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.” ~Genesis 1:3

Our Christian faith community joins with many others in celebrating the Season of Epiphany this time of the year. Epiphany has roots in the word for “sunrise” or “dawn.”

Epiphany comes immediately after Christmas, where at Christmas we light the “Christ Candle” in celebrating the birth of the Christ-child. Bringing the two together, then, Epiphany and its theme of “illumination” leads to Jesus Christ as the Light of the World.

This light or illumination is a stark contrast to the chaos that has elbowed its way into our lives over the past few weeks and last several months. The Bible takes up that subject, too, where chaos is symbolized by darkness.

Thinking of “chaos” as an umbrella term, other ideas would fit under that umbrella, too, things like anxiety, fear, terror, distress, panic … we could fill the rest of this page adding words to this list, as chaos stretches out
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A second-grade student in Oklahoma was expelled from her Christian elementary school last week after telling another female student that she had a crush on her, according to multiple outlets.

Chloe Shelton, a former student at Rejoice Christian School in Owasso, Okla., was removed from class after making the comment to her classmate.

Her mother, Delanie Shelton, told CNN that Chloe was held in the principal’s office for a period of time following the incident. 

“Before I was even called, the vice principal told Chloe that the Bible says that women can only have children with a man,” Shelton said. “(The vice principal) asked me how I feel about girls liking girls and I told her that I see no issue with it.”

Upon picking up her daughter, Shelton was told not to bring her daughter to school the following day.

The school’s superintendent notified Shelton the next day that 8-year-old Chloe, as well as Shelton’s 5-year-old son, were no longer welcome as students at the school, according to CNN.

“I was so blindsided. I was angry, hurt, betrayed, sad… so many different emotions. I just couldn’t believe it,” Shelton told CNN. “I asked him to have a sit down meeting to discuss it and process it better and he refused, saying that ‘nothing more needed to be discussed.'”

Shelton told local outlet Fox23 News that Chloe was upset over the expulsion.

“My daughter was crying saying ‘Does God still love me?’”

In a statement to CNN, Superintendent
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Isaiah 17 speaks of Syria’s capital, Damascus, becoming a “heap of ruins”.

Prophecies of war are also mentioned throughout the Bible’s Book of Revelation, the Bible’New Testament’s final book.

Signposts of the Times said: “From wars initiated by the Antichrist to conquer regions, to the final war to end all wars, the Battle of Armageddon, which is really no war at all.

“The armies of the world gather to make war against the returning Jesus Christ but are wiped out by our Lord and Savior who simply calls for their end.”

The blog added: “Just another reason to consider where you stand in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Pictured: Broadwater’s Taylor Leland passes to Hannah Davis in the win Friday night in Exmore.

The Broadwater Academy Vikings swept the Hampton Christian Warriors Friday night.

The boys won on the road 53-40 and improved to 9-0 on the season. Clay Wardius led the Vikings with 19 points, 18 rebounds, and 4 blocks, followed by Brant Bloxom who had 11 points and 8 rebounds and Willie Holden scored 10 with 3 rebounds for the Vikings.

The girls won in Exmore 61-32, avenging their loss to the Warriors on January 22. Suzanna Long led the Vikings with 17 points, 8 reb, 4 assists and 4 steals, Taylor Leland added 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals and Senior Hannah Davis finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, one assist and one steal.

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If you’ve spent much time around fandoms, online or off, you’ve surely heard something like, “Celebrity X (or TV show, or book series, etc.) is great, but my God, their fans are the worst.” Of course, sometimes the celebrity or work in question may itself deserve critical scrutiny, or even condemnation, but throngs of maniacal fans show up to shout down anyone trying to start that conversation.

Enter Jesus. Because man, does that dude have some obnoxious stans. 

But wait, let me back up for a minute.

Fandom has become such a constitutive aspect of many people’s identities in this internet age that pop-culture commentators have adopted the language of religious studies to describe it, noting, for example, that strong “in-group preference and out-group bias” fuels the “cultish fanaticism” and persecution complex that characterize what
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Compassion and a constant effort to reach out to others are essential elements of being “missionary disciples,” even in the midst of a pandemic, Pope Francis said in his message for World Mission Sunday.

“In these days of pandemic, when there is a temptation to disguise and justify indifference and apathy in the name of healthy social distancing, there is urgent need for the mission of compassion, which can make that necessary distancing an opportunity for encounter, care and promotion,” the pope wrote in his message for the celebration, which will be held Oct. 17.

The theme chosen for the 2021 celebration is taken from the Acts of the Apostles: “We cannot but speak about what we have seen and heard.” The Vatican released the pope’s message Jan. 29.

“Our life of faith grows weak, loses its prophetic power and its ability to awaken amazement and gratitude when we become isolated and withdraw into little groups,” the pope wrote.

“By its very nature, the life of faith calls for a growing openness to embracing everyone, everywhere,” he said. “The first Christians, far from yielding to the temptation to become an elite group, were inspired by the Lord and his offer of new life to go out among the nations and to bear witness to what they had seen and heard: the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand.”

Christ calls every believer to share the good news of God’s love and his offer of salvation in
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