This will be the last in this series for awhile. We’ll revisit it later in the year. Won’t you be my neighbor? Okay, full disclosure, I could never stand Mr. Rogers. I know that makes me a terrible person who probably did unspeakable things to small animals in my youth, but there it is — [...]
Following closely on the heels of the last post, would those who believe Christians may serve in the military, defend themselves and their family, and serve as a police officer be guilty of becoming tiny Thomas Jeffersons as well? Would they have to cut out all the "Prince of Peace" and "blessed are the peacemakers" [...]
[NOTE: Chapter ten will be up at the novel project sometime tonight or tomorrow. I just got back from having a root canal and a crown and am now about to go into the basement as we are under a tornado warning. One was spotted seven miles away in Oxford, MI. In other words, just [...]
There are things in the Bible that I wish God had left out or, barring that, at least phrased differently. For those of us who want the text to speak for itself (though we will always have our cultural blinders on, regardless of our sincere desire to ignore them), it hurts to see God give [...]
Some of the issues we face when we discuss life, death, self defense, war, service in the military, etc. come to us as relics from the King James Version. I am a big fan of the KJV’s use of language, the beauty of its late-medieval/early-modern phrasing. Then again, I am a fan of Shakespeare so, [...]
A wonderful question was asked in a comment to part three of this series. How can we obey the command of Jesus to love our enemies if we are willing to kill them? Another commenter made a valid point: this passage speaks to daily affairs, not to the rare and terrifying moments in which we [...]
What about turning the other cheek? Matthew 5:39 is often used as if it mandated a pacifistic response to any and all attacks. If that passage is law and applicable in all situations, Jesus himself violated it. He protested when he was struck on the cheek (John 18:22) and was not afraid to denounce the [...]
As we saw in part one, the defense of self and property was allowed in the Old Testament, even if it resulted in the death of the thief/attacker (Exodus 22). Now we come to a passage I have never heard taught in public. The few times I’ve read a commentary that dealt with it, it [...]
Today begins a series (might be just a few columns, might be more) dealing with issues of life, death, self-defense, war, and such like. Why do we value life? Because God does, and He is the source of life. God is the creator and giver of life (Genesis 1:26-2:7). He also gave the ultimate law [...]
[John Connor is one of my favorite writers. He is a columnist for American Handgunner magazine. While most of you may not have heard of it, it is worth buying just to read Connor's work. While this column will offend some of my readers, by this time all of you should know that I do [...]