Quote of Note #241: “No Ordinary People”

" It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship. . . ." C. S. Lewis (For full quote, click the link below.)

Quote of Note #164: Self-sacrificial Love

"God does not force us to do anything, including love our neighbor. Therefore, love is a choice, not a given. Love is an inconvenient choice, one that costs us time, resources, and at times our safety. God's love empowered by the Spirit, compels us to be countercultural, bearing witness to who and whose we are … Continue reading Quote of Note #164: Self-sacrificial Love

Bible Note #50: James 2:1 and “Us vs. Them” Thinking

There is no question that our Christian faith can become corrupted.  And, of course, one of the ways that our faith can become corrupted is when we adopt bad or wrong doctrines.  That’s why it’s important for us to learn our theology carefully and well. The base of an abandoned steel-making blast furnace; photo by … Continue reading Bible Note #50: James 2:1 and “Us vs. Them” Thinking

Quote of Note #129: Justice and Love for my Neighbors

Photo by GAC "Love for neighbor requires critiquing and dismantling unjust systems of racial oppression. It is one matter to acknowledge that all people are made equal and have inherent dignity in their very being. It is another matter to identify the ways the image of God is defaced in groups of people through systems … Continue reading Quote of Note #129: Justice and Love for my Neighbors

Pastor Note #112: America in Theological Perspective–a July 4th Sermon

America in Theological Perspective: A SermonPastor Gary Chorpenning1 Peter 2:9-17Preached July 4, 2021 So, do they have the Fourth of July in England?  [Pregnant Pause]  Of course they do.  They have the fourth of July, the fifth of July, the six of July.  They have all the days of July in England, same as we … Continue reading Pastor Note #112: America in Theological Perspective–a July 4th Sermon

Quote of Note #108: Between the Humane and the Brutal

Washington County (Pennsylvania) Courthouse; Photo by GAC "The real issue of our world today is between those who respect a man as a child of God and those who do not, between those who are humane and those who are brutal. It is not to be found between men who are for or against this … Continue reading Quote of Note #108: Between the Humane and the Brutal

Quote of Note #107: The Human Dignity of the Other

Lancaster County (Pennsylvania) Courthouse; photo by GAC "There was a time when we could assume that people believed in the dignity of the human person, in the sanctity of a man as a child of God. This is no longer true. Communism tells us that a man has worth only if he is a communist. … Continue reading Quote of Note #107: The Human Dignity of the Other

Quote of Note #19: Gracious Help to those in Need

"If anyone . . . appears before you who is in need of your kind services, you have no reason to refuse him your help. Suppose he is a stranger; yet the Lord has pressed his own stamp on him and made him as one of your family, and he forbids you to despise your … Continue reading Quote of Note #19: Gracious Help to those in Need