"Most people in today's world recognize as noble the ideas that we should love our enemies, that the strong should protect the weak, and that it is better to suffer evil than to do evil." N.T. Wright & Michael Bird (for full quote, click the link below)
Tag: Jesus
Bible Note #64: Zechariah 7:9-10–A Rightly Ordered Society in God’s Eyes
"One of the primary tasks God gave to the prophets in ancient Israel was to instruct the people of Israel on how to order their society so that it reflected God’s heart and mind. These verses from the prophet Zechariah are a prime example of that." (For the full post, click the link below.)
Quote of Note #235: On the Right Use of Wealth
"If one who takes the clothing off another is called a thief, why give any other name to the one who can clothe the naked and refuses to do so? " Basil the Great (for full quote click link below)
Pastor Note #145: What Makes for the Blessed Life?
"Blessed are those who force their way to the front of the line; they will get to run things their own way." (For full post, click link below.)
Quote of Note #233: Repentance and Forgiveness of Sins
"There is no sin, and there can be no sin on all the earth which the Lord will not forgive to the truly repentant!" F. Dostoevsky (click link below for full quote)
Quote of Note #232: A Kingdom without a Cross
"Christian nationalism is impoverished as it seeks a kingdom without a cross. It pursues a victory without mercy. It acclaims God's love of power rather than the power of God's love." Wright & Bird (click link below for full quote)
Quote of Note #231: The “First Law of Prayer”
"There should be in our prayers an astringent honesty with ourselves, so that we may be honest with God, for God sees the secrets of our hearts, and God well knows when we are conventionally asking for blessings which we have no real desire to receive." Wm. Barclay (click link below for full quote)
Pastor Note #144: Jesus vs. Brutality & Inhumanity
"To truly follow Jesus is to follow the lamb who was slain (Rev. 5:6), not the roaring lion “seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)."
Pastor Note #143: Coercion & the Kingdom of God
Here’s an important diagnostic question for American Christians to ask themselves: “Does my vision for the kingdom of God rely on coercively imposing righteousness on my neighbors?” Said another way, “Do I see the kingdom of God as something that should be forced upon people against their will? Are people coerced into the kingdom of God or invited into it?”
Prayer Note #70: Love instead of Anger, Fear, Violence, & Cruelty
“Lord, I live in a world of anger, fear, violence, and cruelty. It is hard for me not to be swept away and molded by these ugly passions that swirl around me. . . ."
Gary Chorpenning's Notebooks 