Most of the music you hear on these channels has little, if anything, to do with Jesus, and, in the off chance it does, it most likely won't be performed in a way that lends itself to the mystery of the Incarnation. Advent is supposed to be a time of reflection and contemplation, and what we listen to should further this goal. Since Spotify, Pandora and Music Choice aren't likely to be of much help, we need to create our own "channels."
There is only one answer to the racial divide in this country, and the Church needs to supply it.
For the first seventy or so years of Christianity's existence, the Greco-Roman world paid it relatively little attention. There were persecutions here and there (like the one that claimed the lives of Peter and Paul). But, for the most part, it wasn't until the second century that their pagan neighbors began to focus their attention on just how different Christians were.
Want to offend a Millennial? You could just open your Bible and read it in front of him. But if you live out the teachings of Scripture, you just might win him over.
In America, a city government has demanded that religious leaders turn over their sermons or face contempt of court charges, even possibly jail time. Words fail me. This is beyond outrageous. We have been warning for years that our religious liberties are in peril in every aspect of life.
Nearly eighteen centuries after the Plague of Cyprian, Christianity still prompts people to run towards the plague when virtually everyone else is running away. Now as then, this power confounds and confuses Christianity's critics.
For years the "pro-choice" crowd fought to change the subject whenever pro-lifers brought the debate back to the central question: are the unborn human? After all, you can't just choose to kill a human, no matter how inconvenient he or she might be.
The seven deadly sins are also called capital sins. What makes these sins deadly is that they're spiritually corrupting. Whereas Christian charity inclines our hearts toward the love of God and neighbor, the seven deadly sins imprison us through a kind of self-worship.
You can call it what you want. Airstrikes. Limited military action. Leading a coalition. But let's face it, the U.S. is at war again in the Middle East. In times like these, I can't help but wonder what my friend Chuck Colson would have thought.
It's easy to forget that every human being is made in God's image – even those behind bars.
