Archive for the ‘In The News’ Category
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009 by JEL
A book club at Kirk in the Hills church in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan is setting out to read the Bible in 90 days. The story has some good quotes from participants that touch on our motivations for creating What He Said. For instance:
“As a Christian, I thought [reading the Bible] was a good thing to do. But it’s a little intimidating to just crack it open and go cover to cover on your own.”
— Amy Maple
The founder of the Bible in 90 days program, Ted Cooper, added this:
But even though “so many people start reading the Bible, hardly anyone finishes.”
We would love to start having some Bible study groups and book clubs make What He Said their next selection.
Tags: Bible, Bible study, book club, What He Said
Posted in In The News, The Bible | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 by JEL
Too often war is viewed, usually by those far away from the front, as a glorious and heroic adventure. To those in the trenches, in the Humvees, and in the mountains of Afghanistan, it is anything but.
This past Sunday in church there was a special lay-service put together for Veterans Day. It featured World War I poetry written by those who fought and saw (and in some cases, experienced) the tragic waste of life first hand. The poems of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon were particularly powerful.
At the end of the service, they played a version of Tom Waits’s “Day After Tomorrow.” You can read the lyrics here.
On this Veterans Day I am feeling the same way I have always felt: extremely grateful for our soldiers’ service and sacrifice. And unbelievably sorry.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
Tags: Jesus, peace, veterans day, WWI poetry
Posted in In The News, Words of Christ | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 9th, 2009 by PJM
What He Said has barely gone to press and now it looks like it is already dated. Christianity Today reports that the folks behind Conservapedia have decided to rewrite the Bible so that Jesus doesn’t seem too liberal.
Among the changes . . . Jesus no longer says “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” This was removed because it makes Jesus seem soft on sin. Also, in the Conservapedia version, Jesus has apparently changed his mind about material wealth. That will certainly help the camel slip through the needle’s eye easier.
Tags: Bible, politics, wealth, Words of Christ
Posted in In The News, The Bible, Words of Christ | No Comments »
Thursday, November 5th, 2009 by JEL
I have a feeling Jesus might have a few things to say about the compensation of top executives today. Like maybe:
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the Kingdom of God.” — Matthew 19:24
Barclays CEO John Varley has a slightly different take on the matter:
“The injunction of Jesus to love others as ourselves is an endorsement of self-interest. We have to tolerate the inequality as a way to achieving greater prosperity and opportunity for all.”
You can read some more of Varley’s thoughts here.
Tags: executive pay, Four Gospels, Jesus, wealth
Posted in In The News | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 by JEL
I saw an interesting story today about leaders from nine major world faiths (Baha’ism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Shintoism, Sikhism and Taoism) getting together in at Windsor Castle to talk about mobilizing their followers to combat climate change. I especially like Bill McKibben’s quotes at the bottom of the story:
“If Earth is in some way a museum of divine intent, it’s pretty horrible to be defacing all that creation.”
“And if, in Christianity and other faiths, we are called upon above all else to love God and love our neighbours, drowning your neighbour in Bangladesh is a pretty bad way to go about it.”
Tags: climate change, faith, religious movement
Posted in In The News | No Comments »
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