It should make us stand up and take notice when those most eager to see a Palestinian state recognized in their own back yard are anti Hamas, whereas in Europe and the UK Hamas seems to be part of the package. When it comes to understanding both sides of a conflict, even one as lopsided as this, unrealistic ideologies will not create stability. The Arab states know this. They deserve our respect.
In the United Kingdom, a lot of evidence is confirming the existence of the so-called "quiet revival" but history tells us that new moves of the Spirit need new wine skins to help support and sustain metaphorical new wine. Church planters urgently need to be developed because church plants give structure to what God is doing outside the spotlight.
The rise of Artificial General Intelligence is now unstoppable. It is not an overstatement to say that it is transforming life on earth as humans know it. No sphere of human interaction is immune, least of all the religious sector. Now, more than ever, we need to be spiritually discerning about AI/AGI use in our faith walk. Let us take care not put our trust in something that has neither heart nor soul.
It is too easy for Christians to conflate the modern State of Israel with the biblical nation of Israel/Judah, and turn a blind eye to gross injustice and extreme cruelty. The Bible calls out and condemns many nations for the atrocities they commit. The modern State of Israel is no more an exception today than it was when God disciplined them in the Bible with exile. Christian would do well to remember this.
When life gets knotted, we often ask, ‘How on earth do I unravel this?’ The ancient world called this a Gordian Knot. While knots can be undone with brute force, followers of Jesus have numerous ways to unravel complex situations with scripture and the Holy Spirit's guidance. Here is some advice to help lead you forward.
Legislation passed in the UK to permit pregnancy termination at any point up to birth is dissonant with the public outcry against a paramedic who induced an abortion without his partner's consent. While the value of personal choice as a priority reconciles the two cases, it doesn't satisfy biblical morality. Every abortion is a loss to God, as is every life not surrendered to Jesus. Christians need to uphold human dignity rooted in this truth.
India’s famed Emperor Ashoka was an ancient convert from Hinduism to Buddhism. He demonstrated that a person is NOT forced by others to convert from one religion to another. Today, “religious conversions are forced,” is the flawed premise of all anti-conversion laws of India. Who could have forced mighty Emperor Ashoka to change his religion? The Emperor’s famous religious conversion was his choice.
Something remarkable is unfolding in Bible translation right now. On the one hand, there are decades of foundational work by a family of Bible translation organizations, on the other hand, there’s the vibrant, growing local church movement marked by an enthusiasm and a passion for reaching the unreached, and these two pathways are converging.
Orphanages are no substitute for family, yet institutional care for children persists around the world. One ministry in south eastern Africa was transformed in their thinking from an encounter with a young boy who challenged the assumption that he was better off in the care of others rather than extended family. Changes resulted in a powerful gospel witness and an increase in community well-being.
Religious leaders and communities are being asked by Ukrainian faith leaders to pray for the victory of truth and a just peace for Ukraine, confident in the knowledge that God acts in history and can change everything, including stopping the bloodshed. Ukrainian Independence Day is being tagged as a special opportunity to stand in solidarity with Ukraine.
North America, and much of the Western world, is at a cultural inflection point, and many are hungering for something more humane, expansive, and full of light. Jesus calls his followers to show the way, to make the radical choice to walk his narrow path to meaningful fulfillment, but our churches and missions seem only interested in superficial change. That will not do. We must learn afresh what it means to be exiles and dissidents.
A stranger in a strange land describes a temporary migrant to Seoul, South Korea who over four years learns to navigate its strangeness to gradually find community within the strangeness. Along the way she learned important lessons for us all to heed well—to love the stranger, for in doing so we are blessed.
