The question as to whether saints in Christ have an obligation to engage and promote social action in the world has often been resisted and even refuted by the church on the basis that the she is not called either to change culture or the world. Of course, the reaction to this self-imposed seemingly uncomfortable and awkward stance has exposed Christians to the charge they are detached, removed and uncaring about the world. This is not quite accurate and I would like to examine the reason for the saints' awkwardness towards the call to do justice. Also, I would like to propose what is the saint's obligation towards doing justice with this question: How does spirituality relate to justice? First, it is necessary to understand what the saints have on hand before stepping out to do justice.
Wednesday, August 23, 2017
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Ezra: Put away your wives
the marriage of non-believer and believer
This week my daily reading through the scriptures took me through Ezra in the Old Testament and I Corinthians 7 in the New Testament. There is a relevant reference concerning unbelieving spouses in both passages which is significant. When Ezra was informed that the holy race had intermingled through marriage with the people of the land he was appalled. He called on Israel to follow his proposal and to put away those foreign wives. (Ezra 9 & 10) It is a fair question to ask if what Ezra commanded was pleasing in the sight of the Lord. Ezra and Nehemiah, as priests, understood the importance of not only reading the scriptures, but working to explain the law to the people. The scripture notes that there were children involved in some of those marriages which were dissolved. Here are some brief observations with the primary focus on Ezra. I hardly think my observations are new or original.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Why did Jesus not choose any women to wash their feet?
Some of you probably recognize the title of this article. It is a take on the retort from some brothers and sisters when the discussion revolves around our sisters in ministry: Why did Jesus not choose any women to be apostles? It sounds impressive. It sounds informative. It sounds knowledgeable. It is none of these.
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