Very few things can be as divisive as religion. In free America, we are guaranteed freedom of religion. This has kept the United States a mighty nation, with its strength being derived from unity in diversity. However, many Christians believe America is a Christian Nation and should be upheld as such by civil laws. The public divide over this political issue is seen in the separation of people into diverse groups,
When it comes to abortion, Seventh-day Adventists range from providers to prominent pro-life advocates. Now the church may be revisiting its position on the controversial issue.
By Sonja DeWitt, Esq. – Christians should categorically reject such specious use of this passage–this usage is wholly inconsistent with the message of the Bible and the principles of Christianity.
All this fight over prayer should give Christians pause for thought. Have we misused prayer in our zeal to bring America back to God? Whether intended or not, many have viewed the forceful efforts of Christians to preserve public prayer as motivated by the desire to exploit it for purposes of proselytizing, promoting Christianity, or disparaging other religions.
In the book, 1984, George Orwell paints a bleak portrait of a future where Big Brother is watching everything you do, and the thought police can practically read your mind. In order to gain the support of the population, an ironically named Ministry of Truth twists the meaning of words to make terrible concepts seem acceptable with slogans such as War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; and Ignorance is Strength.
Have you ever wondered what legal mechanism existed that permitted the legalization of slavery in the United States after the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791? How it was that men, women, and children were held in bondage after Francis Scott Key wrote the famous words, "land of the free, and the home of the brave" in 1812? How segregation persisted in law until the late 1960s?
For almost 40 years Evangelical Christians, under the guise of the Religious Right, courted political power specifically through the Republican Party. As a political group, they have accomplished little of what they desired.
Yesterday, in a typical, stream-of-consciousness, rant about his self-perceived greatness, Donald Trump told an assembly of over 900 evangelical leaders in New York that he supports them.
Perhaps the strongest story of the power of forgiveness is found in the story, reported today by the Adventist Review, of Isaac Ndwaniye, the President of the East Central Rwandan Conference of Seventh-day Adventists who lost his entire family to mass genocide that was perpetrated by some of the people he has been called back to serve. If anybody ever had an excuse to abandon his calling, it is Pastor Ndwaniye.
Political careers are made by identifying, or in some cases creating, amorphous bogeymen who have nothing in mind but the destruction of "The Constitution" and the "American way of life." The call to get rid of the bogeyman and "all will be well" is a pernicious promise.
Don’t speak to me about your religion; first show it to me in how you treat other people. Don’t tell me how much you love your God; show me in how much you love all His children. Don’t preach to me your passion for your faith; teach me through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell or preach or teach, as I am in how you choose to live and give.