Posts Tagged ‘Current Affairs’
Biblically, What Can and Can’t We Say about COVID-19?
One of the tremendous benefits of a crisis is that it forces people to think. We have a strong tendency when things are good to go on “autopilot,” become absorbed with our routine, live for frivolous pleasures, and distract ourselves to death. But when business as usual suddenly comes to a halt, the game is…
Read MoreA Journal of the Plague Year
What follows are excerpts from Daniel Dafoe’s book, A Journal of the Plague Year. The book describes the plague in London in the year when Dafoe was five years old. Thus, though it appears an eyewitness account, some consider the book “historical fiction.” Most acknowledge that Dafoe got his facts straight, so the story vividly…
Read MoreGod’s Grace in the Narrow Place
Are you feeling stressed? These are difficult days. You find yourself going through times of stress (interrupted by distress). As a believer, what should you do? Turn away from your distractions for a few moments to consider the relief offered to you in Psalm 4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!…
Read MoreConfined to Quarters
Following his bold testimony at the Diet of Worms, for his protection, friends had Martin Luther imprisoned in Wartburg Castle. Initially, he did not know who captured him or the place of his confinement. While the drama of the Reformation raged on in the world outside, Luther remained in seclusion for nearly a year. During…
Read MoreYou Cannot Worship with Your Church, but Don’t Skip Family Worship!
As you know, we truly are living in unprecedented times for society and for the church. Not since the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918 have churches in America cancelled services like they are doing now and never has this happened on such a massive scale. Obedience to government, love for neighbor, and wisdom all say…
Read MorePlagues in the Bible
The Corona Virus Pandemic is bigger than politics and bigger than any one nation. It is what God is doing in our world. What God is doing is bigger than anything you will hear on the news. He is working an eternal work, to bring us to Him, to bring us to repentance. So, from…
Read MoreSeeing God’s Sovereignty in Our Suffering
“These are the times that try men’s souls…” the well-known words of poet Thomas Paine came to mind as I drove to the grocery store yesterday in my fearless quest to acquire the rare jewel of toilet paper. Never in my short lifetime has the world faced such so much uncertainty. The hopelessness, despair, and…
Read MoreWhat Does the Bible Say about Pandemics?
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease called COVID-19 has surprised many of us. Yet infectious outbreaks and pandemics are nothing new. They’ve occurred throughout history and the Bible mentions them a lot, especially in the Old Testament (OT). So, what does the Bible say about pandemics? Pestilence English Bible translations frequently translate a related Hebrew…
Read MoreWhy Does God Allow Death?
On January 26, 2020, our world reeled, hearing of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. He was just 41 years old. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in the crash. Our hearts sink just thinking about the family members still alive who bear the burden of this news. I was personally moved, because I can understand…
Read MoreThe Sword and the Famine and the Pestilence
These days, the paramount thing on everyone’s mind is the Corona Virus pandemic. Schools are closing or shifting to “online only” formats. Churches wrestle with how and when to meet, if at all. Stores grapple with panic buying (even hoarding) of staple items. Headlines are apocalyptic – you only need turn to any one of…
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