Extreme Servanthood

I am irrevocably pro-life. I should probably say that now because there is a point in writing these that I did not sound prolife, but, hang on, we will get there. Embracing a particular position does not require a person to embrace every position, argument, or methodology associated with it.           Today, I drove by a yard full of crosses. Each one represents children killed by abortion in Allen county. It was meant to be (and is) a chilling sight. It is also an exceptionally divisive one that leaves no room for conversation. Even my language of “children killed by abortion” is divisive. Someone who has studied the science and ethics, yet does not believe that a fetus is a child will---at best--- roll their eyes at the drama in much the same way I react to people who call themselves “dog grandparents.” Yet with over 600,000 abortions in 2016, this is not an issue that Christians can regulate to the gallery of political hot-button issue...

           Imagine that you are a parent. Your home country is plagued by poverty to the point that your friends and neighbors regularly die of hunger, preventable diseases, and dirty water. What jobs are available do not pay enough to support your family. Crime is rampant to the point it is unsafe for your teenage daughters to leave the home alone. And corruption is so common that these criminals are rarely punished. Education is mandatory, but insufficient. Healthcare is prohibitively expensive. There is a possibility of a better, safer, more secure future for your children a few hundred miles away. What kind of parent would you be if you did not risk everything for the chance your children could have a better future? What kind of law could keep you from at least trying?           People do not illegally immigrate because they are bored and want to travel; they do it because it is the best chance for t...

In his first epistle, John spotlights the love of God. For him, love is not a vague, fluffy feeling; it is raw, radical, and dominating in a Christian’s life. Love is objectively measurable in human actions: “ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" (I Jn 3:17). And a Christian’s love for God is objectively measurable by his love by his for his Christian family: “ Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (I John 4:20). If this seems like a harsh distinction, it is. And nowhere in this book does John qualify it or water it down. He truly seemed to believe that if someone’s actions are hateful towards a brother or sister, they lack the love of God.   If we express our love for our brothers and sisters by our actions and truth, what actions sh...

     There is a classic story of the drowning man who was waiting for God to save him; a boat, a helicopter, and a canoe came by, and the man turned their help down because he was waiting for God to save him. When he finally drowns and gets to heaven, he asks God why he did not save him, and God answers, “I sent you a boat, a helicopter, and a canoe. What more did you want?” Many white evangelicals may have a similar conversation with God when they meet him. They will ask, “We had prayer weeks, and massive prayer gatherings, and hours spent alone in prayer, asking for revival, asking to see churches grow, asking to see more Christians in America. Why did we never see it?” And God will respond, “I sent you new Christians by the millions; there are new churches being planted in American by the hundreds; I have churches in America that are reaching the unchurched by the thousands. Maybe you couldn’t see them over the wall you were building to keep them out?”   ...

          To understand a Christian model for thinking about immigration, we must take a step back from our preconceived ideas about one of the Bible’s greatest women--- one of only two women to have biblical books named after them--- Ruth. Ruth was an immigrant. Born in the land, language, and religion of Moab, she married an Israelite man, who himself was an immigrant. His family had migrated from Israel to Moab during one of Israel’s economic downturns looking for better work and economic opportunities. Once there, he and his brother both married Moabite women (Ruth and Orpah). Over time, all three men in the family died, leaving Ruth, Orpah, and their mother-in-law Naomi, alone. After hearing that the economy had improved in her hometown of Bethlehem, Naomi decided to return home. Orpah understandably decides to stay with her people and family in Moab, but Ruth vows to never leave Naomi and follows her back to Israel.     ...

In Matthew 22, a group of Jews asked Jesus if they should pay taxes to Caesar. For the Jews, this was a religious question. There was no separation between religion and government. Until the unwanted rise of Herod the Great, the Jews had been led by the priests--- they were the clergy, the Congress, and--- when uncircumcised Greeks tried to desecrate their Temple-- the generals. Romans also blended religion and government--- Caesar was Lord, Emperor, and God. The Jews thought they had Jesus backed into a corner. If he said to pay taxes, that was blasphemy against Yahweh God who should be the head of the Jewish government. If he said not to, that was blasphemy against the man-God Caesar. Either one was punishable by death. Instead, Jesus rejected the premise that loyalty to a government was a religious requirement. He told them to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Mt 22:21). This is one of the first times in western history that someone attempted to separate ...

          Despite being overwhelmingly made up of brave and selfless men and women, American law enforcement has a problem with abuse of force and relationships with ethnic minorities. Most Americans want to support frontline responders, but are struggling with this discrepancy--- How can I support my local officers and still object to some wrong actions? Can I protest the actions of a few law enforcement officers and still support the majority? How can I both support and require accountability from our police force? To find answers, let us go back—way back—to fourth century Milan, Italy and ask the fascinating character Ambrose. Born into a wealthy, upper-class Roman family, Ambrose became the governor of Milan while still in his thirties. Milan was not an easy place to govern. Though the Roman Empire was nominally Christian, everyone from commoners to emperors brought with them ancient Roman habits, including a cycle of civil unrest. With no lega...