As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“In some corners, ‘Christian Nationalism’ is used as a synecdoche to dispense with anything unpopular about Christianity. If one does not like something about Christianity—say, its teaching on sexuality and family relations—just accuse it of self-serving power-seeking, and it can be discredited.” - Public Discourse
“1. Creativity and work. God the Creator tasked human beings with labor even in the Garden of Eden. This work allows us to refine, purify, and fructify His handiwork. While this does not make human beings co-creators – for only God created all things ex nihilo – it gives us a canvas on which to display the creativity God implanted inside all His children.” - Acton
Man-made laws are a mixed bag. Motivations range from desire to build a better society to desire to pander to a constituency, increase personal power, settle a score, or cover up wrongdoing. Even when well meant, laws often bring unintended consequences.
Rule of law, though, is better. As an alternative to the rule of mere men, it’s a rare and precious blessing. A portion of the Oxford English Dictionary definition captures what I mean by the term.
“Acton is a headline sponsor of the event this year, and our Journal of Markets & Morality is also sponsoring the conference. The journal has published a number of items focused on Abraham Kuyper and neocalvinist social thought over the years.” - Acton
From DBSJ 21 (2016); posted with permission. Read the series.
Does this passage have any contemporary significance? It has direct significance on the matter of caring for widows today. But it has additional significance in offering principles for broader issues for the church’s social responsibilities.
Since Paul’s teaching does not seem linked solely to local culture and since it parallels the practice of the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 6), churches should take seriously the responsibility to care for true widows as described in this passage. Caring for widows will most likely be an increasing issue for churches.
“This idea is that we can achieve a perfect world through the government. While this idea has had many names—liberalism, progressivism, collectivism, communitarianism, socialism—Cleveland argues the real name for each of these movements is utopianism.”
“[W]hen we hear reports that between 14 and 16 percent of Americans are living in poverty, few people bother to ask, “Are they talking about consumption or income?”
“[W]hile the individual effects—women and girls being freed—are laudatory, the long term effect of implementing the policy on a large scale could be disastrous.”
“Despite a wealth of social science research showing that children do best when raised by their biological, married mother and father, PolitiFact rated this claim ‘false’ after Tony Perkins… stated it on Fox News Sunday.” CPost
“A coalition of 15 evangelical church-based denominations that represent more than 28,500 churches launched national efforts Tuesday to provide free to low-cost legal services to immigrants…”
Discussion