As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“…something happened to me when I saw an advertisement for ‘Let’s go Brandon’ apparel and thought about buying it. Out of nowhere, a thought popped into my head: ‘Honor the king’ (1 Pet. 2:17).” - Robin Schumacher
(Posted in July of 2020)
My thoughts below predate COVID-19, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or churches defying public health emergency orders. Last fall, different controversies were exposing problems in how believers evaluate conflicting claims and decide what to believe.
But those problems are still with us, and the current raft of controversies is exposing them even more painfully.
“The root problem with critical theory is not how the American story is told, but in pre-empting any critique or debate. That sort of thinking cannot be successfully countered by emulating it. The only way to fight bad ideas is with better ones.” - Breakpoint
“In his recently-released book, Faithful Presence: The Promise and the Peril of Faith in the Public Square, Haslam draws upon his years of experience to highlight the redemptive role of faith in politics while offering biblical insight into the hot-button issues of today.” - C.Post
“It’s using one standard for LeBron and another for Trump. It’s accusing the one and excusing the other. It’s saying, ‘Someone with as much influence as LeBron needs to be more responsible,’ while at the same time claiming, ‘Yes, Trump was the most powerful man on the planet, but he was just venting.’” - Michael Brown
“If I had to summarize the last four years in a single phrase, it would be simple—it’s been a time of testing. This time of testing has broken us and divided us. It’s divided us between those who are honest and those who lie, the cruel and the kind, the principled and the hypocrites, between the courageous and the cowardly…. this is not a matter of left and right—or of Trump and anti-Trump.” - David French
“…our citizens are not impressed or happy with either party to the point that relatively small numbers of Americans believe that either party’s policies are moving the country in the right direction.” - The Dispatch
One of the most frustrating aspects of the recent civil unrest in America for me, has been trying to figure out what people mean by what they say. Am I at fault for failing to understand the plain meaning of simple words, or are the words themselves intended to obscure the real intentions of the speaker?
I am beginning to suspect it’s the latter. It seems that words are being used in a manner intended to hide, not reveal what the speaker actually means.
My thoughts below predate COVID-19, masks, hydroxychloroquine, or churches defying public health emergency orders. Last fall, different controversies were exposing problems in how believers evaluate conflicting claims and decide what to believe.
But those problems are still with us, and the current raft of controversies is exposing them even more painfully.
“ ‘Follower of Jesus.’ A follower of Jesus myself, I normally like to see those words on someone’s Twitter profile. Lately, however, I’m reluctant to scroll down for fear that this same follower has cussed out a politician on the social media platform or tweeted nasty things at a person they disagree with.” - Dan Darling
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