Uncategorized
-
Dealing with Unpleasant Christians
(Bits of wisdom about unpleasant church people. To be read before you go to church—especially on Communion Sunday) According to Jesus and His Communion, failure is not an option… —j
-
Before You Blame Israel, I Have Some Questions…
I recently breakfasted with a Christian friend—an articulate, intelligent gentleman who, for reasons he withheld, informed me that Israel was genocidal in Gaza and the chief aggressor in latest Middle East conflict. He was a former longtime parishioner under my pastoral ministry, but his comments, which were not open to discussion, I found extremely troubling.…
-
Why I Do Israel Tours
I do Israel Tours—here’s why…
-
Why Doesn’t God Just DO Something?
“Sometimes I want to ask God why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world when He could do something about it, but I’m afraid He just might ask me the same question…” —from a Pontius’ Puddle cartoon Remember—the church is Christ’s body, and needs to think of it as such. Since His ascension,…
-
Who We Are on July 4th
Stephen Spielberg is at it again. Frequently controversial, his latest film is no exception—a SciFi movie about things from another world. Reactions to it range from genius to heresy. But occasionally he drops a movie-moment that simply soars. Such was the climatic speech in his movie Amistad (1997), where the screenwriters inserted their two-bits into…
-
EXTRA: That Really Stupid Iran Deal and what God Says About It
‘All right, Sparky, here’s the deal…’ Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz over ceasefire violations. Message received. ‘We won—we’re on a mission from God more than ever and NOTHING will prevent our ultimate victory! Allahu Akbar!’ And what’s their openly oft-stated goal? The downfall of western civilization, the annihilation of Israel, the extinction of the…
-
Because of Bob
Bob Ayala was singing the very first time I darkened the tent flaps of Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. Some friends from Seattle has discovered the Christian tent-venue in Orange County and invited me to tag along. I was stunned. Bob was a Christian balladeer who sounded like a mixture of Jose Feliciano and Neil…
-
Cavorting in a Suicidal World
“Nothing can extinguish it. To the end of time it shall be there and shall always manifest itself, and men must never lose heart because of that. All [mankind’s ideas and struggles to create his own utopia] are absolutely worthless—the society in which utopianism is the great pursuit is the one that is about to…
-
Christian Duty in American Politics
“As Christians [in America], our challenge is to go back as close as we can to the Gospel and truly be the church. Increasingly, we’re likely to be a counter-culture. As that happens, we will be the last great defenders of reason, truth and human dignity, with the task of defending [the Faith] not just…
-
Playing Truth or Dare with God
When people invent their own truths and live by them, almost always they expect others to conform—chaos and conflict are guaranteed to follow. Then comes the finger-pointing: radical movements, inept and hypocritical politicians and worse. But as believers, we know where we stand—we stand on God’s truth. Or do we? Scripture tells us God’s standard…
Jay McCarl 