Actually, evil strikes every day. But some days evil is so horrific that it’s headlined on the evening news.
This past weekend five shootings across the US made the news.
Three separate shootings occurred outside the Milwaukee Bucks arena following their loss to the Boston Celtics in game 6. Fortunately, no one died. But 29 were injured.
On Sunday afternoon a shooter killed one person and wounded five others at the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, California. Continue reading
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Recently Nancy Kennedy the religion writer for our Citrus County Chronicle related receiving a letter from a reader asking if it was right to pray for the death of one’s enemy.
The reader said her preacher had prayed for Vladimir Putin’s demise, referring to him as “the evil one.”
Yesterday President Biden called Putin a “war criminal.” In view of the destruction of Ukraine, the attacks on hospitals, schools, and the death of civilian women and children, I can’t disagree with that. Continue reading
Andrew Moroz is a Ukrainian-American preacher who reports that Christians in his home country are “putting their faith into practice” and shining the light of Christ despite not knowing what will remain of their homeland after the war, as reported by Michael Foust on ChristianHeadlines.com
Moroz says it’s both “beautiful” and “heartbreaking” to see how churches have responded to the Russian invasion.
In describing how people were helping, encouraging, and serving one another in such dire circumstances, Moroz said, “By God’s grace we can overcome evil with good.” Continue reading
I woke up this morning somewhat disquieted in spirit. I’m not sure why.
From about 3 a.m. until after 4:00 a.m., I laid in bed with my mind racing from one thought to another. I didn’t feel like getting up. But I didn’t feel like laying there awake.
I wish I had already written my post for today, but I had procrastinated. Again. What to write? Continue reading
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“Horrific,” was the word Broward country Sheriff Scott Israel kept repeating in yesterday’s news conference describing the aftermath of the school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
“It’s catastrophic,” Israel said, as he recounted the events that left 17 dead and 15 wounded, some seriously fighting for their lives. “There really are no words.” Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie called it “a horrific situation.” Continue reading
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Suffering is a part of the human experience. Jesus told the apostles in John 16:33, “In this world, you’re going to have trouble. You’re going to have tribulation.” But he didn’t explain why.
In midst of his pain and anguish, Job observed, “Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). But he still didn’t understand why.
Yesterday, we began answering a question from one of our readers regarding the issue of suffering in the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting and as it relates to the book of the Job. If you missed yesterday’s post, read it first for context. Continue reading
A Barna Poll once asked, “If you could ask God one question and you knew He would give you an answer, what would you ask?”
The most common response was, “Why is there pain and suffering in the world?”
In the aftermath of what is being called “The Mandalay Massacre” similar questions are being raised. One of our regular readers, Stephen, asked if I would write about the Las Vegas shooting as it relates to the Book of Job. “One specific question I have (with a Book of Job context) — is it reasonable for Christians to expect God to protect us from the prowl of Satan?” Continue reading
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“You think you’re going to be safe in church,” said Mike McPherson, as he waited at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on Sunday for updates on his friend Joey Spann.
Spann is the minister at Burnette Chapel church of Christ, where a gunman, identified by police as 25-year-old Emanuel Kidega Samson, entered the building at the conclusion of worship last Sunday and began “indiscriminately shooting at people,” police said, wounding six people. Continue reading
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Yesterday morning after writing and publishing my post, I went outside to get the newspaper–The Dallas Morning News. There it was in bold black letters on the front page. AMBUSH.
Numerous articles described the horrific and chaotic scene Thursday night when a sniper began shooting police officers during a peaceful protest in downtown Dallas.
Turning on the local TV station filled in the up to date details of the heart breaking tragedy that ensued. The attack on the Dallas police is ironic. By all accounts the DPD has been a model to other cities in terms of community relations. Reforms in the past six years of excessive force complaints have dropped from 147 to 13. The murder rate in Dallas is the lowest since 1930. Continue reading
A commercial airliner is shot down over Ukraine. 298 people tragically lost their lives. And pro-Moscow separatists tied to Russian President Putin are alleged to be the perpetrators of this horrific act of violence.
At the same time we are witnessing another bloody conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The latest confrontation was sparked by the murder of three young Jewish boys and the possible revenge when an 18-year-old Palestinian teen was murdered. Continue reading
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