How can we pray in times of national crisis? Is it appropriate to grieve publicly on the Internet? Where should we focus our political efforts? What’s the significance of the Confederate flag? And what impact will Iowa’s new transgender laws have on local churches?
Get thoughtful responses to these questions from Jemar Tisby, Trevin Wax, Brent Aucoin and Joe Carter in today’s Weekend Reading.
How to Pray in Our Time of National Crisis
In light of the tragedies and deaths this week, Joe Carter offers wisdom on how to pray in times of national crisis from Lamentations.
We are mired in sorrow and pain and can’t get past the question that haunts us: “How could God let this happen? Where is he when our country needs him?” The book of Lamentations opens with a similarly bewildered and mournful query. Read More>>
Why My Grief Belongs on the Internet
In January, Jemar Tisby wrote this important piece defending the public lament. In light of this week’s tragedies, Tisby’s words are more important now than ever.
As someone who has felt burned after speaking honestly about my feelings on social media, I’m not surprised at my reluctance. But increasingly, I’m realizing that God calls us to share our grief, mainstream and popular—or not, with the very people who might hurt us. Read More>>
Christians Who Feel Marginalized Should ‘Go Local’
Do you feel marginalized from national politics? Trevin Wax has a simple yet powerful solution: Go local. He writes,
Christians belong to the Church. We are a community, not a constituency. Why go local? Because life-changing things don’t just happen in Washington, D.C. The Spirit of the living God is in your local congregation. Read More>>
More Than a Flag
At the 2016 Southern Baptist Convention, messengers passed a resolution urging Christians to refrain from displaying the Confederate battle flag. Some voices have opposed the resolution. In this article at Between the Times, historian Dr. Brent Aucoin explains why the Confederate Flag is “more than a flag.”
Whatever the Confederate Battle Flag “stood for” before the 1940s, it is a historical fact that after the 1940s it came to stand for the maintenance of white supremacy in the South. And this was not the work of some small fringe group. This was the result of the efforts of the South’s governors, legislatures, and representatives in the US Congress.
In light of this history of the Confederate Battle Flag, is it not unreasonable for African Americans in the 21st century to sense hostility towards them as a race when they see it being displayed? Read More>>
Transgender Law Threatens Iowa Churches
According to Joe Carter, a new Iowa state law would “censor the church’s teaching on biblical sexuality and would force the church to open its restrooms and showers to members of the opposite sex.” In this article, Carter explains the law’s significance.
Because the interpretation is so clearly unconstitutional, Fort Des Moines Church of Christ is likely to win the lawsuit. But the action taken by the state agency shows what churches can expect in the near future. Read More>>
What are you reading this weekend?
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