“The Justice of God in the Punishment of the Sinner”
Part II in a rejoinder to “All Things New” by Terryl and Fiona Givens.
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The Natural Man Is an Enemy to God
A Friendly Rejoinder to Fiona and Terryl Givens’ “All Things New: Rethinking Sin, Salvation, and Everything in Between,” in Three Parts.
For This Cause Have I Been Lifted Up
In Christ’s own words of explanation for His final dark days, there are profound symbolic teachings about the glorious resurrection and perfect judgment that will follow for all of us.
Anything But The Cross
It’s often suggested that LGBT+ folks are being unfairly asked to surrender too much in the Church. While it’s a big ask, it’s nothing less than He asks from all of His followers.
Trauma Healing as a Sacred Gospel Practice
Believers in Jesus know exactly what to do when we’ve been hurt by our own (sinful) actions— thanks to the practice of repentance. But when we are hurt by someone else’s actions, the pathway forward is far less clear.
God’s Staggering Faithfulness to Us
Ancient accounts of the covenant are (mis)taken by modern eyes to be legalistic and punitive—rather than the grace-filled entreaty of a God to His beloved people.
The Hope Resurrection Provides Here and Now
Talk of resurrection usually hearkens to a day far off into the future when all will be made right—with little reference to the fears and despairs crowding us right now.
Reaching for a Zion Beyond Partisan Warfare
It’s important to raise our voices to defend truth. But especially in confusing and difficult moments, it’s also important to come together to seek a better understanding of the full truth of a matter.
A Better Conversation about HB 11
The problem with HB 11 was not its failure to reach compromise on the question of transgender athletic participation, but limiting its scope to a single question, where only one set of competing interests could be served in the end.
Russian Priest Protests Ukraine Invasion + Today’s Digest
Our daily rundown of the articles from around the web that we feel our readers would enjoy and appreciate. We hope to highlight the best of what’s around. Public Square Bulletin recommends: For Russian priest protesting Ukraine invasion, a mixture of defiance and concern Jack Jenkins – Religion News Services Rev. Ioann Burdin first wrote a letter against the Russian war in Ukraine in late February. He eventually started praying for peace in his church, and within a few weeks the police were contacting his parishioners. His journey is essential reading. God’s Paradoxical Path Meagan Kohler – Mirabile Dictu Starting from a reflection on General Conference, Meagan Kohler concludes, “The world will change when you change yourself.” She bemoans those stuck in perpetual fist-shaking at the heavens. Naw! Nobody in the Title IX wars is asking LGBTQ questions about religious schools Terry Mattingly – Get Religion The Washington Post recently spoke about a new application of Title IX rules. But though the change will effect more than 7,000 religious schools the reporting on the issue ignores the question of religion entirely leaving a major hole in their reporting on the matter. The Women Who Restored Moral Philosophy Paul Dicken – The American Conservative As World War II began, four women took positions at Oxford University. They found the moral philosophy of the academy severely lacking. Watching the horrors of WWII shook them from their complacency. This fascinating story is worth your time. To the columnist who questioned why we ‘half’ to do general conference — let me answer Hanna Seariac – Deseret News In Monday’s Conference run down, I shared a quip in response to a columnist asking why we even have General Conference. Hanna Seariac takes the question much more seriously and gives it a much fuller answer, definitely worth a read.
Sean Penn models … civility?
Actor and activist Sean Penn can certainly never be faulted for the passion or sincerity of his convictions. Much the same could be said for entertainment commentator Sean Hannity. But civility is hardly a word often associated with either. So I wanted to point out an important conversation between the two Seans that occurred last night on Fox News. Hannity had learned that Penn was filming a documentary in Ukraine when the conflict began. And reached out for an interview, and while Penn started the interview by telling Hannity that he didn’t trust him. But Penn eventually discusses how as an American he has a luxury “to indulge my lack of trust, which it becomes a petty thing.” But that witnessing the resistance of the Ukrainian people he noted that they didn’t have that luxury. The two merely agreed to disagree about the role President Biden has played in the conflict, and focused instead on their shared commitment to the good of the people of Ukraine. While it might be sad that a simple civil conversation is worthy of note, the reality is that this level of discourse is something which we would do well to aspire to more often. Perhaps it’s good we are gaining the perspective to see it.