I just browsed through the stories in my Facebook News feed. I found something in common with these headlines: Pastor Who Told Congregation They Didn’t Have to Wear Masks Hospitalized in ICU with COVID-19 Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton Are Feeling “Stretched to Their Limit” The worst coronavirus outbreaks are happening in these 15 citiesContinue reading “What the news tells us about our hearts”
Author Archives: Elizabeth Whitworth
#Thoughts&Prayers
Not long ago, #InsteadOfThoughtsAndPrayers was trending on Twitter. I’d like to offer an alternative: #InAdditionToThoughtsAndPrayers. Sure, it would max out my tweet character limit, but it would send a message. With all the suffering and tragedy in the world, thoughts and prayers are indeed not enough, so I get why many people are frustrated byContinue reading “#Thoughts&Prayers”
Good and evil: temporary travel companions
When I read the first pages of the Bible, I notice that the word “good” comes up frequently. The first use of the word “good” in the Bible is in Genesis 1:4, when “God saw that the light was good.” The word is used seven times in Genesis 1, culminating in this: “God saw everythingContinue reading “Good and evil: temporary travel companions”
How to keep your brother from starting a cult
Let’s say that you have a brother named Clive, and people claim that he’s perfect. I mean, he has never done anything wrong. You would know better, right? You know for a fact that he cheated on his sixth grade history exam as well as his first girlfriend, and he is a jerk on Twitter.Continue reading “How to keep your brother from starting a cult”
Why a Protestant would like the idea of purgatory
The image above is a depiction of souls burning in the flames of Purgatory as displayed on the facade of the Church of Ánimas (Capilla de Ánimas) in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Source/License “The practice of praying for the dead is, I think, the fundamental origin of the doctrine of purgatory. … We often wantContinue reading “Why a Protestant would like the idea of purgatory”
Haiku in the summertime
Sunlight becomesmomentary diamondson the water. I love the challenge of haiku. Reading it and writing it. Haiku in English, that is. I’m as equipped to write authentic Japanese haiku as I am to write actuarial valuation reports. I don’t even know what I just said. Still, English haiku has its demands that make it aContinue reading “Haiku in the summertime”
Should Christians obey the laws of government?
You might remember a couple of years ago when then Attorney General Jeff Sessions invoked the Bible to defend the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration law. What exactly did Sessions say in a speech to law enforcement officers on June 14, 2018? I checked four sources and came up with two different versions. (That should remindContinue reading “Should Christians obey the laws of government?”
Our future depends on history’s most compelling event
Is history’s most compelling event the opening night of Private Lives? I love words and old stuff, so I listen to a BBC radio program from the last century called My Word! Panelists are quizzed on words, literature, and the like. In one episode, the panelists were asked, If you could be present at any historical event,Continue reading “Our future depends on history’s most compelling event”
When do you talk religion and politics?
How wild and crazy was I during my youth? I shared my religious and political views with abandon. Oh, the stories I could tell … Over time, I’ve made adjustments to the way I communicate. In my experience, addressing hot-button topics on Facebook often does more harm than good. Also, spending time on social mediaContinue reading “When do you talk religion and politics?”
4 ways to figure out what’s true and what isn’t
Feeling inundated with information about COVID-19? Before that, perhaps it was the impeachment or Brexit or The Bachelor finale. How do you know what bits of information are true? Here are a few ways to get closer to the truth about anything: 1 Consult multiple reliable sources. See where the consensus lies. 2 Use commonContinue reading “4 ways to figure out what’s true and what isn’t”
