by Allen Ray Johnson | Apr 14, 2023 | Church, Economics, Following Jesus, Responsibility, Uncategorized
By St. Augustine, John Chrysostom, and Basil the Great The Plough is a publication of the Bruderhof, a Christian community of sharing goods. The introduction to some teachings of these three early Christian fathers begins, “In an age when Christianity is comfortably entwined with consumer capitalism, the early Christians’ passion for social and economic justice can come as a shock. From the first days of Christianity, the duty to care for the poor and marginalized was at the center of the gospel. Jesus preached a way of life free of possessions, the first church in Jerusalem abolished private property, and… Read More
by Allen Ray Johnson | Apr 5, 2023 | Apocalypse, Atrocities, Church, Following Jesus, Responsibility, War
The caption to this picture is the following: “An Iraqi family reacts after three family members, innocent civilians, were shot and killed by U.S. Marines in an incident in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 9, 2003.” (Photo by Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) This picture hurts my heart. Look at the pain of the mother and surviving children at the murder of their children. Yes, murder, because the U.S. invasion of Iraq was justified by blatant lies propagandized by cowardly inept news media to the gullible American public still seething over the 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center… Read More
by Allen Ray Johnson | Mar 22, 2023 | Atrocities, Church, Following Jesus, Responsibility, Scandal, War
Jesus said to those who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31). Jesus counters HIs truth with lies, saying of the Devil,.. “that he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels is inaccurately credited with originating “The Big Lie” that ““If you tell a lie big enough and… Read More
by Allen Ray Johnson | Apr 14, 2022 | Church, Following Jesus, Hope, Miracle
by Allen Ray Johnson | Jan 6, 2022 | Church, Following Jesus, Uncategorized
According to vast millions of Christians, the Bible is the Word of God. Mathematically and linguistically, we could formulate the following: The Bible = The Word of God. And, The Word of God = The Bible. To those millions who hold to an inerrantist view of the Bible, arguments over the validity of a scripture passage can come down to the following: “It says it, I believe it, that settles it.” Along comes independent scholar Rodger Lawson Cragun, who not only challenges the Bible equals the Word of God, but audaciously and provocatively claims this doctrine is a harmful “ultimate”… Read More
by Allen Ray Johnson | Sep 27, 2021 | Atrocities, Church, Following Jesus, Scandal
We can only understand Jesus’ teaching in the context of his gospel of the kingdom. Jesus taught that the long-expected messianic kingdom was actually breaking into history in a powerful way in his actions and disciples. And Jesus’ teaching explained how Jesus expected his followers to live in that new kingdom. It is clear that Jesus intended his ethical teaching to be for everyone, not only some little group. At the end of his gospel, Matthew reports that Jesus sent his disciples into the whole world not only to baptize those who believe but to teach them “everything I have… Read More
