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 | Mar 17, 2023 | Family, Responsibility
83 percent of married women are beaten by their husbands after the men have been drinking, according to the latest available official data. Our youngest son, Micah, and is wife, Heather, spent much of a year in Bihar state in India. Their hearts are toward the people.Because of grinding poverty and work, too many men drink alcohol excessively, and then they beat their spouses and family members. Alcohol is too often a gateway to addiction, crime, violence, accidents, and reckless behavior. I personally advocate that people avoid use of alcohol. Even if a person “can handle it,” one can tempt another to… Read More
by Allen Ray Johnson | Mar 17, 2023 | Climate, Economics, Health, Pollution, Responsibility, Scandal
by Allen Ray Johnson | Mar 17, 2023 | Atrocities, Climate, Economics, Family, Pollution, Responsibility, Scandal
Across the continent, organizations representing hundreds of millions of African farmers strongly oppose this Green Revolution model of large-scale, monocrop production reliant on chemical fertilizers. Today, agrochemical companies see Africa as the last expansion market. While an average 135kg of fertilizer is applied per agricultural hectare globally, that figure in sub-Sahara Africa is just 17kg. On the continent, smallholder farmers have been feeding hundreds of millions of people with little need for chemical fertilizers or so-called “improved” seeds. Entrenching a greater reliance on commercial inputs for African farmers is thus seen as a major opportunity for business growth. The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa… Read More