A messed up man trying to follow Jesus & make a difference. Pastor and teacher in Los Angeles. I tweet (a lot) about faith, politics, sports, tech, & LA
I don’t pretend to understand all the ins-and-outs of US debt forgiveness, but I do know a good amount of Bible. Yahweh spends much of the Torah setting up a society where debt forgiveness is built in over the course of time, and He is especially conscious of predatory lending…
I’m thankful
@marcorubio
and
@DLoesch
were willing to speak at tonight’s townhall. If we are going to get anywhere, we must be able to dialogue together, even with those we vehemently disagree with
#StudentsStandUp
“Let us abandon this exacting of interest. Return to them this very day their fields…and the percentage of money…you have been exacting from them.” (vs 9-11)
All that to say, the kingdom economic ethics Yahweh sets up are perhaps different than some expect.
/End
…and other financial injustice/oppression that can be perpetrated at the hands of lenders over lendees.
Nehemiah 5 is a famous example of those Torah principles being applied to the renewed society of Israel as the nation returned from exile.
2/
What is Nehemiah’s response? “You got yourselves into this mess! You shouldn’t have borrowed the money you couldn’t pay back!”
The opposite. “The thing you [rich lenders] are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of God to prevent the taunts of the nations..?
5/
The wives & mothers of the new Jewish society cry out to Nehemiah (the governing leader) about being indebted to their wealthier countrymen because “we have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields” (vs 4) and the resulting inability to escape the crushing debt leads…
3/
the poor into slavery. Now, because they are doubly indebted, they cry out “but it is not in our power to help it,” that is, we can’t pay off our debt because there is so much of it now and we had to sell our land/lives.
4/
Ahh, something I missed in the “SF shut down an In-N-Out!” story: The restaurant is back open serving food outdoors and takeout:
“Since the notice of closure was issued, the business has taken steps to comply and has since resumed operations for outdoor dining and takeout only”
@AngelaLMorabito
We’re only in a global pandemic because of one of those, right now. Only one of those is currently affecting our economy and long-term stability and return to normal
@TheAlanNoble
@DavidAFrench
I think it also illustrates it’s ridiculous to say the solution is to arm and train teachers. If a trained SRO can freeze up, how are we to depend on teachers to be able to do differently?
Pray for California. A family member got this from friend who works in a hospital in Southern California:
“Pray for us, s*** has hit the fan. Doctors are crying. Nurses are crying. We’re out of beds. We’re out of machines. Pray.”
For all the arguments about Christian Nationalism these days, *this* is the version I find most egregious, and most idolatrous.
It’s mixing a type of Christianity/Evangelicalism and its worshipful expressions with the victory of one side of the US aisle
“Demand is so intense at hospitals that ambulances have been instructed to not transport patients unless they meet criteria sufficient to warrant them being taken to a hospital — the kind of step L.A. County was forced to take during its winter surge.”
Anyone who has been in the
@SBCPastorsConf
for even 30 minutes cannot in any way conclude the SBC & its preachers are “drifting” away from the sufficiency of Scripture and the supremacy of Christ and the hope of the gospel. Every one of these guys is faithfully rocking it
#SBC22
Them: “Stop reading Jesus into the Old Testament”
Jude: “Now I want to remind you…that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt…” (Jude 5)
🤷🏻♂️
@EWErickson
My goodness Erick, as my Christian brother this coldness to a fellow Christian who was deported to a country he never knew with a language he never spoke and died as a result, is very discouraging. Surely there is a better way than this
Background checks would not have worked on this shooter. But a ban on buying guys until 21 (like alcohol) would work. Mandatory training before you can buy a gun would have delayed it. Taking a test (like driver’s license) and mental health analysis would have worked potentially
I'm a follower of Jesus. The values I champion are found in the Sermon on the Mount and places like Gal 5 and the Fruit of the Spirit.
It's still so very bewildering for me to see so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ defend a man who paid off a porn star after an affair
I don’t know how these men don’t watch themselves in these videos and then think about the turn they took for Trump in 2020 and beyond and not immediately think, “My God, I’ve got to repent. I’m a hypocrite.”
I truly do not understand it.
Al Mohler, March 2016 on evangelicals falling for the spell of Donald Trump:
“We are now seeing the humbling of evangelicalism in America. Let’s assume that God’s doing this in order that we are to learn from it.”
Here’s the full quote:
“We’ve counted on cultural Christianity
If the CBN candidate wins after verifiably slanderous statements and misleading tactics for months, it will indeed be significant. It will be a stain on our work for racial reconciliation and justice as well as fighting sexual abuse scandals within our midst
#SBC21
Will absolutely oppose his nomination. The CBN has been a divisive force within the SBC/Great Commission Baptists. In addition, Stone and others have led the witch hunt against Dr. Moore, among other concerns. This is not the right move for our convention
Being a middle school Bible teacher is often a wild and unpredictable ride, but today a student wrote me a note for Teachers’ Appreciation that said,
“Because of you I’m a Christian.”
And it makes all the craziness worth it. Thank you, Lord
From Andrew Cuomo to Donald Trump, both sides of the aisle show that character catches up. We do not need people who are “tough guys” when they are also immoral. We do not need political parties who say the immoral or corrupt means of their leaders justify their political ends
One of the most profound and freeing realizations for me in my Christian life was learning neither the Republican Party nor the Democratic Party fully represent the Kingdom of God. Both should be critiqued from a biblical perspective, and neither assumed to be “more biblical”
@ostrachan
What are you even talking about here, Owen? This article is mainly about groups trying to *protect* the integrity of the election and companies trying to downplay misinformation.
Indeed, Trump spent months lying about the election being “rigged” and continued afterwards.
I don’t believe we will stand before Jesus and He will ask us, “Did you significantly cover your legal liability and reduce exposure to financial risk?”
He will have things to ask us about how we treated those abused within our institutions (see Matthew 25)
@SBCExecComm
Pro-life has to win, ultimately, thoughts hearts, minds, and consciences. Doing it by means of immoral and wicked men like Trump will not accomplish this long-term goal
It’s really sad that after pro-lifers achieved the generational goal of overturning Roe, we appear to be losing the argument in the electorate.
Abortion rights keep winning, and they’ve done so again tonight. The bottom line is that majorities of voters even in red states
It is not “bible studies” which are banned. It’s any cross-household gatherings.
You can have all the bible studies you want in California, outside and social-distanced. Same with church services, for that matter.
That’s precisely why GCC is so wrong on many of their objections
For those who keep expressing denial or disbelief that county health officials in Los Angeles have banned even home Bible studies, here’s a sample of the propaganda we are regularly fed. Notice the language: *NOT PERMITTED*
This is just preaching the gospel faithfully in a secular, non-Christian setting, my friends.
Look how Paul preached in a similar setting in Acts 17 in Athens; he's quoting non-Christian poets to them to support the gospel and Christian worldview, and to get them to the cross
If you thought
#HeGetsUs
was bad, observe how the same errors were evident in this 2008 interview with Tim Keller.
Keller was asked multiple times if he thought homosexuality is a sin. The clip below comes after about three minutes of Keller speaking vaguely about the Christian
I am happy to inform all of the people living their Suburban Lifestyle Dream that you will no longer be bothered or financially hurt by having low income housing built in your neighborhood...
@Blue_Abroad
Blue, unless you can interview them, you don’t know that. Several of the FL teachers today said they WOULDN’T want guns, even having gone through it
John Piper, 2007:
“I don’t have a clue why I’m so sad. That season lasted several years.”
John MacArthur:
“It lasted several years??” (Listen to his tone.)
Piper: “What’s great about depression is the light at the end of the tunnel.”
.
@drmoore
is right: As a young preacher I’ve been told already by other wise, godly preachers when I speak to racism and injustice and DACA, etc, that “going political” will only alientate people. It’s better to “unite”
#MLK50Conference
Contrary to
@bradjurkovich
’s claim here that the
@ERLC
“misrepresents the vast majority of Southern Baptists,” the ERLC’s positions have a history of lining up with resolutions voted on by the SBC messengers through the years, and of course they line up with the BFM2K
So much is at stake for Southern Baptists as we gather for our Convention in June. Watch this clip from our new video resource, and see the full video here:
See you in Nashville!
@JackieHillPerry
You didn’t have to explain yourself, Jackie. Anyone with an ounce of grace and charity knew exactly what you were saying, and agree with you it’s a beautiful moment
@ostrachan
It’s hysteria like this Owen that led people to join a seditious mob because there was a “sinister movement colluding to unseat Trump.” 5 people died. One was a police officer. Hundreds were injured. People took their own lives afterwards.
Just stop. 1 Timothy 1:3-7
Leaked Audio From 80 Internal TikTok Meetings Shows That US User Data Has Been Repeatedly Accessed From China Shocking but not surprising story from
@ebakerwhite
@BuzzFeedNews
@Blue_Abroad
Again, even if that 20% wants it, we have to consider parents’ rights over the environment of their children’s classrooms. Parents have a right to say “I don’t want guns in my child’s classroom, no matter what”
I really wish our SBC seminaries would just set a good example and follow the mandates and get vaccinated (plus exemptions). This is a fight that doesn’t *have* to happen, and I fear more damage to the witness of the gospel from lawsuits like this than are worth the trouble
Southern Seminary challenges Biden's vaccine mandate
-
"The Biden administration’s decision to mandate vaccines... is unlawful and compels employers... to divert resources from their important mission of training future ministers."
@AllianceDefends
@SBTS
Another one from a different nurse friend:
“Things are bad bad here. I’m feeling overwhelmed, honored to be a nurse who can help but also feeling like we can’t do enough. We’re out of beds, ICU is full. This is very difficult.”
The CBN, I fear, is a cancer on our denomination/convention. They have continuously been divisive and slanderous. This accusation of Dr. Akin is another example. Their leadership should not be commended or voted for in any SBC leadership capacity
My son is foreign born; adopted from China. I’m so grateful citizenship in our country makes him as much of an American as I am. We’re proudly raising him to be a productive American citizen in this country and wherever God might take him. So yes, I think that’s pretty great
Roy: We have 51.5 million people who are foreign born in the US. They have about 20-25 million kids. That puts that well over 20% of our population. It's the highest such number in the history of our country. People say, isn't that great? Is it?
Our 9-year-old daughter told us she wanted to put her faith in Jesus and follow Him tonight. Talked over it for a long time before praying.
Thank you, Jesus.
Let’s take the far RIght’s word for it: It was all 100% Antifa. Completely Antifa’s fault.
Why wasn’t there security to stop them?
Why did the President send a video saying he loved them and was with them?
Why did he affirm they were protesting because the election was stolen?
@albertmohler
Dr. Mohler, I have long respected your leadership. Please apologize for supporting this wicked man and for calling other believers to support and vote for him. Repentance is in order
@EWErickson
I didn’t say he should get to stay, but that there must be a better way. And it was a reaction to your seeming coldness that was a concern, as my brother in Christ
Thankful for Ed saying this. It shouldn’t be controversial to state a scientific fact and reality, and yet, he is going to get a ton of heat for this.
Appreciate your leadership, Ed.
.
@bartbarber
makes a great point that the SATF wasn’t a legal investigation, it was the SBC messengers using their power to investigate their own entities, which is why waiving of attorney client privileged by the Exec Committee was necessary, as voted on by the messengers
#SBC22
@ToddFriel
How about this, brother?
“Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8-9
@andrewtwalk
Hold up, would you apply this to all SCOTUS decisions if a state disagrees with the constitutionality of it? That’s shaky ground for our system of government
@HawleyMO
Senator, please don’t repeat the mistake that led to one of the worst days in American history. Your actions along with others led to violence that day, please don’t do it again
Did we seriously just have a question about Tiger King to the president of the United States in a press conference during the greatest health crisis in 100 years?!
Disrupting houses of worship should be off-limits for everyone. I was a part of a LA Mayoral dialogue in a Jewish Temple last month that was disrupted and shut down due to protestors like this. This is a worship SERVICE. It’s beyond the pale
No. Just no. This is the type of ridiculous attributing Scripture out of context to something directly in the United States that we’ve seen on the Right. It’s no less wrong when the Left does it.
The Kingdom of the United States ≠ The Kingdom of God
President Biden quotes from the Book of Isaiah before a moment of silence for service members:
“When the Lord says, ‘Who shall I send?’ … The American military has been answering for a long time, ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me.’”
@albertmohler
Dr. Mohler, I appreciate your cultural and political commentary. Any thoughts on the unprecedented undermining of our democracy from President Trump in overturning election results? Any commentary on someone in the highest office so profusely lying right now?
We have a long history of supporting our communities and employees - this time is no different. That’s why we are using our supply and logistics network to begin producing and distributing bottles of hand sanitizer to accommodate the growing needs across the United States.
"Loving your own is natural."
Jesus said it like this, "If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them"-Lk 6:32
Jesus doesn't call us to be "natural," but to gospel-saturated love and sacrifice. Adoption is a great example
There is no moral obligation to adopt children. Not from the ghetto, Sudan, or Russia.
Contra the trendy movement led by Russ Moore & David Platt, the gospel does not require adoption.
In fact, it is often unwise & detrimental to do so. Loving your own is natural, not sin.