Senator Bernie Sanders has once again announced his candidacy for president of the United States. After his loss in the Democrat primaries to Hillary Clinton in 2016, he’s ready for another round in 2020 at the ripe age of 77. Along with the announcement of his candidacy, he released a campaign ad entitled “Vision” on February 19. In this ad, he lays out his, you guessed it, “vision” for his 2020 run against President Trump. But “vision” in this ad takes on a more ancient meaning. Laced with positive character traits quoted from various news outlets, the ad begins to paint a picture of Bernie’s political eschatology, starting the ad with this telling quote, “Real change never takes place from the top on down but always from the bottom on up.”

Bernie is painting a picture for the American people; a picture of a future that is fair for all races, genders, income-earners, and sexual orientations. He is arguing for a progressive future where “hate” and “bigotry” have no place and people get along with one another – a true utopia. He even goes so far as to suggest that he will help save the world from destruction with his climate change policies. The language that Bernie and his progressive party chooses to use is nothing new; its apocalyptic.

The word apocalypse simply means “unveiling” or “revelation.” On a surface level, Bernie isn’t revealing anything new to the American people, and his apocalyptic speech isn’t unique to either political party. Donald Trump used the same language (only with different enemies) in his 2016 presidential run. However, what Bernie seems to be revealing with his language is his populist strategy by which he will reorder society – revolution. This revolution won’t happen via armed militias or military coups but through language and democratic process. And like all apocalypses, there is an impending judgement awaiting those who do not take action, who do not believe. There is no room for hate.

In Bernie’s new ad, he explicitly describes what is at stake in this revolution – racial and economic equality, peace, and even the life of the planet. Bernie is a voice crying out in the wilderness of the American political landscape, “Repent for the kingdom of progress is at hand.” This kingdom of progress will bring about racial reconciliation, a cleaner environment, a comfortable wage, justice for all, free tuition for all, freedom from incarceration through educational means, and on and on.

In an interview following his announcement to run for president (CBS interview), he starts by labeling his greatest enemy to this “kingdom of progress” (Donald Trump) as a racist, sexist, homophobic xenophobe whose days are numbered. Like St. John the Baptizer, Bernie’s revolutionary vision comes with blessing for those who believe and judgement for those who do not, but he is not the revolution himself. No, he is merely revealing the one who is to come.

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“Preach the word,” Paul charges Timothy (II Tim. 4.2); “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.” (I Tim. 4.13) He is charged to be given to the Word in such a way that he will be able to guard against false doctrine, to entrust the body of doctrine received to faithful men in the congregation, and bring them up in leadership. The pastor is to be a minister of the Word, “able to teach”, and to fulfill that calling he must be a perpetual student of the Word. Scripture reading is one of the three essential acts of pastoral work described by Eugene Peterson in Working the Angles. In this post, we will converse with Peterson’s work as we briefly reflect on the ministry of the Word in pastoral work. ^a

Open Ears

Pastors are called to the ministry of Word and Sacrament, yet it is in the midst of the pastor’s vocational study of the Word, Peterson warns, that the pastor may be at risk of abandoning his work: “in reading, teaching, and preaching the Scriptures, it happens: we cease to listen to the Scriptures and thereby undermine the intent of having Scripture in the first place.” We have become so accustomed, since the invention of movable type, to think of receiving the Word in visual terms that we can forget that our primary calling in regard to God’s Word is to listen. This mindset has had a significant impact on how the Church has understood the Word of God and its place and function in the community. “The Christian’s interest in Scripture,” Peterson says, “has always been in hearing God speak…” He calls pastors to “be analytically alert to the ways in which listening to the word of God slides off into reading about the word of God, and then energetically recover an open ear.” (Working the Angles, p. 87)

1. Like my last post, I must qualify: I’m writing about pastoral work, but as an aspiring pastor, which is why I’m taking my cues here from someone with far more wisdom and experience than myself.  (back)

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It is not uncommon to celebrate days without the slightest clue of their origin. Such a day is the traditional Valentine’s Day or The Feast of Saint Valentine. “Valentine” derives from valens, which means strong, worthy, or powerful. These are apt descriptions for this little-appreciated martyr.

Tradition and legends abound. The truth is we do not know much about the life of St. Valentine.  What we do know is that around 278 AD, Valentine, a holy priest in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed. The precise day is well acknowledged as February 14th.

Claudius was known for his cruelty. His unpopular and bloody campaigns required a strong army. To Claudius’ vexation, he was not able to draw many Roman soldiers to his cause. Valentine believed that the soldiers were strongly attached to their wives and families. As a result, Claudius banished marriages and engagements in Rome.[1] Valentine believed this to be a great injustice and continued to perform marriages.

Another factor that made Valentine unpopular with Claudius was his commitment to helping persecuted Christians. Valentine was faithful to the Christ he served.

Valentine’s high disregard for the laws of Claudius the Cruel and his strong faith was cause for arresting the 3rd-century priest. “He was apprehended, and sent by the emperor to the prefect of Rome, who, on finding all his promises to make him renounce his faith ineffectual, commanded him to be beaten with clubs, and afterward, to be beheaded.”[2]

On this day, we celebrate this faithful saint who died for love; love of truth, and love for Christ; the Christ who gave His life that His Bride might live abundantly.

<>поисковый аудит акак продвинуть в яндексе

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Yes, you read that title correctly. I’m late to the game and I’m writing about New Years when I could be writing about Valentine’s Day. Some may see that as a missed opportunity, or bad marketing, but I like to think outside the box, so here we are.

With the New Year comes a new opportunity for introspection. We can look back on this period of time, one year, a helpful metric, and think on how far we’ve progressed or regressed, how we’ve grown closer to the Lord or been drawn away from Him, and we can make plans to help us improve in the coming months. Now it’s February, so you’ve had a whole month to think about it, no excuses.

And the internet is full of articles that are meant to help you take advantage of this next year to become a better you, from both Christian and non-Christian sources. Many of these articles can be beneficial, it’s good to workout and exercise, eat clean, or practice spiritual disciplines (like reading Scripture, having time for quiet prayer, serving in the church, etc..), but most of these types of articles ignore our deepest need and the greatest catalyst for change. You do not need to work harder to be a better Christian this year, you do not need to labor for God’s love or grace. The potential for personal growth comes not from within, but from without.

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Kaemingk

In an era when so many are interested in finding their ancestral roots, discovering an immigrant among our forebears is scarcely unusual. Since pre-history people have moved from place to place in search of the proverbial greener pastures and a better life, or to escape tyranny, disaster and hunger.

Yet immigration poses problems of adjustment for both the host community and the people entering it. Migration in sufficiently large numbers can overwhelm a host nation and permanently change its culture, a prospect fuelling fear in settled populations, especially during times of economic uncertainty. The reception of Muslim immigrants into western nations has been particularly fraught with tension, because Muslims bring practices that contrast markedly with the ways of the receiving communities. Yet as Christians we recognize that the Bible requires us to exercise hospitality to the sojourner in our midst. So how should we approach this issue?

In his new book, Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018), author Matthew Kaemingk, a professor at Fuller Seminary, has made a significant contribution to the discussion surrounding Muslim immigration. Much as Tertullian posed his famous question on the relationship between Athens and Jerusalem, Kaemingk focuses on that between Amsterdam and Mecca, representing the changing dynamics between a post-christian liberal culture and a traditional nonwestern monotheistic culture.

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The issue of free will and compulsion is behind much of the material in Proverbs. Behind the metaphorical slavery is the economic fact that has been true in many cultures through most of history: impoverishment can end, if not in death, then in debt and slavery. One could be sold for the sake of one’s creditors. Thus: “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor” (Proverbs 12:24; ESV).

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