The end of the world has come. The people of Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Lebanon, and Sudan (to mention just a few) have experienced the end of the world as they had known it. Their new reality is sudden death, unbearable suffering, utter devastation, displacement, permanent fear and an uncertain future. Like most wars, the recent ones started as a quick,…
A local charity realised it had never received donations from the town’s most successful businessman. The volunteer in charge of donations called him to persuade him to contribute. “Sir, wouldn’t you like to give back to the community somehow?” The businessman thought about it for a second and replied, “First, do you know that my mother is dying after a…
You might be familiar with a version of the quip: “Two Jews have three opinions…” Ostensibly, it smacks of a negative remark that labels the Jews as quarrelsome. In fact, the quip is a source of pride for many Jewish people as it describes their mindset and attitude towards Truth with a capital T. The quip has a second line,…
Does your God need to be actively defended by you and your fellow believers? Many Europeans seemed to think so as they embarked on waging wars in the 16th and 17th centuries in the name of the “correct version” of the Christian faith. Although those in charge cried out for power and influence, the religious fervour of the foot soldiers…
Hellfire and brimstone have widely been discarded from the preacher’s toolbox, and rightly so. The image of a short-tempered, easily upset and punishing God of a not-so-distant past has been replaced with one much closer to the Gospels’ merciful Father, taking great care of us, his people. We’ve got used to such a cosy, heart-warming vision, so much so that…