Tag Archives: Daniel

How Christian dual citizenship matters to politics – Our Identity: Citizens of God’s Kingdom, Part 3

Christians, did you know you have dual citizenship?  I, for example am a citizen of the United States of America because I was born in the city of Alexandria, which is the state of Virginia. I have a birth certificate with raised seal to prove it.  Which is the land of your birth? Where isContinue reading “How Christian dual citizenship matters to politics – Our Identity: Citizens of God’s Kingdom, Part 3”

How to avoid assimilation and follow Jesus – Characters: Daniel, Part 5

A retired couple in my congregation told me about the time they attended a high school reunion, and their classmates, now all retired, each took turns sharing what they were doing with their lives.  The sharing went all the way around the circle, and not a single person mentioned anything about serving the Lord.  PerhapsContinue reading “How to avoid assimilation and follow Jesus – Characters: Daniel, Part 5”

How much should we let our Christianity show? – Characters: Daniel, Part 4

In this series of posts on Daniel and his friends, we’ve been talking about assimilation. How much should Christians allow themselves to assimilate with their surrounding culture? What areas of ethics matter, and which don’t? It’s not always easy to know. One way people seek to answer this question is about process. Do the endsContinue reading “How much should we let our Christianity show? – Characters: Daniel, Part 4”

How teens and adults can respond to peer pressure – Characters: Daniel, Part 3

How do you handle societal pressure? Whether you are a teenager facing peer pressure at school, perhaps to try drugs and alcohol, or whether you are an adult tempted to misreport your taxes, there are multitudes of pressures in life, pressures to turn away from living in a way that is honorable to Jesus. WillContinue reading “How teens and adults can respond to peer pressure – Characters: Daniel, Part 3”

Should Christians change their views on morality as their society changes? – Characters: Daniel, Part 2

Is it okay for Christians to update their views on ethics and morality? Can we innovate our stance on traditional theology? There’s no doubt that American society has been heavily influenced by Christianity, and still is in large part, but as our societal views change, can we adapt Christianity to fall more in line withContinue reading “Should Christians change their views on morality as their society changes? – Characters: Daniel, Part 2”

Is the American melting pot disastrous for Christians? – Characters: Daniel, Part 1

In February 1887 President Grover Cleveland signed into law the Dawes Act which sought to assimilate Native Americans into the culture of the United States.  It didn’t go well.  Indians ended up losing 62% of the land they held before 1887.  There remains much debate about how much people should assimilate into American culture.  ForContinue reading “Is the American melting pot disastrous for Christians? – Characters: Daniel, Part 1”

Civil Disobedience

Maybe you had to read Thoreau’s paper on Civil Disobedience in high school or college.  It is a transcendentalist classic work of American literature.  Here is a brief summary. Have you ever practiced civil disobedience?  I’ve heard of people who rationalize not paying taxes. I’ve heard of people who try to pay their electric billContinue reading “Civil Disobedience”

How do you feel about job evaluations?

It is summertime, and among many other things we do every summer at Faith Church (like the 4th of July picnic at Long’s Park, VBS and summer camp at Twin Pines), we also do staff evaluations.  Usually I bring along a ministry volunteer that serves with the particular staff member, and we talk with themContinue reading “How do you feel about job evaluations?”