In order to avoid overreactions from church leaders and members about the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage rulings, Richard Hammar gave brief points about what church leaders need to know about the rulings at www.ag.org/pdfs/DOMA_rulings.pdf. I think that pastors and teachers in churches should read his brief points first, before they carelessly say anything about the rulings in the pulpit. Some pastors have a tendency to exaggerate the implications of the events in the world of politics, in order to scare church members about the destructive impact of secularization on traditional values. Exaggerated claims due to ignorance can breed false beliefs. False beliefs can be breeding grounds for all sorts of irrationalities.
Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, let me briefly reflect about love. What is the nature of God’s love for humanity? What is the nature of that love that has God as its object or the kind of love (directed to God) that the Bible demands from humans? God’s love and the love that is demanded from us are both intense and radical. God’s love for humanity is both intense and radical. Based on the theological narrative that developed through the spiritual insights of the early followers of Jesus (like Peter, John, and Paul), Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love for humanity. What does it mean? According to their theological narrative, Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. God sent his only begotten Son to serve as the sacrifice for the sins of the world. The religious frameworks of the ancient world, of course, shaped the formation of this narrative. In the ancient world, human actions that offend the deities require sacrifices that sufficiently appease the offended...
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