Why The (Non-Lethal) Shooting of Lavar Jones Is More Terrifying Than Michael Brown or Eric Garner

Many people have not heard about Lavar Jones, a black man who was shot by a white police officer in South Carolina last September. There are probably reasons why it didn’t grab national attention. Jones survived (thankfully). The officer was charged (case still pending). And it was on video tape, so there wasn't ambiguity, which means it could not easily be used to divide the races and give a platform to those who make a living of racial discord. But despite the lack of media attention and the much better outcome than the other cases, this is a situation that I think is far more alarming than the killings of Michael Brown or Eric Garner.

Book Review - Not Who I Want to Be by Glenn Sasscer

Glenn Sasscer's book, Not Who I Want to Be, attempts to look at how the person God wants you to be may differ from you are now, how various factors in life can affect you and cause this difference, and how you don't have to stay the person who you do not what to be.

Sasscer’s book offers some useful insights. He delves into a very broad array of influences in our lives, from family to the media to the spiritual realm and even the deep emotional pains many have held onto much of their lives. In that sense, it is more broad than deep, but it does a good job of getting the ball rolling. And the soul-searching that the reader is walked through in the final chapters does go fairly deep, for what it is worth.

I have no doubt that many readers could benefit from the book. It should have at least a positive influence on the reader. I would say I personally fit into that camp. For some, I could see this book as being potentially be life-changing, depending on where you are with God.

Rape, Scandal, and Reflections on that Facebook Post

Yesterday, I managed to make some waves by sharing a rather scandalous photo. Given the nature of the picture, who I am, and whose I am, I owe you an explanation.

Now, since not everyone who could read this knows me personally, I'll include the link below. For those weary of clicking on a scandalous picture, for whatever reason, I’ll give you a description: The picture is of a young woman in a skirt, with no top covering except flesh-colored tape covering her nipples. On her body is written "still not asking for it." It was taken at some sort of anti-rape rally, and the message is pretty straightforward: no means no. A woman isn't "asking for it" because of how she dresses or anything else. Rape is rape and wouldn't be justified even if a woman was walking around topless. This message was further emphasized in the caption, recounting a profanity-laced but nonetheless apt defense of this position against an anonymous internet poster. I will say, in my opinion it kinda looked ridiculous. But, ridiculous or not, it is still a (mostly) topless woman, and that is a pretty provocative image in American culture.

Why would a devout Christian like myself, whose blog is devoted mostly to Christian theology and living, post something like that for all to see on Facebook (and then reference it here)? The short answer: because I agree with the message, and while most people I know would probably never rape anyone under any circumstances, it's a message that many need to hear nonetheless.

Book Review - First Hired, Last Fired by Anita Agers-Brooks

On First Hired, Last Fired by Anita Agers-Books, my thoughts are a bit mixed.

Why George Zimmerman's Acquittal is Not a Travesty

So, the Treyvon Martin case is over. George Zimmerman, to the outrage of many, was found not guilty on all counts.

Now, tensions are obviously quite high, and already a lot of people are crying "injustice" and "racism!" and calling for the blood of George Zimmerman to run through the streets.

But let's all take a step back here. There are lots of people and interests who we can't expect to be reasonable, but we can be.

4 New Testament Ideas That Are Totally From the Old Testament

Jesus was revolutionary in a lot of ways. Dying for our sins and rising from the dead as the first fruits of the resurrection, thereby changing the entire course of eternity, is pretty revolutionary. But you might be surprised how "old" some of the things we associate strictly with Him and His ministry are.

My Prediction for the 2016 Presidential Race

My prediction for the 2016 presidential race (so if it comes true, you can see that I said it back before it was cool!):

Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will be elected president by a fairly small (but not razor-thin) margin.