The Spirituals and Our Freedom
On June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, with news that the war was over and the slaves were now free. General Granger read to the gathered crowd General Order Number 3: “…in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves…” Soon June 19th was celebrated as the day when fr
How Saul Became The Apostle Paul
“The best and the brightest.” The same phrase could have been used to describe Saul of Tarsus; a child of the best upbringing; a student of the vaunted teacher, Gamaliel; a Roman citizen; trained in the best Jewish schools; groomed, perhaps, to even become chief priest. And this pious man was bent on the destruction of the believers in Jesus. In order to understand Saul of Tarsus it is important that we put him into historical context. Only a few short years had passed from t
Psalms, Hymns and Negro Spiritual Songs: Harry T. Burleigh and the Birth of American Music
Praise is one of the most powerful weapons available to the believer – yet it is often misunderstood or completely ignored as a path to victory in spiritual battle. The Apostle Paul writes: …be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. (Eph. 5:18b-19, NLT) It was the spiritual song – or Negro Spiritual – that gave hope to American slaves as they cried out to God, asking him to send
A New Dawn for Christians in Egypt
Throughout the long history of the Egyptian nation, there has never been a peaceful transference of power as a result of a democratic election – until now. On June 9, 2014, Egypt celebrated this unprecedented transition as interim President Adly Mansour handed over power to the newly elected president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. In his inauguration address, el-Sisi made note of this historical event. "Now, for the first time, the President-elect shakes hands with the outgoing Pres
The Myth of Camelot
Progress, we are marching backward Progress, as the captains of our fate Progress, as we spiral downward Progress, we destroy and annihilate (“Progress” by Kerry Livgren)[1] The last decade has been an eventful time for those who would call themselves “progressives” in America. In his second inaugural address, Barak Obama became the first president to equate the fight for gay marriage with the fight against slavery, and the struggle for women’s rights and civil ri ghts.[2] Pr
Unexpected Challenges – Unexpected Blessings
A new job! A new home! A new start in a new place! I experienced all of these wonderful and exciting things recently and it has been a tremendous blessing. But like all major changes, I have experienced both expected and unexpected stresses. But because I knew this transition was coming, I had been working on a strategy to prepare for this transition for more than a year. And thank God, because I needed the extra financial padding that I had included in the plan for those une
Pay-ers, Pray-ers, and Play-ers
There was a time in Christianity when there was a clear divide between the professional clergy and the laity -- the priests and the people. The prevailing paradigm was that the people gave their money in the offering on Sunday, and then the talented and God-ordained ministers did the work of preaching the Gospel. Of course, this idea was utterly unbiblical. The New Testament makes it clear that we are all ministers before God: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priestho
