Immigrants in the Bible

November 15, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

Immigration is a hot-button topic worldwide. The displacement of citizens due to war, famine, disease, and political unrest leaves people searching for new land to call home. As news media, talk shows, politicians, and social media rage about the issue, it’s obvious people don’t agree about the issue. Arguing everything from economics, to lack of jobs and housing, to safety and morality, immigration doesn’t appear, at least in modern times, to have an easy answer. This raises the question for... Read more

How Abortion Became the Poster-Child for the Religious Right

November 8, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

“Everyone here needs to read R.J. Rushdoony. Get a copy of his writings and be blessed by them!” Those eighteen words were spoken by my first church pastor. They were also my introduction to the church-based indoctrination of the Religious Right. I had been a Pentecostal Christian for four months; newly born again, and eager to learn. Growing up in a different church, I wasn’t a stranger to anti-choice rhetoric. I was, however, ignorant to a so-called standard Evangelical or... Read more

Terms for Biblical Love (and What We Can Learn From Them)

November 1, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

When we discuss Biblical love, we don’t take into account that there are different types of love specified in Scripture. Every one of these different terms has different meanings. They also take into account different things, to give us different insights. The varied concepts of love show us that love is both complicated and multi-dimensional. It’s a reflection of both a people experience and a spiritual one. The more we learn about it, the better we recognize and embrace it... Read more

Are You a Doubting Thomas?

October 25, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

We’ve all heard the expression, “Doubting Thomas.” This expression is based is based on the Apostle Thomas’ experience with Jesus in John 20:24-29: Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”... Read more

Ten Things to Know About the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

October 18, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

By now, most of us have heard of the current Israeli/Palestinian conflict launched on October 7, 2023. In this recent attack, a group of Palestinian militant organizations launched a series of strategic and planned attacks on Israel, led by Hamas. This conflict is now known as the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. As of the writing of this article, approximately 1,400 Israelis and 2,750 Palestinians have been killed in the ongoing conflict. These attacks first took place during the Jewish holiday Simchat... Read more

An Introduction to the Law for Christians

October 11, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

If you spend any time online, you’ve probably encountered someone who believes in a doctrine radically different from what you have been taught about the Bible. They may believe you shouldn’t eat pork, shellfish (or sometimes any meat at all). Some believe you must only use Hebrew names and terms for God. Many are quick to recite different aspects of Old Testament law that you’ve never noticed or considered. The loudest say if you don’t follow the law in full,... Read more

Learning From the Pharisees and Sadducees

October 4, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

If you’ve spent any time in church (or connected to church), you’ve probably heard mention of two groups: the Pharisees and Sadducees. There are three distinct things we know about them from casual observation: They opposed the ministry of Jesus Both were representative of Jewish sects in the first century They seem to appear out of nowhere in the Bible These three points are enough to make us wonder more about who these people were. Where did they come from?... Read more

Ten Things Christians Should Get Over, Now

September 27, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

At this point in history, Christians and church are front and center. The world is noticing lack of church attendance, stories of cults and deconstruction, and a general sense of “where do we go from here?” That’s both a fair and honest question, one the church needs to answer from a practical perspective. Both congregations and the world as a whole are changing. As in past generations, the church must confront itself; where it is going as well as where... Read more

20 Things Your Leader Looks for if You Seek Promotion, Part 2

September 20, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

If you haven’t yet read the first part of this series, 20 Things Your Leader Looks for if You Seek Promotion, now is a great time to catch up! This post is the second and final installment in that series, written for those who seek elevation or ordination in church. Sometimes we think we’re ready to move up and we are met with unspecific reasons why a leader doesn’t agree. What do we do in these instances? More importantly, how... Read more

20 Things Your Leader Looks for if You Seek Promotion, Part 1

September 13, 2023 By Lee Ann B. Marino

Psst….you…hey, yeah you! If you seek to be ordained or elevated in church position, I have a message for you! There are many times we think we are ready to do something or to step out into something and our leader, for some reason, doesn’t agree with us. Why does this happen? Sometimes leaders do reference specific things, but a lot of times, leaders don’t give much explanation. The general summation is often, it isn’t the “right time.” This might... Read more