San Diego County has seen quite a bit of student protests over the proposed immigration crackdown. Two school districts in North County have closed several of their schools in light of the events this week (read about it here). I’m on Spring break this week, but I assume there will be plenty of commotion at school when we return on Monday. Our school actually has a statue of Cesar Chavez on campus so it would be strange if there weren’t any protests.

I always have a hard time taking student protests seriously. High school and college students are fickle people. One day they are on a mission to fight injustice and the next all they can think about is sex and alcohol (this is not the case with all students, obviously). While I do not doubt that many students feel strongly about the issues they are protesting, I get the impression that the draw for many of them is the excitement of doing something rebellious. In two weeks will they still be so concerned?

[tags]immigration, protests, current events, politics[/tags]

Every Christian has found himself or herself faced with a situation that is anything but black and white. Navigating these types of situations in a way that honors Christ requires wisdom and humility. A few bloggers have been addressing these kinds of topics this week.

Jollyblogger posted some thoughts on how Christians should look at the hot topic in American politics right now–immigration reform.

Juice poses an excellent question on “truth vs. law” that is bound to get you thinking.

[tags]truth, law, justice, ethics[/tags]

I noticed that the content in the main column of this site gets pushed way down the page in IE when the viewing windows is less than whatever the max size is on my laptop screen. Anyone with CSS skills want to take a look at the code to see what’s going on? Or is it an IE?

[tags]internet explorer, css[/tags]

Qumana is a desktop blogging tool for both Windows and Mac. I’ve tried w.bloggar in the past and although it was easy to use I found myself going back to the interface Wordpress provides to write new posts (especially since installing the Tiger WP Administration plugin). We’ll see how this goes.

[tags]blogging, qumana, desktop blogging[/tags]

I was reading Revelation 2 the other day as was struck by the message Jesus had for churches in which false teaching was tolerated.

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

I can’t help but think that Jesus would say much the same thing to the majority of America’s evangelical churches today. When Jesus goes to war with Evangelicalism (see 2:16) the “gurus” better watch out!

[tags]evangelicalism, scripture, jesus[/tags]