In the News
The US-Iran War
Isaiah described a world where nations beat swords into plows. He wrote it during an actual war.
The headlines are relentless. Missile strikes, escalation, civilian casualties — and the constant pressure to pick a side and defend it loudly. It's exhausting.
Here's something worth remembering: the Bible was written in the ancient Near East by people who lived through empires, occupations, , and war. These weren't abstract thinkers in comfortable studies. They wrote from the middle of it.
Blessed Are the Peacemakers
When spoke the Beatitudes in 5, he was standing in occupied territory. Roman soldiers patrolled the roads. The people listening to him had no political power and no military options.
And he said: are the peacemakers. Not blessed are the powerful. Not blessed are the ones who win. The peacemakers.
That phrase carries weight when the world is watching real conflict unfold in real time.
Overcome Evil with Good
In , wrote to a community living under the shadow of the Roman Empire. His instruction was striking in its clarity: "Do not repay anyone for evil. If your enemy is hungry, feed him."
This isn't naivety — it's a deliberate refusal to let the cycle of violence define you. In a world driven by retaliation, choosing good over revenge is an act of profound resistance.
Honest About the Darkness
6 depicts war, , and sweeping across the earth. The Bible never minimizes the horror of conflict. It names it, grieves it, and holds it up alongside a vision of something better.
If the news makes you ache, that response matters. It reflects something true about how the world was meant to be — and how far we've drifted.
Living in the Tension
speaks of respecting governing authorities, while Jesus consistently pointed to a that operates by entirely different rules. The Bible doesn't resolve this tension neatly, and we shouldn't expect it to.
What it does offer is a clear direction: pursue , seek , care for those caught in the crossfire, and resist the impulse to strip the humanity from anyone — even those presented to you as enemies. That's the consistent thread running through all of it.