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Archive by category Society (Page 2)
In an earlier post, “Progressives Don’t Want to Help the Poor to escape Poverty—Entitlement Programs aren’t Charity or Charitable ” I began a discussion on the misguided equalizing of Biblical laws of charity with modern entitlement programs. The problem with this equation is one part poor understanding of...
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March 23, 2018 Andrew Sargent
Communication, Society
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One of the frustrations I face as a biblical theologian is the confusion that biblical laws regarding the poor cause Christians who cannot tell the difference between charity and entitlement programs sustained by governmental confiscation and redistribution of personal wealth. This confusion is created, I believe by two...
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March 21, 2018 Andrew Sargent
Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Old Testament Studies, Society, Theology
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There is little doubt in my mind that there is a constancy to human nature that maintains a vital unity and relevance for human experience from age to age and culture to culture. Documents rooted in principle are not invalidated by changes in the external elements in society, are...
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March 19, 2018 Andrew Sargent
Bible Backgrounds, HAGALAH, Society
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I regard myself, perhaps wrongly, as a decent communicator, even if a bit snarky at times. I’ve dedicated most of my ministry energy to explaining complex ideas in biblical studies to determined church attendees. I’ve always liked to think that I could explain anything to anyone… until now....
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March 14, 2018 Andrew Sargent
Communication, Society
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Categories, they are like crack for the left brained; they can’t get enough of them, can’t build barriers between them that are high enough, or thick enough. If the government made categories illegal, the left-brained would pawn their grandmother’s TV sets to purchase a few high quality categories...
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December 27, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Biblical Theology, Society
First, let me say that we need an easier way to speak of those souls who find themselves on the wrong end of a bully’s attention. Bullies get the easy to spout label, it’s like an automatic membership to a special club… Hi! I’m a bully. They should...
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December 20, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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Bullying is a complex topic,[1] one that elicits extreme emotional reactions no matter what a person has to say about it. So I thought I might just make a few highly controversial remarks based on anecdotal evidence drawn from my own experiences as both bully and bullied. And...
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December 18, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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Read my blog long enough and you will find that I frequently bring up the frustration I feel as a right brained individual being often under the biblical studies thumb of the left brained. I read brilliant analyses of biblical era language issues by people whose final categories...
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December 6, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Bible Backgrounds, Biblical Studies, Biblical Theology, Society
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I am not insensible to the rage many women feel over the modern misconception that the plight of women in the world is almost solely the result of a grand conspiracy by men to hold women down. Abuse of power, wherever it is found, against whomever it is...
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November 29, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Bible Backgrounds, Biblical Theology, Intertestamental History & Literature, Society, Theology
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I have a vision for the rest of my life. You may not care for it, but it sure means a lot to me. I want a cabin in the woods, on a lake, miles from the nearest neighbor. I want an office looking out over the water...
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July 7, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Biblical Studies, Old Testament Studies, Society
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If I had to describe my rather short life on social media, I would depict the bulk of it as “THE MEME WARS.” Since you are reading this online, I doubt I have to explain to you that memes are those pictures that people post with snappy little...
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June 14, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Communication, Ethics, Society, Theology
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If I am to judge by our government, our media outlets, and by the American people’s voting habits, America is suffering from a horrible condition known as stupidity. Stupidity is not a lack of facts, for we have never had a greater capacity to garner facts if we...
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June 12, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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One of my goals in writing each week is to help people become better Bible readers. Part of being a better Bible reader is being a better thinker. Part of being a better thinker is to learn to look beyond the surface of an issue to discover the...
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June 2, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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The word virgin has, ironically enough, become a dirty word in our society.[1] The entertainment industry spits out movie after show presenting virginity as something distasteful, mockable, proof that you aren’t “with it” and lack some essential high school experience that makes the rest of your classmates sophisticated...
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May 29, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
No Comment
There are a lot memes that fly around social media; some are insightful, others only appear insightful. This one, which was constructed by others using an out of context quote from Carl F. Henry, for whom I have nothing but regard, is a case in point. It...
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May 24, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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Winston Churchill said, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” This is a sad truth, but it still does not shake my convictions regarding democratic process. Somehow the conflicting self-interest of millions achieves better things (though never perfect things) than anything...
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May 17, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
One of the benefits of living in a nation of 300 million people is that our society is rife with any kind of anecdotal evidence a person needs to convince themselves that their vision of the world is right. The media has enough fodder to stuff our gaping...
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May 8, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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In our first part, Human Nature, we pondered the reason that so many human attempts to help others prove so disastrous. If we really strive to do good for others and not just to do things that make us feel good about ourselves, we discover just how complex...
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April 19, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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In our first part, Human Nature, we pondered the reason that it is so hard to really help people. It’s not hard to try to be helpful, people often strive to aid those around them. It is just difficult to really help people. Those who are paying attention to long-term...
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April 18, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
No Comment
Ever notice how hard it is to help people? We are always losing the war on drugs, stagnating in the war on poverty, failing to end bullying, never quite able to defeat racism and prejudice, unable to achieve lasting peace or to end war… etc, etc, etc. Know...
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April 17, 2017 Andrew Sargent
Society
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