Why God sends his people into battle armed with the tools of everyday life. In the first Battle of Armageddon, the enemy commander was killed with camping equipment. Speculation about the next round has been the stuff of bestselling books and blockbuster movies, replete with speculation about a world government, flying locust-scorpion warships, bar codes, conspiracies, the EU, nuclear weapons, and a giant meteor steaming toward earth with Bruce Willis on board. But the first time a war was... Read More
I Marked People for Death. Jesus Marked Me for Life.
How a Latino gang leader found salvation in prison. In prison, I was a shot caller. Shot callers have an elevated rank in the gang world. They are the power-brokers who determine who gets hurt (or killed) and who doesn’t. They command respect. I started down this path as a teenager in South-Central Los Angeles, as a leader in the Rockwood Street Locos. I led the way when we invaded homes, broke into cars, ransacked convenience stores, and stabbed rival gang members. It didn’t... Read More
Prosecutors investigate after deputies are seen pepper-spraying and punching teens
Broward prosecutors said Monday they have begun investigating last week’s encounter in which deputies were recorded pepper-spraying, tackling and punching teens outside a McDonald’s near J.P. Taravella High. The footage, widely shared through social media, has drawn a public outcry. It shows two deputies take a boy down, bang his forehead into the pavement and repeatedly punch him in the head. “This incident is under investigation by my office,” Broward State Attorney Mike Satz said... Read More
This old Toys R Us will become a new place for kids
The former toy store in Coral Springs will become another place for kids. Urban Air Adventure, an indoor trampoline park, has signed its lease and will open at the former Toys R Us at 6001 W. Sample Road. A spokeswoman said it could open by November. Urban Air features climbing walls, laser tag, ropes course and bowling. Its application submitted to Coral Springs City Hall also calls for trampolines and a “Ninja Warrior” course. The Urban Air franchise is also opening stores in... Read More
Prosecutors to seek death penalty for rapper YNW Melly
Broward prosecutors are looking to put rapper YNW Melly on death row for the shooting deaths of two of his close friends in Miramar last October. The once-rising star, whose real name is Jamell Demons, committed premeditated murder in a cold and calculated manner for financial gain, according to the Broward State Attorney’s Office, which filed its notice of intent to seek the death penalty last Thursday. The notice also accuses Demons, who turns 20 next week, of being a gang... Read More
Of Truth-Telling and Bridge-Building
How Jesus modeled relationships of surprising frankness and trust. When I first moved from Missouri to Tennessee, I was welcomed by sweet tea, potluck dinners, and people waiting to hold doors for each other. I’m grateful to have soaked in the warmth of Southern hospitality all these years. The shadow side of Southernness, however, is that sometimes I wonder if people say what they really mean. Admittedly, I too have sugar-coated the truth. But I want to speak the truth in love, and I... Read More
Introducing CT’s New President
Unbeknownst to me, I began recruiting my successor six years ago. I’m so glad God doesn’t operate on my timetable. The year was 2013. The place: Harvard Yard. I found myself sitting over coffee with someone who had impressed me enough during the previous three years that I was about to offer him a position on CT’s executive team. The role was completely new; I had created it specifically for him in hopes that he might bring to the ministry new ideas for missional expansion... Read More
Repenting of Identity Politics
New Zealand revealed the tragic logical end of evils like Christian Nationalism. The March massacre of 50 Muslims during worship in New Zealand was first and foremost a human tragedy, one felt deeply around the world. Unfortunately the massacre also signaled a political tragedy, displaying the logical end to a type of engagement increasingly defining the public square: identity politics. As British columnist Brendan O’Neill put it, “Increasingly, it feels like the New Zealand... Read More
Retirement alert: Medicare will be insolvent by 2026, Social Security by 2035, report warns
The financial condition of the government’s bedrock retirement programs for middle- and working-class Americans remains shaky, with Medicare pointed toward insolvency by 2026, according to a report Monday by the government’s overseers of Medicare and Social Security. It paints a sobering picture of the programs, though it’s relatively unchanged from last year’s update. Social Security would become insolvent in 2035, one year later than previously estimated. Both... Read More
Hepatitis A continues to spread as Florida investigates the source
As state health officials investigate the source, Hepatitis A continues to spread in Florida with 119 new cases in the last week. The new cases bring the state total to 883, with most reported incidents of the disease in Pasco and Pinellas counties. Miami-Dade (13), Broward (8) and Palm Beach (5) counties now have a combined 26 cases, up slightly from 19 a week ago. Statewide, case counts in 2019 already have surpassed those in 2018. The vaccine-preventable liver disease is spread... Read More