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Impossible Forgiveness
Corrie Ten Boom (kor-ee ten bome) was born in 1892 in the Netherlands. World War II broke out in Europe when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Although the Netherlands was officially neutral, the German Army invaded in 1940. German bombing runs devastated Dutch cities, and within five days the government and Royal family had fled to England and Canada, and the Dutch army laid down their arms. All Nazi occupations were evil through and through, and they were particularly successful in the Netherlands. The Nazis began an efficient program of rounding up Dutch Jews for the death camps, achieving an unholy 70% fatality rate. However, some Dutch citizens…
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Forgiveness is Not a Dirty Word
Forgiveness. It is not in our human nature to forgive. We are attacked. We defend ourselves. Someone treats us unjustly and we want justice. Someone is mean to us. We want to hit back, even as the event recedes into the past. We keep it alive with our revenge fantasies. Yet, Jesus was extremely clear that we need to forgive. Mark 11:25: And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them so that your father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” God has told us in no uncertain terms to forgive. It’s true that God does not automatically forgive anyone ever born. He loves us,…
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The Seven Last Words of Christ
Who was crucified? “Crucifixion was the standard Roman mode of punishment for capital offenses against Rome, and hence was practiced on a large scale in Judea under the Roman occupation. All acts of rebellion against Rome were a capital offense.” Slaves could be crucified for less crimes but free men only for capital offenses. However, Roman citizens were not crucified at all. They were beheaded, which is why Paul was not crucified but Peter was. The four gospels collectively report seven “words” (phrases) that Christ spoke from the cross. The words differ between the four gospels, but this is neither surprising nor alarming: if you get four people to watch…