Nathan and Kharese's Nuclear BBs

Evangelicals for National Security through International Cooperation

This is a statement that several Evangelicals and Pentecostals wrote to encourage wise diplomacy to reduce nuclear threat.

It's based on Jesus's teachings in Matthew 5:21-26 and I hope you can endorse it and encourage all your friends, family, and entire network to go the website and endorse it as well. It's being endorsed by veterans, Republicans, Democrats, pastors, missionaries, and all types of Jesus-following folks from around the world.

We want to get thousands of endorsers, so please join in and invite everyone you know.

You can also enter a sermon contest and video contest and possibly win $750, $500, or $250. Not too bad for a 1500 word sermon or a 2 minute video.

Sermon at the Mennonite Church USA convention, July 4 2007

This is the video of my sermon, "Thank You & Please." I was able to share my gratitude with the Mennonites and encourage them to stay faithful to Jesus.

It's 43 minutes so it takes a couple of minutes to load.

Banana Republic

Here's a short video showing the relationship between empires, sweatshop labor, and militarism.

Eric Gabourel - Loyalty & Perseverance

This podcast features Eric Gabourel, pastor of Providence Christian Center in San Francisco, preaching at the 3rd annual PCPJ conference (formerly PCPF - Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship) held at his church October 19-21, 2007.

No Christian Killing for One Year

Me) All 2 billion Christians in the world should go one year without killing anyone.

Someone Else) Killing no one?

Me) Right, we're all followers of Jesus (that's where we get our name, Christ-ian) – little Jesus – we're with that guy. He said "love your enemies." So let's try it for one year. No killing of our enemies for one year. We'll take a break.

Someone Else) So what about military personnel?

Me) There are Christians in militaries all around the world, and they sometimes kill each other and they sometimes kill people who aren't Christians. So all Jesus followers in the military will be like all the Christians for the first couple of hundred years of the church - not kill anyone. Romans criticized Christians for not fighting for the empire, they said the Roman Empire would collapse if everyone became Christians and kept loving their enemies rather than killing them.

Someone Else) So you're saying that all 2 billion Christians in the world, both in the military and not, should just all agree for one year to not kill, at all?

Me) Right, but just Christians – there are still four billion other people in the world who can kill. There are just 2 billion of us. And we're the ones who say that Jesus is important and is, "the way, truth, and life." We're the ones who believe that what he taught and what he did shows us how to live the most powerful way we can possibly live – feeding our enemies, praying for those who are mean, that stuff.

Someone Else) So if no Christians kill for a year, and everyone in the world finds this out, then you're just opening up Christians for theft and slaughter, no? I mean, every home with Christians in the world can now be broken into with no fear.

Me) No, they don't need to break in. None of us 2 billion Christian own anything anyway, so our stuff can't be stolen. It's not our stuff, it's God's stuff and anybody who needs it can have it. Nobody needs to steal from us, they can just come over for dinner. Yeah, all 2 billion Christians in the world can just invite another person over for dinner.

Someone Else) Invitations to dinner? What? How? When?

Me) Uhmm, next week. Next week all 2 billion Christians in the world have somebody who is not a Christian over for dinner, get to know them, find out what's going on in their lives. Feed 'em. Don't kill 'em.

Someone Else) There's still 2 billion people left, what about them?

Me) We'll have them over for dinner the next week.

Someone Else) But not every Christian in the world can afford to have somebody over for dinner. You expect a family of five to invite five other people over for dinner and feed ten people? A lot of Jesus' followers are in poverty and live among people in poverty, they can't do that.

Me) Maybe we can pool our resources. I mean, none of what we have is ours anyway. Not my shirt, not a dollar, not my house. Nothing. When all 2 billion of us decided to follow Jesus we were taught that everything is God's, and if somebody needs something, God wants them to have enough….

Maybe we could get together in our communities…. Jesus said to throw parties for people who can't pay you back. Maybe the 2 billion Christians could work together not to get more, but to give more. For one year we could not kill anybody, and we could make sure nobody in our local neighborhoods was hungry or lacking a home to sleep in. We could start there, just for the first year.

Someone Else) It sounds to me like a lot of people are going to die if Christians quit killing people.

Me) It sounds like a lot of people are going to die if Christians quit killing people?

Someone Else) Yes, Christians killing people makes the world safer for a lot of people, especially Christians. A lot of Christians for sure are going to die if everybody knows that they're not going to kill people for an entire year.

Me) Yeah, that's true. Jesus died. Wow, and so did a lot of his followers. Paul the apostle said some people want power and some people want logic, and that all he had was Christ crucified – a dead God on a cross. That's stupid and weak, he called it foolishness, for the world that is. Jesus said that if we're going to follow him we have to pick up our crosses and deny ourselves. Man, that is stupid and weak. But Paul claimed that God's stupidity and weakness is stronger than human wisdom and power.

I don't know. Not killing anyone for a year is pretty stupid. Giving away your stuff and helping your neighbors have enough to eat and a place to live, that is pretty dumb...