Jesus improvised a whip to move sheep and cattle. But given his consistent refusal to coerce anybody, it’s improbable that he used the whip on people. Christian protesters today do well to follow Jesus’ nonviolent example. We do well to cultivate respectful relations with government representatives. But the time may come to to speak, to act, to confront.
Month: January 2026
Christian Response to a Demented Ruler
When rulers turn cruel or criminal, Christians need to go beyond Romans 13 and read Revelation 13 for guidance.
This dictator did not earn that prize
Few things are more pathetic than a would-be dictator craving or demanding praise he did not earn and does not deserve. Roman emperor Nero (reigned AD 54–68) is an archetype of such pathology. First-century Roman historian Suetonius, in his book THE TWELVE CAESARS, records this (and much more) of Nero’s life: Nero began his reign…
Any seagulls lately in Washington, D.C.?
I took this picture of ancient Rome when Ellen and I visited the city in 2025. Today seagulls haunt what once was the epicenter of a sprawling empire. Rapacious emperors claimed to have made it great again. “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marbles,” boasted Caesar Augustus (Suetonius…
Holy Lands Peace Pilgrim 