Jojo Agot

Faithful Presence

For those who are passionate about changing the world and making a difference in society, David E. Fitch’s book is a good read.

“Does the church have anything to offer a world full of injustice? Can the church reach out to the worlds around me in a way that doesn’t judge them, alienate them, or ask them in some way to come to us? Can the church engage the hurting, the poor, and the broken with something more than just handouts? We have seen the programs, the missional church, the justice teams, the church in a coffee house or in a bar, and nothing seems to change. Can’t we do all of this better without the church?

The Smashing of Idols

Brian J. Tabb, in his article on Themelios Magazine, made a case that this pandemic is iconoclastic. Iconoclastic refers to someone who breaks images or icons; someone who smashes religious idols. Tabb meant that coronovirus is practically smashing our most cherished cultural idols.

Toxic Politics and the Third Way

The confusion about how Christians should respond to the political issues today betrays an apparent disconnect between our theology and our practice. Many of us have conveniently relegated politics and culture to the periphery of our lives. We are busy people. We don’t have much use for political intrigues and bickering.

Don’t Skip the Private Parts

Romans 6:12-14 says, “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”

Bible-Quoting Fascists?

A Response to John Nery’s Column at the Inquirer

“How can someone who knows the Bible well enough to quote from it at will—usually from the Old Testament—support the killing of drug suspects or the manifestly unfair shuttering of an entire TV network?”

That’s how John Nery of Inquirer.net started his column today, July 21. I was intrigued not just because I somehow recognized the Bible-quoting person he was writing about but also because fascism and the Bible don’t usually appear together in the same sentence.

The World Needs Healers

The world needs healers. I don’t mean doctors. Yes, we need doctors but I’m talking about healers—people who bring healing and wholeness to our fractured society simply by being here.

Faith in the Time of Coronavirus

Watching the global statistics of more than 197,000 people infected with COVID-19 is frightening. Hearing about 187 local cases doubles that fear. But seeing DOH personnel get someone from the building where you live is enough to make one panic. Coronavirus is throwing us all into a mad tailspin and we still don’t know when it’s going to end.

Chronological Snobbery

John Piper:

“I have an abiding fear of what C. S. Lewis called chronological snobbery. Chronological snobbery is the arrogant notion that the ideas of our own day are better than the ideas of a bygone day just because the ideas are in our day. Chronological snobbery feels that things are truer because they are newer. And so it is both irrational and naïve.

Why It’s Good to Tremble Before God

Imagine a crisis like this: you are a king of a small kingdom and two bigger nations conspire to draw you into a losing battle. They wanted to remove you from the throne and replace you with a puppet king. The coalition was strong. All your political advisers say you are facing a major disaster. What do you do?

Takijiro Onishi and Atonement

Dale Ralph Davis:

Have you ever thought what life would be like without atonement?

In one of my previous books I told of Admiral Onishi, who tried to provide his own atonement. Takijiro Onishi was Commander of Japan’s First Air Fleet. It was October 1944 and the war was turning sour for Japan in the Pacific. Onishi therefore proposed desperate measures.

How to Pray for the Philippines

Let’s face it: for some of us, praying for the nation is hard. Sure, it’s a nice idea, and the Bible talks about here and there. But just what is it about the nation that you feel the need to single-handedly bring to the attention of the God of the universe? Maybe someone already beat you to it. And which of the thousands of problems of the nation should you be bringing to God in prayer?

Should We Sell Everything and Give to the Poor?

In Matthew 19, we see the story of the rich young ruler who came up to Jesus to ask what else he needed to do in order to inherit eternal life. Jesus’ answer was nothing short of explosive. He told the guy to sell all his possessions, give away the proceeds to the poor, and follow Jesus.