Author: Jojo Agot

In cinema and television, it’s mostly single people with no attachment to families who save the world. Things like getting married and having kids are usually unnecessary encumbrances. World-saving is important. Nothing else matters. 

Here’s something I got from our frontliners’ group chat in Victory Caloocan. This nurse tested positive last week. What she wrote warms the heart and fuels our hope. I’m sharing her reflections here. She requested to remain anonymous. Sentences are tweaked a bit. Here goes:

I don’t understand cooking shows. The full range of my cooking skills involves cooking rice and a few tricks on how to prepare quick meals appropriate only for college dorm life. Beyond that, I’m totally useless in the kitchen. My wife Donna is different. She’d watch a YouTube video about a recipe and in less than an hour she’d come up with her own version of whatever dish she’s interested in.

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? 

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. 

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.