A subscriber writes: "How can we obey the authorities of our nation (which the Bible commands) by swearing on oath to tell the truth, and yet not swear (which Jesus prohibits)? You have no doubt had to deal with this in your legal profession, and I am curious how we can resolve it." * * * Although I am an attorney, I am first of all a Christian committed to follow Jesus Christ as Lord. Some very devout Christians take Jesus' language in Matthew 5:33-37 in an unrestricted sense as forbidding oaths of any sort. However, the context suggests a more limited point. In this passage, the Lord was … [Read more...]

A gracEmail reader writes: "Suppose a case of sexual abuse occurs in the church. The law requires that such cases be reported, yet the Apostle Paul forbids believers taking legal action against each other (1 Cor. 6:1-8). What is the right thing to do?" * * * First of all, you are not asked to take legal action, only to report criminal activity to the proper authority. Further, I believe that a closer reading of this passage will make plain that Paul is not issuing a blanket prohibition against Christians using the courts of the land, even in matters where all parties are believers. He is … [Read more...]

A gracEmail reader asks, "Would you care to comment on the use of Paul's appeal as a Roman citizen (Acts 25:9-12) as the basis for Christians organizing and sponsoring litigation against certain of our own laws which permit activities contrary to Scripture?" * * * Although Paul regularly used Roman law defensively in the course of his ministry, Scripture does not record any occasion when he used the law offensively to further his spiritual ends. God's kingdom is not "of this world," Jesus had declared to Roman Pilate (John 18:36). It does not depend on worldly power, human plans or earthly … [Read more...]

A gracEmail reader asks, "Would you care to comment on the use of Paul's appeal as a Roman citizen (Acts 25:9-12) as the basis for Christians organizing and sponsoring litigation against certain of our own laws which permit activities contrary to Scripture?" * * * The Apostle Paul was truly a cosmopolitan man. A native of the colonial city of Tarsus, he enjoyed all the benefits of Roman citizenship, Greek culture and Jewish religion. He spoke at least two languages, traveled throughout the Empire and studied rabbinics in Jerusalem where he topped his class in seminary. Once he encountered … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber and her husband are owed a debt by a young couple as the result of a business deal. The young couple profess to be Christians but have ignored the scheduled payments, apparently thinking the creditor couple does not need the money. The gracEmail subscriber wonders if it would be wrong to sue the debtors, in view of Paul's disapproval of Christians going to court against fellow-believers. * * * Some within the church at Corinth were airing internal disputes in public before pagan judges. The Apostle Paul addressed that situation disapprovingly in 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 and … [Read more...]

A newspaper columnist complained about immigrants who would like to change traditional American customs and ways. This is our country, the author said--a Christian country in which people speak English. If newcomers don't like that, he said, they should exercise their right to return to their original homelands. A gracEmail subscriber asked for my reaction. * * *It is historical fact that those who resettled America beginning in 1492, often removing the people who already lived there, were white Western Europeans from countries with historic Christian cultures. That does not necessarily … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber writes: "Please share your thinking on what a Christian perspective on aliens, illegal or otherwise, in our country should be. How should we feel toward them? How can we significantly minister to them? What political issues cloud the real issues for a Christian?" * * * But what about the flood of emigrants who enter our country illegally, then drain our educational and social systems dry? The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) estimates the number of illegal aliens at eight million in January 2000, increasing by a half-million each year since. The actual … [Read more...]

A gracEmail subscriber writes: "Please share your thinking on what a Christian perspective on aliens, illegal or otherwise, in our country should be. How should we feel toward them? How can we significantly minister to them? What political issues cloud the real issues for a Christian?" * * * How can our Savior, our Scriptures and our faith shape our perceptions and responses regarding foreign-born persons among us? In the first place, they call us to remember how much we all have in common. The Apostle Paul said that God made every human being in every nation and … [Read more...]