Category: Ethics

America, Citizenship, Conflict, Constitution, First Amendment, Story

America’s Best Idea

Gary Furr

In times of great fear and anxiety, principles are more important than ever. In my reading I came across this thoughtful quote. “Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote in her final opinion on church–state matters: ‘Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must answer a difficult question: Why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?’” Randall Balmer, AMERICA’S BEST IDEA:SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE The history of the efforts to have a union of the two are uniformly a history of oppression, violence, and the ruin … Continue reading America’s Best Idea

Bible, Christianity, Faith, hope, Jesus, Love, reconciliation, Selfishness, Spirituality, Teachings, Theology2 Comments

Love Your Neighbor–part 3

Gary Furr

In our previous time together, I examined the mystery of how love of God, neighbor, and even ourselves, is so askew. And this lives out so differently in men and women, the well-located and the dislocated, the rich and the poor, but there are common roots to it all. We concluded with this observation of the matter–When we love our neighbor this way, forgetting ourselves in love for another, we connect with the powerful love that is at the heart of all things.  It is life-giving.  It is also impossible unless God helps us to love.  And yet we know, … Continue reading Love Your Neighbor–part 3

Bible, Christianity, humanity, Jesus, Love, Selfishness, spirituality, Teachings, Theology and Life

Love One Another– part 2

Gary Furr

So today, let’s pick up where we were last time. In the New Testament, there are two injunctions. As I mentioned previously, we are to love God and love our neighbor. Romans 13.8 states, let no debt remain outstanding except the outstanding debt to love one another for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. But what about self-love? We’ve become bogged down in modern life by being sure that we love ourselves enough and have subtly reversed the emphasis of this commandment. Many people struggle with finding a sense of purpose and worth. The modern secular profession of counseling … Continue reading Love One Another– part 2

Books, change, Christianity, Citizenship, Culture, Ethics, humanity, Institutions, Modern Life, Politics, REVIEWS--Books, Movies, Music, social media, Story, Technology, Theology

AI, Social Media and the Future of Us

Gary Furr

Chris Hayes, The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became theWorld’s Most Endangered Resource. Penguin Random House, 2025 and Nicholas Carr, Superbloom: How Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart, W. W. Norton & Company, 2024. The latest issue of Christian Ethics Today has come out. I wrote an extensive twin review in the issue about these two excellent books that are well worth your time. A couple of short quotes from the review. Chris Hayes is the well known host of MSNBCs All In. From Hayes’ book: Nicholas Carr has written another book that profoundly shaped my understanding of the current technological … Continue reading AI, Social Media and the Future of Us

Citizenship, Economics, Ethics, Family, Marriage, Parenting, Politics, Poverty, Selfishness, Story, Taxes3 Comments

Mama, Is That Tacky?

Gary Furr

A long time ago, I was a preacher at the First Baptist Church in Blakely, Georgia. It was a small town with many good things, but if we wanted to really go “uptown” we’d go to Dothan, Alabama, across the Chattahoochee River, all the way in the Central Time zone. And our girls especially loved going to the Wiregrass Commons Mall. One Saturday we were there shopping and came to the food court. Lo and behold, a wedding was going on. A bride and groom, groomsmen wearing tuxes and bridesmaids in pretty dresses. In the food court of the Wiregrass … Continue reading Mama, Is That Tacky?