Jealousy vs Covetousness

Jealousy. Envy. Covetousness. These are terms which mean the same thing: to feel bitterness or hostility because someone else has something that you don’t. They are altogether unacceptable and bad. Right?

Well, sure, from a certain point of view. However, language is a tricky thing, and a fickle one at that. Today, jealousy in a relationship is typically seen as a sign of insecurity or weakness on the part of the one who is jealous. It’s often referred to as the green-eyed monster, and people who act jealously are often viewed as irrational. At least, that’s how the term is typically portrayed in pop culture. In reality, there are numerous shades of meaning which can turn jealousy into something that is not as bad as you may think it is, and, under the right circumstances, into a very good thing.

Donald Trump and the Would-Be Assassin

Today was a historic day - or perhaps infamous would be a better way to describe it. July 13^th, 2024, will henceforth be known as the day that someone tried and failed to gun down former President (and current presidential candidate) Donald Trump. The Bible is quite clear about such actions. There’s even a commandment about it: ”Thou shalt not kill.” And yet, here we are.

America In The Last Days

I recently saw a meme complaining about Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA. According to the creator of the meme, every year around the 4^th of July, this song climbs way up the charts on all the major music streaming platforms. The problem? The song isn’t really patriotic or pro-America in any overtly discernible way. It does clearly seem to be the story of an armed forces veteran coming home after the Vietnam conflict, but I suppose if one such as the meme creator were to go searching for overt “Yay, America!” lyrics, they would indeed come up empty.

Seeing this meme caused me to begin thinking. First of all, I wondered why the meme’s author would care so much about whether the song was overtly patriotic or not. Then of course, I remembered that it’s the internet, and what good is the internet if one can’t complain about obscure minutiae? More importantly, I began thinking about the usual rhetoric that accompanies Independence Day in the US, and how, at least in Christian circles, I often hear one of two refrains…

Many Christians wax optimistic about the future and how America will be a light unto the world until Christ returns. Others complain about the state of society and talk about how we need to turn this country around before it’s too late. Both of these statements miss a very important Biblical fact: the United States of America will have little to no role to play in the end times.

*gasping noises*