Author Archives: abfifer

Christian Mediation Thwarted by Lawsuit

November 20, 2014 – 6:26 pm

Two Christian parties who ended up in court despite a contract clause requiring them to mediate their disputes biblically have now settled their dispute. Dr. Edward O. Blews, Jr., was fired from his position as president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU) in October 2013 after just nine months in that position. […]

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At Least They Apologized

November 15, 2014 – 7:52 pm

Church discipline is supposed to be restorative. In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus outlines a four-step process for dealing with a sinning member; each step is designed to get the member to “listen,” i.e., repent and change their behavior.  If a couple of witnesses can’t get the member to listen, Jesus says, “then tell it to the […]

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Let’s Limit Term Limits

November 7, 2014 – 3:42 pm

Voters in Grand Rapids approved a proposal Tuesday that limits the terms of our elected city representatives. My fellow citizens have in effect restricted my voting rights. Neither of my two city commissioners, Ruth Kelly and Rosalynn Bliss, can run again; my right to vote for them has now been taken away from me. They […]

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Christian Peacemaking on National TV

October 16, 2014 – 3:44 pm

The CBS TV series “The Good Wife” depicted a Christian dispute resolution process in its October 5th episode. Entitled “’Dear God,” it portrayed a dispute between a farmer and the local supplier of genetically-modified seed, not unlike the dispute in the recent U.S. Supreme Court case, Bowman v Monsanto (2013) . The seed supplier—represented by […]

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Pursuing Peace

October 1, 2014 – 6:28 pm

During this year’s Peacemaker Ministries Annual Conference last week, I gave a devotional one morning on “pursuing peace.” The Bible exhorts us not just to “seek” peace but to “pursue” it (Psalm 34:14). The word translated “pursue” can also be translated “persecute” (cf. Romans 14:19; Galatians 1:13), offering an unusual perspective on how zealously we should […]

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