‘The Widening of God’s Mercy’ lacks a credible defense of its thesis and ignores the most important relevant biblical texts.
A book recently published by Yale University Press and much hyped by the media for promoting a “biblical” case for homosexual unions falls woefully short: The Widening of God’s Mercy, by Christopher and Richard Hays, has been hyped by Religion News Service, CNN, and The New York Times. It generated attention because Richard, professor emeritus at Duke Divinity School, was regarded in the 1990s as the main go-to person for Evangelicals seeking to defend Scripture’s opposition to homosexual relationships. His co-author and son, Christopher, is chair of the Old Testament Department at Fuller Seminary, supposedly an Evangelical institution.
Their thesis is that “the biblical narratives … trace a trajectory of mercy that leads us to welcome sexual minorities.” They see this as a Spirit-driven move, a new chapter in an “ongoing story,” where “God repeatedly changes his mind” to “widen” or “expand” “the scope of his mercy” to once-excluded “fixed classes of human beings.” “There is a powerful analogy, a metaphorical correspondence, between the embrace of LGBTQ people and God’s previously unexpected embrace of foreigners, eunuchs, ‘tax collectors and sinners,’ gentiles.”
Not Living Up to the Hype
The authors fail to provide a credible defense of their thesis. They ignore virtually all the weight of scholarship since 1996, when Richard Hays’ Moral Vision of the New Testament was published. They also intentionally ignore discussion of the most important biblical texts that counter their claims. I would expect more from an undergraduate thesis. […]
— Read More: thefederalist.com
Why One Survival Food Company Shines Above the Rest
Let’s be real. “Prepper Food” or “Survival Food” is generally awful. The vast majority of companies that push their cans, bags, or buckets desperately hope that their customers never try them and stick them in the closet or pantry instead. Why? Because if the first time they try them is after the crap hits the fan, they’ll be too shaken to call and complain about the quality.
It’s true. Most long-term storage food is made with the cheapest possible ingredients with limited taste and even less nutritional value. This is why they tout calories so much. Sure, they provide calories but does anyone really want to go into the apocalypse with food their family can’t stand?
This is what prompted the Llewellyns to launch Heaven’s Harvest. They bought survival food from multiple companies and determined they couldn’t imagine being stuck in an extended emergency with such low-quality food. They quickly discovered that freeze drying food for long-term storage doesn’t have to mean sacrificing flavor, consistency, or nutrition.
Their ingredients are all-American. In fact, they’re locally sourced and all-natural! This allows their products to be the highest quality on the market, so good that their customers often break open a bag in a pinch to eat because they want to, not just because they have to due to an emergency.
At Heaven’s Harvest, their only focus is amazing food. They don’t sell bugout bags, solar chargers, or multitools. They have one mission – feeding Americans in times of crisis.
What they DO offer is the ability for people to thrive in times of greatest need. On top of long-term storage food, they offer seeds to help Americans for the truly long-term. They want them to grow their own food if possible which is why they offer only Heirloom, Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid, Open-Pollinated seeds so their customers can build permanent food security on their own property.
