The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

She’s Innocent. We’re Guilty. By JULIA BAIRD [ NYT ] ULURU, the large red rock in the Australian outback, is a sacred site for aboriginal people. Photographs do not convey how dramatically it looms: an enormous crimson heart in the middle of thousands of miles of flat, muted desert. It was here, on Aug. 17, 1980 , that a dingo — an Australian wild dog — dragged a baby called Azaria Chamberlain from a tent as her parents sat by the campfire. Her body was never found. Azaria’s desperate mother, Lindy, was accused of lying, convicted of murder and sent to prison. The film about her, “A Cry in the Dark,” starring Meryl Streep, spawned a thousand jokes: “A dingo’s got my baby!” It was not until this week that Lindy and her ex-husband, Michael, were finally given the   vindication   they longed for: a death certificate that stated that the cause of Azaria’s death was a dingo attack. Why did it take three decades, tens of millions of dollars, a criminal case appealed in Australia ’s ...

"And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years;  and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years.  Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month;  on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land.  And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants.  It shall be a Jubilee for you;  and each of you shall return to his possession, and each of you shall return to his family.  That fiftieth year shall be a Jubilee to you . . .  For it is the Jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat its produce from the field. "In this Year of Jubilee, each of you shall return to his possession.  And if you sell anything to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor’s hand, you shall not oppress one another . . . If one of your brethren becomes poor, an...

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,   and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,   and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God . But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No...

Now as he journeyed he approached Damascus , and suddenly a light from heaven flashed about him.   And he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"   And he said, "Who are you, Lord?" And he said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;   but rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."   The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.   Saul arose from the ground; and when his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus .   And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.   Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Anani'as. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Anani'as." And he said, "Here I am, Lord."   And the Lord said to him, "Rise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for a man of Tarsus named Saul; f...

[Jesus] said:   “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life  will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.   What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?   Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” [Mark 8:34-38] The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. [Matt13: 44-46] The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. [...

Saudi Arabia Jails...

Liberty to Captives And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. [Jesus] unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. Luke 4:17-21 [T]hat through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Hebrews 2:14-15 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set y...