“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” – James 3:1   Anoop Shankar is a former West Virginia University and Virginia Commonwealth University medical professor. He allegedly provided false information to immigration authorities, forged signatures of professors in fake recommendation letters, used fake credentials to claim the university job, and misused his university purchasing card. Shankar taught at WVU from 2008 to 2014. Federal agents believe that he left the United States in 2014 and sta ..read more

“But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.” – James 2:18   Ulrich Zwingli was a Swiss Christian theologian, musician, and leader of the Reformation in Switzerland. He attended the University of Vienna and the University of Basel. He continued his studies while he served as a pastor in Glarus and later in Einsiedeln, where he was influenced by the writings of Erasmus. During his tenures at Basel and Einsiedeln, Zwingli began to familiarize himself with many criticisms Christian institutions were facing ..read more

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” – James 2:12-13   In her book “In His Image”, author Jen Wilken writes: “My husband, Jeff, is an excellent driver. He has never had an accident, excepting two incidents in high school which hardly bear mentioning— Several years ago, I was driving across town to get to a speaking engagement during Friday rush hour traffic. Having waited three cycles to make a left turn at a busy intersection, I acc ..read more

“Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” – James 2:2-4   Fannie Lou Hamer was born in Montgomery County, Mississippi, in 1917. She was the youngest of twenty children, and her mother and father were sharecroppers. She was a devoted Baptist who believ ..read more

“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism.” – James 2:1   On March 12, 2020, Rose Wakefield stopped for gas at Jacksons Food Store in Beaverton, Oregon when Nigel Powers, the attendant on duty at the time, was pumping gas for other drivers but refused to offer her service. When she asked for assistance, Powers told her, "I don’t serve Black people.” "I went to a gas station to get gas and service, and I wasn't served," Wakefield said about her experience. "I was actually humiliated and disrespected." In late-January, 2023, a jury agreed in her fav ..read more

"but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." - James 1:14-15 In their book “The Way of the Dragon or the Way of the Lamb: Searching for Jesus’ Path of Power in a Church that Has Abandoned It” authors Jamin Goggin and Kyle Strobel write: “For years Kyle and I [Jamin Goggin] had no trouble looking critically upon others in their quest for power. We bemoaned the rock-star pastors who were in the spotlight, whose churches appeared to be more conc ..read more

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22 Author Colleen Strachan writes: “Dallas Willard gave a series of lectures on the kingdom of God. In one, he discussed the popularity of the phrase, ‘The truth will set you free’ by putting it in its proper kingdom context: The whole passage from John 8 is this, ‘When Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ It’s amazing how people will just start at the end and come back and chop ..read more

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” – James 1:12 In his book “A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future”, Os Guinness writes: “The day after Christmas would normally have been a quiet day in Washington, D.C., above all on Capitol Hill. But December 26, 1941, was different. It was only nineteen days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and both the Senate chamber and the overflow gallery were packed to hear British Prime Minister Winst ..read more

“But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” – James 1:6   In his book, The Enormous Exception, Earl Palmer tells about a pre-med undergrad at the University of California, Berkley, who became a Christian after a long journey through doubts and questions. A bout with the flu kept him out of classes for 10 days. During that critical absence from his organic chemistry class, a Christian classmate carefully collected all his missed lectures and assignments. The person took time from his own studies to help h ..read more

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” – James 1:2-3   Pastor Ray Johnston, in his book “The Hope Quotient”, wrote: “David Letterman’s old late-night segment “Will It Float?” once inspired our staff to fill a huge water tank, place it at the front of an auditorium, and ask three thousand people to vote which of a series of items would float. We collected a bunch of unusual objects: a can of Spam, a five-pound bag of flour, an egg, a gallon of milk, a Shaq bobblehead doll. It was pr ..read more