Mike Pesca

  • The word terrorism should not be useful

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    It is descriptive. We can define terrorism as “The deliberate commission of an act of violence to create an emotional response through the suffering of the victims in the furtherance of a political or social agenda.” The textbook definition doesn’t say anything about Islam. In recent episodes of his podcast, The Gist, Mike Pesca discussed how…

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  • Weaning From Outrage

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    As I drove north, along I-70 into Indianapolis, then taking I-69 all the way up to the wilds of the back roads north of Lansing, I listened to podcast after podcast. It was a time to catch up on the backlog, and it seems that a trio of shows has cultivated a moment, a sense…

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  • The Real Reason a Church Needs an Obvious Purpose

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    So, mission statements aren’t perfect. Like many people, I believe they are kind of overrated. Particularly for churches. Most statements come out like: Love. Serve. Give. Doing our most for those with the least. Sharing the love of Christ given to us without regard for anything we might have done so that others may also…

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  • What Every Christian Should Know About Torture

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    Torture Isn’t Actually Partisan It takes a certain level of what Pope Francis calls “spiritual Alzheimers” for Christians to think torture is acceptable. In any circumstance. I’m willing to give us some level of forgiveness for our confusion in the closing months of 2001, when the country, and particularly the government, was searching for ways to respond…

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