News

I’ve been thinking about the Apostle Paul lately. His role as a government official and a church leader meant he had to establish laws and disciplines for his community. But still… “Slaves obey your masters” doesn’t sit well with me. I’m sorry, but this command, along with “Children obey your parents,” and “Women obey your husbands,” is hard for me to accept. It just doesn’t feel right, especially considering the pain that can come from abuse in these relationships. I know we have to understand two things here: Paul was speaking to a different culture than ours. He wasn’t talking...

Tough love. It sounds so noble, doesn’t it? The phrase evokes images of stern but caring discipline, a kind of hands-on, no-nonsense approach to saving someone from themselves. The reality, though, is far less glamorous. In fact, for many people, this brand of "tough love" is anything but loving. To really understand how this philosophy became so popular, we have to look at its origins. Enter Synanon, the 1950s brainchild of Charles Dederich, an alcoholic who founded what was supposed to be a revolutionary rehab program for drug addicts. Synanon started with high hopes, but it quickly evolved into something...

Mom has always had a clear pattern when dealing with counselors, police, or any authority figure. It’s a well-rehearsed routine, one she slips into so effortlessly that even I find myself questioning what's real. When she speaks to them, she starts off addressing the issues at hand. Sure, maybe I got loud, maybe I yelled—there's no denying that. But as soon as she feels a little more comfortable, she shifts into this calculated vulnerability, carefully crafted for maximum effect. She draws them in with stories of her own trauma. The abuse she endured as a child, the rapes, the molestations,...

In a world where social justice is the rallying cry of a generation, there's a certain irony that seems to be lost on many Gen Zers. They brand themselves as socially conscious, champions of equality, and advocates for the underprivileged. Yet, beneath the surface of their Instagram posts and TikTok rants lies a stark reality: many of them have never truly experienced the hardships they so passionately decry. It starts with their upbringing. For a significant portion of Gen Z, teenage years were not spent flipping burgers, bagging groceries, or working odd jobs to save up for college or the...

It was a simple request, or so I thought: ask my mother for help with housing. I was homeless, desperate, and in need of a place to stay. What I didn’t expect was that this plea for help would land me in jail, charged with domestic violence. My mother, who had placed a restraining order on me, was following the a idea she had gotten from the family of Kelly Thomas, a murder victim who tragically lost his life after a brutal encounter with the police. But this wasn’t about Kelly; this was about me, standing on the other side...