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Can God Evolve?
ome of the things that I
come across when I read different publications never cease to amaze me. Most of the time my astonishment arrives from the unexpected com- ments people make about cer- tain topics.
For example, last week there was a small story in The Week magazine detailing how former South African Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu's daughter, Mpho Tutu-Van Furth, was forced to resign from her position as a priest in the Anglican Church after she decided to marry another woman. According to the arti- cle, her relationship was in di- rect conflict with the church's stance against gay marriage.
Of course, a member of the clergy being removed from his or her appointment as a leader of a congregation, because of an alternative lifestyle choice, is nothing new. Newspapers have been printing stories of pastors and priests being ousted after coming out of the closet for years.
What makes this story so interesting, though, is the way the Elder Tutu responded to the situation. Not only did the Bishop support his daughter, by giving his blessing at the ceremony, he went on to state for the record that he, "would
not worship a God who was homophobic."
As shocking as it was to read about someone of Tutu's religious stature making such a bold declaration, apparently, it wasn't the first time that the Bishop has made questionable comments about his beliefs. According to the magazine, in 2013, Tutu, a gay rights advo- cate, raised some serious eye- brows when he said he, "refused to go to a homopho- bic heaven."
If these remarks were made by some run-of-the-mill champion for the LGBT com- munity this probably wouldn't be an issue. But, considering that Bishop Tutu is a highly- educated theological scholar, his views invite speculation into what book he's been read- ing all of these years?
I would never be so bold as to suggest that I, remotely, have a clue of whether or not the Creator of the universe is homophobic. But, judging by Scriptures from the Bible like Genesis Chapter 19, Ro- mans 1:27 and 1 Corinthi- ans 6:9-11, I can't say that He's too tolerant of such be- havior either.
Even in the Noble Koran studied by Muslims, in Surah's 7:81, 11:78, 27: 54- 55 and 29: 28-29, there are
verses where Allah (glory be to his name) blatantly admon- ishes those who partake in ac- tions He considers a "manifest error."
So the question remains, with the holy books of the world's two most prominent religions both describing ho- mosexuality in unflattering terms, where did Bishop Tutu develop his thought process?
This type of unorthodox viewpoint, coming from a re- spected member of the cloth, is what makes being a Chris- tian so confusing these days. I mean, how can anyone even attempt to stand on a founda- tion that always appears to be shifting?
There was a time when things like abortion, divorce, fornication and homosexual behavior were all once looked upon as strictly forbidden under church doctrine. But now, thanks to a parochial re- mixing of Biblical law, all of those activities or actions are deemed cool (at least under certain circumstances) be- cause of their popularity in today's culture.
I guess, to many of those who interpret the Word for us, even God doesn't have a prob- lem "evolving" with the times. I just hope, for their sake, He has mercy on their souls for having the nerve to believe that they can actually think for Him as well.
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Muhammad Ali: An American Epic Hero
nd what is an epic hero? According to experts, he or she
is a “brave and noble character . . . a figure of imposing stature of national or international importance, and of great historical or legendary significance” . . . a person, fictitious or real, whose actions consist of deeds of great valor, perhaps even superhuman courage, and whose judgment is reserved not for the likes of man, but for God Himself, for better or worse.
The Greek warrior, Achilles, was such an epic hero. So was the legendary Hercules, as well as was the New World’s John Henry, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Jackie Robinson, and yes, even the devastating puncher, Joe Lewis.
But experts say there are at least 12 characteristics of true epic heroes: (1) They excel in skill, strength, and courage. (2) They succeed in war as well as adventure. (3) They value honor and glory above all else. (4) They usually have a spiri- tual guide. (5) They have battled demons, or monsters. (6) They are generous to a fault, but ruthless to a penny. (7) Without doubt, they are people of action. (8) They accept challenges and sometimes bite off more than they can chew. (9) They sometimes make rash decisions and take unneces- sary risks. (10) They often battle temptations to the death. (11) They descend into darkness only to emerge into the light, and (12) Above all else, they achieve their goals.We reviewed each of these traits . . . asked experts, whose opinions we re- spected . . . and we returned with one name that seemed to exemplify all such qualities.
That name was Muhammad Ali. A member of our editorial staff, who had the honor of meeting Muhammad Ali, later at- tended a college class where an instructor stated, “The 20th century is no longer capable of producing epic heroes.”
Our staff writer remembers thinking, “I bet you never met Muhammad Ali.” By the way, there’s one more wonderful thing about epic heroes: They never die.
No Shortcuts To Success
“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted.”
~David Bly
mpowered Greet-
ings. There are no shortcuts to success. What- ever the measure of success you want in life, it’s worth the work it takes to get it. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Companies, ministries and people build success through sweat equity, perseverance and hard work.
Most people will never witness the turbulence, feel the hurt of failures or know the struggles of long sleepless
nights and limited resources experienced by those that are deemed to be successful. Al- though it may seem like a business or a person became an overnight wonder, there is more than likely, a sacrificial, behind the scenes story, that has led to their glory.
There is no true shortcut or overnight success. Any success secrets that anyone could ever give you only works if you work it. The op- erative word you need to focus on is work. I believe in the premise that hard work won’t kill you, because no one ever drowned in their own sweat. You must work at being successful. You must work at being committed to
your passions.
You must work with a
laser precision and focus. You must work to have actions that produce results. The re- sults of your work will then produce success. If success didn’t involve work, more people would be achieving it. Now that you know there are no shortcuts to success, the question is, “Are you willing to pay the for your success?”
Selphenia would love to speak to your group or organ- ization about success. Call her office at 813-603-0088 and invite her to speak or train at your next event.
Let Selphenia know what you’re doing to achieve your success. Drop her a post on social media
Facebook: Selphenia Nichols Success Coach to Women Include Florida Sentinel Reader in your request. Twitter: @queenofsuccess1 Instagram: Selphenia
For-Profit Schools Need Further Watching
he recent news coverage of a class action suit against
former Trump University and Florida’s Attorney Gen- eral Pam Bondi’s failure to investigate Trump university un- derscores the failure of states and the federal government to protect consumers.
Since 2010, numerous for-profit “colleges” and “universi- ties” have undergone investigations and lawsuits that have required each of the institutions to return as high as $30 mil- lion in student loan funds to the federal government.
While Trump University did not receive federal funds for any of its students, other for-profit “schools” accounted for nearly 60 percent of all student loans ($24 billion) and 70 percent of student loan defaults.
Clearly, one study revealed “these so-called schools have not been held accountable for the results of their programs either through market mechanisms or regulatory oversight.” Even though President Obama’s administration imple- mented regulations in 2014 to protect students attending ca- reer colleges from being “saddled with debt they cannot repay,” the law applies only to those schools that qualify for
federal student aid. Laws that prevent for-profit colleges such as Trump University from prey- ing on the hopes and dreams of citizens should be mandated by every state in the union.
These schools have enrolled students who didn’t have high school diplomas or GED’s, used high pressure sales tactics and aggressive recruitment, lied about their job placement results, offered career programs that cost three to four times those offered by community colleges, used “up-sale” tactics, and used deceptive information (lies) regarding accreditation and transfer of college credits to other schools, whether privately or publicly funded, for-profit schools need stronger regulation.
FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 5-A
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