2019 Issues

News and Views

November 1, 2019

Religious After 36 years of lobbying by Iraq, the ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon was designated in July a UNESCO World Heritage Site. UNESCO warned that the site is in an “extremely vulnerable condition” and in need of urgent conservation. “The property suffers from a variety of threats including illegal constructions, trash dumping and burning, small-scale industrial pollution, urban encroachments and other environmental factors. At the time of inscription, and despite conservation efforts undertaken since 2008 with international collaboration, the general physical […]

Death Without Justice?

November 1, 2019

Today In Prophecy “Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later” (1 Timothy 5:24 NKJV). On August 30, Robert Mugabe, former president of Zimbabwe, died a free and rich man at the age of 95 in a luxury hospital in Singapore. Justice suggested that he should have died in prison, serving a lengthy sentence for horrendous crimes against humanity. When dictatorships spread throughout much of the developing world after World War II, Robert […]

The Instruction of Judgment

November 1, 2019

Perceive the Words “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding; To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity” (Proverbs 1:2-3). by Timothy Malinowski A 2018 study from Cornell University estimates that the average adult makes about 35,000 remotely conscious decisions each day. Each decision, of course, carries certain consequences with it that are either good or bad. Likewise, with every decision we make, we may use either good or bad judgment. The mental faculty of […]

Justice (Tzedek) — A Tri-Literal Root

November 1, 2019

Doing what is Right “To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity” (Proverbs 1:3). by Jonathan Gray The three Hebrew words Tze-dek, Tzedak-ah, and Tzad-dik, are the words for Justice, Charity, and a Righteous One. The root of these Hebrew words yields many branches of words with specific meaning; all of these words are related and interconnected. In other translations of our banner scripture, a variety of English words are used for “justice.” The NIV uses “right,” and the […]

Equity: Perfect Justice

November 1, 2019

Equity Over Equality “Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path” (Proverbs 2:9). by Benjamin and Gabriella Stein Equity is a one-word summary of many lessons in the Book of Proverbs. It conveys the thought of perfect justice — unattainable to mankind, yet natural for God. Equity implies equal opportunity. It differs from equality in that equity considers our unique strengths and capacities rather than simply treating all of us exactly the same. Wisdom by itself is […]