The Ethiopian Church Journal Blog

  End of the World? By Mitiku Adisu "The Last Judgement" by Afewerk Tekle, 1958, 3 x 2.5 meters Prophets, priests, and politicians have all speculated when the world will end. By prophets, we mean the type that can't even cheat the lie detector. We need not waste time on politicians [and some in the "climate" camp]. Many have come and gone, including sincere but misguided Christians, warning us to prepare for a Doomsday that never came.What this does is spread cynicism to the point of making the idea indistinguishable from the characters proclaiming it. As we write this, the news that has been twirling for over two years is that Maya priests have finally figured out 12-21-12 as the real  end of the world! Let me go ahead and predict that the end of the world will not happen tomorrow! How can I say that? Well, first, the date is too  specific ; secondly, to mark such a momentous matter with such specificity is not what humans are made for. I will admit, h

  Twelve, Twelve, and Twelve By Mitiku Adisu   Today is the 12th day of the 12th month in the Year of our Lord 2012. Let me say this; Every day of the month and every month of the year is the Lord’s. In other words, there is no day, month or year that is not the Lord’s. It was God who instituted time in six days of Creation, reserving the Seventh for rest and established weekly, monthly, yearly observances, etc. So what makes today unique other than that it has arrived with three 12s in tow? Well, according to this retired professor of mathematics those who are on the Gregorian calendar and want to see a repeat of a similar event will have to prolong their earthly life by one hundred years! I am sorry but the likelihood of any reading this post not reaching that mark is 100 per cent. But should that stop us from making a statement of the Century and, per chance, launching few choice words for storage in The Cloud, if only someone would show us how? But first we want to distanc

Love Reconciles Bishop Festo Kivengere, 1919-1988    In our community, after Christians were liberated by the power of the risen Lord, people of all sorts were shaken by contact with them.    Take, for instance, a Muslim shopkeeper. One day a customer came into his shop and said, "Here, these 200 shillings are yours. I cheated you out of this money and you didn't find out." He explained how it happened.    "Well! Why do you bring it now?"    "Jesus has changed my life and has told me to pay my debt to you. I felt poor with 200 shillings in my pocket, but I am a rich man now that you have them. Please forgive me." In those days that was a lot of money, and so when the man left, the shopkeeper's mouth was gaping.     Some British officials were jarred. At times there were so many people waiting outside to return or pay things that the district commissioner complained that it was hard to get his work done.    A man would say, &qu