Reverend Shane Raynor – Tuesday, 7 January 2014 “World Hunger, MSNBC, Mitt Romney, and Socialism”

Reverend Shane Raynor – Tuesday, 7 January 2014 “World Hunger, MSNBC, Mitt Romney, and Socialism”

I get my daily news from a number of sources, mostly online, and as I’m reading I often come across stories that don’t necessarily warrant a blog post, but do raise questions and offer opportunities for conversation and smaller amounts of commentary. Here are some of the stories that grabbed my attention today:

World shifts focus to 'hidden hunger' as global obesity expands - Al Jazeera America

The good news is world hunger has dropped 17 percent in the last 23 years. The bad news is the number of obese and overweight adults has increased 360% in the developing world since 1980. And 842 million people still go hungry on a daily basis. So how do we eradicate hunger? Sure, politics and corruption make it virtually impossible to get the number all the way to zero, but in 2014, it’s scandalous that nearly a billion people are still going hungry every day.

Five Economic Reforms Millennials Should Be Fighting For - Rolling Stone

I almost thought this article was a spoof when I read it the first time. But it’s not. A guaranteed job for everyone? A universal basic income even if you don’t work? A punitive land value tax designed to seize real estate from the wealthy? Look, we all know capitalism comes with problems. But shifting to “communism lite” is a lousy solution. And in any discussion on addressing poverty and income disparity, freedom must be paramount.

Romney accepts MSNBC host's apology - CNN

Last weekend I was reading on The Blaze about Melissa Harris-Perry’s apology to Mitt Romney’s family, and was disgusted at some of the vitriol I found in the comments. I thought the segment she was apologizing for had certainly been inappropriate, but I also felt her apology was sincere. Many of The Blaze’s commenters apparently didn’t agree with me. I frequent both conservative/libertarian and progressive/liberal news sites—The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast on the left and The Blaze and The Daily Caller on the right. I noticed several years how toxic some of The Huffington Post’s commenters had become, and now it’s becoming apparent to me that mean people exist in every ideology and political persuasion. Melissa Harris-Perry and her guests said some foolish things on her show, but she apologized, so let’s forgive and move on. In situations like this, I think about Matthew 7:2: “You’ll receive the same judgment you give. Whatever you deal out will be dealt out to you. (CEB)” If I want mercy when I mess things up, how can I withhold mercy to someone else?

Shane Raynor is an editor at Ministry Matters and editor of the Converge Bible Studies series from Abingdon Press. Connect with Shane on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook. Sign up to receive Shane's posts free via email.

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