Note that the school used an "ammunition sniffing" dog to uncover the shotgun. (and to think that they tell us that California has a budget crisis.)
Note that he did nothing wrong.
I want my country back. In High School, not only did we keep our rifles and shotguns in our cars and trucks in the school parking lot (some displayed in open gun racks) so as to hunt before and after school, we were also permitted to check out .22 rifles at the ROTC armory so as to shoot on the 50' indoor range without adult supervision. And to think that none of us ever thought once about shooting up our school.
Force you to pay for elective abortion with your tax dollars?
Tell your church that it must perform same sex weddings or lose its 501(c)(3) tax status?
Threaten to jail you if you proclaim Biblical truth?
None of these are outside of the realm of possibility in today's cultural and political environment.
Something to think about: When these things happen, will you acquiesce, or will you engage in civil disobedience, knowing that you will suffer the consequences? I am afraid that too many will decide to take the safe route and "burn the pinch of incense" so as to stay on good terms with the Emperor.
The judge in the case told him that he would one day face "a greater judge". Let us remember that we too will stand before the Judge of the universe one day and give account for our stewardship.
Recognize that I am not equating the Holman Bible Dictionary with the new Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, since the differences are greater than the similarities, but both of these produced in me the same response when I first opened them: Wow! Both of these publications provide a view of the historical background of the Bible that would be helpful for all serious students.
Here is a brief comparison of the Holman Bible Dictionary (HBD) with the ZIBBCOT:
Content - The HBD is a Dictionary of Biblical words, people, events, and places presented alphabetically. The ZIBBCOT follows the biblical text, giving commentary on the people, events, and places along with a presentation of extra-biblical background material.
Format - The HBD is a single volume for the entire Bible, and always felt like it wasn't going to hold up to regular use due to a poor binding and questionable paper. The ZIBBCOT is a multi-volume work (there are also NT volumes, see my comment below), and feels like a quality binding with decent paper. It feels and handles like an expensive college textbook. Additionally, while both publications contain numerous photographs, those in the ZIBBCOT are of better quality, possibly as a result of advances in digital photography since 1991.
Philosophy - The HBD is published by Broadman & Holman, the publishing arm of the Southern Baptist Convention. It is unapologetically conservative, and takes pains to avoid controversy. Zondervan caters to a "bigger tent" customer base, and is less afraid to present material that might be questionable to some readers, as seen by the first words of the introduction to Genesis:
Inferences drawn from the whole of the biblical text suggest that Moses was considered responsible for the shape and content of Genesis from early times. The Israelites in the wilderness, in roughly the third quarter of the second millennium B.C., are then the initial audience of the book. Many scholars unconvinced of the connection to Moses are more inclined to view the book against a mid-first millennium B.C. backdrop. The discussion is not without significance, but its impact on background issues will not often be felt. (ZIBBCOT, Volume 1, page 3)
Now, on to some of my Conclusionss concerning the ZIBBCOT:
I intend to get the remaining volumes of this set for my library. While it may not serve as a primary textual commentary in my studies it is going to be very useful for providing both background and context. Other background materials in my possession, such as the HBD and Lifeway's Biblical Illustrator, while sometimes useful, are not tied directly to the biblical text, causing one to spend additional time looking for relevant entries, or just choosing to ignore them altogether. I anticipate that the ZIBBCOT is going to provide a wealth of background information to support my preaching and preparation of Bible Studies. After discovering this work I learned that Zondervan also publishes similar volumes on the New Testament. Since I have just begun preaching through Matthew, I obtained the volume for that Gospel, and it has already proved helpful.
Here are two videos produced by Zondervan on the ZIBBCOT;
