Jesus transforms everything He touches, and the continuation of that touch is to be through the New Testament church that takes itself seriously as the body of Christ with vision for its locale and the world.
I once saw the beauty and power of that reality work in helping avert a war that could have gone regional.
I was part of an informal delegation from Washington meeting with a president and several other leaders of bordering nations. At one point, our host stared intensely across the table at the delegate from a neighboring country and accused him of attempting to lead an overthrow of the very leader in whose house we had gathered to talk peace.
An awkward silence shrouded the room, stifling the diplomatic courtesies with which the session had begun. We all knew that the next words could set the whole region ablaze.
Richard Halvorson, chaplain of the U.S. Senate, was part of the Washington delegation. Suddenly, he spoke: “Senor President, let’s pray about your problem.” Then Dr. Halvorson prayed ...
