As a follow-up to yesterday's exclusively Rangers post, Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has this little nugget: "[The Orioles] also are talking to free-agent outfielder Jeromy Burnitz, 36, and are one of several clubs pursuing free-agent right-hander Kevin Millwood, 31, who seems most likely to sign with the Rangers."

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I've thought for some time that one of the weaknesses of my heritage, in its contemporary state, is the "politics" of church.

What I mean by that is it seems as though some are wedded to particular philosophical position to the exclusion of truth. To adhere, for example, to something that seems "liberal" would be, some reason, a blanket endorsement of all things liberal. Or, on the other hand, to adhere and support something that seems "conservative" would be a blanket endorsement of all things conservative.

Yesterday, I finished off an excellent read by N.T. Wright titled The Last Word: Beyond the Bible Wars to a New Understanding of the Authority of Scripture. Wright's thesis is wonderful as he argues for integrity in seeing that authority ultimately has been given to Jesus (Matthew 28.18-20) and scripture is the conduit through which the authority of Jesus is communicated to mankind.

In the prologue to the book, Wright points out this incessant political polarization as it relates to Biblical interpretation. “The left/right spectrum…compels parties, commentators and voters into an inappropriate ‘package deal’ mentality where it is assumed that once you decide on one issue you are committed to a particular positon on lots of others as well” (10-11).

I hope that we mature to a place where issues can be settled, not on the basis of "conservative versus liberal" but on the basis of truth and the advancement of the kingdom of God in the world.