It's 2016, and the most polarizing presidential election in recent history has been on the horizon in the United States. Acts of terror seem ever more prevalent around the globe. Illness, drought, and famine plague much of the world.
In Caress, Don't Scratch, Bishop Ike Eweama points to a major problem that parallels these global ills: a willful ignorance of our obligation as believers to love others-unconditionally.
Conservative Christians often shun social justice out of a groundless fear of trespassing upon biblical truth or ceding liberties in service to the collective. However, in the same vein as Martin Luther King Jr.'s cry for love and racial harmony in his iconic "I Have a Dream" speech, Bishop Eweama calls on humanity to step up as a group. He urges us-as individuals and as a society-to sow seeds of peace, not staunchly autonomous libertarianism.
We don't have the luxury of choosing how or whom-or even whether-to love. It's the manner in which we make good on the debt we owe to one another, to our communities, to God, and to ourselves. Bishop Eweama urges that change starts within, and unconditional love begins with a caress, not a scratch.
About the Author: Bishop Ike Eweama is a global preacher and certified family wellness and marriage education instructor who has written numerous articles for theological texts on love, sex, and marriage. He's a member of the Orthodox Missionary Servants of Christ and founded Stillpoint International Ministries. He was also the first president-rector of the Gregorian Orthodox School of Theology.
Bishop Eweama was born in Lagos, Nigeria and is a decorated member of the United States military. He's currently a lieutenant colonel and garrison command chaplain for more than 155,000 transient soldiers. His accolades include the Combat Action Badge for courage in the face of enemy fire.
Bishop Eweama attended the National Missionary Seminary and did postgraduate studies at, among others, University of Arkansas, Northwestern State University, the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, International Orthodox Christian Institute and Emory University. He has multiple master's degrees as well as a doctor of ministry and a PhD in biosocial ethics.
Bishop Eweama and his wife, Dr. Uzo, have four biological and two adopted children.
