A certain middle-aged couple from the rural area of Tennessee received a registered letter from the Internal Revenue Service. On the outside of the large manila envelope in large letters was the message--FINAL NOTICE. "Praise the Lord," said the wife to her husband. "This is the last time the government is going to badger us about our overdue taxes."

Just when we thought that James was going to stop making us squirm in our pews, he forces us to "Tackle the Tough Tasks" of racism and classism in the body of Christ.

Remember how last week in Chapter 1:23-24 James held a mirror up to the church as it was, and is, today? The image we see in that mirror makes us uncomfortable. However, remember that the Epistle of James is an instruction manual for right living. While James acknowledges that …