I love to be in huge crowds. Whether it’s at a mall, a concert, or a sporting event, I love to consider the people surrounding me. Oftentimes I stop and wonder things like, “Who are they? What is their story? What are they going through right now?” The sheer number of diverse circumstances and stories is incredible to ponder. Every soul is unique, and taken together, we seem to make a sort of collective tapestry of human experience. A Thousand Different Needs Corporate worship is similar...Continue reading→
Home
Thoughts
“We Will Come to You” (Christian Mission to Refugees)
Fear might drive government policy, but it should never affect Christian witness to the hurting people of our world. Watch NowContinue reading→
How Do You Super Bowl?
Sunday night, the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons will shove each other around on synthetic grass for seven pounds of sterling silver. And millions will be watching. Super Bowl 50 drew 112 million viewers. It’s a major cultural moment, and with that many eyes on the screen, it’s a once-a-year marketing opportunity. A year ago, 62 commercials were scattered during the game breaks. Major corporations plan and rehearse all year for one coveted 30-second spot ($5 million each!). Somet..Continue reading→
What Is The Word Of Faith Movement?
What is the “word of faith” movement? Is it biblical? Miracles in our Mouths?I remember hearing a pastor of a large megachurch say, “You’ve got a miracle in your mouth. You can speak things into being that are not yet.” When I heard it, it actually reminded me of a Bible verse where it says, “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:9), but the “he” wasn’t a man, it was God. It’s similar to when “God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light” (Gen 1:3). W..Continue reading→
Daily Verses
Jeremiah 32:17
“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”Continue reading→
Revelation 7:10 (07-10-16)
And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.— Revelation 7:10 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... From the voices of those who know, the message is clear! God reigns and with his rule comes salvation. This is because of the Lamb who was willing to be slain, but who triumphed over death. Because of the Lamb's work and faithfulness, we can be assured of heaven. My Prayer... Loving Father and Sovereign God..Continue reading→
Philippians 1:6
“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”Continue reading→
Psalm 7:9 (07-09-16)
Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.— Psalm 7:9 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... In a world of organized crime, gangs, and predators, we have some real work cut out for us if we are going to influence the violent part of contemporary culture to change its ways. Maybe the place to start is down on our knees before the Father, asking him to use us to make a difference in our violent world! ..Continue reading→
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Colossians 1:28
“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.”Continue reading→
Nehemiah 9:6 (09-06-16)
Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.— Nehemiah 9:6 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... God is Creator! Life is defined in him and by him. The multitudes of heaven worship and adore him. For me, that means two very important things. First, I need to give him my heart-felt wor..Continue reading→
John 14:23
“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”Continue reading→
Nehemiah 9:5b (09-05-16)
Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.— Nehemiah 9:5b (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... "Stand up and shout it if you love my Jesus..." That's a song our children love to sing! But what happens to that youthful exuberance and joy at worshiping the Lord? God doesn't want us to lose it. Read through the Bible and highlight all the physical acts used to reverence and praise our..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for July 12
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20, NIV Almighty God, keep watch over us and lead us fully into the life of Jesus Christ. Let your Son Jesus Christ become truly living within us so that we may be full of joy because we belong to the realm of heaven and may live every day with faith in him. We thank you for all you have let us experience. We thank you with all our hearts that in your great compassion you have showered so much good on us who are not yet perfect in faith. Keep our hearts in the light, we pray. Keep us patient and dedicated, for then more and more can be done among us poor children of earth, to the glory of your name. Amen.Continue reading→
Reaping Righteousness
Passage: Galatians 6:7-8 Prayer: Dear Father, Keep me from sowing seeds from my sinful nature, for I do not want to reap the crop they will produce. May I not invest my time, money, or desires in the deceitful things of this world. For then I will reap destruction.Help me rather to sow to the Spirit, to please you. Help me to put my time, money, and desires into proper thinking and righteous living so I will reap everlasting life.In the name of the infinitely generous Jesus I ask these things. Amen.Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for July 11
So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water. Hebrews 10:22, TEV Lord our God, grant us true unity with your Son Jesus Christ, so that his power can be revealed in us and we may find new life in which we can truly serve you. Protect us from all error. Be among us with your Spirit to make us people who are genuine. Let your will be carried out more and more in this age. Let your will again intervene so that a new creation may come, a new heaven and a new earth, as we have been promised. May your name be great among us, may your kingdom come and everything in heaven and on earth be done according to your will. Amen.Continue reading→
Prayer, especially for Today
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Moscow v Constantinople: The battle over Ukraine’s Orthodox Christians
Priests of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate took part in a procession marking the Christianisation of the country; there was a separate Moscow Patriarchate procession. Russian military intervention in Ukraine, including annexing the Crimea and supporting separatists in the east of the country, has poisoned relationships between the two states and outraged international opinion. Originating from Russian fears about Ukraine's perceived pivot to the West, there are no..Continue reading→
Catholic bishops to be trained in how to deal with sex abuse in the Church
As part of efforts to root out sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, newly appointed bishops will take part in training on how to deal with child abuse, it was announced on Monday. ReutersPope Francis has denounced clerical abuse as "intolerable" and "the most terrible and unclean thing imaginable". Members of the sex abuse commission set up by Pope Francis, who has taken a hard line on the issue during his papacy, will deliver the training. Scores of allegations of sex abuse by clergy have be..Continue reading→
US missionary to Russia faces appeal court over fine for evangelism
Don and Ruth Ossewaarde. A Baptist preacher, Ossewaarde was fined 40,000 rubles for holding religious services in his home. The US missionary charged in Russia with offences against the country's restrictive new religion law has asked for prayer in advance of his appeal hearing. Independent missionary Don Ossewaarde served in the central Russia town of Oryol with his wife Ruth. He was fined 40,000 rubles (around $700) for holding religious services in his home and advertising them on the ..Continue reading→
David’s Story: Finding Hope In the Midst of Schizophrenia
Growing up, I had a relatively normal childhood. I grew up in the church and I remember committing my life to Jesus when I was just five years old. My school years were fun, and in high school I enjoyed being on the wrestling team. In the fall of 1991, I started attending a local Christian university. But by the spring of 1992, things rapidly deteriorated in my life. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia, struggled with hallucinations (both visual and auditory), and I was troubled with delusions. ..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Castro’s Victims & Religious Defenders
Even a quarter century later, it’s unclear how many lessons if any have been learned by Castro’s longtime religious apologists. Those apologists for oppression will be lamented or forgotten. Remembered and honored will be the saints, martyrs and heroes who resisted Castro’s cruelty, even in filthy prisons, while the firing squads could be heard. Villadares in his memoir admiringly recalled one saintly inmate who ministered to his fellow prisoners Fidel Castro, dead at age 90, was one of the las..Continue reading→
Dying to Self in the Age of Self-love
There is great talk of self-love in Christian circles right now, the kind of self-love that promotes a perceived circumstantial happiness. When I hear of Christian bloggers or authors or even just professing Christians in my own private life diverging from orthodox Christian faith or values because it is “too hard,” I feel a depressing weight on my shoulders. Their quest for happiness outside of orthodoxy demoralizes me in a way that a combative atheist never could. They demoralize me in a way t..Continue reading→
Husband, Learn Your Wife
As a husband learns his wife, he will better equip himself to know her wants, her fears, her happiness, her anxieties, her struggles, her sins, her enjoyments, and what satisfies her most. Only in spending much time together, regularly, and making it happen (on the calendar) can this kind of deep, intimate knowledge occur. It’s not a matter of a husband asking to make it work. It’s a husband’s duty to move and shuffle and exchange things if necessary so he can have adequate time with his wife. ..Continue reading→
Cutting the Proverbial Apron Strings
Problems can arise though when parents overstep their boundaries and meddle in their married children’s business, or married children continue to be emotionally dependent on their parents. Therefore, it’s important that everyone has this sorted out before adult children decide to marry. Among our favorite things to do over the holiday season is spending time with our adult children and grandkids. One of our children lives in Southern California and every Christmas their family makes the trek to..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Books of Christian Author Pulled Off the Shelves Because of Her Pro-LGBT Views
Christian author Jen Hatmaker upset LifeWay Christian Resources when she said that LGBT relationships can be holy.(Facebook/Jen Hatmaker) LifeWay Christian Resources has decided to pull Jen Hatmaker's books off its shelves after the author and former HGTV star expressed her support for gay marriage and affirmed the LGBT lifestyle. "In a recent interview, [Hatmaker] voiced significant changes in her theology of human sexuality and the meaning and definition of marriage — changes which cont..Continue reading→
Tim Keller Warns People Against Political Fragmentation: ‘You’re Christian First’
Pastor Tim Keller warns, 'There is more and more political fragmentation in so many countries, and unfortunately Christians might be tempted to be fragmented right along.'(Facebook/Timothy Keller) There's nothing wrong with Christians entering politics, but Timothy Keller, senior pastor at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, said believers should never let their work get in the way of their faith. On Thursday night, Keller spoke before the Movement Day Global Cities C..Continue reading→
Over 600 U.S. Cities Declare ‘In God We Trust,’ Affirming That America’s ‘Foundation Is In God’
(Pixabay) Christianity remains strong in America, regardless of what some doubters might say. Recently, more than 600 U.S. cities declared their dependence on God, with their city councils all voting to put the motto, "In God We Trust" on plaques and decals on city property, CBN News reported. The latest city to make the declaration is Chesapeake in the state of Virginia. The city council there recently voted 7-0 to allow the words "In God We Trust" to be displayed throughout the chambers of ..Continue reading→
‘See What This Drug is Doing’: Indiana Authorities Release Photos of Mother Passed Out From Heroin Overdose
HOPE, Ind. — Authorities in Indiana have released photos of a young mother who was found passed out from a heroin overdose last weekend—with a baby in the back seat of the car. “My intention with these photos is not to shame the mother, although I realize it may appear embarrassing,” Hope Town Marshal Matthew Tallent told reporters. “I honestly think this picture should be used as an educational tool because I want people to see what this drug is doing.” The matter unfolded on Saturday in the ..Continue reading→
Movies
Goodbye, Family Christian Stores
This week, it was announced that Family Christian Stores — one of the world’s largest Christian retailers — will close all 240 of its stores. This isn’t really shocking; Family Christian had gone through bankruptcy a few years back. But it will have an impact; more than 3,000 employees are going to lose their jobs as the stores shutter and Christian culture loses one of its largest and most diverse suppliers of books, music and trinkets. Granted, this is just the nature of the beast these days. ..Continue reading→
Have you caught up with “It’s My Favorite”?
Hey everyone, Not going to lie: it’s been a week. Work, school and home life have been busy, and the general insanity of our world right now has really robbed me of a lot of energy and will to write. It’s a shame, because I have some really good stuff on deck for you. One new series I want to write and one Oscar-related miniseries of articles, and I’m hoping that starting this weekend those will start posting. And in the weeks ahead I’m going to really be jumping into the reviewing pool again ha..Continue reading→
Watch: New music video for The Shack with new footage
Itching to see The Shack — or at least to get a taste of it before it comes out five weeks from now? Well, maybe this will tide you over: the powers that be have released two new songs from the film’s soundtrack, one of which even has a music video. Here is the video, for a new acoustic version of Skillet’s ‘Stars’: The studio has also released the full version of ‘Keep Your Eyes on Me’, which is sung by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill and has previously been heard in the trailers. Here is a Spotify ..Continue reading→
The Story of God: Proof of the Divine
Photo by Amanda Slater, Flickr. C.C. Licensing. Season two of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman” airs Mondays at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central) on the National Geographic Channel. Once again, I’m writing about it here each week from a Christian perspective as a preview. This post is about episode three, the season finale, “Proof of God.” In the final episode of “The Story of God’s” second season, Morgan Freeman travels the world speaking to people who believe they’ve experienced proof — often tang..Continue reading→
Oscar nominations — my own two bits, and a complete list
It looks like La La Land is the movie to beat at this year’s Oscars. The film, a jazzy musical that stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a musician and an actress trying to make their way in Hollywood, racked up 14 Academy Award nominations this morning — tying the record set by 1950’s All About Eve and 1997’s Titanic. However, because La La Land was nominated twice for original song, it is actually nominated in 13 categories — which is more than the 12 categories that All About Eve was nominate..Continue reading→
Let’s talk Oscar noms!
Some quick thoughts on the 2017 Academy Award nominations, which were announced earlier today. A full list of nominees is available here. At first blush, my biggest surprise is that there isn’t a ton here I would bicker with. The list of nominees this year is really darn good, spread out over several movies. Maybe it’s because I saw fewer movies than normal this year or simply because so many of the nominated films are on my best-of list, but I can’t really find a bad choice among the films. Re..Continue reading→
Star Wars Episode 8 gains a title
Earlier today, the official Star Wars Twitter feed ended more than a year of speculation by revealing the title of the latest entry in the saga, due out this December: It’s official. STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI is the next chapter of the Skywalker saga. This December. #TheLastJedihttps://t.co/ySkVwQcMTPpic.twitter.com/eHrPgbsRJq — Star Wars (@starwars) January 23, 2017 [Read More...]Continue reading→
Encountering the Mystical in the ‘The Fits’
The fascinating film about adolescent encounters with the sublime gives us plenty to ponder. If you’re looking for a film that inspires lively conversation, you’ve got to check out The Fits. Anna Rose Helmer’s debut feature film runs a brief, but intense, 72 minutes, leaving plenty of time for discussion and debate afterwards. It caused a stir last year at Sundance, and critics have been talking about it ever since. Fortunately, Amazon Prime subscribers can currently stream it for free—and for ..Continue reading→
Review: The Resurrection of Gavin Stone (dir. Dallas Jenkins, 2017)
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is a “faith-based” comedy about a washed-up former child star who, having trashed a hotel roof bar, is told to do a couple hundred hours of community service at a Chicago-based megachurch and ends up starring in their Easter play. It’s a safe, formulaic and utterly predictable film — precisely the kind of “Christian” movie I tend not to review here — but because of my interest in movies about Jesus, I was interested in seeing how this film would depict the play. T..Continue reading→
Music
One-Way Conversations by Hollyn
Hailing from Ohio, this Dove Awards New Artist of the Year nominee has been working the past year on her debut full length album titled "One-Way Conversations". Listeners were introduced to this vibrant you lady on TobyMac's latest release with the songs "Backseat Driver" and "Lights Shine Bright" and later with her debut #1 single "Alone (featuring TRU)". As a songwriter, Hollyn co-wrote all of the songs on her debut full length album and worked with producers Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson), Wit and 42 North (Andy Mineo), Cole Walowac of Capital Kings, Eric Ramey (Britt Nicole) and more. The album[...]Continue reading→
Run The Race (Single) by Holly Starr
The new single from Holly Starr, co-written with and produced by Bryan Fowler (Ryan Stevenson, Tobymac, Mandisa, Hollyn).[...]Continue reading→
The Garden (Deluxe Edition) by Kari Jobe
Grammy nominated Kari Jobe is the premiere female worship leader in Christian music. Coming off her last live album, Majestic, which featured the worship anthem 'Forever' and radio hit 'I Am Not Alone', Kari Jobe has returned to the studio to record her new album, full of brand new worship anthems for the church and for personal reflection. Finding inspiration from life's joys and hardships, Kari leans into the firm foundation of Christ through it all. With career sales that top 1 million, Kari still comes back to the reason why she started in the first place- leading people into[...]Continue reading→
Back To Life by Anthony Evans
Recording Artist and Worship Leader Anthony Evans' highly-anticipated new album Back To Life releases February 3, 2017 through Sherman James Productions. A collection of worship songs, this new album features NBC's The Voice alumnus on 11 worship-themed tracks exploring authenticity, vulnerability, honesty and the way that the culmination of those three things brought him Back to Life. It marks Evans' eighth solo studio album and will be available through all digital retailers and exclusively at Lifeway Christian Stores. Back To Life is available for pre-order on January 6, 2017. "Over the last year, God has given me one revelation after[...]Continue reading→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...]Continue reading→
Books
A Look at Notable 2016 Publications
TEDS President offers his list of best books “There is no end to the making of many books,” says the author of Ecclesiastes. In the United States alone, there were close to one million titles published during the past year, with revenue approaching $1.8 billion. Hundreds of titles competed for our attention during 2016. I offer the following observations with the recognition that I have no doubt missed several important works that some of you would have included in such a survey. The books not..Continue reading→
Recommended Biographies By or About Women
Faith Cook is an author, biographer, and hymn writer. She grew up as a missionary child in war-torn China and has chronicled her story in an autobiography. Her own biographical work has been on both men: Fearless Pilgrim: The Life and Times of John Bunyan William Grimshaw of Haworth and women: The Nine Day Queen of England: Lady Jane Grey, Selina: Countess of Huntingdon: Her Pivotal Role in the 18th Century Evangelical Awakening, and Anne Bradstreet: Pilgrim and PoetContinue reading→
Bibliotheca Bible – a Review
There are many things that I have great admiration for, but perhaps one of the things I enjoy the most is seeing a long-awaited, labor of love come to full fruition. The tenacity, hard work, dedication, and pitfalls along the way in seeing something through to the end is something that, for lack of better terms, gets me emotionally invested in a project. Yet not all projects are equal and not all catch my particular attention – but if we’re truthful, that’s precisely what makes these types of th..Continue reading→
Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards
Our picks for the books most likely to shape evangelical life, thought, and culture. Make a list of all the blessings the Protestant Reformation has brought, and eventually—long after jotting down iconic phrases like “salvation by grace alone through faith alone”—you’ll get around to the CT Book Awards. Books, of course, had existed long before Luther posted his 95 Theses. But there’s no denying that reading and the Reformation, with a vital assist from Gutenberg’s printing press, soared toget..Continue reading→
Where Should Our Women be Discipled?
Pastors and elders want thinking women in the church, right? And yet popular beliefs that came out of the nineteenth century’s cult of domesticity still seem to linger in the evangelical culture today. Back then, people taught that women’s brains were inferior to men’s intellectually and that women needed to reserve their energy and blood flow for reproductive purposes. These are ideas we usually joke about now, even to provoke a woman in innocent fun, because we know them to be scientifically p..Continue reading→
10 Books Every Christian Teenager Should Read
A reader recently asked the question: Do you have a suggested list of books for teenagers, something like a “Ten best books every Christian teenager should read?” It surprised me that I have never compiled such a list, especially since I’ve got two teenagers of my own. I decided I’d better remedy this oversight straight away. Here, then, is a list of ten great books every Christian teen ought to read—or at least consider reading. Please note that these are not necessarily the ten best books your teens will read in their lifetime. Not all of these books will stand the test of time as Christian classics. But each of them is suited to twenty-first century teenaged readers and together they will provide a foundation for the Christian life that will prove both deep and wide. I list them in no particular order. The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul. It is rare that a book is elevated to the ranks of the classics, but The Holiness of God is a prime candidate. Sproul’s book will introduce teens..Continue reading→
Signposts to God and More (RJS)
Books, books, books … What is the best book you’ve read on Science and Christian faith? It seems to be the season … not the holiday season, but the book season. I recently received three new books. Books by a physicist, a biologist (with training in theology as well), and a philosopher. All three tackle questions of science and Christian faith. Each of the three presents an interesting perspective – and I intend to dig into them more completely over the upcoming months. Peter Bussey’s book, Sign..Continue reading→
2016 Reading Challenge Update: September & October
This year I have been participating in the 2016 Reading Challenge, a fun way to increase and diversify your reading through another year. I took the challenge and set this year’s goal at 104 books. However, because so much of my reading has to go toward reviewing books that are recently published and of interest to Christians (both for reviews published here and in WORLD magazine), I decided to pick from all over the list rather than working through it in order. What follows are the books I completed in September and October and, in parentheses, the reading challenge category they fulfill. Below that is the complete list of categories I need to cover. As you can see, I did not finish many books over the past couple of months, something that is not unusual as my reading ebbs and flows over the course of the year. You can see my previous updates for January, February, March-April, May, June, and July-August. Sexual Morality in a Christless World by Matthew Rueger. This is a brilliant w..Continue reading→
6 Reflections on Community Inspired by Bonhoeffer
My church has recently launched a series on community called Better Together. In conjunction with the sermon series, I, in collaboration with my senior pastor, wrote a small group curriculum to compliment the series. I love community, which is why I love small groups. Like many of you, I work hard on our small group system at my church to equip leaders and to help many in my church experience the fullness of community—the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, as I continue to reflect on communi..Continue reading→
American
New Mexico Assisted Suicide Bill Moves Toward Death on Demand
Assisted suicide pushers are–to put it kindly–disingenuous. For example, they often offer smooth assurances about “safeguards” to protect against abuse. Yet, new legalization schemes often dilute the traditional already-as-thick-as-water limitations in place where lethally prescribing is now legal. For example, most laws require doctors to diagnose and prescribe lethally. But a bill in New Mexico would open those who can help kill to nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants. Generally ..
ACLU Opposes Bill to Ban Sex-Selection Abortions
The American Civil Liberties Union slammed an Arkansas bill that would prohibit sex-selection abortions this week, claiming the measure is unconstitutional. The Gurdon Times reports a House committee passed the bill, state House Bill 1434, on Thursday. The bill moves to the full state House for consideration. Sponsored by state Rep. Charlie Collins, the bill would make it illegal for abortion practitioners to knowingly abort an unborn child if the woman is doing so based solely on the child’s ..
Girl Born “Inside Out” Has Life-Saving Surgery Minutes After Birth. Her Organs Were Outside Her Body
A North Carolina baby is thriving at home just months after she was born with several of her organs outside of her body. Baby Elliotte Sargent of Wilmington, North Carolina had two life-saving surgeries within the first eight days of her birth to fix part of her body that was “inside out,” the Daily Mail reports. Doctors said the little girl is doing well at home, and probably will not need any more surgeries. Elliotte was born in September weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces; but doctors detected her..
Illinois Pregnancy Resource Centers Sue Governor for Forcing Them to Promote Abortions
Eighteen Illinois women’s health organizations are suing Governor Bruce Rauner over Illinois’ new law forcing pro-life doctors and pregnancy resource centers to discuss abortion benefits and refer pregnant women for abortions despite their conscience-based opposition to abortion. The controversial SB 1564, which amended the Health Care Right of Conscience Act effective January 1, 2017, has left Illinois’ over 90 not-for-profit pregnancy resource centers with little choice but to file suit seekin..
Australia
If Sonia Kruger and Pauline Hanson can talk about Muslims, so can Christians
Brad Chilcott, founder of Welcome to Australia, today accused TV host Sonia Kruger and Senator-elect Pauline Hanson of creating an atmosphere that could make Australia less safe rather than safer from terrorism. Kruger said yesterday that “as a mother” she was fearful for the safety of her family if Muslim migration was not stopped. Later, founder of the One Nation political party Pauline Hanson dominated discussion on the ABC’s Q&A programme, fielding..
New Russian anti-evangelism laws will not stop Christians evangelising
Russian president Vladimir Putin has approved a new suite of anti-terrorism laws that appear to severely restrict evangelism and missionary activity which will come into effect this week. Under the new laws to be enacted on July 20 it will be illegal to share the Christian faith in homes or anywhere except recognised church buildings. Surveillance of Internet activity will be ramped up, with Russian Christians no longer allowed to send email invitations..
A basket made of Bibles wins art prize
“The bread basket of Emmaus” winner of the Mandorla Art Award 2016 A basket, made from the pages of three Bibles has won a major art award. Artist Megan Robert won the $25,000 first prize in the Mandorla Art Award for a work which literally meant taking apart the Bible in order to tell the story of Jesus. “The judges were impressed that her artwork expressed the presence/absence/presence mystery of the resurrection through the story of the journey to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-3..
He sold everything and moved his family to Thailand to battle child sex slavery
Tony Kirwan loves what he does. The founder and international president of Destiny Rescue loves it so much that, even when he goes on holidays with his family, he visits brothels at night, posing as a customer. So why does a good Christian man feel drawn to what he calls these “dark, ugly places”? As a father of three daughters, the northern Thailand-based activist is passionate about rescuing girls from the sex trade. “About 12 months ago I went with my wife and fa..
Entertainment
How Logical Spock Gives Us a Surprising Example of Spirituality
The starship Enterprise may reportedly have plied the galaxy in the 23rd century, but it officially left the dock 50 years ago as a featured (albeit non-sentient) character on NBC’s Star Trek. Star Trek’s first episode was aired Sept. 8, 1966. In “The Man Trap,” Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy encounter a strange creature with a yen for salt … and the ability to appear in any human guise it might choose. And while it and the 78 episodes that followed weren’t watched by many pe..
Why Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem Kneel Down Matters
When Colin Kaepernick first refused to rise during the National Anthem before a fairly meaningless pre-season game, it felt to me like the act of a petulant, spoiled athlete who has forgotten the many advantages that he’s been showered with in this country. But my first thoughts are not always my best thoughts. And now that he’s made good on his promise and protested the National Anthem a second time—last night during a preseason game in San Diego—my reaction is a bit different. Par..
When Gene Wilder Played God (in a Chocolate Factory)
Gene Wilder, who died Aug. 29 at the age of 83, was not a particularly religious man. “I’m going to tell you what my religion is,” he told Abigail Pogrebin in 2005 as part of her book Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish (according to an excerpt printed in Tablet Magazine). “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Period. Terminato. Finito. I have no other religion. I feel very Jewish and I feel very grateful to be Jewish. But I don’t believe in God or a..
What Six Members of Suicide Squad Have to Say About Faith
Say what you want about the fledgling cinematic universe of DC, it beats the spandex pants off Marvel in its willingness to tackle the subject of faith. We saw it with Man of Steel and its explicit comparisons of Superman to Christ. We saw it again in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice—complete with an impending resurrection. And believe it or not, we saw a bit of it in the wildly popular, critically panned Suicide Squad. For a bunch of no-account do-badders, many of the Squad’s mem..
US
Grappling with Bach’s theology
Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker has written a fascinating piece on Bach’s theology. He says that while much research of the past tried to look at Bach in purely secular terms, today’s scholarship is attempting to unpack the musical impact of his Lutheranism. Ross reviews several recent books on the subject, including one that tries to read into Bach’s music elements of anti-semitism, as if that is what Lutheranism is all about. (Despite Luther’s senile ravings at the end of his life, ..
Simulated relationships
Why do we often take celebrity deaths so hard? According to Rev. Travis Berg, citing various experts, it’s because we form “simulated relationships.” Our impulse to form friendships is displaced onto people we don’t really know, except from the characters they play or their personalities projected by the media. In our high-tech, low-interaction culture, those kinds of “para-social relationships” are all some people have! In contrast, God wants us to love actual people and to be part of actual co..
The Cubs didn’t really win the World Series
The Chicago Cubs didn’t really win the World Series over the Cleveland Indians. Actually, both teams scored 27 points. So the series was really a tie. That’s the same kind of reasoning that insists Donald Trump didn’t really win the election because Hillary Clinton won the popular vote. So says Mollie Hemingway in a column about how liberals can learn from conservatives in accepting disappointing outcomes. From Mollie Hemingway, 10 Things The Right Can Teach The Left About Accepting The Reality ..
The “current year” argument
Some people invoke the current year as a sufficient argument. As in, “I can’t believe that it’s 2017 and we are still debating abortion.” Or, “It’s 2017! How can you believe the Bible?” Nicholas Pell points out that merely giving the date does not prove anything. It does express the progressive worldview, that things are getting better and better, so that an idea from the present is assumed to be better than an idea from the past. Pell observes that many people are conservatives, who tend to bel..
Church & Theology
5 Practical Ways to Celebrate Thanksgiving
I love Thanksgiving for many reasons, but perhaps the greatest is that it helps us schedule a day to do what we should be doing every day of the year—give thanks. Thanksgiving, of course, is more than a holiday—it should be a verb. So how, practically speaking, can we make this a day when we actually give thanks? Here are five suggestions: Trust the sovereignty of God. I don’t know that I ever thought of trusting God as being a way to express thankfulness to Him until the year our son, Larry, ..
9 Recent Posts and Podcasts on the Trinity
Follow @BrandonSmith85 After the Trinity hubbub this summer and the Trinity being the topic of the most recent annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, a full storehouse of resources and articles has been produced. In particular, there’s been a lot of helpful clarification on the relationship between the Father and Son. Below is a list of my favorites written over the past six months or so, in no particular order. Also, it should not be assumed that I agree with every jot and tittl..
7 Ways to Actually Decompress on Your Day Off
Have you ever gotten to the end of a “day off” and felt just as exhausted as you did at the beginning? Have you ever looked back over the day and wished for a do over? God so kindly designed our lives to function best with one day out of seven as a day of rest. Although “the Sabbath” is not a New Testament requirement, time for rest is something God created us with a need for. Many people, especially “Type A” leaders, struggle to take this time of rest to actually decompress mentally and emoti..
7 Ways You Can Keep Christ in Christmas
You’ve heard it (and maybe shared it): “Keep Christ in Christmas.” It’s a great thought…but do you do it? December can be such a busy month. Even busy with ministry. But sometimes in all the busyness of the season, we’re as guilty as the innkeeper of not making room for Jesus, even if our reasons are well intentioned. How can you, throughout the month of December, not only keep your head above water but actually make this month a season of worship? Here are seven suggestions: Attend every ch..