Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of NFL players and cha..Continue reading→
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Thoughts
Motherhood Is a Marathon
I wanted to do great things for God. In the spring of my senior year of college, on the brink of embarking upon my own journey into adulthood, my future was undecided and that was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. As a philosophy major, my path was narrower than I had realized, but I was sure it would take me on some grand and glorious adventure. I knew the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. “Glorify” sounds like such a grand term. It evokes images of battlefie..Continue reading→
1 Peter 5:7–8: How Not to Battle Anxiety
Anxieties attack our faith and torment our peace. The question with anxiety is not whether it will come, but rather, how can I fight it when it does? Watch NowContinue reading→
Is Love of Money Really the Root of All Evils?
Is the love of money the “root of all evils” or only the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)? “All evils” is the formal English equivalent of the original Greek (pantōn tōn kakōn). It is remarkable that all older versions of the Bible translate 1 Timothy 6:10 in the more literal way: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (or all evil). This includes the Wycliffe Bible, Luther Bibel, Geneva Bible, King James Version, Douay-Rheims, Darby Bible, and Revised Standard Version. Bu..Continue reading→
Daily Verses
Isaiah 43:16, 18-19
“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”Continue reading→
Nehemiah 12:30 (12-30-16)
And the priests and the Levites purified themselves, and purified the people, and the gates, and the wall.— Nehemiah 12:30 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... God has placed each of us in a circle of influence. Before we try to "clean up" those around us, let's first offer ourselves to God to be consecrated and to be made pure by his grace. Then, let's live in a way that shows the impact of that holiness in our lives. Jesus told us to remove the plank from our own eye befor..Continue reading→
Just Think on Jesus!
[He] loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. Revelation 1:5b, NIVJesus is the most important Man, not just in our nation, not just on planet earth, but in the entire universe! And He isn’t important just for four years or eight years, but forever and ever and ever! Furthermore, the most important Man in the universe thinks I am so important, He gave His own life for me! How can I feel depressed by the smallness of my life when the most important Man in the universe died for me, rul..Continue reading→
John 16:33
““I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.””Continue reading→
Matthew 12:29 (12-29-16)
Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.— Matthew 12:29 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus is quoting a general truism that was popular in his day, but was using the "strong man" saying to refer to Satan. Satan is the strong man that had us bound by sin and death and Jesus broke into house and stole us back because he could bind the strong man. He did this by becoming h..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Amos 5:14-15
“Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.”Continue reading→
Lamentations 3:22-23 (01-07-17)
It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed , because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.— Lamentations 3:22-23 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... What sustained you through the night? What will get you through today? What will enable you to achieve, even thrive, in the days that lie ahead? The LORD's mercies. These incredible resources never really run out! Each new day brings a fresh supply of them. God is faithful to..Continue reading→
Life-Giving Power
Your word has given me life. Psalm 119:50, NKJVSometimes when we are depressed, we feel lifeless. It’s hard to get out of bed in the morning. We seem to have no energy to do even the most routine functions. If you are depressed by the greatness of your problems, read God’s Word! That’s where you find help. That’s where you find joy. Let the rushing waters of the living Word drown out all other sounds and voices. There is life-giving power in the Word of God! At the most difficult times in my li..Continue reading→
Ephesians 5:1-2
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 1
This, then, is how you should pray:“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9–10, NIV Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as in heaven. May this continue to be our prayer in the new year, and may we find fellowship with one another in what is eternal and holy. Bless us on our way. Bless us on our earthly pilgrimage so that we may remain free from all..Continue reading→
Partners in Christ
PassagePhilemon 17-25 PrayerFather of mercy,Holy God and Father, have mercy and show kindness to those who are in bondage - those who are in prison, those who are enslaved to other people, and those who are enslaved to self and to sin.Teach us to show genuine hospitality to each other, never keeping score or grumbling, understanding that you, Father, are freely entertaining us in your house, the earth, and feeding us at your table with its bounty. Fill our hearts with love for our brethren and o..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for December 31
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. Psalm 102:25–27, NIV Lord our God, thank you for letting your light shine every day of every year. Thank you that we may always lift our eyes to you, whose right hand will bring true order to everything, even..Continue reading→
Filling the Earth with God’s Goodness
PassagePhilemon 1-16 PrayerDear Father, bestower of freedom,Thank you for the love and the faith which you have put in your people. Please help them share this with each other and with the world. Let this promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ Jesus. Put such joy in our hearts and such gladness on our faces that people will want to know what makes us happy.Help each of us to render such help and comfort, expressing our love, that the hearts of all your holy people will be r..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
5 Prayers For Protection Against Satanic Attacks
Here are five prayers you can use when you feel like Satan or his demons are attacking you. Prayer for Guilt Attacks Oh Father, I know that You forgive all of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1st John 1:9), but sometimes I believe the enemy or one of his demons can send waves of guilt at me. Help me to trust You in the midst of this guilt that is trying to rob my joy. I know that I have trusted in Christ and now there is no more condemnation (Rom 8:1), but the enemy sometimes..Continue reading→
Accessibility As An Apologetic Aim
OK, now that I’ve embarrassed myself by writing a title for this post that brutalizes the letter “A” with reckless abandon, let me tell you that I believe this sentence to be true. Accessibility is always my personal goal as a Christian Case Maker, and I’ve tried my best to write books that are, first and foremost, accessible. I hope the accessibility of y books is more than simply be a consequence of my own intellectual simplicity; I make a conscious effort to write books that are engaging, str..Continue reading→
How Do Christians View Human Cloning?
How should Christians feel about human cloning? What is Cloning? In short, cloning is the process of producing similar genetic populations of identical individuals. Scientists argue that this is a process that takes place in nature, so why not in human beings? By creating copies of DNA fragments, scientists have said that they are only doing what naturally occurs in nature’s organisms, and that this “reproduction” has allowed life forms to spread throughout the earth, but they are mistaken. The..Continue reading→
Rapid Responses to Difficult Questions – Part 1 (Cold Case Christianity Broadcast #76)
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace provides a short, conversational response to two questions (or objections) related to Christianity. J. Warner responds to the question, “Who created God?” and the claim, “I can’t believe in God because I have too many unanswered questions.” Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast is located on iTunes or our RSS Feed):Continue reading→
Church & Ministries
Hillsong’s Brian Houston on Why It’s Important for Christians to Praise God Not Just on Sundays
A lot of Christians dutifully go to church every Sunday and worship God to their hearts' content. But Hillsong senior pastor Brian Houston believes praising God should not be limited to just Sunday, but every day of the week as well.Continue reading→
How the Church Can Experience Revival Today
Most Christians I know want the church to experience revival. We just don’t all agree on what revival looks like. Back in the olden days (the mid-1990’s) I preached a few times at a small church (averaging 12 each Sunday) in eastern Arkansas. They had a rotation system that determined who would take the visiting speaker home for lunch, and one day my lot fell to two elderly ladies who made awesome roast beef! As I sat in their living room visiting after lunch, they brought out some photo album..Continue reading→
Who Is The Christian Philosopher-Priest Appointed To Head Opus Dei?
Pope Francis last night confirmed the election of a new leader of the mysterious lay Catholic organisation Opus Dei, Monsignor Fernando Ocariz Braña.Continue reading→
Beware the Temptation of Power
I had been in ministry long enough to hear the stories. It’s a familiar narrative these days: pastors disqualified from ministry due to moral failure. For years I had listened to devastating tales of infidelity and broken families in the lives of fellow pastors. My immediate reaction, in all honesty, was typically swift judgment. I mentally distanced myself from such pastors, believing I was cut from a different sort of spiritual cloth than such sinners. How on earth could this happen? How could..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Of Good Works
So, one danger is to trust in our strength rather than the power of the Holy Spirit to do good works. The second danger is the opposite: becoming complacent in our pursuit of good works by waiting for a special impetus or ‘stirring up’ by the Holy Spirit. But, the Lord has already told us in His Word what He requires of us (Micah 6:8). Indeed, we are to diligently add to our faith such things as moral excellence, knowledge of God’s Word, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness,..Continue reading→
Compassion Has ‘Very Little Hope’ for India, Sets Deadline to Shut Down Sponsorships
One week after sharing the good news of four nations no longer needing child sponsors due to the passion of millennials, the ministry shared the bad news of another nation that will probably not need child sponsors due to government interference. A little more than a year after the Indian government told Compassion that it could no longer receive funding from outside the subcontinent, the humanitarian organization will likely be closing its last operations there. “We want to be honest with you,..Continue reading→
One of the Marks: Christian Discipline
Now, not every church disciplines unrepentant sinners. Some churches are ignorant of Christ’s command, others are afraid to discipline because it might mean people leave. Still others think God will sort it all out so the church shouldn’t worry about it. However, no matter how difficult it is, no matter if it means people leave, the call of Christ is clear: unrepentant sinners must be reubked and disciplined (Mt. 18:17). One of the three marks of a true Christian church is discipline. That is,..Continue reading→
enGendered
Andreades compares male headship to the authority of the Father. As he teaches equality and asymmetry, he points to the authority and submission within the Trinity, never making any distinction ontologically. He speaks of “Christ lean[ing] into the asymmetry between God the First and Himself” while quoting the references of him doing the Father’s will (184). Andreades even goes so far as to say that “Christ, in relationship to God the First, models the wife for us. He submitted to the will of th..Continue reading→
Women
Timehop Helps Me See God’s Providence
How a social media app reminds me of God’s faithfulness in my life. It’s six a.m. and my smartphone is dotted with notifications. Like eager tour guides lined up in an airport arrivals hall, social media would like to usher me down memory lane. Facebook reminds me of “memories,” Google photos invites me to “rediscover this day,” and Timehop has a bundle of snapshots collated from Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Facebook, and my camera roll from this day one year ago or more. On Thursdays, frien..Continue reading→
How Grandparenting Redeemed Our Family
This Father’s Day, I celebrate my parents’ choice to move close to my kids. “We’re playing huckle-buckle-beanstalk!” My six-year-old beamed at me, bouncing on the balls of her feet. My younger daughter skipped around the living room. In the kitchen, my mother pulled a small, plastic princess doll out of the sugar canister and dusted off the toy. “I found her!” she called out, laughing. I stood in the doorway smiling, even though I’d never heard of the game before. My mother walked over to greet..Continue reading→
My Marriage to an Undocumented Immigrant
I lived with the threat of my husband’s deportation. Here’s what I learned about immigration. We were on our third date when Billy told me—hinted, really—that he was an undocumented immigrant from Central America. I remember thinking, "Well, that's not ideal." Truth was, I had no idea what that admission really meant. I was a Kentucky girl who'd recently relocated to Los Angeles. I vaguely knew that immigration was “an issue," but I didn't pretend to have a working knowledge of t..Continue reading→
How to Keep Your Friends When Life Happens
Busy moms, long-distance besties, workaholics: There’s hope for you. Who are my friends? With countless social media connections and the demands of family and kids—as well as career, church, and other commitments vying for time—we often find it hard to identify and maintain solid friendships. In addition, younger adults move around more and stay single for longer than past generations did, making friendships both a greater necessity as well as a greater challenge. I recently spoke with Wheato..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Men Who Accused Bishop Eddie Long of Sexual Misconduct Speak About His Death
Four men forever changed the life of the late Bishop Eddie Long after they came forward more than five years ago and accused the well-loved Christian figure of sexual coercion.Continue reading→
Iowa Rep. Introduces Federal Bill to Ban Abortion When Heartbeat Detected
WASHINGTON — A Republican congressman from Iowa has introduced a federal bill that would ban abortions when a heartbeat is detected, with the exception of the life of the mother. Rep. Steve King submitted the Heartbeat Protection Act of 2017 on Thursday, a move that would criminalize abortions committed on children with beating hearts. “Any physician who knowingly performs an abortion and thereby kills a human fetus without determining, according to standard medical practice, whether the fetus..Continue reading→
South Carolina Troopers to Cease Giving Christian Book to Grieving Families Following Complaint
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Troopers in South Carolina will no longer give a Christian book to residents grieving the loss of a loved one following receipt of a complaint on behalf of an atheist woman who was gifted a copy of the publication. “We regret that any family member would have misunderstood our intentions or was offended by our effort to offer compassion during such a difficult time,” Sherri Iacobelli, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety, told reporters. “Since this concern ..Continue reading→
Nation’s First Female Somali-American Muslim Lawmaker Takes Oath on Koran
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Somali-American woman who identifies as a Muslim recently took her oath of office on the Koran instead of the Bible. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat, was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in November, beating her Republican opponent, Abdimalik Askar, by 61 percent. Her election marked the first female Somali-American selected to serve as a legislator. “We will never stop fighting for a democracy that works for all of us—for a prosperous and equitable Minnesota that w..Continue reading→
Movies
COMMON BRINGS GLORY TO THE GRAMMYS (AND THE OSCARS): An Interview
What 2015 Grammy moment moved you? Kanye West’s cut in on Beck’s acceptance speech for “Album of the Year” garnered most of the headlines. How sad to a stunt overshadow Annie Lennox’s rousing rendition of “I Put a Spell On You” with Hozier. Pharrell reimagined his sunny single, “Happy,” into an intriguing protest echoing the “Hands up/Don’t shoot” posture that accompanied events in Ferguson, Missouri. Prince slipped in the best one-liner of the night, “Albums still matter. Just like books and bl..Continue reading→
Diablo Cody Tweets About Rescuing Jinger Duggar
Her new movie, Paradise, is all about religion. In the movie, which was originally titled Lamb of God, a young religious woman (Julianne Hough) is in a terrible accident, which causes her to question G-d and run off to Las Vegas to see what sin feels like. Well, it looks like screenwriter/director Diablo Cody had some pretty specific pop-culture inspirations for the movie: The Duggars. Particularly Jinger. Diablo recently tweeted that if Jinger ever wants to run away from her family, she can com..Continue reading→
Music
As We Ascend Releases First Single Wash Away to iTunes
As We Ascend's first single "Wash Away" is now available on iTunes, six days before the completion of their PledgeMusic campaign to fund the full length album Farewell to Midnight. In addition to being available on iTunes, "Wash Away" is also going for adds at radio. The PledgeMusic campaign is currently at 95% of its goal. You can listen to "Wash Away" below. As We Ascend, formed by former members of We As Human, launched their PledgeMusic campaign with the unique invitation to fans to "..Continue reading→
Bizzle Petitions for Financial Support of New Project
The recent release of Bizzle's new project Crowns & Crosses has sparked a conversation about the realities of being an artist with his God Over Money fans. In a recent newsletter, Bizzle details the shocking differences between a fan purchasing a physical or digital copy of any GOM release versus streaming through the likes of Spotify or Apple Music. He begins with the staggering reality that it takes 1,500 streams to equal that of one album sale. For example, if 100,000 fans stream the en..Continue reading→
John Mark McMillan Launches Pre-order for ‘Mercury & Lightning’
John Mark McMillan has launched a pre-order for his upcoming album Mercury & Lightning through PledgeMusic. The album has been preceded by the release of "Wilderlove" and "No Country." The PledgeMusic pre-order gives fans the chance to purchase a wide range of merch packages, with each one providing access to exclusive behind-the-scenes information approaching the album's release. The pre-order was launched in part due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the single "Wilderlove," re..Continue reading→
Sho Baraka’s ‘The Narrative’ Debuts at No. 6 on iTunes Hip Hop Chart and No. 26 on iTunes Overall
Critically acclaimed hip hop artist Sho Baraka unleashed The Narrative last week, and it was well received by fans and critics alike as it peaked at No. 6 on iTunes Hip Hop Chart and No. 26 on iTunes Overall Albums Chart. Created with the intention to generate a discussion among each other about the social issues we face today and throughout history, Sho Baraka is doing just that as shown by the critics below "Sho Baraka gives us conscious hip hop that makes us think. It is not intended for eas..Continue reading→
MercyMe’s ‘Welcome To The New’ Receives RIAA Gold Certification
GRAMMY® Nominated MercyMe's Welcome To The New (2014) has been honored with RIAA Gold Certification, marking the sixth gold album for the band in addition to a double platinum album and a platinum video. Welcome To The New earned two GRAMMY® nods, multiple GMA Dove Award honors and an American Music Award nomination. In addition, the album boasts three No. 1 singles with "Greater," "Flawless" and "Dear Younger Me," and one Top 5 single with "Shake." MercyMe is planning to unveil a new recor..Continue reading→
Deraj Drops A New Single
Deraj blessed both the genre and Reflection Music Group (RMG) fans worldwide with a new banger for the car on "Know That's Me," featuring KYNG. Listeners can purchase not only the track, but also the instrumental backing and an acapella version of the track. The three versions of this project may be purchased here, or streamed on Spotify. Visuals for the project debuted under the direction of Joe Desantis. The video may be viewed below. RMG has been quite the productive label as of late..Continue reading→
Live in Chicago: The Looking for America Tour by Switchfoot
Track Listing 01. Holy Water 02. Meant To Live 03. Bull In A China Shop 04. Where The Light Shines Through 05. I Won't Let You Go 06. Love Alone Is Worth The Fight 07. Hello Hurricane 08. If The House Burns Down Tonight 09. Float 10. Live it Well Continue reading→
Courtney Orlando Releases New Single, Wait On You
Courtney Orlando released his latest single "Wait on You" on October 10. You can download the track for free on SoundCloud here. Orlando describes the new track as an open conversation between him and God. No future plans of a full length project have been released at this time. The artist formally known as J.R. dug his roots into the hip-hop genre over a decade ago with his debut release Metamorphosis in 2005. Fittingly, change has followed him in the area of style, depth and even branding a..Continue reading→
The Narrative by Sho Baraka
Track Listing 01. Foreward, 1619 02. Soul, 1971 03. Kanye, 2009 (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) 04. Love, 1959 05. Here, 2016 (feat. Lecrae) 06. 30 & Up, 1986 (feat. Courtney Orlando) 07. Profhet, 1968 (feat. James Portier) 08. Maybe Both, 1865 (feat. James Portier) Purchase 09. Excellent, 2017 Purchase 10. Road to Humble, 1979 Purchase 11. Myhood, U.S.A., 1937 (feat. Vanessa Hill) 12. Words, 2006 13. Fathers, 2004 Purchase 14. Piano Break, 33 A.D. Continue reading→
American
Doubting Your Doubts (Jonathan Storment)
Doubting Your Doubts So last week I wrote a post responding to the New York Times article from December where the columnist Nicholas Kristof interviewed Pastor Tim Keller about Christianity. The article was great, and I appreciated both Keller’s answers and Kristof’s questions. I wrote last week, that one of the things that I appreciated the most, was Keller’s pastoral yet counter-cultural way of answering Kristof’s question of “Am I a Christian?” Kristof is an admirer of Jesus and appreciates m..
Pro-Life Groups Urge Senate Committee to Confirm Pro-Life Rep. Tom Price as HHS Secretary
A Senate committee will vote tomorrow on the nomination of pro-life Congressman Tom Price to be Secretary of the health and human services department. Price is one of President Donald Trump’s marquee pro-life nominees to head a cabinet department that will have significant overview concerning pro-life policies. Leading up to tomorrow’s vote, pro-life organizations such as the Family Research Council are urging senators to vote Yes on Price’s nomination. FRC president Tony Perkins sent the foll..
Miracle Twins Who Survive Birth at 23 Weeks Prompt Call to Ban Late-Term Abortions
Claire and James Weir are proud parents of the youngest twins to be born in Great Britain, according to The Sun. At approximately one pound in weight, Imogen and Annabelle Weir were born at 23 weeks and 4 days. “They are the youngest and smallest surviving twins to be born in Scotland,” Claire Weir told The Sun. “I’d never heard of twins so small surviving. It didn’t seem possible for one, let alone two.” Their story makes the call to ban late-term abortions even more pressing. The legal cut o..
Majority of Americans Agree With President Trump’s Decision to Stop International Abortion Funding
This past Monday, pro-life President Donald Trump made it abundantly clear the United States will no longer use taxpayer dollars to support organizations that promote the killing of unborn children in developing nations. I congratulate White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer for explaining to reporters the underpinnings of that change: that funneling tax dollars overseas to organizations that perform or promote abortions “is contrary to the values of this president.” The president’s action ill..
Entertainment
Measuring Success: One Woman’s Counter-Cultural Path
As an independent filmmaker, I have the privilege of telling stories that you don’t often see coming out of the mainstream media or Hollywood studios. I relish the opportunity to work on projects that take risks—that shine a light on gems beneath unturned stones. And yet, even I didn’t expect to find such a treasure as the woman I’ve spent the last few years uncovering. Perhaps the greatest unknown hero I’ve encountered, she has taught me about success in ways that couldn’..
Searching for Jesus: A Q&A with Risen’s Joseph Fiennes
Rome, Italy – February 3, 2016: Joseph Fiennes attends RISEN photocall overlooking Vatican City. “If I was to take anything away personally from making this film, it’s the concept of redemption and forgiveness and second chances. The second chance for Clavius resonates with me, and I think it might for a lot of people.” — Joseph Fiennes, who plays Roman Military Tribune Clavius in the new movie, Risen What would it be like to be the Roman military official assigned to find the body of Jesus afte..
Risen: Not Just Another Bible Movie
A scene from the new movie, Risen, starring Joseph Fiennes. There are films that are entertaining. There are films that are soul-stirring. And there are films that are faithful to the source material (when the source material is the Bible, this third category becomes an important one for many believers). It is rare to experience a film that checks one or two of these boxes, let alone all three. Risen, starring Joseph Fiennes and opening in theaters February 19, is a film that definitively inhabi..
Coach Lad: The Real Story of the Coach Portrayed in ‘When The Game Stands Tall’
In his 33 years at De La Salle High School in California, Bob “Coach Lad” Ladouceur became one of the most successful high school coaches in the nation. His 399-25-3 record ranks the most victories in California history, including 29 North Coast Section championships, 17 California State championships and the longest winning streak in the history of high school sports. Five different times, both USA Today and Fox Sports Net voted De La Salle the No. 1 team in the nation; the Spartans finished in..
US
Small Oklahoma town thwarts OPEC
Cushing, Oklahoma, is a town of about 7,000 close to where we live. What makes it notable is that several oil pipelines cross there. Which has led to the construction of massive oil storage facilities where production companies can park their oil until it’s needed. The big OPEC producers, led by Saudi Arabia, have made a deal with non-OPEC producers, such as Russia, to cut back production in an attempt to drive up prices. But because Cushing has built up such a big supply, prices are staying low..
Ceremonial Deism
The Supreme Court ruled in 1984 that Nativity scenes in publicly-owned spaces are legal. As long as they don’t mean anything. Hillsdale Sophomore Nic Rowan writing in the Federalist sees this as an example of “ceremonial deism.” After the jump, read his argument and my thoughts on the matter. From Nic Rowan, Supreme Court: You Can Only Have Public Nativity Scenes If They Don’t Mean Anything, The Federalist: A nativity scene placed in the public square is not a religious symbol. It’s an instance..
Our attention span drops to below that of a goldfish
Americans have a very high literacy rate. The problem is, though people can read, many of them don’t read. At least not anything longer than a tweet or a blog post. One-quarter of Americans haven’t read a single book all year. That can be said of one-third of American men. One problem, reports Eric Metaxas, is that our attention span keeps dropping. In the year 2000, our average attention span was an already unimpressive 12 seconds. Now it’s 8 seconds. One journalist observed that this is less t..
Gift idea: Christianity Today’s 2017 book awards
Christianity Today has announced its 2017 book awards. The list of winners in all of the different categories might give you some good ideas for Christmas presents. I like book editor Matt Reynolds’ introduction to the list. He surveys how, thanks to the new printing press, Luther’s Reformation in 1517 was tied to the reading of books. Reading popularized the Reformation, and the Reformation popularized reading. From Matt Reynolds, Christianity Today’s 2017 Book Awards | Christianity Today: Mak..