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→
Home
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→
Hot Topics
What The Pro-Choice And Pro-Life Miss About Simone Biles
No amounts of tweets or praise can change the fact, however, that the young woman Americans have fallen in love with on their television screens would not be here if her mother had chosen abortion. That’s the thought abortion supporters never want to ponder … What if? Because if we allow the human life to continue to grow inside the womb, that life will develop and become someone we cannot so easily dismiss. What if we didn’t chose abortion? Who would that baby have become? As Simone Biles was ..Continue reading→
Statism and Parachurchism
Even the briefest perusal of recent activities by the most prevalent evangelical and Reformed(ish) para-church organizations of our day seems to support this claim. No longer content with a straightforward task of providing resources (books, media, conferences) which (arguably) improve theological literacy and piety, we see, for instance, para-church organizations attempting to define the Church’s doctrine, or even write her liturgy, by drafting (and, of course, heavily marketing) theological st..Continue reading→
When God “Rightly” Hurts Us
Remember God’s sovereignty. He really is the omnipotent, omniscient, everywhere present King. God really is in control of everything. He foreordains all that comes to pass. Do not listen to your fleshly heart. Do not entertain the lies of Satan. Forget the theologians who presented an impotent God who is powerless to interfere. God is sovereign. The Scripture is full of times when God watched and allowed his children to be hurt. Pharaoh and the Egyptians hurt the Israelites. Satan buffeted Job,..Continue reading→
Are Clergy Underpaid? New Study Reveals Rising Wages, Shorter Hours and a Diminishing Wage Gap
“There are vast differences in the situations of individual clergy, from those serving small rural or urban churches who often work for low wages without benefits to the high-end salaries of some prominent megachurch pastors. Catholic priests are by far on the low end of the scale, earning about half as much as other clergy.” The wages of battling sin are getting better for men and women of the cloth. Non-Catholic clergy have experienced significant increases in income even as their work weeks..Continue reading→
Life & Society
7 Steps to Help You Pursue a New Life Direction
So you want to step out in a new life direction. But you’re afraid. That’s normal. Fear often keeps us from moving forward. What if I showed you the steps needed to move forward with clarity, confidence, and abundant faith to live an authentic life adventure? First let me acknowledge that I did not follow all of the steps I am about to share with you—not intentionally anyway. Some I had to learn the hard way. When I stepped away from a secure paycheck as the principal of a Christian school, I h..Continue reading→
5 Suggestions For Finding Your New Life Direction
Do you know where you are headed next in life? Do you know where you should be headed next? If you’re like a lot of us, you may have accidentally fallen into a life direction instead of intentionally choosing your best path. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, it shouldn’t be that way. God created each one of us with unique strengths, passions, and skills sets. He gave us each unique relationship connections that open doors of opportunity unavailable to others. And He expects us to use..Continue reading→
Drafting Women: Long-term Cultural Consequences
Lost in the latest egalitarian nonsense about drafting women to serve in the military are two concerns I have about the long-term impact on us as a culture. Aside from the scientific arguments about weakening our fighting force, valid though they are, and the complete collapse of principles by so many on what used to be the ideological right, two glaring concerns remain with drafting women to serve in the military: Our society needs mothers who are not trained killers. Men..Continue reading→
Colorado Court Upholds Re-education Camp for Christian Baker
We are rapidly approaching a tipping point in America. The cultural wildfire is burning. The day is coming, sooner than most think, when we will each have to choose whether to obey God or man, dictatorial bureaucrats or the Constitution, tyrannical judges or our own consciences. The sooner we grasp this truth the better: simply because a court makes a ruling does not make it right. Because a law exists is not sufficient reason to obey it. When Pharaoh ordered all newborn boys to be slaughtered,..Continue reading→
Movies
Review: Sisters
Universal Pictures Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in ‘Sisters’ This is a great movie for fans of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who are OK with laughing until they cry at dirty jokes that have no right being that funny. Anybody who’s just one, the other, or neither, should probably steer clear and go see Star Wars. For those of you left in that small camp, you’ve hit a gold mine. Sisters is hilarious in all the worst ways, one of those movies..Continue reading→
Interview: When God Calls You to Leave the Art World
When God Calls You to Leave the Art WorldLilias Trotter could have been a famous painter. Instead, she chose to travel with two other single women to preach the gospel in Algeria. Why? In a recent New York magazine cover story, journalist Rebecca Traister notes that many more US women are embracing “that it’s okay for them not to be married.” She calls the decline of marriage “the most radical of feminist ideas.” But in fact, many women..Continue reading→
Commentary: What Do We Make of ’90 Minutes in Heaven’?
What Do We Make of '90 Minutes in Heaven'?Near-death experiences make for popular books and movies. But what should Christians do with them? Don Piper’s story, now made visible in the movie 90 Minutes in Heaven (out this weekend), records his experience of “d..Continue reading→
Watch: McCoy gives Spock a word of advice about “Earth girls” in the first clip from Star Trek Beyond
The other day, while trying to figure out the relevance of Rihanna’s lyrics to the Star Trek film she had written them for, I speculated that Spock and Uhura might break up in this movie. And, well, what do you know: our first clip from the film seems to depict just that, though without all the layers of angst that Rihanna’s song provides. Here is the clip: It’s interesting to see McCoy step in as Uhura walks away. When the first JJ Abrams film came out several years ago, it was noted that Uhura..Continue reading→
Behold the poster for Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge
After a ten-year hiatus, Mel Gibson is back in the director’s chair — and, fittingly for the Oscar-winning director of Braveheart and The Passion of the Christ, his next film is a war movie with a potentially strong faith element. Hacksaw Ridge tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a Seventh-Day Adventist who refused to carry a gun and served instead as a medic during World War II. He became the first conscientious objector to win the Congressional Medal of Honor after he saved 75 men during the..Continue reading→
VOICELESS film launches “100 Theaters in 50 Days” Campaign in response to Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court’s recent reversal of a Texas law requiring abortionists to have admitting privileges and abortion facilities to meet basic health standards is a signal to the pro-life movement to push for social change in other ways, says Jason Jones, co-executive producer of the new pro-life film VOICELESS. Jones, founder of Movie to Movement, a non-profit organization that ..Continue reading→
A virtual-reality Jesus movie is coming this Christmas from the makers of Left Behind and The Passion of the Christ
The Jesus-movie genre is branching into a couple of high-tech formats this year. Ben-Hur, for example, will be the first 3D Jesus movie ever when it comes to theatres August 19. And now Variety reports that a virtual-reality movie is in the works, too: Jesus Christ is coming to VR screens: Autumn Productions and virtual-reality production firm VRWERX have slated the release of “Jesus VR – The Story of Christ” for Christmas 2016. The 90-minute film will be available on all major mobile and premiu..Continue reading→
Watch: New footage in three new ads for Star Trek Beyond
Yesterday we saw the final trailer for Star Trek Beyond. Today we get the first TV spots — and they give us even more new footage from the film, which opens July 22. Here is the main new spot, which focuses on the movie’s three main characters: There are two other spots as well that mostly recycle images from the trailers: Check out earlier trailers and other videos here: The first trailer (December 14, 2015)The second trailer, the CBS All Access teaser and the ‘Fan Event’ video (May 20, 2016)..Continue reading→
John Rhys-Davies is the apostle Peter, and Stephen Baldwin is the emperor Nero, in Peter: The Redemption
Last year, I noted that two Bible movies were being filmed in northern Ontario. One of those films — Joseph & Mary, starring Kevin Sorbo as the titular carpenter and Lara Jean Chorostecki as his bride — comes to DVD next week. And today I got a press release for the other film: Peter: The Redemption, which stars John Rhys-Davies as the apostle Peter and Stephen Baldwin as the emperor Nero. Here is the press release for the film, which comes to DVD August 2: (Los Angeles, CA) – Embark on an inspi..Continue reading→
Music
Switchfoot Announces Cold Turkey Party Live From The Hollywood Palladium on November 25th
Multi-platinum selling, Grammy-winning band SWITCHFOOT is thrilled to announce that they have teamed up with Live Nation for their first ever "Cold Turkey Party." The band will be celebrating the day after Thanksgiving with a live stream of their show from The Palladium in Los Angeles, CA for fans across the country via Live Nation TV's Facebook page, Live Nation's YouTube Channel, and LiveNation.com starting at 930pm PST/1230am EST. SWITCHFOOT kicked off the "Looking For America Tou..Continue reading→
‘Country Faith Volume 2’ To Release November 18
The latest in the hit Country Faith music series, Country Faith Volume 2, will release on November 18 to Christian retail through Word Entertainment and to mainstream retail and digital outlets through Curb Records. Based on the popular book Country Faith penned by award-winning author/journalist Deborah Evans Price, the new music project will feature faith-based country songs by Luke Bryan, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Brooks and Dunn, Wynonna, Wade Hayes, LeAnn Rimes and other bestselling Cou..Continue reading→
Smith Global Media And Power Of 3 Entertainment Release ‘Believe’
From Smith Global Media and Power of 3 Entertainment comes the story of family, loyalty and love in the compelling drama "BELIEVE." The film, written, directed and produced by Billy Dickson, opens in select theatres nationwide Dec. 2, 2016 and is the debut theatrical release under the joint venture. "I am delighted to team with Billy Dickson, Ryan O'Quinn, and the passionate team behind 'BELIEVE,'" stated Harry Smith, owner of Smith Global Media. "We are extremely excited to brin..Continue reading→
Secret Place Live in South Africa by Vashawn Mitchell
Vashawn Mitchell returns with a personal invitation for all to go on a musical journey to his Secret Place. Over the course of his 18 year career, punctuated with much critical and commercial acclaim, Mitchell has solidified himself as a creative musical force in Contemporary Praise Worship. He's responsible for fan favorites like "My Worship Is For Real" (Believe In Your Dreams), "Turning Around For Me" (Created 4 This), "God My God" (Unstoppable), "Don't Last" (Promises) and the mega-hit "Nobody Greater" (Triumphant). Additionally, Vashawn's continued contributions to gospel music go well beyond his own recording career as a singer/songwriter[...]Continue reading→
About A Mile Offers Everyone Two Free Songs From New Album ‘Trust You All The Way’
About A Mile's full-length sophomore album, Trust You All The Way, released globally amidst acclaim Oct. 28 from Radiate Music. Today the band announces they are giving away two of the lead singles from the album, both the current single and title track and the pop flavored Top 25 Billboard Christian Hot AC/CHR National Airplay Chart hit single "Born To Live." The songs can be downloaded now for a limited time to anyone who enters their name and email address at https//aboutamile.squarespac..Continue reading→
New nobigdyl Single on the Horizon Begins Busy Season for Indie Tribe
Indie Tribe founder and front runner nobigdyl will release his eleventh single "Purple Dinosaur" on November 11. His silky smooth flow and creative wordplay prepare to flex once again as fans are intrigued by the album art depicting the infamous purple dinosaur Barney. The Indie Tribe is definitely on the move as fans prep for Holy Weapon Vol. 2 from label mate Jarry Manna to release before 2017. Mogli the Iceberg is next. Nobigdyl has stated that "the wave has begun," starting with "Purple Din..Continue reading→
Skillet’s Feel Invincible Hits No. 1 On Mainstream Rock
For the second time in their career, Skillet has found themselves at the top of a Mainstream Rock radio chart. "Feel Invincible," the lead single off the band's latest album Unleashed, has been slowly climbing on the Mainstream Rock charts and has finally topped out at No. 1, seated above singles from legendary rock acts such as Green Day, Metallica and Disturbed. Skillet last achieved this feat over 5 years ago as well when "Awake and Alive" topped Active Rock charts on the heels of the m..Continue reading→
All Is Bright – EP by Cristabelle Braden
Track Listing 01. I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day 02. O Little Town of Bethlehem 03. Away in a Manger 04. Jingle Bells Continue reading→
World
Orthodox Will Hold Humbled Yet Historic Council in Crete
Patriarchs disagree over how many disputes—out of centuries' worth—to tackle in 10 days. The last time the 14 separate branches of the Orthodox church met, in 787, they hadn’t yet split with the Roman Catholic church. So pulling together a Holy and Great Council meeting of the global representatives of 300 million Orthodox Christians for next week hasn’t been easy—even with the event being discussed since 1961. A number of issues have cropped up in the last 1,000-plus years. The short li..Continue reading→
As SBC Backs Refugee Resettlement, World Relief Leader Resigns
Southern Baptists vote to encourage compassion, while Stephan Bauman reveals next move. Southern Baptists adopted a resolution this morning encouraging fellow believers to offer “care, compassion, and the gospel” to refugees, while at the same time calling on the American government to “implement the strictest security measures possible in the refugee screening and selection process.” While on the floor of the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), Resolution 12 on “refugee m..Continue reading→
American
Woman Complains About Body Image Issues After Late-Term Abortion of Girl With Spina Bifida
Missouri mom Jessica McCoy had a late-term abortion a few months ago after learning that her unborn daughter had spina bifida and a chromosomal abnormality. The mother of three born children has been sharing about her abortion publicly, both describing her grief at the loss of her daughter and justifying her decision to have her unborn daughter killed because of the girl’s disabilities. Several women’s publications picked up McCoy’s story this week after she posted photos on Instagram describi..
Texas Lawmakers Initially Approve Bill to Ban Abortions on Babies Just Because of Their Race or Gender
Today, the Texas Senate passed Senate Bill 415, the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, on second reading. The bill was preliminarily approved by the Senate on a bipartisan 22-9 vote. In addition to every Republican of the Senate supporting the measure, two Democrats – Senators Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville) and Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) – voted for the life-saving measure. Senate Bill 415 and House Bill 844, the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, outlaw the barbaric and inhumane procedure that ends the li..
More Patients in Quebec Killed in Assisted Suicide as Hundreds Request Lethal Drugs
CBC news reported (March 14) that the number of euthanasia deaths in Québec significantly increased in the second half of 2016. According to the CBC news report: A total of 461 patients were granted doctor-assisted death during the first year of Quebec’s medical aid in dying law, according to data obtained by CBC’s French-language service, Radio-Canada. The number of requests increased significantly in the second half of 2016. From December 2015 to end of June 2016, 253 patients requested the ..
Woman Was About to Have an Abortion When Something Incredible Happened to Save Her Baby’s Life
Two volunteers at the 40 Days for Life vigil in Pensacola spoke to a deeply troubled young woman who had conceived a child as the result of a sexual assault. “She was hurting and felt that abortion was her only solution to the recent trauma she had experienced,” said Ernie, the local coordinator. Counselors offered encouragement, assistance, prayers and tears. But still, she believed abortion was her only option … and she went inside the abortion center. The volunteers kept praying – and trust..
Australia
Bringing them up in the Lord
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Wednesday 21 December 2016 About 60 million children in China are “left behind” in their home villages, to be looked after by their grandparents or relatives because their parents are trying to find work in cities. This enormous group of neglected children – more than a quarter of the 215 million children in China – is in great need of hope, encouragement and care. These “left-behind” children are highly vulnerable to serious crimes such as sexual abuse and assault and suff..
Back where it all began
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS Saturday 20 December 2016 Next year is a special year. Bible Society Australia will be celebrating its bicentenary, but 2017 is not only about thanking God for all he’s done in the past through his word. Bible Society Australia is calling upon you, your church and your community groups to help us continue the legacy of equipping our people with the life-giving word of God. Get The Word Out (GTWO) is Bible Society Australia’s year-long focus on providing one nation on earth ..
Everything you helped us achieve in 2016
BIBLE SOCIETY NEWS | Greg Clarke Monday 19 December 2016 Bible Society Australia isn’t about any one person. From the very start we’ve been a Society. Bible Society is the thousands of supporters and volunteers like you. And it’s through your generosity this year we’ve been able to: Train 30 literacy teachers in South Sudan under Professor Twong Yolong – so thousands of Collo people, traumatised by war, can read and write Translated the scriptures to the Tay, Nung and Muong people in Vietnam –..
Egyptian Christians killed in bomb attack on church
A bomb blast in St Peter’s church in Cairo on Sunday killed 25 people and wounded 49, mostly women and children. The bombing during morning mass was the deadliest attack on Egypt’s Christians since a 2011 bombing killed 21 people at a church in Alexandria. The Sunday bombing is the latest indication of how challenging it is for Christians living in Egypt, who account for about 10 per cent of Egypt’s 92 million people. The Bible Society of Egypt has requested prayers f..
Law & Government
Men With Scabies Arrested After Committing Homosexual Sex Act on Display Bed at Bed Bath & Beyond
(NorthJersey.com) – Two men were arrested and charged with engaging in lewd behavior on a display bed at Bed Bath & Beyond during regular business hours. Police officers responded to the Route 3 Riverfront shopping center at 5 p.m. Monday on a report from a witness that two men were engaged in a sex act, records show. Police arrested two 28-year-old men, one from Nutley and the other from North Carolina. Both were charged with lewdness, criminal mischief and possession of marijuana, according ..
Alabama Man Charged With Capital Murder for Killing Unborn Child in Beating Girlfriend
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — An Alabama man has been charged with capital murder for allegedly killing his unborn child while beating his girlfriend. According to reports, Reginald Sharp, 27, knocked his girlfriend to the ground in a domestic incident last July and then beat her with his fists and a belt. She was 26 weeks (six months) pregnant. The woman was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where her baby was stillborn the next day. The county coroner listed the child’s death as “intrauterine feta..
Trump Mocks Schwarzenegger, Jokingly Asks for ‘Prayer’ for ‘Apprentice’ Ratings at National Prayer Breakfast
(ABC News) — President Trump jokingly requested prayer for Arnold Schwarzenegger as he addressed attendees at this morning’s National Prayer Breakfast. “They hired a big movie star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to take my place, and we know how that turned out,” Trump said at the top of his remarks. He continued, “The ratings went right down the tubes. It’s been a total disaster. And Mark [Burnett] will never, ever bet against Trump again, and I want to just pray for Arnold, if we can, for those rat..
Boy Scouts to Allow Girls Who Identify as Boys
(New York Times) — Reversing its stance of more than a century, the Boy Scouts of America said on Monday that the group would begin accepting members based on the gender listed on their application, paving the way for transgender boys to join the organization. “For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America, along with schools, youth sports and other youth organizations, have ultimately deferred to the information on an individual’s birth certificate to determine eligibility for our single-..
Entertainment
Martin Scorsese talks Spirituality and Silence
Comment countSilence was one of the most provocative, moving bits of cinema I saw last year. It’s complex and murky and inspiring and troubling and beautiful–all of which, in a way, reflects how I interact with faith itself. Perhaps, when we attempt to understand and embrace the transcendent, it can be no other way. The movie is arguably one of Martin Scorsese’s most overtly religious works. But as many have noted, almost every movie that Scorsese has ever done is about, in some way, faith. Scor..
Why Silence Deserved Oscar’s Love
Comment countAndrew Garfield and Yōsuke Kubozuka in Silence, photo courtesy Paramount PicturesWhen Academy Award nominees earlier this week, plenty of Oscar’s snubs made headlines. No Amy Adams? No Sully? Where’s Hugh Grant? But the Academy reserved its biggest oversight for one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed directors: Martin Scorsese. Silence, the film that Scorsese spent 26 years planning and making, earned just a single nomination—for Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous cinematography. Nothing for Andr..
The Story of God: Is There Anybody Out There?
Comment countMorgan Freeman from National Geographic’s The Story of GodFor two seasons, National Geographic’s The Story of God With Morgan Freeman has taken us behind the curtain to see the world’s religions, both great and small, at work. This Monday in the second season finale, Freeman and his crew tackle the biggest question of all: Is there a reason for all this religion? In other words, is there a God? But proof of God, as Oxford Theoretical Physicist Ard Louis says on the show, is impossib..
The Story of God: Finding Heaven in Hell
Comment countMorgan Freeman from National Geographic’s The Story of God.What is heaven? What is hell? And how do they impact how we live right now? “Heaven and Hell,” the latest episode of The Story of God With Morgan Freeman (airing Jan. 23) grapples with those questions. They’re questions that have fascinated me, too. They always have, ever since I was a little boy. In the episode, Freeman and others take an interfaith trip through the Good Place and Bad Place. The show takes us to a cave in T..
Health and Science
Is Genesis History? New Film Affirms Truthfulness of Biblical Record
A soon-to-be-released documentary-style film, featuring footage from around the U.S. and interviews with over a dozen scholars and scientists, will provide visual evidence and scientific arguments for the Bible’s accounts of Creation and the Flood. On February 23, hundreds of movie theaters across the U.S. will participate in a one-night showing of the film “Is Genesis History?” The film, produced by Compass Cinema and structured as a documentary, features interviews with respected Christian sc..
Researchers Experiment Creation of Human-Pig ‘Chimera Embryos’ to Address Shortage of Donor Organs
LA JOLLA, Calif. — A team of biologists at the Salk Institute in California has reportedly created the first-ever human-pig chimeras in an effort to test the idea of growing organs in animals that can later be used in human transplants. “This biomedical advance has long been a dream and a quandary for scientists hoping to address a critical shortage of donor organs,” National Geographic writes. “Every ten minutes, a person is added to the national waiting list for organ transplants. And every d..
Why Our Body Destroys Itself
The science and spirituality behind the latest Nobel Prize in medicine. With every patient I treat, I hear myself echo the same sentiment: I know this hurts. I’m sorry. It will be over soon. In the emergency department, healing rarely comes without pain. It may be the wrenching of a joint back into place, the lancing of an abscess, or the administering of antibiotics through the business end of a large needle. But with the exception of the few who decide at the first flash of my scalpel that pe..
Perplexed Scientists Think C-Sections During Childbirth Are Affecting Human Evolution
Photo Credit: Lisa EspinosaWhy is obstructed labor such a common complication during human childbirth? A team of evolutionary scientists thinks recent human evolution and the modern practice of childbirth via C-section contribute to the problem. Obstructed labor happens when a baby is unable to smoothly pass from the mother’s womb through the birth canal. A major cause of both maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality, obstructed labor is especially common in poorer countries and results in ..
US
The Superbowl and vocation
The Superbowl is this weekend, time for the obligatory polls about whether or not God gets involved in the outcome of sporting events. One-quarter of Americans believe that he does. About a half believe that God rewards faithful athletes with health and success. Certainly, the easy answer is that of course God doesn’t care about a sporting event because He has much more important things to do. But if God attends to the fall of a sparrow, why wouldn’t He attend to the fall of a pigskin? The real ..
The anti-Trump “resistance”
French Resistance fighters, 1944 Democrats have gone into full resistance mode, with Democratic Senators boycotting confirmation hearings to prevent a vote on President Trump’s candidates. (Republicans suspended the rules and approved Treasury Secretary candidate Steven Mnuchin and HHS Secretary candidate Tom Price anyway. See this.) Meanwhile, a self-described “alternative left” has emerged that is pressuring Democratic elected officials not to co-operate with the Republicans. Notice how the us..
Trump’s Supreme Court nominee
President Donald Trump has nominated Colorado appeals court Judge Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Antonin Scalia. Reportedly, Judge Gorsuch is from that same mold: eloquent, learned, articulate, and an “originalist” when it comes to interpreting the Constitution. He is the author of a book against euthanasia and supported Hobby Lobby in its suit against the Obamacare birth control mandate. An Anglican, he would be the only Protestant on the bench, joining the 5 Ca..
“Pregnant people”
The British Medical Association has issued guidelines saying that to avoid offending the transgendered, health workers should not refer to “pregnant women.” Rather, say, “pregnant people.” After all, a biological female–no, that wording is forbidden too; we must say “assigned female”–who identifies as a man can have a baby. And since we must go by self-identification, that means that men can be pregnant. The Transgender movement has at least destroyed feminism. Now that men can claim the identit..
Church & Theology
“Enlightenment” and True Freedom
“I think, therefore I am.” René Descartes penned this popular line in his 1637 treatise, Discourse on the Method, and it’s a good summary of the book itself. Heralding the importance of scientific discoveries and the necessity of doubting one’s own view of the world, Descartes’s work is often considered the first domino to fall in what is now called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment, with its explosion of scientific discoveries and philosophical arguments, had one task:..
New Book — Rooted: Theology For Growing Christians
As you may know, my friend Jeff Medders and I wrote a short, accessible book on the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. It’s called Rooted: Theology for Growing Christians, and it released this weekend from Rainer Publishing. As two men who’ve served in church leadership in various ways, we kept running into laypeople who were accidental Universalists, Arians, mystics, and even worse. We’ve found that it’s often not their fault; rather, they spent most of thei..
Church Grammar: Theology as the Language of Christianity
If you’re anything like me, you’ve had your favorite dinnertime evangelists, the local Jehovah’s Witnesses, show up at your door. They’re kind. They smile. And they even tuck in their shirts. To top it all off, they speak Christianese pretty well. Or do they? Though they sound like Christians, they come bearing bad news–an anti-gospel that denies the divinity of Jesus and only offers the possibility of Heaven for a select few people. Their gospel sounds so close to the bib..
Jesus Hanging Out with Wild Animals
The Temptations of Christ, 12th century mosaic at St Mark’s Basilica, Venice. On a recent episode of Word Matters, Trevin Wax and I discussed Mark’s rendering of Jesus’s temptation in the wilderness, particularly the unique insertion of the phrase, “He was with the wild animals” (Mark 1:13, HCSB). After discussing the prominent views of this passage throughout church history, Trevin and I both landed at the same conclusion: Mark is recapitulating the temptation scene of Ge..