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
Three Causes of Controlling Behavior
These are helpful observations for understanding how such traits can develop, and should increase our compassion and understanding for such sufferers. However, as Christians with Calvin’s spectacles, we have to go further in three ways. First, we have to say that even if the causes have parental or genetic components, we must believe that the Word of God and the Holy Spirit have a necessary and important role to play in conditioning how we react to our parental or genetic inheritance. Yesterday..Continue reading→
William Gurnall on Singing Imprecatory Psalms
1. Take heed thou dost not make thy private particular enemies the object of thy imprecation. We have no warrant, when any wrong us, presently to go and call for fire from heaven upon them. Ames mentioned this but not with as much detail as Gurnall does here. One of the misunderstandings people have about the imprecations is that we don’t like our teacher at school or a person who cut us off on the freeway and so we take up the curses of the Psalms against them. But Gurnall reminds us that it’s..Continue reading→
The Wonder of Work
Insomuch as we build on the foundation of Christ – following His ways, loving His truth, sharing His gospel – we build with heavenly materials. As the Spirit transforms our minds and awakens our hearts, we are being made into the image of Christ. We walk in His ways. We obey His commands. We speak His words of truth. Whatever our calling – lawyer, doctor, teacher, stay at home mother, pastor, banker –we build for eternity as we build in accordance with the foundation, Jesus Christ. My children ..Continue reading→
The Flood Of 2016: Southeast Louisiana And The Consequences Of Real Community
Rather than reward that with aid and bringing the full force of our collective national attention to examples of what resilient and strong American communities look like when challenged…these communities are ignored and left to fend for themselves…simply because they can. The consequence of being a strong community is that your tragedy is not mentioned in national news, your strength uncelebrated, and your needs unmet unless they can be met through your own resilience. Humility and selflessly he..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→
Blue Eyed Devil by KRUM (fka Playdough)
Veteran emcee KRUM is dropping a completely free project on February 3, and the pre-order is now available. The album is called Blue Eyed Devil and will be the first full project by KRUM since he changed his name from Playdough. The album features production from Theory Hazit, Rob Viktum, Harry Krum, Freddie Bruno, and more. KRUM says to look out for music videos and promos in the next few weeks.[...]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→
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→
World
The Purge: Election Year
The opportunity for biting social critique gets swept away in a torrent of bloody destruction. Few, if any, of CT's readers probably ought to see (or bother seeing) The Purge: Election Year. Like its predecessors (The Purge and The Purge: Anarchy), its world is drawn thinly in ways that don't actually help the very interesting concept of the plot: that in an alternate universe very close to our own, the U.S. is ruled by the NFFA—the New Founding Fathers of America, a party of apparent..Continue reading→
The BFG
Fairy tales need real dragons. Roald Dahl weaves strange yarns for kids, mixing imagination and whimsy with a distinct strand of menace. The enduring popularity of his stories—Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was published in 1964!—depends on all those threads, menace included. What good is Matilda without the criminally neglectful parents or abusive Agatha Trunchbull? Or James and the Giant Peach without the cruel aunts? Or Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator without the Vermicious Knids?Continue reading→
Issues in the Future of Evangelicalism
The future of evangelicalism includes harsh realities for churches. The enduring question for the church is this: how do we fulfill the Great Commission in a rapidly changing world? We—the church of the West—receive no exception from the question. But it appears that despite our best efforts to keep up with the ever-morphing values and circumstances of Western cultures, the answer eludes us. For many , the answer is not to adapt or change at all, but merely to maintain as if by some force of..Continue reading→
US giving hundreds of millions to countries that recruit child soldiers
The US is giving hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to countries that use and recruit child soldiers. Around a quarter of a million children around the world have beem recruited as soldiers. Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday condemned the practice, and urged the Obama administration to review its spending. The call came following the release of a new list of countries implicated in the use of child soldiers by the US State Department. The list of 10 countries includes ..Continue reading→
American
Leading Physician Confirms Unborn Children Feel Excruciating Pain During Abortions
Sheila Page, D.O., is board certified in Neuromusculoskeletal Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy. She treats a wide spectrum of patients from the newborn to the elderly, including patients with irreversible and terminal illness. Dr. Page (pictured right) has a special interest in children with disabilities, particularly those whose burden of care is difficult and who have been given little hope for a better quality of life. Dr. Page is one of our nearly 40 associate scholars. In this ..
Woman Defends Aborting Two Babies: “I Talked to the Babies and I Felt the Babies Understood”
A woman talking about her 2nd abortion said : “But I really feel good that I made the decision, not to have the baby. Again, I pretty much had made my decision, talked to myself, you know, constantly, talked to my sister, talked to the baby. ‘Cause I definitely believe that when you get pregnant, I don’t care if it is just a little … little form there… It feels, picks up on the vibes. I really do believe that. So it was important for me to let the baby know that. It just wasn’t a good idea to h..
Scientists are Making Human-Pig Hybrids for Organ Transplants That Could Develop Into “Monsters”
The recent creation of animal-human hybrids is stirring up ethical questions about the value and definition of human life. In January, scientists announced that they successfully created the first human-pig hybrid, a living pig embryo injected with human cells. National Geographic reports researchers at Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California said they implanted the living pig-human embryos, or chimeras, in adult pigs’ wombs and allowed them to grow between three and four..
Missouri Governor Takes Strong Pro-Life Stance: “The People of Missouri Do Not Support Abortion”
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens spoke out against the new St. Louis “abortion sanctuary city” ordinance over the weekend, saying it does not reflect the state’s values. “We need to send a clear message: the people of Missouri do not support Abortion Sanctuary Cities,” Greitens wrote Saturday on Facebook. “We will fight for the vulnerable to get the support they need in tough times—we will proudly stand up for life.” Supporters of St. Louis City Board Bill 203 say the measure protects women from di..
Australia
A child of hope and faith in Nicaragua
Adriana Collado first placed her faith in God at the age of just two, when she was being treated for leukaemia at La Mascota Children’s Cancer Hospital, in Managua, Nicaragua. Thanks to your support, Adriana and her mother Ana were among 7500 suffering Nicaraguan families who last year received free copies of the Bible while attending devotions organised by pastors and volunteers at La Mascota Hospital. “Ana would eagerly participate in the devoti..
People of the rock need the word
This is my work now, till the end of my life,” says Lily Neville. “It is the greatest pleasure for me, really.” She’s talking about translating the Bible into her native Adnyamathanha, the language of the Aboriginal people of the Northern Flinders Ranges in South Australia. “Adnya” means rock and “mathanha” means people. The Adnyamathanha people are “people of the rock”. Lily Neville, who is working with Bible Society Australia to translate the Bible..
Abortion Rethink Campaign in Australia Focuses on How Abortion Hurts Women, Kills Babies
The Abortion Rethink campaign team has commissioned a song to be composed and dance routine choreographed for the purpose of artistically highlighting some of the concerns around abortion. The lyrics take us through the various perspectives of some of those impacted, but particularly those of the woman, her partner and the pre born baby. They call on both those who govern our State and our community at large to listen to the voices of those so negatively impacted by abortion. They ask them to ..
Jesus gets thousands of new followers
Thousands of Australians have made decisions to follow Jesus at major events happening around the country. In Sydney, at Australia’s largest Christian gathering – Hillsong Conference – over 1800 people responded to calls to consider Christ as their saviour. “We pray that the [conference] experience lives well and truly beyond this arena but extends on into your churches, homes, schools and work-places. We believe that your best days are yet to come,” t..
Law & Government
Trump Praises ‘Fantastic Contributions’ Hindus Have Made to America
(World Religion News) — In a move likely calculated to capture the Indian-American vote come election day in November, the Republican nominee Donald Trump released a statement praising the Hindu community for its contributions to the U.S.A. He commented, “The Hindu community has made fantastic contributions to world civilization and to American culture and we look forward to celebrating our shared values of free enterprise, hard work, family values, and a strong American foreign policy.”
Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton Collapses at Ground Zero in New York
NEW YORK — A video shows Hillary Clinton collapsing into the arms of her security detail after leaving a ceremony at Ground Zero early today. The Democratic presidential nominee was in New York to give her respects to the victims of those killed on 9/11 in 2001, but had to leave early after what is being described as a “medical episode.” Clinton, who briefly collapsed into the arms of security officials before entering a van, showed signs of other physical troubles recently when she needed to..
Law is on your side over evangelism, Christians told
"Sensationalist" reports cause Christians to think they are not free to proselytise, according to a new resource that urges the public sharing of faith. Street preacher Rob Hughes was arrested and imprisoned for 11 hours after being falsely accused of homophobic remarks. Speak Up was launched by the Evangelical Alliance (EA) and the Lawyers Christians Fellowship (LCF) on Friday and aims to persuade Christians they have the law on their side when it comes to sharing their ..
‘A Force He Could Not Stop’: Teen High on Psychedelic Drug Jailed Following Violent Attack
STUART, Fla. — A Florida teen is behind bars after he smashed through a window and attacked a random family in their home following his ingestion of a psychedelic drug that caused him to act on a “force … he could not stop.” Nico Gallo, 19, was allegedly high on Dibutylone when he “cannon-balled” through the plate glass window of a Stuart home in the middle of the night on Sunday. He is accused of then attacking a woman and her adult son, who called 911 and beat Gallo in the head with an alumin..
Entertainment
All Hail The Crown: The 10 Best Movies (and one TV Show) About the British Monarchy
Comment countIt’s been quite a week. As I type this, I’m hanging out in downtown Denver as an anti-Trump rally winds past me, the sky filled with chants and signs saying “NOT MY PRESIDENT.” However we pulled the lever for, I think most of us can agree that our democracy wasn’t exactly at its brightest this election season. A good many Americans disliked both candidates from the start—a rock-bottom beginning that somehow kept going lower. Most of us had to vote for the candidate we disliked least..
Doctor Strange Is The Most Religious Superhero Movie Ever
From Doctor Strange. Photo courtesy DisneySuperheroes have always been religious. But Marvel’s great, trippy new movie Doctor Strange takes superhero spirituality to the mirror dimension and unfolds it in a dozen fascinating ways. Underneath all the story’s Eastern mysticism and occult trappings, there’s a deeply Christian undercurrent here. Perhaps we should’ve expected Doctor Strange to be pretty religious. Director Scott Derrickson is one of Hollywood’s best-known and most influe..
How taco trucks caused a mystical moment
One day in 1958 on a street corner in Louisville, KY, the Catholic monk Thomas Merton had a mystical experience that he recounts in his book “Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander”: “In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It was like waking from a dream of se..
Hacksaw Ridge is Insanely Bloody. Here’s Why.
Comment countFrom Hacksaw Ridge, photo courtesy Summit EntertainmentChristianity is bloody. The whole thing started with an execution. If the early Christians had any tact—or, at least, a good PR agency—they would’ve downplayed the religion’s messy, off-putting beginning and encourage prospective newcomers to concentrate on something else. Instead, the cross has become the central symbol of our faith—something we slap on our walls and hang around our necks and embroider on our throw pillows. It’..
Health and Science
Research Biologist Says Bible, Not Evolution, Accounts for Human DNA Diversity
When did human ethnic groups originate? And can the biblical young earth viewpoint explain differences between races today? One research biologist says the biblical model, not evolution, accurately accounts for human DNA diversity today. Dr. Nathaniel Jeanson is a PhD biologist with Answers in Genesis who studied Cell and Developmental Biology at Harvard University. In his latest article, published last week in Answers Research Journal, he considers “why African people groups tends to harbor mo..
Scientists Capture ‘Flash of Light’ That Occurs at Moment of Conception
CHICAGO — Life begins with a “flash of light” or “fireworks,” scientists at a university in Illinois have announced in releasing a written study and video that captures what occurs at the moment of human conception. Northwestern University in Chicago recently announced the find in a study outlined in Scientific Reports. “It was remarkable,” said Teresa Woodruff, director of Northwestern’s Center for Reproductive Science. “We discovered the zinc spark just five years ago in the mouse, and to se..
Ancient Lizards Preserved in Amber Could Pose Problems for Evolutionists
Christian scientists are touting the recent discovery of amber-encased lizards as evidence of a recent creation as described in the Bible. Last month, the journal Science Advances published a detailed analysis of amber-embedded lizards, estimated to be approximately 99 million years old. Thanks to the “extraordinary preservation” qualities of the amber, scientists were able to observe intricate details on the lizard specimens. “Amber deposits are especially useful for preserving small, delicat..
Comb Jelly Footage Surprises Scientists, Upends Evolutionary Expectations
AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Evolutionists are once again having to scrap existing beliefs and return to the drawing board after observing one type of sea creature perform a previously undiscovered function. On March 14 and 15, several dozen biologists met in Florida for the Ctenopalooza workshop—an event designed to further the study of ctenophores, which are a type of jellyfish-like sea creatures. Speakers at the workshop presented ideas, discussed new areas of study, and shared recent research findings..
US
Susan B. Anthony and the other early feminists were pro-life
Feminists today hail the pioneers of women’s rights, the suffragettes and 19th century activists who crusaded for women’s right to vote and equality before the law. But they also crusaded against abortion. Yes, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Mary Wollstonecraft, Elizabeth Blackwell, and Sarah F. Norton would not have been allowed to participate in [Read More...]
Live-blogging the Inauguration
Being unable to resist significant moments in history, I’ll be watching the Inauguration ceremonies today and making comments here. Things get started at 9:30 a.m. ET, with the actual inauguration ceremony starting at about 11:30 a.m. ET. The swearing in will be at noon, whereupon Donald Trump will give his inaugural address. I’ll be devoting most of my live-blogging to the speech. Please join me with comments of your own. On Saturday from 10:00-11:00 a.m. will be the Interfaith Prayer Service a..
Moving day at the White House
The White House staff has five hours to move out the former president and his family, with all of their furniture and belongings and preferred decor, and to move in the new residents. The logistics of this tightly choreographed operation are rather amazing. Professional movers can haul the furniture to the door, but they can’t go inside, so carrying it all and staging it perfectly is a job for White House staffers. So a salute to the 90 “blue collar” members of the White House Staff as they carr..
Pro-life women excluded from “Women’s March”
The day after Donald Trump’s Inauguration, thousands of women will march on Washington to demonstrate for women’s issues. But pro-life women–even pro-life feminists, even pro-life feminist liberals–will not be allowed to join the demonstration. From Views on Abortion Strain Calls for Unity at Women’s March on Washington – The New York Times: As a self-described feminist and law student who wants to correct racial wrongs in the criminal justice system, Maria Lyon agrees with Hillary Clinton that ..
Church & Theology
6 Ways Teachers Prepare for a Life-Changing Year
I think of teachers much like I do of nurses—heroes. Like nursing, teaching is an unsung job that requires tremendous amounts of personal investment in other people’s lives. And, also like nursing, teaching has the potential to make a tremendous difference as well. Teachers have a unique ability to influence moldable lives. I still remember the names of and specific lessons from many of my teachers, and I’m guessing you do as well. So, as a new school year begins, how can you as a teacher—in a..
Biblical Sci-Fi? Aliens, Angels, and the Nephilim
On a recent episode of Word Matters, Trevin Wax and I discussed some prominent views of Genesis 6, particularly these first few verses: When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” The Nephilim were o..
5 Questions to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Your Gospel Witness
We cannot always measure effectiveness by visible fruit. Some of my favorite testimonies of salvation are of people who trusted Christ after repeated witnessing attempts by multiple people. Even the Apostle Paul experienced times when he witnessed and the fruit wasn’t immediate. I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.—1 Corinthians 3:6 So if we try to measure the effectiveness of our witness on fruit alone, we may miscalculate. Perhaps during a season when we are diligentl..
7 Essentials of an Adult Bible Class
I believe the key reason for adult Bible classes in the local church is the organization to fulfill the purposes of the church. Dr. Lee Roberson used to say, “The Sunday school is the church organized to fulfill the purpose of the church.” Whether you call it Sunday School, Adult Bible Fellowships, Connection Groups, or something else, it is vital that you have clearly defined purposes and processes for this vital area of church ministry. At Lancaster Baptist Church, we now have over fifty adu..