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
The Federal Vision and the Magical Efficacy of Sacraments
It is a fatal flaw of the proponents of the Federal Vision that they hold to a view that replaces the work of the Holy Spirit with the magical working of the sacraments, a relic of paganism. It is beside the point that they define efficacy in such a vague way,… that it can be increased or decreased whenever necessary. By teaching that the sacraments, particularly baptism, have the power to convey new life, justification, forgiveness of sins and other graces temporarily, they have chosen a pagan ..Continue reading→
White Christian America Is Dying
I begin the book with an obituary for White Christian America, and I conclude the book with a eulogy. This construction is consistent with the book’s stark title. My argument in the book is that we have already experienced the passing of White Christian America. While this claim is grounded in demographic changes, it is also supported by the fading power of major institutions, such as the National Council of Churches or the Christian Coalition of America. There are no indicators that the country..Continue reading→
Confessions Of A Former Charismatic
This is what I found: there were many conversations among the church leaders, or with “discerning members,” who were concerned that there was a diminishing of the prophetic on Sunday or in prayer gatherings. The absence of such words was a sign of sickness. Rather than being glad at the faithful ministry of the Word in preaching, we were concerned with the absence of the prophetic. Though denied on paper, in practice, such words were given more weight than preaching — but not as much weight as S..Continue reading→
He Holds Out His Hands
There is Good News; God has also blessed you with his Gospel. You are hearing it right now. Despite the fact that you have spurned his counsel, rebelled against him, and have earned his eternal wrath, he has not stopped loving you. He promised his Son. He sent his Son. And now through the Word of God he stretches out his hands to you. A substitutionary law-keeper and a substitutionary righteousness are available for you. He is the Savior of all who give up and beg for pardon and rescue. Paul’s ..Continue reading→
Movies
Watch: Rihanna sings in the final trailer for Star Trek Beyond
Star Trek Beyond isn’t the first Star Trek film to feature a new song on its soundtrack, but it just might be the first to put its song front-and-centre in a movie trailer. The song in question is Rihanna’s ‘Sledgehammer’, and this is the trailer: You can listen to the complete single via Spotify: It is not clear to me whether this song was actually written for the film or whether the filmmakers are simply taking advantage of the fact that Rihanna has a new song to promote. Maybe Spock and Uhur..Continue reading→
Box office: Independence Day and Free State of Jones flop while Finding Dory and The Shallows thrive in the water
They had 20 years to prepare a sequel … and it more or less flopped in North America. Independence Day: Resurgence — which opened over a week before the holiday it’s named for and was not screened for critics in advance, both of which are sure signs that the studio wasn’t confident about the film’s prospects — is estimated to have grossed only $41.6 million between Thursday and Sunday nights. That’s less than the $50.2 million that the original film opened to in 1996. To repeat: the original fil..Continue reading→
Halftime: The best films of 2016 (so far)
We’re quickly approaching the midpoint of the year, and it’s been an interesting one. If you look at the box office reports, it’s been a blase year, unless you’re Disney. But in terms of quality, it’s not been bad. Usually, I reach the midpoint of the year and wonder if I’m going to be able to have enough to fill a top ten list in six months. This year, I already have at least five films that I know will kill me to leave off the year-end list. So I thought, in the interest of getting pageviews m..Continue reading→
Review: “Finding Dory”
Five years after its release, “Cars 2” still instills dread in Pixar lovers. Never mind that the studio’s other weakest films (“The Good Dinosaur” and “Brave”) are both original works, and that the “Toy Story” followups have been lauded as some of the best sequels ever. What most people think of when they hear about returning to a beloved Pixar world is Mater the Tow Truck zipping through Japan and making pee-pee jokes. It’s why the idea of a “Finding Nemo..Continue reading→
Interview with comic book artist Ted Woods
Here’s a new feature I’m hoping to implement more regularly on this blog. Constant readers know that I can be critical about Christian art, and that’s because I think there’s a lot of bad art out there that goes under the Christian name. But I really want to delve more into the artists and crafts people who are passionate about creating great Christian art and improving the conversation about faith. I met Ted Woods, an independent comic book writer, when we brie..Continue reading→
The strange love affair between Christians and guns
This isn’t the first time I’ve addressed this, and I hate that. This post, in fact, is adapted from a now-defunct blog I used to have; I just had to tweak it for the tragedy du jour. I hate that 50 people are dead because one man was filled with hate and had access to a firearm. I hate that this is not the first time I’ve had to deal with this news. Charleston. San Bernardino. Columbine. Aurora. Sandy Hook. All names that strike a chord because of one underlying ..Continue reading→
Orlando: Death in our safe spaces demands love across the lines
Earlier this evening, in response to the horrific shooting at a gay nightclub Orlando that left 50 people dead and just as many hospitalized — the deadliest shooting in U.S. history — blogger Micah J. Murray posted the following on his Facebook page: What makes mass shootings so intimately offensive is that they tend to happen at “safe” places where such tragedy should be off limits. A school. A movie theater. A day care center. A mall. These are wher..Continue reading→
“The Conjuring 2”: Ghostbusting with love
James Wan’s “Conjuring” movies are something rare in the horror genre: warm-hearted stories that scare the hell out of you. The first film, released in 2013, notably received an R rating for being “too scary” — movie marketing that was actually justified. The film was one of the most terrifying, knuckle-clenching haunted house movies in decades, elevated by Wan’s affection for his characters. Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) were real-life paranormal experts car..Continue reading→
Morgan Freeman Explores The Story of God
On the heels of Holy Week, National Geographic presents The Story of God, an ambitious, expansive six-part series hosted by Morgan Freeman. This is an impressive interfaith study, with Freeman traveling to Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Guatemala, India and beyond in search of God, or at least humanity’s efforts to reach God. From the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to bathers on the Ganges, we follow Freeman and his guides to spiritual hot spot..Continue reading→
Music
Heartbeat (Single) by The Waiting Kind
Track Listing 01. Heartbeat 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→
The Thrill of Hope by Christy Nockels
Inspired to share her first Christmas album with the world, Christy Nockels will unveil The Thrill Of Hope on November 4. The Thrill Of Hope introduces Nockels' take on holiday classics mixed with original songs, including "Song In The Air," "Wrap This One Up," Amaryllis" and "Our Christmas Song," penned originally. The album is steeped in scriptural references from Isaiah, Genesis, Micah and more, along with family memories as Nockels invited other family members to take part in the project as well. Nockels worked with husband Nathan Nockels (Passion, Matt Redman, Laura Story) to create the LP. "'The thrill of[...]Continue reading→
Loose Canon Vol. 3 by Canon
Loose Canon Vol. 3 is the third installment of the Loose Canon series. With lead single Eagles, The Family, and Over Do It; Canon has a stacked line up for this EP. Track Listing 01. I'm Back Purchase 02. Eagles 03. Over Do It 04. EZ Purchase 05. My Little Baby 06. Renegade Purchase 07. Expect Us Purchase 08. Hold Up 09. I Ain't Got Time 10. The FamilyContinue reading→
Bethel Music Kids Release ‘Christmas Party’ EP Nov. 18
Dove Award-winning Bethel Music Kids (#BethelMusicKids) releases their Christmas Party EP internationally Nov. 18. The new recording follows their first full-length album and concert film, Come Alive, which launched to the top of the retail charts amidst acclaim when it released Dec. 2015 and went on to receive the GMA Dove Award for "Children's Music Album of the Year" last month after receiving a trio of nominations.Continue reading→
Gaither Music Group’s All-new Docu-musical Rides To The Top Of Three Music Sales Charts
Gaither Music Group's all-new Circuit Rider DVD rode straight to the top of this past week's Billboard Music Video chart in addition to the Christian Music Video chart, according to Nielsen Soundscan, garnering the #1 position on both. The audio version of the docu-musical also claimed the #1 position on the Southern Gospel Album Sales chart and a Top 20 spot on the Contemporary Christian Music chart.Continue reading→
OBB Releases New Single ‘Sweater’
OBB has been teasing something new for a few weeks now through social media images that only said "11-4-16." They finally made the announcement early this morning a new single, "Sweater," available now here. RELATED OBB Back In The Studio With David Thulin As the band preps to appear on Winterjam next year, they promise this is only the beginning of new things. "We're super excited about the new music we have coming out, lots of new imaging, lots of new stuff coming out. So make sure you..Continue reading→
Casting Crowns Celebrates 11th No. 1 Radio Single With ‘One Step Away’
Multi-platinum selling and GRAMMY® award winning group Casting Crowns released their eighth studio album, The Very Next Thing, in September and just celebrated their 11th No. 1 radio single with "One Step Away." RELATED Casting Crowns Releases New Album 'The Very Next Thing' Today The band is currently on their own "The Very Next Thing" 40-city tour, presented by Compassion International and Museum of the Bible. The show offers an encouraging message of hope about doing the next thi..Continue reading→
We Are Messengers Releases ‘God With Us’ Christmas EP Today
Dove Award-nominated band We Are Messengers has announced the release of its first Christmas project, God With Us. Available beginning today, this four-song EP can be found at iTunes, Amazon, Google and Spotify. RELATED We Are Messengers' Darren Mulligan Shares His Story "At Christmas, we see the love of God take on flesh and bone so that He can be with us, rescue us and heal our brokenness," explains Darren Mulligan, lead vocalist, We Are Messengers. "God is not removed and distant, but ..Continue reading→
American
Scientists Given Green Light to Edit the DNA of Unborn Babies
A group of international scientists opened Pandora’s box this week with a new report arguing that it may be acceptable to genetically edit unborn babies’ DNA in certain circumstances. According to Science magazine, the report came from an international committee organized by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine in Washington, D.C. The committee said more research needs to be done before a clinical trial could take place. It also cautioned that DNA editing..
Teen Mom Gave Birth, Threw Her Baby Out 2nd Floor Window, Then Texted Her Boyfriend: “It Was a Girl”
A Nebraska teen admitted to throwing her premature newborn out of a window after she secretly gave birth in the middle of the night, killing the child, the Mirror reports. Antonia Lopez, 16, of Omaha, also reportedly texted her boyfriend after giving birth, saying, “It was a girl by the way,” according to Opposing Views. The Omaha World-Herald reports Lopez admitted this week in court to throwing the baby out the second-story window in a panic. The baby was born prematurely and weighed about 2..
Arkansas Senate Passes Bill Requiring Doctors to Care for Babies Born Alive After Abortion
In an unanimous vote, the Arkansas Senate passed a bill to require doctors to provide medical care to babies born alive after botched abortions. The Associated Press reports state Senate Bill 148 passed in a 34-0 vote on Thursday. It now heads to the state House for consideration. The bill requires healthcare professionals to provide the same medically appropriate care to infants born alive after abortions as they would to babies born prematurely. It also would require medical professionals to..
Survival Rates of Premature Babies Born at 23-24 Weeks are Improving
Research based on an 11-year study of 4,500 babies indicates very premature babies are surviving at a greater rate than ever before. The researchers found a “small but significant drop in fatalities for babies born between 23 and 37 weeks gestation,” as well as a decrease in premature babies manifesting with neurophysiological problems, the Daily Mail reported. Dr. Noelle Younge, Neonatologist and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University, led a team of scientists in the investigati..
Australia
Same-sex attracted Christians called to a life of love and friendship, not just self-denial
Wesley Hill, from Trinity School for Ministry in Pennsylvania, describes himself as “celibate, gay and Christian”. Eternity’s Kaley Payne asked one of her friends who describes himself similarly to contribute to questions for her interview with Hill who is in Australia this month with Ridley College, talking to churches about a pastoral response to same-sex attraction. When did you realise that you were same-sex attracted, and how did ..
Teaching churches in remote Queensland how to minister to themselves
The parish of Barcaldine in central QLD, about an eleven hour drive from Brisbane, hasn’t had a minister for 25 years. Instead, it’s been run by lay people. But there has been very little or no growth in the parish, and the people are wearing out. But all that is about to change. In a partnership between Bishop David Robinson of the Anglican Diocese of Rockhampton and Bush Church Aid, Graeme Liersch and his wife Susan have been appointed to go to Longr..
The murder of a French priest has horrified the world. The same thing happens to Christians in lesser-reported places.
The 26 July killing of a Catholic priest in his church in St. Etienne du Rouvray, France, once again has pushed jihadist violence into the headlines. The so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the murder, committed by two knife-wielding attackers who were shot and killed by police. Rev. Jacques Hamel, murdered on July 26, 2016 in St. Etienne du Rouvray, France. What pushed the story onto Europe’s front pages was its location – Franc..
Media Watch and Miranda Devine slug it out over the Safe Schools Coalition
The feisty conservative columnist for Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, Miranda Devine, had a bucket tipped over her by Media Watch last night. But the ABC show failed to knock her out of the ring. Instead they confirmed essential details in her story,Media Watch and Miranda Devine slug it out over the Safe Schools Coalition giving her a win or a draw, but inflicting real damage on the anti-Safe Schools Coalition cause she has been championin..
Law & Government
Judge Dismisses Satanic Temple Suit Seeking ‘Religious Exemption’ From Abortion Waiting Period
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from the atheist group known as the Satanic Temple that sought a religious exemption from a state law requiring mothers to wait 72 hours for an abortion following their initial visit to an abortion facility. As previously reported, the New York-based Satanic Temple announced in 2014 that it was using the Supreme Court decision in favor of the popular craft chain Hobby Lobby to ‘bolster’ an initiative to seek an exemption from pro-life law..
Federal Judge Dismisses Roy Moore’s Lawsuit Challenging Suspension From Bench
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A federal judge has dismissed a federal lawsuit filed by attorneys for Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore challenging the constitutionality of the charges leveled against the “Ten Commandments Judge” and seeking his immediate reinstatement to the bench. U.S. District Court Judge W. Harold Albritton issued a notice that he was dismissing the suit because he does not believe that federal courts should intervene in state proceedings. “Chief Justice Moore has asked this federal cou..
Idaho Posts List of Locations With Free Ultrasounds in Effort to Save Unborn Babies
BOISE, Idaho — The Department of Health and Welfare in Idaho has posted a list of locations that provide free ultrasounds for pregnant mothers in compliance with a new law that is meant to help save the lives of unborn babies. In March, Idaho lawmakers passed H.B. 516, which mandates that a list be “compiled by the Department of Health and Welfare of health care providers, facilities and clinics that offer to perform ultrasounds free of charge and that have contacted the department annually wit..
U.S. Supreme Court Grants Emergency Injunction to Block Girl From Using Boys’ Restroom
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has granted a Virginia school district’s request for an emergency injunction to temporarily halt a lower court ruling that would have required officials to allow a female student who identifies as male to use the boys’ restroom. The court voted 5-3 to grant the injunction while the matter is being considered for an appeal, with Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan siding with the student. As previously reported, Gavin Grimm, now 17, ..
Entertainment
We’re All Fixer Uppers
Comment countA confession: My wife and I watch HGTV’s Fixer Uppers, starring Chip and Joanna Gaines, whenever we can. We dig tinkering with our own house when budget and time allow, and I think both of us occasionally wish we lived in Waco, Texas, so we could get the advice of these home renovation experts. Unlike a lot of folks on reality shows—particularly renovation shows—Chip and Joanna feel real. Their lines don’t feel scripted. Their interactions feel grounded in living life together. You ..
‘Tower’ film marks 50th anniversary of Texas school shooting
Scene from “Tower,” with live action and rotoscopic animation. (Kino Lorber films) Fifty years ago, on August 1, 1966, a 24-year-old sniper positioned himself on the observation deck of the Clock Tower overlooking the University of Texas, Austin. His name was Charles Joseph Whitman. He shot 49 people. 18 people died, including an unborn baby. Another victim died of complications of the shooting in 2001. Meredith Vieira and Luke Wilson are among the executive producers of “Tower,” an award-winnin..
Why Is Everyone Scared of Clowns?
Comment countWe’re all being attacked by clowns. People across the United States say they’re seeing red-nosed, white-faced Pennywises everywhere, lurking in parks, walking down streets and threatening to do more than stuff several of themselves into a car. The threat of clowns has become so severe that Target has removed some creepy clown masks from its shelves. When I was a kid, clowns were generally thought to be, y’know, funny. But looking back, I was wasn’t immune to coulrophobia. Someone ha..
‘Priceless’ reveals impact of human trafficking
(This film review is by guest blogger Sister Kathleen Bryant, RSC.) Priceless is a suspense driven film raising a critical issue facing the world today. An ordinary man going about his own human struggles to be a good person is confronted with a choice, which transforms his life at quite a cost. Early on in the film, James, (Joel Smallbone), would rather not ask questions or know what “cargo” he is delivering. The film raises an important question for most of us who would rather not know who is ..
US
Luther’s influence on German culture
The Economist has a fascinating article on “How Martin Luther has shaped Germany for half a millennium.” I’m not sure how accurate it is. (Luther’s moralism? For the person who insisted that salvation is by grace through faith, rather than good works? Well, maybe so. Maybe this is evidence that an emphasis on faith really [Read More...]
Gay divorce
We have gay marriage. Now we are also getting gay divorce. The New York Times has published an op-ed piece entitled “I Got Gay Married. I Got Gay Divorced. I Regret Both.” The author, Meredith Maran, tells with poignant honesty how she crusaded for gay marriage, took the plunge, but then went through a long, costly, and painful divorce. After the jump, theology professor Denny Burk quotes from the article and comments on the problem: wanting the rights of marriage without the norms of marriage (..
Legal rights for robots as “electronic persons”
A committee of the European Parliament has passed a measure that would give legal rights to robots, classifying them as “electronic persons.” It also imposes obligations, such as liability for any damages they might be responsible for. The report also says that robots must not be made so as to appear “emotionally dependent” and must have a kill switch, should they go rogue.That the committee is thinking in science fiction terms is evident in its implementation of Isaac Asimov’s Laws of Robotics,..
Trump and the prosperity gospel
Giving the opening prayer at Donald Trump’s inauguration will be Paula White, a megachurch “pastor” and televangelist who is a leading proponent of the “prosperity gospel.” In fact, prosperity gospel preachers were the leading “evangelicals” who supported Trump from the beginning in an organized way. Westminster professor and White Horse Inn host Michael Horton has published an op-ed piece in the Washington Post about the prosperity gospel movement and its connections to the president-elect. He ..
Church & Theology
4 Ways to Block God’s Grace in Your Ministry
We often talk about what God’s grace does for us. And, truly, it is abundant. We talk about how greatly we need it in ministry. And we do. But have you ever considered if you might be preventing God’s grace from working in your heart? If you might be blocking its flow in your ministry? Scripture tells us that we can hinder the work of grace. How? 1. Walking in the Flesh We begin our Christian life humbly seeking God, and we begin ministry hungry for the power of the Holy Spirit. But over ti..
4 Ways You Can Promote Grace in Ministry
Would you like your ministry to be full of grace? Your life? Your relationships? Over the past few posts, I’ve shared the importance of motivating by grace, letting God’s grace work, and hindering grace. This is the last in what has turned into a mini-series on grace. In the previous post, we noted four ways we hinder God’s grace. We boiled them all down to one—pride—and saw then that the answer is to humble ourselves. But if we could name several manifestations of pride that hinder God’s gra..
ETS, Heresy, and the Task of Christian Scholarship
In a recent open letter to the members of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), Stanley Gundry expressed concern about the ramifications of a recent resolution affirming traditional marriage and the sexual binary of men and women. Commenting on the dangers he sees in defining ETS’s boundaries beyond its current parameters (affirmation of the Trinity and the Bible’s inerrancy), Gundry asks: What better forum is there for collegial discussion and debate of complementari..
Make Today Your Masterpiece
Coach John Wooden used to say, “Make each day your masterpiece.” I read that statement recently, and it got me thinking. When you’re a kid, you’re asked from time to time, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” If you’re like me, your answer to that question changed from year to year, but it always included big dreams. You wanted to do something great—something honorable and noble…or at least noteworthy. If I asked you today, “What is your greatest life goal?” or even “What is your next bi..