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
When Fundamentalists Do It, It’s not Sexy
…the historiographical truism about evangelical Protestantism was that they were not separatists. Fundamentalists were. And so, evangelicals were good (broad minded) and fundamentalists were bad (intolerant). The dividing line was particularly the question of whether conservative Protestants could cooperate with the mainline (read liberal) Protestant denominations. ‘It’ in this case is separatism. Back in grad school days the historiographical truism about evangelical Protestantism was that the..Continue reading→
The Curse of Constantine and the Lie of the Lesser of Two Evils
As the church has sought to gain and keep political power, it has often compromised by giving into the lie that we must always choose the lesser of two evils. The church has been forced into situations of moral compromise by a worldly political power Jesus never called it to have. From the very beginning, the church had to decide how much it would compromise in order to gain and keep the favor of the emperor. They had to decide how far they would bend God’s word to win political favor. “Those w..Continue reading→
The Da Vinci Code After Ten Years: Reflections on Heresy & Christology
In fact, Stephen Nichols used The Da Vinci Code as the launch pad of his 2007 book, For Us and for Our Salvation: The Doctrine of Christ in the Early Church. “If we learn anything from The Da Vinci Code phenomenon, it must be the lesson of the importance of getting the person of Christ right,” Nichols wrote in his introduction. “The early church labored over this question, and they did so in the face of intense challenge. The contemporary church needs to do no less.” Ten years ago, back in Augu..Continue reading→
Pluck Out…Your Candidate?
Let us never kid ourselves into thinking that obsessive political investment on social media or in private conversations with believers or unbelievers will further the kingdom of God one inch. The kingdom of God is furthered by the proclamation of the Word and by the work of the Spirit in opening the hearts of people to receive the message of Christ crucified. The kingdom of God is advanced by the work of evangelism and discipleship–by using the means of grace that God has given to his people an..Continue reading→
Movies
Watch: The first five clips from the new Ben-Hur
The first five clips from the new version of Ben-Hur are now available via WingClips, a website that provides movie clips that pastors can use to illustrate their sermons etc. As you might expect, these clips focus on the religious themes of the film, rather than the action-packed spectacle that the trailers have tended to emphasize. Four of these clips were posted to the ShareBenHur.com website a couple weeks ago but were not embeddable on any other sites at the time. I wrote some notes about t..Continue reading→
Ben-Hur news round-up: Lew Wallace’s novel has been “modernized” by his great-great-granddaughter, and more
Another week, another round-up of Ben-Hur-related news items. First, Publishers Weekly profiles Carol Wallace, whose great-great-grandfather Lew Wallace wrote the original 1880 novel. Carol Wallace has written a new version of the book as a tie-in for the film, though it’s not clear whether she has written a novelization of the movie’s script or simply made her own revisions to her ancestor’s story (e.g. Ben-Hur’s mother is not named in the original novel, but she is called Naomi in the new film..Continue reading→
The joy of disconnecting
This past week, our world tiptoed closer to dystopia. A fear-mongering bully officially became the Republican presidential nominee. His wife gave a speech many believe was plagiarized. Racial tension continued to divide Americans and violence spilled out in cities across the world. I was blissfully unaware of all this. I was riding roller coasters with my wife and eating ice cream with my son. It was time for a much-needed vacation this week, so we dro..Continue reading→
Box office: Star Trek, Ice Age come down with sequel fatigue
Sequel fatigue hit two venerable franchises at the box office this weekend. Star Trek Beyond got off to a decent start with an estimated $59.6 million between Thursday and Sunday nights, but it had the smallest opening of any Star Trek film since the series was rebooted seven years ago. (The last two films, which turned the series into a big-budget action franchise, both opened to $70 million-plus.) A dip in domestic grosses doesn’t necessarily spell trouble for the film as a whole, though. The ..Continue reading→
Mark Burnett and Roma Downey explain why they chose ‘Ceasefire’ from For King & Country as ‘Ben-Hur’ soundtrack
"Ben-Hur" producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey have a very special reason why they chose the song "Ceasefire" from For King & Country as the soundtrack of the big-budget movie adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ." "'Ben-Hur' is a big-action adventure movie and it is a thrilling ride, but it holds deep within it a powerful message about forgiveness and reconciliation," Downey tells News OK. "In the last few weeks with all the violen..Continue reading→
Prophet Joseph — episodes twenty-five and twenty-six
Synopsis. Inarus goes to the prison to set Joseph free and take him back to Pharaoh, but Joseph refuses to leave until his name is cleared; he says he does not want to be “forgiven” for a crime he never committed, instead he wants it known that he never committed the crime in the first place. At Joseph’s suggestion, Amenhotep summons Zuleikha and the women who visited her palace and cut their hands when they saw Joseph several years ago. Zuleikha confesses that she has been in love with Joseph f..Continue reading→
Tahar Rahim in talks to play Judas in Mary Magdalene
Deadline reports that Tahar Rahim, a French actor of Algerian descent best known for his starring role in Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet (pictured above), is in talks to play Judas Iscariot in Garth Davis’s upcoming Mary Magdalene movie. Rahim would join a cast that already includes Joaquin Phoenix as Jesus, Chiwetel Ejiofor as the apostle Peter, and Rooney Mara as the Magdalene herself. This would not be the first time Rahim has appeared in a film set in ancient Roman times. He previously played t..Continue reading→
Watch: The second (spoiler-ish!) music video for Ben-Hur
If there’s one thing all versions of Ben-Hur have had in common, it’s the chariot race, which Judah Ben-Hur wins while his old nemesis Messala gets trampled by some horses. But what happens after the chariot race has varied from film to film. The 1925 film basically ignores Messala after the race, though he seems to survive it. (In the original novel, Messala is crippled by the horses but not killed.) In the 1959 film, Messala dies within minutes of the race and uses his final breaths to drive a..Continue reading→
Flashback: More than 20 years of Star Trek reviews!
Note: This is a revised and updated version of a blog post I wrote in May 2013. I grew up with the Star Trek series. When I was six years old and living with my family in Poland in the mid-1970s, three of my favorite and most-read books were the David C. Cook Picture Bible, C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, and Stephen E. Whitfield’s The Making of Star Trek, which covers the first two seasons of the original TV show. (I wondered sometimes what Mister Spock, with his emphasis on logic, woul..Continue reading→
Music
Derek Minor Debuts New Video
Derek Minor releases the video for "Look at Me Now" with a digital premiere on BET.com. "Look at Me Now" is the latest video from his hit album, Reflection, which debuted at #5 on Billboard's Top Rap Albums chart. His current hit single "Change the World (feat. Hollyn), also continues to impact radio, rising up the Christian Hot AC/CHR chart to #18. In the new Will Thomas-directed video for "Look at Me Now," Minor recalls his days as a teenager, aspiring rapper and producer. "I remember be..Continue reading→
Joel Vaughn Launches Indiegogo to Fund Full Length Album
DREAM Records artist Joel Vaughn is following up his two stand-out EPs with a full length album early next year, and he's calling on listeners to make it happen. Joel's ten track album is due to release January of 2017. He has set a goal of $15,000 for his Indiegogo fundraiser, breaking down on the campaign page what portions of that will go to production, mixing, mastering and production of CDs. "The past six months I have been writing songs that are inspired by my life experiences a..Continue reading→
KJ-52 Releases First Independent Project on Pledge Music
Sixteen years strong, KJ-52's career laid the groundwork for artists across the CHH industry. More importantly, Jonah Sorrentino assisted fans worldwide with the crossover from mainstream (secular) to faith-based hip-hop. Along with the likes of The Cross Movement, Mars Ill, The Grits, Gospel Gangstaz, T-Bone, and Tunnel Rats, KJ-52 is respected as one of the pioneers and icons of the industry. Embarking on his 11th studio release, subject matter and production seems to be on the rise inste..Continue reading→
‘Exposition’ Set to Release on 11/25
SKRIP, born Adriel Cruz, will celebrate his 30th birthday in February. With Exposition, he bears the heart of a mature, seasoned lyricist equipped with crisp, skillful wordplay primed to impress fans of all ages. SKRIP has made the most of his multiple spiritual gifting, as he's the founder and pastor of World Renegade Church based out of Chicago. He wrote, produced, and recorded this entire record individually. On the production end, fellow rappers can purchase beats he's crafted afte..Continue reading→
Beacon Light Releases Video For ‘Lit’
Brandon Clahassey, AKA Beacon Light, has released his new music video for "Lit." RELATED Beacon Light Releases "Color Blind" Music Video About Racism The song is the title track from Beacon Light's most recent album that dropped in September and follows closely behind the video for "Haters," which premiered on NewReleaseToday.com in August. "What do you think? Is my new video LIT?" Beacon posted last Friday when the video went live. Buy the song (and album) on iTunes by clicking here and..Continue reading→
Love Be the Loudest by Ginny Owens
After more than a million albums sold, a trio of Dove Awards and career-defining No. 1 hit singles like "If You Want Me To" and "Free," Owens could have settled on her substantial laurels and coasted through this next season as a sought-after recording artist and songwriter. But she knew God was calling her to be bold, so she set out to design an album that would reflect current music trends while inspiring listeners to put feet to their faith. "Most people think my greatest life challenge is blindness; I've been blind since age three. But that simply isn't true," says[...]Continue reading→
Hits Deep Live CD/DVD by TobyMac
This November, you will get an up close and personal viewing of the highly acclaimed HITS DEEP TOUR, the nearly sold out arena tour that TobyMac embarked on this past spring. The HITS DEEP LIVE CD/DVD combo captures Toby's signature blend of rock, pop, hip-hop in this high-energy setting. Featuring some of his biggest hits from This Is Not A Test including "Move (Keep Walkin')" and "Feel It," this live experience is a great addition to any TobyMac fan's collection.[...]Continue reading→
Where I Belong by Lisa Mitts
This album is my 5th project and I love the direction God led me in the songwriting, arrangements and production/engineering of this CD. The songs have been inspired out of the deeper revelation of abiding in the love of Messiah without the self-induced pressure of having to strive or earn God's love. We all begin our walk with the LORD out of a pure raw desperation knowing that there is nothing we can ever do to earn this love it is not based in works, rather the opposite. But somehow we get sucked back into the lie that says[...]Continue reading→
World
Bible Left Untouched And Unmoved After Powerful Tornado Rips Through Christian University In Mississippi
Powerful tornadoes ripped through southern Mississippi late last month, bringing death and destruction to many places.Continue reading→
In France, People Who Speak Against Abortion Will Now Be Treated As Criminals
People who try to discourage women from having abortions are now virtually considered criminals in France.Continue reading→
Christian Astrophysicist Sees Little Chance Of Alien Life In New Earth-Size Planets Discovered By NASA
Seven new Earths? As in seven new habitable worlds?Continue reading→
Christian Family Of ISIS Suicide Bomber Believe He Was ‘Brainwashed’
British citizen Jamal al-Harith stunned his Christian family when he blew himself up in a suicide bombing mission carried out in behalf of the Islamic State (ISIS) earlier this month against Iraqi forces near Mosul.Continue reading→
American
CW Show “Jane the Virgin” Runs Ad Promoting Planned Parenthood Abortion Corporation
The night before Valentine’s Day, the CW’s Jane the Virgin aired a pro-Planned Parenthood message in favor of fighting “overpopulation.” One of the main characters, Petra Solano (Yael Grobglas), asks Chuck Jesser (Johnny Messner) to sign an easement for her kids’ beach club – which happens to cross into the property of his adults-only hotel next door. Chuck, who dislikes children, refused mid-show. “No can do,” he responded, “You know how I feel about that kids’ club. Screeching rodents gonna..
United Nations Hearing Will Slam Ireland for Not Killing Unborn Babies in Abortions
This week, the Irish Government will appear before the UN Committee for the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women. The hearing takes place in Geneva and while it focuses on many areas of life affecting women such as equal pay, the issue of abortion is also on the table for discussion. As expected, prochoice NGOs based in Ireland are seizing on the opportunity to push their case for the removal of the Eighth Amendment, despite the fact that there is no right ..
Witches Come Out to Support Planned Parenthood as Pro-Life People Protest
This weekend, there were pro-life #ProtestPP rallies scheduled at more than a quarter, over 200, of Planned Parenthoods across our nation. And the violence and hatred that our team saw at multiple locations was not only frightening but it was a clear warning sign to you and me. In Portland, where our Northwest Coordinator (Katie) spoke, the abortion supporters where already at the Planned Parenthood by the time the pro-lifers arrived for their rally. They immediately starting yelling obscenitie..
Amazing Time-Lapse Video Shows Birth to 12-Years-Old in Under 3 Minutes
This encouraging item for Monday’s edition of National Right to Life News Today will take under three minutes of your life and leave you smiling from ear to ear. The title of the video is “Lotte from birth to 12 years in 2 min. 45 sec,” and it appears at mercatornet.com. According to the brief accompanying text, “Dutch filmmaker Frans Hofmeester filmed his daughter every week, from birth up until she turned 12 years old and then made this time lapse edit. Fascinating.” If you are a parent, you..
Australia
The impact of the European Union on Bible Society’s growth in Europe
‘Should the United Kingdom join the European Common Market?’ In 1963, this was the loaded and divisive question on British lips. In 1961, Britain had controversially applied to join the EEC (European Economic Community) – the precursor of what is now the European Union. Their old rival, France, had vetoed the application. Fuelling the veto was the still-pertinent question of whether Britain was truly part of Europe. The United Kingdom, said Presid..
Deep reading in a time of tweeting
I’m not a Luddite, but I’m not a technophile either. Technology brings us great privileges and opportunities, but with it great risks and losses, too. One of those losses is serious reading. Despite a plethora of blogs, journals and big, fat books, deep reading is tough in the age of the tweet. But I would argue that Christians – indeed, all humanity – are called by our very nature to be deep readers. Our highly developed brains and con..
Religious freedom is a basic right
This is an edited version of submissions to the Queensland Parliament Human Rights Inquiry by Mark Fowler Chair of CLEAR International Australia Ltd, an organisation uniting Christian lawyers’ societies in Australia. The Inquiry is to report to Parliament on whether a Human Rights Act should be adopted in Queensland. In 1983 then Acting High Court Chief Justice Mason and Justice Brennan stated “Freedom of religion, the paradigm freedom o..
When school makes Christian kids feel like the enemy
A prominent school in Sydney’s northwest has asked teachers to use gender-neutral terms when addressing students, as part of the school’s implementation of the Safe Schools programme, according to News Corp reports. The school in question – Cheltenham Girls High School – has told The Guardian that there was no basis for the News Corp reports. Amid the reports, fears have resurfaced that Christian students who hold opposing view..
Law & Government
U.S. Supreme Court Lets Ruling Stand Requiring Christian Pharmacy to Stock Morning-After Pill
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed a ruling to stand that requires the owner of a Washington pharmacy, along with two of his pharmacists, to stock the morning-after pill despite their religious convictions regarding abortifacients. As previously reported, in 2006, Ralph’s Thriftway owner, Kevin Stormans, received a call inquiring whether the location sold the morning-after pill. After replying that the pharmacy did not carry it, he began to receive anonymous complaints via phone an..
Hillary Clinton Marches in New York City Homosexual Pride Parade
NEW YORK — Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton marched in New York City’s homosexual pride parade on Sunday, waving a rainbow flag. According to reports, Clinton marched for two blocks in the area of the Stonewall Inn, a tavern that the Obama administration has sought to have dedicated as a monument to homosexual rights. She was joined by Al Sharpton, a controversial ordained Baptist minister, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Actress Cyn..
U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down Texas Abortion Law as Creating ‘Undue Burden on Abortion Access’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday handed a victory to abortion rights advocates, striking down a Texas law imposing strict regulations on abortion doctors and facilities that its critics contended were specifically designed to shut down clinics. The 5-3 ruling held that the Republican-backed 2013 law placed an undue burden on women exercising their constitutional right to end a pregnancy established in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The normally nine-justice court..
Entertainment
The Heavenly Comedy of NBC’s The Good Place
Ancient Egyptians thought that life went on after death, as long as you knew the right passwords, their bodies were nicely salted and their hearts were sufficiently weighty. Vikings believed that Valhalla awaited the mightiest among them, where they could fight all day and drink all night. And some Christians figure that St. Peter will be waiting for the dearly departed in front of heaven’s pearly gate, pen in hand. But no afterlife is quite like what we see in The Good Place—a plac..
Catholics in Media to award ‘Ben -Hur’ ‘Ray Donovan’ ‘The Story of God’ October 9th in Los Angeles
Culver City, CA – Catholics in Media Associates has announced its honorees for the 2016 CIMA Awards to be presented at the organization’s 23rd annual event on October 9, 2016. All the CIMA Awardees were chosen for their ability to tell stories that transcend daily life in compelling ways and to communicate the true, the good, and the beautiful in compelling ways. Following the 10:00AM Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Ang..
How Sully and Captain America Have a Lot in Common
It’s been a year of superheroes. Deadpool kicked the party off in February with its snide, R-rated take on heroism. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice thundered into theaters a month later. Captain America: Civil War opened the summer movie season with a $179.1 million opening weekend, and Suicide Squad continues to collect cash at box-office turnstyles across America. Four superhero movies, each one having grossed more than $300 million in North America. With all that superhero act..
‘Sully’ the man and the miracle
Everyone knows the story of US Airways Flight 1549. On January 15, 2009 Captain Sully “Sullenberger” (Tom Hanks) and his co-pilot Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart) took off from La Guardia airport in a plane with 155 souls on board, including passengers and crew. They collided with a flock of Canadian geese just a couple of minutes later. They were over Manhattan and radioed they were banking left, turning back to La Guardia. In 207 seconds, with both engines out Captain Sully and Skiles brought the p..
US
“The last honest liberal” dies
Nat Hentoff, 91, has died. The jazz critic for the Village Voice, Hentoff described himself as a left-wing Jewish atheist. But he became a pro-life crusader, alienating his fellow liberals for his strong opposition to abortion. Hentoff was a civil libertarian, fiercely devoted to the Constitution, who quit the ACLU because of its support of speech codes. Hentoff had been called “the last honest liberal” for his consistency in extending the left’s concern for the poor and marginalized to the most..
Spiritual anguish
Contrary to the “prosperity gospel” and other theologies of glory, negative experiences can also have a positive spiritual significance. Many of us go through depression, blue moods, black moods, and other sufferings, whether physical or emotional. These are not signs that you have lost your faith or that God has abandoned you. Luther, who knew these states of mind well, considered them important for the Christian life. In fact, he considered them necessary for anyone who presumed to be a theolo..
Empire of Desire
I have long said that we shouldn’t look for analogies between our cultural problems and the fall of the Roman empire. We should look for parallels with the fall of the Roman Republic. Carl Trueman says that while the position of Christianity is changing, secular society itself is changing too. He sees the rise of what he calls an “empire of desire” (a concept also treated by R. R. Reno, whom he links to). He calls for new Ciceroes who have the integrity, the wisdom, and the eloquence to defend o..
Democrats hope to come back by going left
Democrats strategizing over how to overcome their recent defeats now have a plan: go left. They are reasoning that they can get back those working class voters who chose Trump. After all, Trump’s populist economics promises–including protectionism, job protection, and more jobs–goes along with what Democrats used to stand for, before the party embraced globalism and Wall Street. The Democrats believe that the cultural issues are still to their advantage, so they are going to emphasize their soci..
Church & Theology
How Is a Biblical Christian to Respond in This Election?
This has been an incredibly difficult election season. In fact, recent polls indicate that 82 percent of Americans are disgusted with it. Sometimes as Christians, we wonder how we can make a difference in a time like this. How do we respond to the vitriol and rhetoric with clear thinking and Christ-like decisions? 1. Remember your dual citizenship. Our first loyalty is not to America but to our King. Patriotic as we may be, we have an eternal homeland: For our conversation is in heaven; from..
What Following Jesus Looks Like on a Weekday
When Jesus called His disciples, it wasn’t a Sundays-only proposition. He had something more in mind—something 24/7. Likewise, when the disciples responded to His call, they “left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Luke 5:28). In a day when Christians feel good about themselves if they go to church on Sunday and pastors are tempted to measure their success by how Sunday’s services went, it’s good to be reminded that Christ’s call “Follow Me,” is a call for every day of the week. Think of it thi..
5 Things to Pray for When You’re Overwhelmed
Four weeks ago, I spent Monday night at gate 76 of Detroit International Airport, fervently praying for my three-year-old grandson, Chandler, who was undergoing an emergency surgery. A CT scan had revealed a fractured skull and bleeding near the brain, but beyond that, I really didn’t know or have the medical understanding of exactly what was going on. In an email I sent the next day to some praying friends, I wrote, “I don’t have all the technical info. I just know we need to pray fervently.” ..
4 Areas I Expect Our Leadership Team to Build
One of the things I look forward to when I hire staff is the opportunity to invest into their lives. Between praying for and pastoring their family, weekly staff meetings, and other times of training, I want to do all I can to help build them up in service and as spiritual leaders. At the same time, I don’t hire staff solely to invest in them. In fact, I hire them primarily to help me build the work of the ministry God has entrusted us with here at Lancaster Baptist Church. If you serve on a c..