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→
Daily Verses
2 Corinthians 3:6
“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”Continue reading→
Hebrews 11:3 (11-03-16)
Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.— Hebrews 11:3 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Where did it all come from? Where did matter, energy, and time come from? How did our universe come to possess order and structure, when all we know about our existence moves to decay, disorder, and death? By faith, we know it came from the articulated design of our Heavenly Father!Continue reading→
Dying to Self
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24, NIV The power in your life and mine that results in blessing is in direct proportion to the extent that you are willing to die to . . . your own will, your own goals, your own dreams, your own rights. It’s what Jesus meant when He challenged His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” However, before you get too hung up on th..Continue reading→
Romans 13:1
“[Submission to Governing Authorities] Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.”Continue reading→
Luke 11:2-4 (11-02-16)
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.— Luke 11:2-4 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... We approach God as both the holy and almighty God who is to be worshiped in reverence and also as our our ..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
Grieving – but with Hope
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 1 Thessalonians 4:13, NIVWhen I was small, my grandmother lived right across the street from where I lived with my family. Whenever I got sick or just wanted someone to read to me or sew for me or fix me something special to eat, I went across to her house. She taught me, read to me, played with me, fed me, and nursed me. When she died, I felt as if a part of myself had d..Continue reading→
Psalm 100:4-5
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”Continue reading→
Proverbs 11:22 (11-22-16)
As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.— Proverbs 11:22 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... To take what is physically beautiful and then profane it with sin is to waste a great gift to bless someone who doesn't even have a clue why God gave it to her or him. No matter what gifts we have been given, whether physical beauty, athletic talent, keen intellect, a charming personality, or anything else, we must remember that God bles..Continue reading→
Persistent Prayer
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7, NIVWhen Jesus confronted a man beside the pool of Bethesda who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years, He asked, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6, NIV) At first, it must have sounded like a thoughtless question. Surely anyone who had been lying down for so long would want to get up. But Jesus knew it can be easier to lie on a cot letting people wait on you hand and foot, than t..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for October 26
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name – the name you gave me – so that they may be one as we are one. John 17:11, NIV Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, stand at our side and protect us in all our days on earth. Grant us an understanding of the honor that belongs to God. Help us see that you are sent so that heaven and earth shall one day bow down before God's almighty will. Stand by us ..Continue reading→
A More Perfect Union
Passage: Ephesians 4:14-16 Prayer: Dear Father, Giver of life and growth,We bless you, Father, because what you want for each of us your children is that we may no longer remain immature children but become grown-up children, no longer tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of strange teachings, by the cunning of men with their crafty and deceitful schemes.Thank you, Father, rather for calling us to speak the truth in love and to grow up in every way in him who is the head, into Christ...Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for October 25
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12, RSV Lord our God, grant that our spirit may recognize your Spirit and your love, so that our lives cannot be swallowed up by passing concerns but are lifted to something higher. Help us hold fast to all the blessings you have allowed us to experience, the blessings you will certainly continue to give, even though new battles and new troubles a..Continue reading→
Christ’s Gifts
Passage: Ephesians 4:8-13 Prayer: Dear Father, giver of lasting gifts,Thank you for the gracious gifts bestowed by your Messiah on us when he descended into the depths for us and ascended into the heights to reign with you.He gave us, his church, lasting gifts - apostles and prophets, evangelists, and shepherd/teachers for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.Thank you for these gifts given until we all attain the unity he intends for us: faithful..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
In What Ways Are Christians Called To Be Like Jesus?
In what ways are Christians called to be like Jesus Christ? Christians are called Christians because they have been brought to repentance and faith in Christ. It is the “Christ” part of “Christian” that we associate ourselves with Jesus Christ Who is the Head of the Church. I heard it said that to be called a Christian is to be called a “little Christ” but there’s much more to it than that. To be a Christian means we do what Jesus did, say what Jesus said, believe what Jesus said, an..Continue reading→
Treating the Gospel Like a Cookie Rather Than a Cure
Whenever I visit a college or university to give a presentation, I make an effort to talk with students in the local Christian groups that are active on campus. These students often discuss the apathy that seems to permeate the Christian culture in universities across America. Don’t get me wrong, there are many significant Christian clubs and organizations on campuses across America, but it’s clear from talking to the students I meet that few Christians seem to be willing to reach out and share ..Continue reading→
How Fearless Faith Conferences Can Help You Defend What You Believe (Cold Case Christianity Broadcast #68)
In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace talks about the flight of young people from the Church and describes the importance of Fearless Faith Conferences across the nation. What can we do to help young people know Christianity is true and defend it in the university setting? J. Warner shows several clips from the Fearless Faith Conferences featuring Professor Mike Adams and Dr. Frank Turek. Here is the audio podcast (the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly Podcast i..Continue reading→
A Bible Study On Self-Control
Here is a Bible study on self-control. Self- Control Self-control has been defined as the ability to control one’s emotions and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses. That’s a very good definition but If it’s truly “self” control that the Christian is attempting to do, then we’re all in deep trouble because we can’t even come to Christ without God’s help (John 6:44). If I am depending on my own “self” in controlling the same, then I can never truly hope to live a holy life that is pl..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
The Evangelical Scion Who Stopped Believing
But as he took stock of the rest of his life, Campolo decided that there was no reason an atheist couldn’t still be a minister too. Instead of comforting people with the good news of Jesus, he’d preach secular humanism, a kinder cousin of atheism. He’d help them accept that we’re all going to die, that this life is all there is and that therefore we have to make the most of our brief, glorious time on earth. And he would spread this message using the best evangelical techniques — the same ones h..Continue reading→
Baptists, LGBT Ordination, and the Need for Separation
This issue surfaced when a homosexual congregant was repeatedly nominated for a deacon position, only for said nomination to be obstructed by church bylaws. This, combined with the number of out-of-the-closet gays and lesbians in the congregation’s ranks, compelled the church to devote itself to fourteen weeks of study of the topic, which culminated in the aforementioned vote. I grew up in an independent Baptist church years before I knew what any of those words meant. I’ve heard virtually ever..Continue reading→
4 Christian Principles For Making New Year’s Resolutions
In considering how to glorify God in all that we do in our particular circumstances and callings, we would be wise to resolve to make particular resolutions to assist us in our sanctification. This we do by the power of the Holy Spirit, resting assured that we have been declared righteous by the Father because of the completed righteousness of the Son. It seems that every new year, we are caught up in a whirlwind of well-intentioned resolutions. With premeditated bursts of enthusiasm, those clo..Continue reading→
Welcoming Your Minister
We should pray with gratitude when we think of our minister: “Merciful Father, we thank Thee that it pleases Thee by the ministry of men to gather Thy church out of the lost human race to life eternal. We acknowledge the gift of this thy servant, sent to this people as a messenger of Thy peace.” Your minister might not always appear to be a gift. Even then we can trust that God is working his perfect will through him, sometimes in spite of him (Phil 1:15–18). When Jesus sent out his twelve disc..Continue reading→
Life & Society
6 Books From 2016 Every Christian Needs To Read
Here are six books you may have missed over the past year, which will enrich and deepen your spiritual and cultural walk...Continue reading→
Effort to Repeal North Carolina Bill Requiring Restroom Use to Align With Birth Certificate Fails
RALEIGH, N.C. — An effort to repeal a North Carolina bill that required residents using government restrooms to utilize the lavatory that correlates with their birth certificate failed on Wednesday. According to reports, Republican lawmakers debated throughout the day over whether to repeal the bill in full or to repeal parts of it, while Democrats accused Republicans of reneging their promises to do away with the law. Republicans also blamed Democrats for unanimously rejecting a version of a r..Continue reading→
Why We’re Giving Our Home As A Christmas Present To Refugees
Matthew and Steph Neville have decided to give up their home to house refugees in Birmingham. Here, they explain why.Continue reading→
New Study Dismisses Belief Humans Evolved From Primates, Reveals Chimpanzees Are Selfish Creatures
For those who believe that humans are merely highly evolved chimpanzees, think again. A new study conducted by a team from the universities of Manchester, Birmingham, and St Andrews and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology revealed that chimpanzees are very selfish creatures who act only in their own interest. Thus, altruism is a distinct trait of humans.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→
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→
Canopy by nobigdyl.
"I wrote Canopy coming out of a time of isolation and darkness. It felt like my life was completely falling apart and I'd have to start over again from nothing. God showed me that sometimes there's safety and protection in isolation. Sometimes, the darkness makes it easier to see the light," confessed nobigdyl. when speaking of the anticipated release. 'Canopy' is nobigdyl.'s first album release since his debut in 2015 with the 'Smoke Signal' EP. Check out indie tribe and nobigdyl at his website, nobigdyl.com.[...]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→
American
Is the Book of Acts Loveless?
By John Frye For the observant reader of the Bible, it comes as a shock to read the Gospel of John with it use of the word “love” some 39 times. John: the gospel of love. The shock sets in as the reader continues on into the Book of Acts. How many times does the word “love” appear? Zero. None. Not once. We know that “love” is one of Luke’s vocabulary words because he uses it 19 times in his Gospel (I’m working with the NIV). Why the absence of this great word in Luke’s sequel to Theophilus—the B..
Michael Licona: The Gospels as they Really Are
Years ago, when my research was on the Synoptic Gospels, I composed a list of how the Evangelists “edited” their sources. Using the standard theory of their relationships (Mark first, then used by both Matthew and Luke, both of whom also used another source called “Q”), I came up with the following sorts of edits by the Evangelists: 1. Instead of editing they “conserved” or “preserved” by copying. 2. They sometimes conflate two sources into one. 3. They sometimes expand the source they are using..
Pro-Abortion Whoopi Goldberg: Quit Using the Term Pro-Life “Because Nobody is Not for Life”
Thursday on The View, the mostly liberal panel surprisingly talked about an event that ABC News routinely ignores: the annual March for Life. The hosts were respectful of the marchers but Whoopi Goldberg took issue with the march’s use of the term “pro-life.” The whole panel then made contradictory and confusing arguments then about how one could be both “pro-choice” and “pro-life.” The show began with Whoopi announcing this Friday was the annual March for Life. She then began to tear into the ..
EPIC: Jonathan Cahn Sums Up Obama’s Anti-Christian Legacy
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn’s last words to Barack Obama, as described in his National Prayer Breakfast remarks, are perhaps the most fitting summary of Obama’s anti-biblical and anti-Christian legacy. He said, Obama: “led this nation to champion the killing of the unborn, and not only within its own borders, but in that of other nations across the world. “labored to strike down the standards and order ordained by God concerning man and woman and marriage, not only within these borders, but around the w..
US
Vocation in Hacksaw Ridge
Notice how many movies are about vocation. For example, consider Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson’s movie about Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector who won the Medal of Honor. A medic, he rescued 75 wounded servicemen in the Battle of Okinawa. I haven’t seen the film yet, but a review in World Magazine by Sophia Lee quotes a passage that goes to the heart of the doctrine of vocation. Read it and my discussion after the jump. From Sophia Lee, A pacifist at war | WORLD News Group: Desmond hold..
Red Letter Christians
Tony Campolo and some other liberal evangelicals have started a movement they call “Red Letter Christians.” The term comes from the convention in many editions of the Bible to print the words of Jesus in red. Red Letter Christians believe that Christianity should be about following the words of Jesus, rather than getting involved in theological disputes, culture war issues, and right wing politics. Rather, followers of the words of Jesus will be advocates for the poor, promote tolerance, and be ..
So why the loss of interest in the NFL?
Television ratings are way down for professional football games. The NFL is trying to figure out why the sudden loss of interest. I have to say that I am not as interested in the games as I used to be, even last year, and I’m not sure why. I don’t think it’s just because the Packers aren’t doing all that well. I saw them through rougher times. And it’s not because the games are too long. I like long games. And it’s not because Colin Kaepernick is disrespecting the flag. He’s getting sacked so mu..
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Another remarkable prophecy of Christ in the Old Testament (the study of which is a classic devotion for Advent), is Isaiah 9:1-7. Not only do we learn that the Messiah will live in Galilee and will be the eternal Davidic King. Verse 6 also establishes His deity and does so in Trinitarian terms: And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The child who is born to us will be called “Mighty God.” We also have an intimation of the inter-relat..