According to a radio editorial some years ago, “a man’s religion and the strength of his conviction are his own personal matter” and therefore “religion should not interfere with politics.”[1] Regrettably, many churches during Hitler’s rise to power accepted the argument that religion and morality should be separated from politics based on the neutrality claim. “Religion was a private matter,” his [...]
Gary weighs in on Pastor Loran Livingston’s claim that Earth is not his home, as well as his own thoughts about adding extra material to printed Bibles. The form of civil government the Founders developed was decentralized and specifically designed to limit political power. As Thomas Jefferson stated in the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, “In questions of power, let no more be heard of confide [...]
Gary kicks off 2026 with a reminder that last days craziness and doomsday predictions of the end have been going on for a very long time. In our day, prophetic speculators are misleading millions of people with their supposed certainties about the next series of events they believe are signs that Jesus is about to return to “rapture” His church. For example, in 1988 John F. Walvoord wrote that “in [...]
What are some of the worldview concepts that Christians have failed to beat, and what steps must be taken to beat them and offer alternatives? 1. Failure to Identify and Challenge an Opponent’s Presuppositions and Their Intended or Unintended Consequences. “What’s it going to cost?” is the first thing a savvy shopper asks when purchasing an item, not only in the purchase price of a car or a house, [...]
Please consider a year-end donation to American Vision to keep us going strong in 2026! The late Otto Scott, a former journalist, editor, historian, and author of ten books and numerous articles, was attracted to the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life because they didn’t agree on every point. Scott recounts how he became a Christian after reading the gospels and their differences: Well, my wife was Ch [...]
Listen to Gary’s year-end podcast for 2025 Please consider a year-end donation to American Vision to keep us going strong in 2026! In 2023, the infamous Three Questions Letter controversy became a significant factor in my life and American Vision’s ministry work. I refused to answer questions because they did not include attached Scripture passages. Because of my refusal, Andrew Sandlin post [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 72 Gary responds to a dispensationalist pastor who takes issue with something said by John Rich on a recent podcast with Tucker Carlson. Dispensationalists will point to Jeremiah 31:35-37 as prime evidence that there is a holdout for the future fulfillment of a national establishment of Israel. “Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day And [...]
On Christmas Eve of 2024, outdoorsman Bear Grylls stated on his X account that Mary was a “Palestinian” and that she and Joseph were “refugees” when they traveled to Bethlehem. Today, we are “celebrating the birth of a Middle Eastern refugee” who “changed the course of the world forever.” I suppose this means that any Middle Eastern refugee can change our world today. (Source) Every Christmas, Lef [...]
Gary discusses the classic Christmas film, Miracle on 34th Street and many instances of how this film presents opportunities for thinking through worldviews and Christian apologetics. Most evangelicals tend to think in “words.” This is certainly understandable because of the Protestant focus on the Bible as the sole authority (sola Scriptura) and the Lutheran concept of the “priesthood of all beli [...]
Many people get bent out of shape when they see ‘Xmas’ or ‘X-Mas.’ (Don’t get me started on “ ‘Christmas’ Trees”). Critics think it’s a way of removing Jesus Christ from Christmas. Removing Christ from Christmas happens in many direct ways, but X-Mas is not one of them. “Every year you see the signs and the bumper stickers saying, ‘Put Christ back into Christmas’ as a response to this substitution [...]
Gary revisits one of his favorite topics: movies! Rick Welch invited Gary back to his Burros of Berea podcast a few weeks ago to discuss more Christmas films. Many Christians seem to believe that thinking is an act of unbelief. They do not even begin to understand how the Bible might apply, for example, to science, economics, politics, law, or education. They might have opinions about these topics [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 71 Like many in Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth, Christians today are looking for a political savior to rescue them and break the chains of tyranny. It is important to recognize that the Gospels tell of many people looking for the Messiah. How did they have precise timing for when to look? Based on the 490 years of Daniel 9 coming to an end they knew [...]
Frequently, around Christmas time, we are treated to yet another (often just a repeat of previous “findings”) naturalistic explanation of the biblical “Star of Bethlehem.” Natural explanations of biblical phenomena can sometimes have their place, but they can also be diversions—for unbelievers and believers alike. A far better approach for believers is to know and receive the deep, rich biblical m [...]
Gary continues speaking with Rick Welch of The Burros of Berea podcast about Christmas movies. These movies are not necessarily “Christian” in the sense that many modern Christians tend to think about such things. While they may lack a comprehensive Gospel message that leads viewers to the Cross, that misses the point of what makes something Christian or non-Christian. Christians should be able to [...]
Every Christmas, there is the inevitable talk about a “war on Christmas.” Not all opposition comes from secularists, atheists, and Muslims (see here and here). Some Christians believe the Bible does not set aside the birth of Jesus as a special calendar day to honor His birth because such a celebration violates the “regulative principle of worship.” Acknowledging the birth of Jesus is biblical. Ch [...]
William Ochoa is a pastor in Guatemala and joins Gary on the podcast today. William has been using Gary’s and American Vision’s materials to minister and train pastors in Guatemala. Developing a biblical worldview can never be separated from Jesus’ saving work. If men and women do not turn to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, they will turn to themselves, to another individual, an idea, [...]
Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 70 Gary responds to a clip from a prophecy pundit on Facebook claiming that the Statue of Liberty is found in the book of Revelation. Aren’t we seeing prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes? This protest is offered when people are hit with an interpretation that does not fit their long-held doctrinal views. They shift from the clear teaching of S [...]
What Bible verses did the bishops who constructed the Nicene Creed use for “and [He] will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead”? All creeds should confess what Scripture says. To borrow from N.T. Wright, used in a different context, Christian theology should not try to “make theological bricks without the biblical straw.”[1] The language and the meaning of a text should come from [...]
Gary welcomes Kim Burgess back to answer a listener’s question about 1 Corinthians 15:24–28. My thesis in this series is that OT Israel was Yahweh’s chosen means to bring salvation to the Gentile nations of the world. Not understanding this principle gets us off track. People think that eschatology, because of the influence of the historic creeds of the Church and of the various systematic t [...]
This is a continuation of this article from last week. It is an excerpt from American Vision’s new book, The Greatest and the Least: A Biblical Theology of John the Baptist, by Eric Rauch and Zach Davis. Signs and Visions There were also several other visions given during this time. The first is when Mary and Joseph bring the baby Jesus to the temple to “offer a sacrifice according to the law” (Lu [...]
