Two news items about religion and civil government caught my attention over the weekend. First, in a 2–1 decision, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., has ruled in favor of two county residents who complained that they were offended at hearing “in Jesus’ name” in a public prayer. The federal decision upholds a lower court ruling. “Legislative prayer must strive to be nondenomin [...]

Harold Camping was proved a false prophet (again) when his May 21, 2011 end-of-the-world predictions did not come to fruition. This didn’t stop Camping however, he simply moved his date, and it hasn’t stopped other prophetic speculators from getting in on the action. This edition of Vantage Point is the first in a three part panel discussion on Bible prophecy that aired on a local tele [...]

How many commentaries on the book of Revelation have been promoted that claim to be “the most literal interpretation of Revelation”? In fact, it’s often argued that the only way to interpret Revelation is literally. Does literally mean “truly,” or does it mean “just what a verse says and nothing else”? It can’t mean the latter since no one, not even those who claim to interpret Revelation literall [...]

As anyone who is familiar with Bible prophecy knows, Russia was the designated end-time bad guy throughout the last century. With the fall of the former Soviet Union, prophetic speculators regrouped to paint a new end-time picture. The takeover of the American Embassy by a group of Islamic extremists during the Carter administration fueled speculation that Islam was an emerging prophetic movement. [...]

Anders Behring Breivik, the radical responsible for the recent murders in Norway, will be tried for his crimes. His lawyer is constructing an insanity defense, but is Breivik insane? In this edition of Vantage Point, Gary compares Breivik’s actions and the atrocities of the French Revolution, showing that left wing revolutionaries are very similar. [...]

In the wake of Harold Camping’s rapture predictions, a local television station had Gary DeMar and several other local Christian leaders on to talk about this important issue. In this edition of Vantage Point you can watch Gary’s interview on the show. In future episodes we’ll share the panel discussion portion of the program. [...]

I received the following from an advocate of Natural Law: “Natural Law is simply Biblical Law written on the conscience of every man.” If this is true, then why did God find it necessary to give us revealed law? He goes on to say: The Reprobate knows that murder, adultery, rape and theft are morally wrong because of God’s Law written in their conscience. The proof for this is Romans Chapter 2. [...]

The first reports that came out about Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer, described him as a “right-wing, Christian fundamentalist.” Here’s how CNN reported the story on July 23, 2011: A picture is emerging, gleaned from official sources and social media, of a right-wing Christian fundamentalist who may have had an issue with Norway’s multi-cultural society. CNN never told u [...]

Many Americans are unaware of the Christian history of the Mount Rushmore carvings. At its inception, the massive monument was to include an explicitly Christian inscription to ensure future generations would understand the reason for its existence. Watch this episode of Vantage Point to find out more of this fascinating history! [...]

Students at Reformed Theological Seminary, where I was a student from 1974 to 1979, who were interested in worldview thinking first were directed to Abraham Kuyper’s 1898 Lectures on Calvinism. It was here that we were told that we would find a fully developed, comprehensive, biblical world-and-life view. Kuyper’s brand of Calvinism has been described as the “only modern exception” to the tendency [...]

[caption id=“attachment_4836” align=“alignleft” width=“220” caption=“William Blackstone”][/caption] When Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas appealed to Natural Law theory in some of his legal opinions and writings, there were those on the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearings in September 1991 who took exception. The most voc [...]

New York’s recent decision to legalize same-sex marriage marks a big triumph for the homosexual community. The decision passed, partly due to two Republican senators who had previously been undecided voting yes and partly due to stronger religious exemptions than previous versions of the law. Gary talks about the pitfalls of this “two-kingdom” mindset, in this edition of Vantage [...]

When I was a student at Reformed Theological Seminary (1974-1979), I was taught that certain cultural applications flowed from a consistent application of Calvinism. Calvinism is synonymous with a comprehensive biblical world-and-life view. It’s not just about TULIP (Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints). Simply put, we were tol [...]

While driving to an appointment, my wife and I were listening to a radio quiz show. One of the questions had to do with sport’s teams that had swastikas on their shirts. When I later had access to the Internet, I did some searching and found the photographs. Sure enough, the swastikas were big, black, and bold. I showed them to a group of young people at a worldview conference where I was speaking [...]

The verdict in the Casey Anthony trial caused quite a stir, many people criticizing the jury’s decision. Casey Anthony was on trial for murder and if convicted, would have received the death penalty. Did the jurors make the right decision? Watch this edition of Vantage Point for a biblical look at this issue. [...]

We get a mixed message from many pastors, John MacArthur is a prominent example, in the area of politics. In his book Why Government Can’t Save You, MacArthur seems to say on one page that it’s okay to get involved politically but then on other pages he seems to say we shouldn’t waste our time. Should Christians be politically active? Find out right now, on this edition of Vantag [...]

Former theist and now self-avowed atheist Dan Barker, who is co-president of the Freedom of Religion Foundation, promoted a “Beware of Dogma” campaign using billboards that also included the line “Imagine No Religion,” borrowed from John Lennon’s atheist national anthem “Imagine.” I wonder if the FRF’s call for everyone to “beware of dogma” includes the dogma of atheism which is funded by my tax d [...]

After the defeat of Hitler’s Third Reich, war crime tribunals were set up in Nuremberg, Germany. The purpose, of course, was to judge those who had participated in the grossest of atrocities, the planned extermination of the Jewish race. John Warwick Montgomery explains the problem the tribunal faced: When the Charter of the Tribunal, which had been drawn up by the victors, was used by the prosecu [...]

Abortion could be the tool that brings Christians back into the majority. Several more years of liberals limiting their progeny and the “right” people aborting at the rate they are now and we will outnumber them. It seems logical but *should* Christians support abortion? Find out right now, on this edition of Vantage Point. [...]

Wealthy people get a bum rap. In spite of the higher taxes they already pay, most people are in favor of punishing them for their wealth by taxing them even more. The truth is that wealthy people have made possible many of our modern technological advances as well as creating most people’s jobs. Watch this edition of Vantage Point for a biblical view of wealth and economy. [...]