Twenty-five years ago, I received a letter from a reader who disagreed with my assertion that the type of slavery practiced in the United States was unbiblical because it was the result of “man-stealing,” a practice that is condemned by the Bible. As you can tell from the following paragraph, he is passionate about his beliefs. But is he right? The Bible does not condemn slavery. The Bible does co [...]
Father William Kosko, a parish priest at St. Henry’s Parish in Buckeye, Arizona, unloaded on Roman Catholic President Joe Biden, Catholic Bishops, and many Catholic congregants in a blistering homily regarding abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgenderism. He began with a story about the time he was with the U.S. Peace Corps attending a conference in Krakow, Poland, around 47 miles from the Nazi [...]
One of my favorite movies is The Mark of Zorro (1940) starring Tyrone Power, Basil Rathbone, and Linda Darnell. There is a 1920 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks and a 1974 made-for-TV version with Frank Langella in the lead role titled The Mark of Zorro. Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, and Katherine Zeta-Jones revived the story with The Mask of Zorro in 1998 and a sequel The Legend of Zor [...]
In the Foreword to Tony Campolo’s book Red Letter Christians, Jim Wallis tells a story about a secular Jewish country-music songwriter and disk jockey who told him that a new social movement was being birthed as a result of Wallis’ God’s Politics and other “social-conscience” books. Here’s how Wallis tells it: “I love your stuff and have been following your book tour.” Then he told me he believed [...]
Not long ago, I received an email from a woman who asked me if I could direct her to some information that refutes Gnosticism. She wrote that a friend of hers “claims to be on an extraordinarily intense spiritual ‘pilgrimage’ of ‘really pressing in to know God intimately’— but this guy has in effect divorced himself from the material world and from all relationships (including his wife and 10 chil [...]
In terms of Christian theory, privatization means that the grand, global umbrella of faith has shrunk to the size of a plastic rain hat. Total life norms have become part-time values. In terms of Christian practice, watch your average Christian business person or politician. Are there family prayers at home before leaving for work? The private sphere. Are there Bible studies with colleagues at the [...]
“Shut yourself up in an intellectual monastery, do not disturb yourself with the thoughts of unregenerate men, and of course you will find it easier to be a Christian, just as it is easier to be a good soldier in comfortable winter quarters than it is on the field of battle. You save your own soul—but the Lord’s enemies remain in possession of the field.” — J. Gresham Machen, “Christianity and Cul [...]
The Apostle Paul writes in his second letter to Timothy: Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men (2 Tim 3:8-9). Netflix and Disney Studios are in the filmmaking business to make money. In order to make m [...]
Not every historical event can fit into a history curriculum. Historians are selective in what they choose to add to a history curriculum. This means that there is no neutrality when it comes to the study, research, compilation, teaching, and the “so what?” of history. Some historical facts and events are added, and some are left out. This is inevitable. The most crucial factor to understand writi [...]
The civil rights movement of the 1960s was influenced by those who brought morality to bear on issues related to race and equality. “For the first time in history, a single Protestant‑Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Jewish testimony was presented to Congress in support of legislation. Congress became aware that the religious community was aroused in a startlingly way. The participation of the religi [...]
“Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) challenged President Joe Biden’s Education Secretary nominee on his statement it is ‘appropriate’ to allow boys to compete in girls’ sports by asking, ‘What planet are you from?’” Democrats claim to be “about the science” until the science gets in the way of a political agenda. Will Paul’s impeccable logic make a difference? No! Damn the morality and science—full steam ahead [...]
Christians are in a quandary as to what to do given the direction of the nation. It’s been staring us in the face for decades. An article on Christian Post by Livingstone Knowles reads, “A Christian parent’s case for public school education.” This is the wrong answer. It’s the major problem. A vast majority of Christians and conservatives are sending their children to the schools that are operated [...]
President Joe Biden nominated a man to be his assistant secretary of Health and Human Services who thinks, dresses, and acts like he’s a real woman. The party of science is willing to ignore science when it needs to cater to a voting contingency—the Alphabet People. When I mentioned the anti-absurdity of this nomination, someone posted the following in the name of science: “Transgender” occurs als [...]
The Bible is clear: God’s image-bearers can only attain lasting freedom when they are in bondage to Jesus Christ and His commandments which are not burdensome. We are bondservants by nature as creatures. The only question is: To whom will we be in bondage? To be outside of Christ is to be in slavery. The world today is outside of Christ, and never has slavery been more widespread or more specific. [...]
Most Christians have a limited view of what constitutes a biblical worldview. I suspect that many believe that the Christian’s earthly life is a holding pattern for heaven. Earth serves as a way station for true living after death. Is this why God created us? We’re born, we live out our lives the best we can, and then we prepare for heaven. In the interim, the Christian’s goal is to evangelize the [...]
As I was making my way through the channels to watch an episode of King of the Hill, I stopped on a channel that was showing the film I, Robot (2004). One of my favorite scenes was about to come on—Dr. Calvin’s exchange with V.I.K.I., the supercomputer that runs every other computer and all the robots in this futuristic dystopian world. V.I.K.I. is an acronym for Virtual Interactive Kinetic Intell [...]
Where many Christians are today in their worldview thinking can be traced back to some adverse theologizing. We did not get here overnight. Seemingly divergent theologies have created a downstream effect of cultural indifference in the name of biblical Christianity. The late Andrew Breitbart observed that “politics is downstream from culture.” Change the culture, change everything. Ignore a compre [...]
This article is a follow up to my article “The Cult of Never-Trump” which was an initial response to Michael Horton’s article “The Cult of Christian Trumpism.” Every movement, especially one that has 74 million people who voted for Trump, has some cultic elements. Leftists are nearly a full-fledged cult. I would include “Pro-Life Evangelicals for Biden” cult. I don’t know if Horton is as critical [...]
Apparently fewer Americans are reading the Bible daily. A Barna study on behalf of the American Bible Society came out a few months ago (during the time of COVID-19) that showed a drop in the number of Americans who claim to read the Bible every day—from 14 percent to 9 percent. That seems strange since you would think that during the pandemic, when we have been forced to spend more time indoors, [...]
There is no doubt that Francis A. Schaeffer (1912–1984) broadened the appeal for biblical world‑and‑life view Christianity with his popular writing style and activist philosophy. Schaeffer’s popularity was extensive enough that he was recognized by the secular media as the “Guru of Fundamentalism.” (Kenneth L. Woodward, “The Guru of Fundamentalism,” Newsweek (Nov. 1, 1982), 88.) Schaeffer fi [...]
