Matthew 16:27–28 has been interpreted in numerous ways over the centuries. A plain reading of the text gives the impression that what is being described by Jesus was going to take place within the time frame of that generation—their generation. This is Part One of a two-part series titled “What Did Jesus Mean When He said, ‘There are some of those who are standing here who shall not ta [...]
In 1976, Dr. Gary North edited and published Foundations of Christian Scholarship: Essays in the Van Til Perspective. It included chapters on psychology, history, economics, education, political science, sociology, mathematics, theology, and two chapters written by Dr. Greg Bahnsen on apologetics and philosophy. Bahnsen’s two chapters were written before he received his Ph.D. in 1978 when he turne [...]
The House of Representatives passed an expansive gun control bill that would criminalize firearm sales, gifts, or loans between unlicensed private persons. Some Republicans joined the unconstitutional bill. Criminals are laughing. Do members of Congress believe that such a law is going to stop criminals from selling, loaning, or “gifting” firearms? There are people right now who kill other people [...]
Is recognition of God in the public arena today just a meaningless construct? It reminds me of politicians swearing in on a Holy Bible but not having the slightest clue what the Good Book says. If you asked the average American today, “What is the national motto of America?” I doubt that many of them would answer correctly. Of course, the answer is, “In God We Trust.” And it has been as such since [...]
Christian apologetics begins by establishing an authoritative starting point. Like Archimedes (287?–212 B.C.), who once boasted that given the proper lever and a place to stand, he could “move the earth,” the Christian apologist seeks to base his defense on a secure foundation to move the hearts and minds of sinners to embrace the eternal hope found in the gospel of Jesus Christ. But u [...]
Pepe Le Pew, the French “Looney Tunes” amorous skunk, perpetuates rape culture. That’s the latest claim by the cancel culture police. As a result, Pepe Le Pew, “will not appear in ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy.’ The cartoon skunk was set to make an appearance in the sequel to the beloved 1997 film, ‘Space Jam.’ The news comes as Pepe Le Pew and other cartoon characters face heavy criticism for their al [...]
We are experiencing an ongoing war of worldviews. Advocates of a this-world (secular) worldview have set their sights on the destruction of all competing worldviews that transcend the finite world of knowledge and power. Anti-Christian worldviews derive their authority and power exclusively from this temporal time and place controlled by ideological power brokers. R. C. Sproul states the following [...]
A popular end-time prediction is that Daniel 12 is referring to events in our day, more than 2600 years from the time the prophecy was given to Daniel. For example, Hal Lindsey claims the following: “When Daniel emerged from the vision, the angel instructed him, ‘But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase [...]
Democrat Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to impose a two-percent wealth tax on the richest Americans. The wealth of most rich people is in stocks and other investments they own. The 16th Amendment is very clear: “The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived…” People who own stock do not pay tax on their stock gains until they sell their stock. It’s th [...]
If you are going to argue with someone, you must get down to the operating assumptions of what’s being argued. We first heard that homosexuals were born that way, just like heterosexuals are born with desires for those of the opposite sex. Now we are told that people can “identify” as any number of genders. Does this mean that identification determines validity? Some people claim that [...]
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 c [...]
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 [...]
Ronald Reagan once observed, “Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.” I thought of that quote when I read some of the details of the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill that is touted as “COVID relief.” Critics, like Congressman Steve Scalise (R-Louisiana), say that it’s a “liberal wish list.” Scalise is not alone. Many Re [...]
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 [...]
Christians often claim that there is something called factual neutrality where some subjects—science, geography, politics, mathematics—can be taught without any regard to religion since “facts speak for themselves.” This is most evident in education where a self-conscious sacred-secular divide is maintained and supported by Christians. Ninety percent of Christian parents send their children to gov [...]
A popular argument for a pre-tribulation rapture is the claim that while the “church” is mentioned 19 times in the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, in chapters 4–18, dispensationalist Mark Hitchcock writes, “there is absolute silence.” Similar to the way dispensationalists place a gap in time between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel 9:24–27, they place a gap between the last verse [...]
We cannot live within the fluid boundaries of legal relativism. There must be a definitive and final legal standard of appeal to justify moral decisions at the personal and governmental levels. But by whose standard and by what standard? If there is no transcendental moral standard, then the opinion of one judge is as good (or as bad) as the opinion of another. The Ten Commandments have served as [...]
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 [...]
