State, Church, and the Bible

By Kevin Bauder | October 17, 2024

Old Testament Israel recognized no separation between the civil order and the religious order. Israel was a theocracy, the Kingdom of God on earth. God Himself was the king, and His reign not only prescribed the forms of worship but also stretched over the political, economic, and social spheres. Every aspect of life was under…

To the Unknown God

By Randy Livingston | October 16, 2024

“But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people” (Acts 17:13). The gospel message is either received or rejected and, often, when it is rejected, it is openly resisted. This was the case in Berea. Consequently,…

The Eleventh Commandment – Tenderly

By Charles Phelps | October 15, 2024

Previously: The Eleventh Commandment – Introduction The Eleventh Commandment – Authority The Eleventh Commandment – Exclusivity I’ve offered for our consideration John 13.34 as the Eleventh Commandment. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (Jn 13.34) I have…

Cultural vs Believing Christianity

By Kevin Schaal | October 13, 2024

Elon Musk calls himself a cultural Christian, so does famous atheist Richard Dawkins. This term—cultural Christian—means different things depending on who is using the term. For many years, those in evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity called cultural Christians those that were tied to the historic and more conservative standards associated with Christian behavior and choices—in particular…

Podcast – Interview 48: A Christian Approach to Political Change (Brian Collins)

By Proclaim and Defend | October 12, 2024

We are talking about the July/August FrontLine on the theme, “God, the Christian, and Human Government.” For this interview I am speaking with Brian Collins who works for BJU Press. He’ll tell you a little bit about what he does when we start. Brian’s article is called “A Christian Approach to Political Change.” We are…

A Theology of Woman from Proverbs 31: A Wise Woman to Emulate

By Holly Huffstutler | October 11, 2024

Last month we examined the Proverbs 7 Woman. We saw a negative model to avoid. This week we are going to look at the Proverbs 31 Woman. What makes her so excellent and more precious than jewels? We are going to find that a godly woman applies wisdom in daily living. Passage Overview Proverbs 31:10-31…

Interesting Headlines From Around the World

In The News

Apathy Among Christian Voters Could Be ‘Gamechanger’ in 2024 Election – Arizona Christian University

October 15, 2024

Barna’s latest research shows that only 51% of all faith voters are likely to vote in November. That means a full 104 million faith voters are unlikely to vote this election—including 41 million born-again Christians (defined by their beliefs regarding sin and salvation, not self-identification), 32 million regular Christian church attenders, and 14 million who…

Canadian magazine features two men in ‘8 incredible women’ article – The Christian Institute

October 4, 2024

ELLE magazine has been criticised for including two biological males in an article titled “8 incredible Canadian women”. The article celebrated transgender musician, writer, actor and artist Vivek Shraya, as well as LGBT activist Fae Johnstone. Both are men who identify as women. The Canadian branch of the international magazine changed the article’s name on…

Regularly Drinking Alcohol After 60 Linked to Early Death | Medscape.com

September 27, 2024

People over age 60 who drink alcohol regularly are at an increased risk of early death, particularly from cancer or issues related to the heart and blood vessels. That’s according to the findings of a new, large study that was published this week by JAMA Network Open and build upon numerous other recent studies concluding that any amount of…

Opinion Pieces

Should a Christian Skip Voting on November 5? | RealClearReligion

October 17, 2024

While the Bible does not speak directly to the issue of voting because elections didn’t exist in Bible times, a relevant passage that presents a principle to guide our contemporary context is 1 Timothy 2:1-2. When Paul gave Timothy instructions concerning how to lead the church, his first instruction was to urge church members to…

End Abortion: Rebrand Babies – The American Mind

September 25, 2024

But abortion is at its tiny beating heart not, I repeat not, a political issue. It never has been, actually. It is not solvable at the federal, or even state, level. It cannot be eradicated via executive order, law, or any craft we here possess. “Abortionist” is the second oldest profession after “prostitute.” Humans are…

Tucker Carlson and the turning point for right-wing antisemitism – JNS.org

September 11, 2024

[We live in an odd world where anti-semitism flourishes both on the right and the left politically.  Many fundamentalists and evangelicals are Tucker Carlson fans, and Carlson asked Russell Brand to close in prayer at the end of his interview.  But the brand of Christianity that Carlson is embracing is anti-semitic, and it is rooted…

Home & Family

Can a fighting spirit help conquer cancer? The limits of positivity for cancer patients | National Post

September 24, 2024

The idea that cancer progression or disease survival can be influenced by a positive attitude or by keeping up a “fighting spirit” isn’t grounded in scientific evidence, he and other doctors said. Anecdotally, however, “you’ll hear from people, ‘I beat this because I was positive, I had the right thinking, the right attitude,’” Isenberg-Grzeda said.…

The false promise of keeping a loved one ‘alive’ with A.I. grief bots | America Magazine

May 14, 2024

With the creation of A.I., anthropomorphized chatbots are one critical example of how the rapidly advancing technology is testing the limits of the human condition. Source: The false promise of keeping a loved one ‘alive’ with A.I. grief bots | America Magazine

It’s Not Politics: Fatherhood Decline Causing Rise of Religious Nones | RealClearReligion

November 21, 2023

But, in the years since we met this couple in the early 2000s, some sociologists, pundits, Christian thinkers, and church leaders have been persuaded by the idea that politics – particularly socially conservative politics – is playing a major role in driving the societal-wide decline in church participation. But the evidence doesn’t bear this out.…