Don’t Let Physical Problems Distract You from Spiritual Threats
When I sit down to read the gospels, I find that Jesus sometimes says and does things that surprise me. Sometimes, for example, He reacts very negatively to something the disciples say or do that, to me at least, seems innocent enough. For example, in Mark 8 Jesus gets really upset at the twelve because…
Intentional Children’s Ministry
There are endless resources available for children’s ministry today. Curriculum that promises maximum fun. Programs that promise deep theological literacy. Systems that promise simplicity for volunteers. None of those are bad things. But if we are not careful, we can begin asking the wrong questions. Instead of asking, “What will glorify God most?” we begin…
Back Burner Dreams
Do you have anything on the back burner, the place where we let hopes and dreams simmer until the time is right for them? My “back burner” dream was writing. I loved being a mother and homemaker. I enjoyed being actively involved in church ministries. Just when my “nest” was emptying, we cared for my…
Worship without Understanding Isn’t Worship
Entertainment disguised as worship isn’t worship. It’s idolatry. Ignorant worship is not worship at all. The ultimate authority on worship is Jesus, and He explained Himself very clearly in John 4. Let’s consider it. Situation Jesus is in Samaria by choice. The Jews did not have dealings with the Samaritans. The Samaritans were the remaining…
[Podcast] Interview 105: Called in Community: The Local Church and the Shaping of Pastoral Ministry (Nathan Mestler)
We continue our interviews with authors from our January/February edition of FrontLine on the theme: “It Takes a Church to Grow a Pastor.” Today’s episode is a discussion with Nathan Mestler, president of International Baptist College and Seminary in Chandler, AZ. Nathan offers us the article, “Called in Community: The Local Church and the Shaping…
How Do I Love God?
How do I love God? I was recently asked this question by one of my children, shortly before I was asked to speak at a Valentine’s Brunch. A few days later I was asked to speak in our school’s elementary chapel. With this question in my head and Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I…
Beware AI-Generated Christian Content
New technologies like AI are bound to usher in new, unexpected problems. Now, I’m personally optimistic about the future of AI. I have been impressed watching it improve even over the last few years as the technology progresses and people find new and creative ways to use it. But any new technology will have growing…
Interesting Headlines From Around the World
In The News
New Nanotech Brain Implants Self-Implant Without Surgery | MedScape
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers in Cambridge, Massachusetts, have taken another page right out of a science fiction novel. This time, by designing and building microscopic, wireless bioelectronics that can travel through the circulatory system and autonomously implant themselves in an inflamed region of the brain to deliver precise neuromodulation as treatment. All it…
AI ‘Griefbots’ Resurrect Dead Loved Ones — Healthy or Harmful? | MedScape
Justin Harrison’s mother passed away in 2022, but he still speaks with her every week. While his mother was still alive, Harrison recreated her virtually using generative artificial intelligence (AI) trained on videos, audio recordings, text messages, and basic information about her. This virtual persona, or “versona,” interacts with him and speaks much in the…
Why are fewer young people identifying as trans? | Unherd
A surprising shift is taking place in the gender and sexual identities of young Americans. Data from my new Centre for Heterodox Social Science report, “The Decline of Trans and Queer Identity among Young Americans”, shows that since 2023 both trans and queer identification have dropped sharply within Generation Z. Source: Why are fewer young people…
Opinion Pieces
Fact checking Moravec’s paradox | AI as Normal Technology
Fact checking Moravec’s paradox – by Arvind Narayanan Historically, AI researchers’ predictions about progress in AI abilities have been pretty bad. We don’t really have principles that describe which kinds of tasks are easy for AI and which ones are hard. Well, we have one — Moravec’s paradox. It refers to the observation that it’s easy to…
What Does It Look Like to “Put on” Compassionate Hearts? | Crossway
Good words from Ed Welch: Paul knew of the love of God before he encountered the risen Jesus, as did anyone who read the Old Testament. The earliest and most complete words about God are, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, . . . ” (Ex. 34:6–7). But when this divine self-revelation…
The Great Feminization | CompactMag.Com
In 2019, I read an article about Larry Summers and Harvard that changed the way I look at the world. The author, writing under the pseudonym “J. Stone,” argued that the day Larry Summers resigned as president of Harvard University marked a turning point in our culture. The entire “woke” era could be extrapolated from…
Home & Family
On Parenting: Are You Bribing Your Way Through?
Not long ago, I was sitting in an airport when a family of four appeared. The little boy, who seemed about five, was having a meltdown I’d heard many times before. His mother was doing all she could to calm him down, but nothing worked. In just a few minutes, I witnessed a parade of…
Can a fighting spirit help conquer cancer? The limits of positivity for cancer patients | National Post
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
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