Posts by Don Johnson
Speaking Truth to Our Generation
Kevin Schaal’s article on Monday (Fighting for Free Speech is Fighting for the Gospel)touched on something I’ve been thinking about recently. Our times are full of stories from various locales citing pressure tactics on Christians to conform to the new state religion of “freedom-of-sexual-expression-no-matter-how-bizarre.” I’m not sure what label we should put on this, but…
Read MoreThe limits of our personal experience and the value of statistics – Our World in Data
It’s tempting to believe that we can simply rely on personal experience to develop our understanding of the world. But that’s a mistake. The world is large, and we can experience only very little of it personally. To see what the world is like, we need to rely on other means: carefully-collected global statistics. Source:…
Read MoreInterview 07: Mark Stuckey – “The Ethics of Death”
Our interview offers a discussion around “The Ethics of Death,” an article appearing in the January/February 2023 issue of FrontLine magazine. Paid subscribers can read the full article at our Substack. Here is the opening paragraph: Death. It’s a term that evokes many negative thoughts and emotions. It certainly raises questions in the minds of…
Read MoreThe Weapons of our Warfare
It seems our world has been under increasing spiritual attack in the last months. It’s hard to remember when it all started, but the attack on reality itself is gathering no small amount of steam. We are told by our betters that love means hate, that a man can be anything he wants to be,…
Read MoreThe Gospel at Street Level
We often urge others to be evangelists, get out the gospel, be a witness, and so on. Most Christians would agree that our business is the Great Commission, but we often struggle with how to put it into practice. There are various barriers naturally in place that may seem insurmountable. For example, as an employee,…
Read MoreWhat a Southern Baptist Can Learn from an Independent Baptist
Last Friday night, I attended the anniversary of the ministry of Evangelist Tim Lee. The title of this essay is not intended to suggest that there is only one thing to learn or even just a plethora of insights. Neither is it my intention to imagine that Independent Baptists have not had their share of…
Read MoreEpisode 3: Should We Heal or Pray? A Defense of Modern Medicine
Our January/February 2023 issue of FrontLine, Biblical Counsel for Medical Choices, includes the article “Should We Heal or Pray? A Defense of Modern Medicine” by Brett Williams. Brett has been a pastor and is the provost of Central Baptist Seminary. We had an interesting conversation about his article which surveyed the history of Christian attitudes…
Read MoreEpisode 2: Christian Ethics, Abortions, and Stem Cell Lines
Dr. Michael P. Riley, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church of Wakefield, Michigan discusses his article on ethical questions Christians have about using the Covid vaccine and other medicines. Specifically, should the use of stem cell lines in medical research affect our choices about medical treatments? Podcast: Episode 2: Christian Ethics, Abortions, and Stem Cell Lines…
Read MoreIntroducing the Proclaim & Defend Podcast
The many avenues of communication expand faster than any of us can keep up. Podcasting is one of those new forms in our world. Almost everyone has heard of podcasting, and, seemingly, almost everyone has a podcast. Why add one more? To start with, let me offer you our mission statement: FBFI’s Mission is to…
Read MoreHow Many Christians Does It Take to Change an Empire?
Roger Olson, in his interesting The Story of Christian Theology, remarks on p. 137, “No one can say just what percentage of the citizens and subjects of the empire were Christians by that time [c. ad 301], but a fair estimate would be about 5 percent.” Olson is remarking on the incredible sea change that…
Read More