The Fullness of the Blessing of Christ (Romans 15:29)
Have you recently used the phrase “the fullness of the blessing of Christ”? Probably not. What does it mean? And, to use it in the sense that it has in Romans 15:29, how does one come “in” it to someone else? In context, Paul has just ended the body of his letter (Romans 1:16–15:13) and…
From LA to New York and from Dan to Beersheba: A Quick Survey of the Cities in the Bible
“From New York to Los Angeles.” “Washington is at it again.” “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Most Americans know exactly what these expressions mean, because they know the character, reputation, geography, and history of these cities. Cities tend to become shorthand for bigger ideas, whether it’s the ironically named Philadelphia (“city of brotherly…
Did You Hear the One about the Woman Pope?
“Hey, did you hear the one about the woman pope?” “Yeah, she reigned for two years as a man in the middle ages but was exposed going into labor during a papal procession.” What do you think of that? Had you heard about it before? The story is real, but we aren’t sure whether “Pope…
FrontLine: The Self-Deception of Substance Abuse
FrontLine | Volume 35, Number 2 One of the saddest stories I have ever heard was from a man who told me about his adult son who was a drunkard. Why had he started drinking? As a teenager, he had gotten a girl pregnant, so he wanted to marry her and take on his responsibilities…
General vs Specific Revelation
Which is Better for Evangelism, General or Specific Revelation? One picture is worth a thousand words. However, there are many things that are impossible to communicate in pictures. The beauty of the Grand Canyon can be more easily communicated in a large mural, but the value of liberty is more easily communicated in an essay…
Podcast – Interview 66: Logos Print Library (David Lowry)
Our conversation today is a little different than most of the others we’ve done. I’m talking to Dave Lowry, who contributed an article in the middle section of the January/February FrontLine magazine. We call this section “the pastor’s insert” but of course, it isn’t just for pastors. Dave’s article providentially fit right in with the…
Interesting Headlines From Around the World
In The News
Rift Grows In SBC Over Support For Leftist Immigration Policy
Over the past decade, a growing divide has emerged within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), as denominational leaders have increasingly framed left-leaning border policies as a Christian imperative. Source: Rift Grows In SBC Over Support For Leftist Immigration Policy Photo by Barbara Zandoval on Unsplash
Muslim vigilantes colluding with authorities to entrap Christians | World
Muslim vigilante groups are working with federal authorities to lure young people into sharing blasphemous content on social media in order to put them behind bars, according to an investigation by Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR). A steep increase in blasphemy cases this year, many of them filed against Christians and other religious…
ANDREAS KÖSTENBERGER Joins BJU Seminary Faculty
AWARD-WINNING NEW TESTAMENT SCHOLAR AND AUTHOR, ADVANCING 500x5x5 VISION TO EQUIP PASTORS THROUGH UNCOMPROMISED, NEXT-LEVEL TEACHING BJU Seminary today announced that award-winning New Testament scholar and author Dr. Andreas Köstenberger will join its faculty, the latest milestone in the Seminary’s 500 x 5 x 5 vision to equip pastors through uncompromised, next-level teaching in a time of historic challenge to…
Opinion Pieces
Kids From Strong Families Less Likely to Fall in Love with Robots – Breakpoint
The complications of creating artificially intelligent robots for service, companionship, or sex has been the plot of movies and TV shows for decades, from Terminator to Bicentennial Man to A.I. to Westworld. While some of these entertainment properties portrayed the human-AI relationships as potentially good, others warned of the inevitable, unforeseen dangers. All assumed that…
Christian conservatism and realism vs. Christian nationalism | Opinion
Nearly all self-identified Christian nationalists are Calvinists, typically Presbyterian like Wolfe, but often theologically Reformed Baptists. The latter can be confusing because traditional Baptists are most associated with religious liberty. Source: Christian conservatism and realism vs. Christian nationalism | Opinion
Should a Christian Skip Voting on November 5? | RealClearReligion
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…
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