News Trends of 2004 – James Jewell, author of the Rooftop Blog has compiled a list of what he considers to be the top news trends among Christians of this past year. It begins with and obvious and most-contentious one – The Passion of the Christ – and closes with another that has generated its…
47 Years For Reading The Bible – That is the very unlikely worst-case scenario for some protestors at a gay pride event in Philadelphia. Four people were arrested for reading the Bible out loud at the event, focusing, of course, on passages that condemn homosexuality. After homosexual activists became irate, city officials told the protestors…
Shootout At The Crystal Corral – On Thursday an employee of the Crystal Cathedral, home of heretic Robert Schuller, opened fire inside the Cathedral before barricading himself in a bathroom. Police officials attempting to talk him into surrendering, but he eventually shot himself, ending the holdout. There were no other casualties. The man was apparently…
Tony Campolo, who, despite absolutely awful theology for some reason continues to be an exceedingly popular Christian speaker and author, recently weighed in on the Emerging Church in an article published in the Winston-Salem Journal. He describes the movement as expressing “progressive evangelicalism,” and defines this as meaning that they hold to traditional Protestant theological…
Historical Revisionism – There seems to be a movement out there that is trying to prove that just about every major historical figure was homosexual. The latest target, as you may know, is none other than Abraham Lincoln. C.A. Tripp, an associate professor of psychiatry at the State University of New York and a man…
Words of Wisdom – “What Is needed to-day is a Scriptural setting forth of the character of God-His absolute sovereignty, His ineffable holiness, His Inflexible justice, His unchanging veracity. What Is needed to-day Is a Scriptural setting forth of the condition of the natural man-his total depravity, his spiritual insensibility, his inveterate hostility to God,…
I have said much in the past year or two about the doctrine known as Open Theism. This is a doctrine that began on the fringe of evangelicalism but is slowly becoming increasingly popular. Many evangelicals, though not willing to embrace the view, are open to regarding it as a non-essential, optional doctrine. They do…
Sailor Refuses To Doff Hat – How’s that for a headline? The Canadian military has decided that it cannot force atheists to remove their hats in ceremonies that honor God. Lieutenant (this is Canada and for some reason in the Canadian military it is pronounced LEF-tenant rather than LOO-tenant) Darryl Scott, an atheist, refused to…
Much has been written in our day about healthy churches. Men like Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, known as being at the forefront of the church growth movement, insist that their primary concern is not with making churches bigger but with making them healthier. Mark Dever, in 9 Marks of a Healthy Church includes an…
Peterson Gets Death – Scott Peterson, having already been found guilty of the murder of his wife and unborn child, has now been sentenced to die. “…To hear the jurors tell it, Peterson’s apparent lack of emotion, from the day his wife disappeared through the last day of testimony two years later, was the final…
The other day I mentioned that Dave Hunt has released a second edition of his anti-Calvinist diatribe What Love is This. Hunt came under fire from many believers for embarking on this ill-advised crusade, one which alienated much of his audience. After the publication of the book subscriptions to his newsletter, the Berean Call, fell…
Biographies – I have been updating my Amazon wishlist (link will take you to my Reading List site, not Amazon) and am looking for some suggestions on good biographies of great Christians. In particular I would like a biography of Calvin and one of Luther since I really don’t know about those men the way…
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold,…
The Beginning of the End – With the emergence of Personal Video Recorders and other similar devices, we may be at the beginning of the end of the commercials we see on television. So many people simply skip over commercials now that many companies are beginning to re-evaluate how they advertise on television. Product placements…
Gay Marriage Update – Last night Canadians were indundated with pictures of gay men hugging and kissing and celebrating as they heard the news that the Supreme Court, as expected, had allowed a law move forward that will legalize gay marriage across the country. “The Supreme Court of Canada said Thursday that Ottawa has sole…
In the wake of The Passion of the Christ and the increased awareness of the events surrounding Jesus’ death I have seen several discussions about why Pilate showed surprise that Jesus died so quickly. These discussions are based on the gospel of Mark where we read: Now when evening had come, because it was the…
A Bit Late – I’m running a bit late this morning. I went to a Switchfoot concert last night and didn’t get back until pretty late (late for me, anyways). It was another great show, probably better than the first two times I saw them this year. There are some bands that play and put…
More About Newsweek – The Newsweek article about the Christian origins of Christmas is creating a lot of buzz among believers. James White has promised to discuss some of it in detail in upcoming Dividing Line broadcasts. Jason Engwer of New Testament Research Ministries has a good response which is worth reading. As James White…
Because I design Web sites, I often have to spend time combing through lists and lists of photographs looking for the one that will make a site look just right. There is an incredible variety of photos available out there. I generally try to stick with iStockphoto because their prices are so reasonable, but sometimes…
The Birth of Jesus – The current issue of Newsweek has a lengthy article about Jesus, subtitled From Mary to the manger, how the Gospels mix faith and history to tell the Christmas story and make the case for Christ. Among the interested tidbits in the article is this statement. “A NEWSWEEK Poll found that…