The New Intolerance of Student Activism
A fight over Halloween costumes at Yale has devolved into an effort to censor dissenting views.
It ought to be disputed rather than indulged for the sake of these students, who need someone to teach them how empowered they are by virtue of their mere enrollment; that no one is capable of invalidating their existence, full stop; that their worth is inherent, not contingent; that everyone is offended by things around... Continue Reading
Canon Andrew White: ‘Vicar of Baghdad’ On Leading A Church In Iraq And Being In The Crosshairs Of Isis
Canon Andrew White has a remarkable faith in human nature, but in the face of so much cruelty, even he believes a line has been crossed
But surely there is only one logical conclusion to be drawn? He sighs, and answers slowly. “You are asking me how we can deal radically with Isis. The only answer is to radically destroy them. I don’t think we can do it by dropping bombs. We have got to bring about real change. It is... Continue Reading
Dante’s Divine Comedy ‘Offensive And Should Be Banned’
It is a world-renowned work of literature and one of the foundation stones of the Italian language, but Dante's Divine Comedy has been condemned as racist, homophobic, anti-Islamist and anti-Semitic.
Schoolchildren and university students who studied the work lacked “the filters” to appreciate its historical context and were being fed a poisonous diet of anti-Semitism and racism, the group said. It called for the Divine Comedy to be removed from schools and universities or at least have its more offensive sections fully explained. The... Continue Reading
Time to Bury the Fundamentalist Hatchet?
The relationship between fundamentalist Bob Jones University and evangelical Wheaton College has always been a rocky one.
If Wheaton sees itself pushed a little more out of the mainstream, and Bob Jones University pushes itself a little more toward that mainstream, they might just meet somewhere in the middle. There will always be some jealousy between these two giants of evangelical higher education, but it seems possible that the worst of the... Continue Reading
Why I’m Not a Baptist!
Personal reflections on the coherence of Scripture’s teaching on children in the covenant.
When I was a student of theology at Pittsburgh-Xenia Seminary over half a century ago I wondered why God did not inspire one of his apostles to settle this issue once and for all with a simple statement — one way or the other — either that ‘children of believers are to be baptized,’ or... Continue Reading
Polk Teacher’s Resignation Letter Hits a Nerve
A Polk County, Fla., public school teacher's letter of resignation has apparently hit a nerve with frustrated teachers and parents nationwide.
“It just hurt to see the frustration on all the children’s faces,” she said. ” Five-year-olds are not allowed to play, they’re not allowed to talk. They don’t know the names of other kids in their classroom because they’re not allowed to talk to them.”…. Bradshaw says she was prompted to quit when she realized... Continue Reading
10 Kingdom Priorities
10 ways to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
There’s a wonderful promise attached to this command: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” What are these things? The context tells us — food, drink, and clothing. The necessities of life, in other words. It’s not a promise of health, wealth, and prosperity,... Continue Reading
Alan Chambers Says “Sin is Irrelevant.” Is He Right?
Chambers is antinomian in his approach to all sin—including homosexuality
Chambers is misleading people about the nature of biblical Christianity. Biblical Christianity teaches that if the faith that saves you doesn’t change you, then it doesn’t save you. God progressively transforms all of his children into the image of Christ through the power of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). Thus the moral status of homosexuality... Continue Reading
Trusting God with Our Money Troubles
The Lord doesn’t promise us health and wealth, but He knows our needs better than we do
A major financial reversal can be every bit as sanctifying as other kinds of trials because it’s humbling and forces us to depend on God. I know it’s not easy keeping calm when the bills are stacking up, but learning to trust the Lord in times of uncertainty is one of the things that sets Christians apart from... Continue Reading
Despite Wrong Doomsday Stats, Pastors Holding Up Just Fine
Somehow, bad stats about pastor misery persist. LifeWay Research data gives us a clearer picture of reality
I said it in that post, and I’ll say it here again: the people perpetuating these bad stats aren’t bad people—they’re truly trying to help pastors and do what is right. Sometimes, we just need to be more careful about how we do research and how we present data. Facts are our friends, but if... Continue Reading