Being theologically conservative frees one to investigate the world of science without apology. Politically correct science is not required; given “This is our Father’s world,” the environment matters. The keeping of its nature and preserving its integrity is critical to our world view. Desecrating God’s good world is included in the category of “evil.”

Every year more state money goes to deal with the high incidence of homosexual domestic violence. Since "gay marriage" began, Massachusetts has one of the highest proportions of homosexuals living as couples in the country. Given the extremely dysfunctional nature of homosexual relationships, the Massachusetts Legislature has felt the need to spend more and more money to deal with that problem.

The House of Representatives recently voted to defund all National Science Foundation funding of political science. The House also approved cutting the American Community Survey and the Economic Census, which together provide key economic data such as quarterly estimates of gross domestic product. Senate Democrats oppose the cuts, which are not expected to become law

(Editor's Note: Franchise owner Erik Devriendt and his wife, Kate, are members of Grace Community (PCA) in Mechanicsville, VA (Erik is a Deacon) and are - along with their two young children - part of the launch team that is planting a daughter congregation in the city to be known as Northside Church of Richmond

"The Kentucky Court of Appeals has issued a sweeping invalidation of seminary tenure in the Commonwealth of Kentucky," said Jones. “They have turned a CME layman and a Jewish academic into ministers of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).” That in itself, he said, violates religious freedom.

The church, which claims 15,000 regular attendees, posted a news release on its website stating that Schaap was dismissed "due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor. ... Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people."

In his chapter, Thomas outlines several bad homiletical models. Surprisingly, every model indicts our heroes. Thomas is quick to say that the model itself may not be the problem, but the use of it often is. Even our favorite preachers or favorite kinds of preaching carry with them great dangers, especially when they are held up as the way to do things.

I see the desire for a great leader to unite Christians as irrelevant, an imposition of Carlylean or celebrity culture thinking on the Bible. The New Testament knows of no such thing. When facing the end of the time of the apostles, Paul does not tell Timothy to look for the dynamic individual to whom all can look for leadership; rather, he tells him to appoint ordinary, respectable, competent members of the church community as overseers.

Unfortunately, instead of encouraging people to speak their thoughts, feelings, and opinions, we have discouraged people from speaking at all. We have encouraged “civil”–that is, noncontroversial–, conversations full of platitudes and qualifiers, devoid of feeling or passion, offending no one but saying nothing. We have squelched robust conversation for fear of offense or error, resulting in the suppression of both error and the truth.

Land said he was 41 years of age when he came to the commission, more than 10 years younger than the next youngest Southern Baptist entity leader and the first "baby boomer" to head a denominational agency. "It has been the honor, privilege, and blessing of a lifetime to serve the Lord, the wonderful people of God called Southern Baptists, and other brothers and sisters in the faith through the ERLC for virtually half of my entire ministry."