Nice Guys Never Win; They Finish Last
Christians are gracious and kind, but they are also contra mundum
The unwritten law is that we must agree to disagree for the sake of peace. Truth is relative. What is true for you may not be true for me and what is true for me may not be true for you. Let’s just leave it there and go on our merry ways. In a religiously... Continue Reading
Obama Administration Tweaks Rules on Contraception Coverage
HHS drops controversial definition of religious employer, but rules for nonprofits and for-profit companies are mostly as previously announced
The changes largely remove controversial language that narrowly defined religious organizations. But the controversy over the mandate is likely to continue, since the new exemptions don’t apply to for-profit companies that object to contraception coverage on religious grounds, or to nonprofits that aren’t explicitly religious. “The government has taken the first step to reveal its... Continue Reading
Whither the Boy Scouts?
The Boy Scouts are considering a major policy change concerning homosexuals. It will affect all of us.
This change is about survival for the Scouts, not new convictions. For years, the organization has been the target of gay activists and atheist groups. And those characters know exactly how to hit organizations that oppose them where it hurts most: in the pocketbook and in court. Already, many major corporations and charities have been... Continue Reading
How Do We Respond to ‘So What?’
In our society “so what” is becoming the way to answer difficult issues
Salon.com featured a piece by Mary Elizabeth Williams–in which she makes a pro-abortion argument while emphatically affirming her belief that a fetus is a living human being—with a stunning trumpet of a headline: “So What if Abortion Ends Life?” So, fetuses are human beings. But, so what? “All life is not equal,” Williams chillingly asserts, and a baby-in-utero,... Continue Reading
Bethany Christian Services Co-Founder Marguerite Bonnema, 100, Called Home to Glory
Organization’s last living co-founder achieved dream of caring for children in crisis
Bethany is serving tens of thousands of children and families each year through providing critical training and support to developing countries, such as China, Ethiopia, and Haiti, in creating sustainable child welfare services. Such efforts are vital in combating the global orphan crisis, including more than 153 million children around the world. GRAND RAPIDS,... Continue Reading
On Russia’s Adoption Ban
Vladimir Putin has sparked international outcry by banning adoptions of Russian children by American families
The reality is that Russia continues to bleed population. For about a decade and a half now, projections have been that Russia’s population will plummet from 140-150 million to 104 million by 2050. What are the chief causal factors in this? There are several, but among the biggest is abortion which occurs in Russia at... Continue Reading
Jesus Doesn’t Want Your Risk, He Wants Your Life
Being a Christian is fundamentally radical, risky, and crazy
I’ve been thinking a lot about risk lately. In my little circle of Reformed theology, taking risks for God is currently cool. It’s in. It’s what all the cool kids are doing. Piper and Platt and Chan are writing about crazy, don’t waste your life, radical love. And I really am grateful for these guys.... Continue Reading
A Question Concerning an Awkward Moment of Mine
What response does your congregation give after a baptism?
How do you celebrate this moment? Let me ask you readers, do you clap in your church after a baptism? Our church congregation doesn’t. There’s no policy about it in the Book of Church Order or anything. I don’t think I would be reprimanded for a celebratory outburst. But since it is so silent, I... Continue Reading
The Value of Confessions
It is a mercy for the church today not to have to reinvent the wheel
Many evangelicals, in order to avoid the clear teachings of these confessions (which are based on the supernatural claims of the Bible) and not offend the reigning relativism of our culture (which, at the end of the day, is anti-supernatural), employ a sort of “nominalistic” interpretation of the standards. A “nominalistic” interpretation means avoiding the... Continue Reading
How I Know the LGBT Movement Hates the Boy Scouts
Most of those that have put on the pressure on the relatively feeble Boy Scouts of America do not give a care for the organization; it is just another casualty in their culture war
The LGBT champions on company boards and positions of cultural leadership that are putting the pressure on the BSA have no love for the organization. If the organization keeps its current standards, it loses big-time corporate donors. If the Scouts change their policy, then they are going to lose grassroots participation via facilities, membership, and... Continue Reading