If you watch the Emmy- and Peabody-winning A Charlie Brown Christmas and compare it to other network Christmas specials, you’ll see a clear one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-other situation. It comes at the point when Linus, spotlighted on a stage, solemnly tells the story of Jesus Christ (specifically, the second chapter of the King James version of the Gospel... Continue Reading

By the time most people reach 60 or so (like me!), they are reasonably familiar with setbacks, personal and financial losses, the deaths of parents and elderly relatives, disappointments and other disquieting news. This is especially so if you have a large family (I have eight children and six grandchildren) and many friends. As believers... Continue Reading

Frankly, I do not regard myself a “born writer.” In fact, for the longest time I rather sympathized with the author who stated, “I love to have written, but hate to write.” I think many of us are in this predicament. Nevertheless, when the invitation came to make regular contributions to The Aquila Report, I... Continue Reading

Sexual abuse of a parishioner requires both deception and an abuse of power. The deception must first be of the self and then of the victim and finally the community. Sexual abuse cannot exist without these components. Deception is clearly involved in the pastor’s relationship with the victim but first and foremost, the pastor is... Continue Reading

Exclusive for The Aquila Report – Dr. Bryan Chapell, President of Covenant Seminary and one of the primary drafters of the document, gives three important reasons for signing. 1. Important for the Church: The central concerns of the Manhattan Declaration – Life, Marriage and Liberty – have been treasured and defended by biblically guided churches... Continue Reading

A group of Islamic nations, led by Algeria and Pakistan, is lobbying to bring before the U.N. General Assembly a proposed treaty banning mockery of religion, according to the Associated Press. The pact would, in effect, be a global anti-blasphemy treaty and an obvious and alarming threat to freedom of expression. The move seems to... Continue Reading

In December, the Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, an eight day feast in remembrance of the triumph of the Maccabees over the forces of Antiochus Epiphanes in the year 165 B.C. The story has a lesson for us. Antiochus promoted an ancient form of political correctness. He insisted that everyone give up their own religion and... Continue Reading

Last summer, my parents introduced me and my wife to a European board game called The Settlers of Catan. This award-winning game has become wildly popular, especially among college students. But Settlers is hard to play. The game is expensive. The rules are complicated. Each game requires more than an hour. To do well, you... Continue Reading

The following is third in a series on Calvin. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is the hinge on which all biblical revelation turns. Together with the resurrection of Christ, it is the apex of redemptive history. Everything prior to it anticipated it and was calculated by God to set it up and bring it to... Continue Reading

For the past several months I have spent several hours of most days on the web searching for news items that might be of interest to readers of The Aquila Report. While I wish there was enough news coming from our various denominations, churches, ministries and members each day (and I suspect there is more... Continue Reading