Why ISIS Attacks on Christians Should be Declared Genocide by United States

Some things are obvious–or at least they should be until political calculus and political correctness get in the way.

The rest of the world recognizes the brutal atrocities that Christians face in the middle east right now as Genocide at the hands of ISIS. Why can’t our government?

christians_persecutedHonestly, it is shameful that they haven’t. If you are not aware of what is going, please take the time to read and share this so people will know and reach out. There is support in Congress:

“The US House of Representatives has unanimously voted to declare the actions of ISIS against Middle Eastern Christians (and other minorities) officially “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.” (Read the rest)

Hopefully (more…)

Share the Evidence for the Resurrection This Easter (Video)

Sometimes it’s hard to have a conversation about the evidence for the resurrection. What if someone asks me something I don’t know? What if I don’t know what to say? What if I mess it up?

[Tweet “”God doesn’t call us to be perfect. God calls us to be available and ready.””]

We have all been there! God doesn’t call us to be perfect. God calls us to be available and ready.

1 Peter 3:15 reminds us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have. And that hope is centered on the resurrection.

In this short video learn how to have a conversation about the resurrection in a non-threatening way.

If you find this helpful (more…)

How to Respond to the “All Religions Basically Teach the Same Thing” Slogan

Let’s be honest . . . we don’t like to offend people and we want people to like us.

Because of this, we let some pretty silly ideas go unchallenged in our culture today.

religionsOne perennial offender is the notion that all religions basically teach the same thing.

If anyone is to find the truth about God or ultimate reality, then this myth has to be dispensed with quickly.

[Tweet “”We let some pretty silly ideas go unchallenged in our culture today.””]

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat hits the nail on the head:

“The differences between religions are worth debating. Theology has consequences: It shapes lives, families, nations, cultures, wars; it can change 􏰀􏰁􏰂􏰃􏰄􏰅􏰆􏰇􏰅􏰇􏰈􏰉􏰄􏰊􏰂􏰉􏰋people, save them from themselves, and sometimes warp or even destroy them. If we tiptoe politely around this reality, then we betray every teacher, guru and philosopher—including Jesus of Nazareth and the Buddha both— who ever sought to resolve the most human of all problems: How then should we live?”

It is out of a sense of false tolerance that we think we are actually loving one another if we never challenge ideas that we believe to be false. In addition to this liability, we often lack the courage to (respectfully) say what needs to be said.

How to Respond to This Slogan in Conversation

With that in mind, the first thing to do when encountering this claim is (more…)

Justice Antonin Scalia, Textualism, and the Bible

On Saturday night America lost the greatest defender in a generation of the original meaning of the constitution in Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Those will be huge shoes to fill.

ScaliaI also will miss his razor sharp whit and creative ability to turn a phrase along with the way he would go after whoever was arguing before the court to defend a point rationally. Every time an opinion was delivered from the Supreme Court, I always wanted to see what Scalia had written because I knew his opinions would be rooted in the text of the constitution (i.e., textualism or originalism) instead of the prevailing cultural winds of our day (sometimes refereed to the “living and breathing document approach”).

That is a lesson that Christians and non-Christian alike need to learn when it comes to the Bible. The approach of Justice Antonin Scalia to the constitution is the same one we need for interpreting the Bible.

[Tweet “”Interpretation is one but application is many. We confuse this distinction at our own peril.””]

The meaning of a text does not change in every generation. It’s application can (more…)