"... I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24)
Continue reading How Atheists Help Advance the Kingdom of God.
Opinion
A pastor I know well had hidden marital infidelity for years, but it recently came to light. The truth about this is continuing to emerge, but enough of it's already out there to make me grit my teeth when I think about it.
Getting past left and right.
Robert Reich, the 4-foot, 10-inch former secretary of Labor, is fond of saying that on average he and basketball goliath Shaquille O'Neal are 6 feet tall, which he notes is both statistically interesting and personally useless.
Continue reading Skipping Prostate Test Can Kill.
First, an announcement: Last October I taught in Asheville a week-long training course for 10 mid-career people desiring to write for World News Group publications, and this October we'll do it again. Last October we trained lawyers, homeschoolers, an accountant, an engineer, and others; now, two of them are regulars on World Radio, two have written for WORLD and worldmag.com, and others are freelancers.
Continue reading Marvin Olasky's Call to Wannabe Christian Journalists.
I've spent a week thinking about the Newsweek cover in which President Obama is proclaimed to be "The First Gay President."
Any healthy church must have some level of inward focus. Those in the church should be discipled. Hurting members need genuine concern and ministry. Healthy fellowship among the members is a good sign for a congregation.
Continue reading Is Your Church Inwardly Focused?.
I must admit that I was reluctant to publicly share my perspective on President Obama's recent statement regarding same-sex marriage because too often his presidency has caused separation within the ranks of African-American leadership.
When President Obama spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedication last year, he urged the nation to continue to press for the goals and hopes of the "black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams" and helped make the nation "more perfect." By announcing his support for same-sex marriage last week, President Obama is sincerely convinced that now he is helping to make the nation even more perfect.
Continue reading President Obama, Homosexual Marriage, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream.
Perhaps history will show that the first black president's biggest contribution to black America was forcing this community to come to terms with its own identity and priorities.
I am a freeway now.
When my son was very young, he had (and retains) a relentless focus. His ability to concentrate on a single interest for long stretches of time is remarkable to me. One of his early interests was a Volkswagon named Herbie, the title character in a movie called "The Love Bug." We watched The Love Bug and then every sequel Disney ever made: Herbie Rides Again, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, Herbie vs. Rocky VII, Herbie Wins the Hunger Games. Once when I spoke at a church and left Johnny in child care, we picked him up afterward; he'd gotten a small scratch and the "ouchie report" listed his name as "Herbie Ortberg."
Continue reading My Life and Your Life Is a Highway.
When I listen to President Obama speak to and about women, he sometimes sounds too paternalistic for my taste. In numerous appearances over the years -- most recently at the Barnard graduation -- he has made reference to how women are smarter than men. It's all so tired, the kind of fake praise showered upon those one views as easy to impress. As I listen, I am always bracing for the old go-to cliché: "Behind every great man is a great woman."
When congregations depend upon their spiritual leaders to "preach the word...", there is a trust that should never be broken. Even more important, Jesus himself - the Good Shepherd- appoints leaders to serve as under-shepherds in His place until He returns. This is also based upon a trust between the Lord and the spiritual leader- the pastor. A key function of the pastor is to teach the members about Jesus!
Continue reading Is Jeremiah Wright Preaching "Another Jesus?".
It is one thing to talk about "fairness" when it comes to allowing gays and lesbians to marry; it is quite another to claim biblical authority for such relationships.
Continue reading The 'Other Gospel' of the President.
I feel sorry for Mr. Obama. Regular readers of my blog may be surprised to see those words, but I really do have feelings of genuine sympathy for him. Any human who carries a semblance of spiritual understanding will share in that feeling of sorrow.
Continue reading Michael Youssef Tells Why He Feels Sorry for President Obama.
On Tuesday afternoon, CNN ran an article on its Belief Blog by Catholic priest (sort of) Daniel Helminiak entitled "My Take: What the Bible really says about homosexuality." The article is amazing for including so many bad arguments in so little space. A quick trip through the piece will show you what I mean. Helminiak's writing will be in bold and then my response will follow.
Continue reading The Bible Still Says that Homosexuality Is Wrong.
If history is any indication of the future, the GOP's presumptive nominee, Mitt Romney, will focus his energy on trying to solidify his conservative base, rally Reagan Democrats and lure the Latino vote.
Continue reading Sophia Nelson on Romney and the Black Vote.
While running for the Illinois state senate in 1996, Barack Obama responded to a questionnaire saying he favored legalizing homosexual "marriage" and wrote that he "would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages." In 2004, he said he opposed homosexual "marriage," based on his faith, and didn't consider it a civil right.
Continue reading Obama Will Say Anything to Get Votes.
1. Politics change. The gospel doesn't (Matthew 24:35.)
Continue reading Why Christians Should Focus More on Sharing the Gospel Than Politics.
Twelve years ago a South African businessman, Graham Power, felt God nudge him to organize a prayer gathering in the city of Cape Town. About 45,000 Christians responded to the call by jamming into a rugby stadium in March 2001 to intercede for their nation.
