Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 40 days of Lent. For reasons unknown to us, the length of 40 – whether 40 days or 40 years – has been significant throughout biblical history.
Dr. James Emery White
The Real Love of Valentine’s Day
Wednesday is Valentine’s Day, marked by many with romantic dates, gifts of flowers and chocolates, and expressions of love to our significant other. Many forget that it is, more accurately, Saint Valentine’s Day (or the Feast of Saint Valentine). Saint Valentine of Rome was a third-century Roman saint who is commemorated on February 14, the day he was martyred and buried. It has been honored that way since A.D. 496.
It’s a Matter of Trust
Last year, Gallup released a poll which found that confidence was in a freefall for many leading societal institutions. For example, only 32% expressed having a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in “the church or organized religion.” That was down from 37% in 2021.
Catching Up with the Nones
When I wrote The Rise of the Nones in 2014, it was in many ways a warning of a coming cultural tsunami. I was having to make the case that there actually was a rise in this particular religious demographic—and that it was going to matter.
The 'Swinging' Twenties
We’re in the twenties again, but let’s say it’s less “roaring” and more “swinging.” The most common type of open relationship is “swinging”—and it’s having a moment as well. The hashtag #SwingTok has more than 2.6 billion views on TikTok, often marked by the symbol of an upside-down pineapple.
Filterworld
I know what you are going to see when you open Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. You are going to see what someone wants you to see, based on what it is you seem to want to see.
It’s Not About How Many Books You Read
I’ve heard of people who say they read a book a day. I even know someone who says that they do. They may survey a book a day, they may peruse a book a day, they may skim a book a day, they may review a summary of a book a day… but actually read one? Sorry, not unless we’re talking a comic book. I know. I’m a reader. And have been my entire life.
Would Martin Luther King Jr. Be Heard in 2024?
Today, the nation celebrates what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.’s 95th birthday. Sharon Shahid once openly wondered whether King’s famed essay, Letter from Birmingham Jail, “would have made such a lasting impression or had as powerful an impact if today’s instant communication devices existed.
