According to the Associated Press, nearly 50,000 people committed suicide last year, an absolute record in terms of raw numbers and the highest rate in nearly a century. Though, as one scholar noted, there’s always the chance that the numbers are up on account of better reporting, that doesn’t explain the consistent increase in these numbers over the last two decades. Something is broken in the United States, and it’s us.
We are told that we have no right to force our beliefs on others, which is a belief others seek to force on us. But the illogic of such statements is lost on those who make them. In the face of such deception, it is vital that we be able to say with Paul, “We would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Consider these simple but urgent steps.
Christian researcher George Barna has recently released a new book that shows that uncommitted Christians are causing a "catastrophic decline in biblical worldview in America" because they do not know how to pass on biblical values to their children.
Maybe because it seems selfish to focus on ourselves on our day of rest to honor the Lord, I haven’t seen many people make the connection between sabbath days and getting to know ourselves better. But knowing ourselves, our true selves, is an under-utilized resource in bringing God’s kingdom to Earth.
The invitation to rest in God produces many beautiful things in us -- obedience, trust in his provision, and getting to know his character of love better -- topics many people have written about.
But one more important thing that I believe sabbath accomplishes is how we get to know ourselves better. And therefore, get even closer to being pure, unhindered images of God on this earth.
The relationship between Church and state and culture is and has always been contentious. The recent cultural debate about the term “Christian nationalism” is confusing because participants in the debate tend to use mutually exclusive definitions of the term. For some, it’s idolatry and a confusion of Gospel mission. For others, it’s faithfulness– and the only thing remaining to prevent our children’s co-option into an increasingly immoral culture. There are many questions that must be answered, for example:
There are three ways we know everything we know (called “channels of epistemology” by philosophers): the rational, the practical, and the intuitive. You do math rationally, you start your car practically (unless you’re an automotive engineer, in which case you do so rationally), and you like someone intuitively. All three apply to our conversation today.
A year ago, The Economist urged readers not to bring their “whole selves” to work. While some corporate gurus suggest that we make work feel more like home, the authors beg to differ.
Your professional self displays commitment to the job and eats lunch at a desk. Your whole self is planning the next holiday and binges ice cream on the sofa. Your professional self makes presentations to the board and says things like: “Let’s get the analytics team to kick the t[i]res on this.” Your whole self cannot operate a toaster and says things like: “Has anyone seen my socks?” Pretending to be someone you are not is not a problem; it’s essential.
That description speaks to what lies at the heart of the modern re-definition of “authenticity.”
Today is the only anniversary in American history known simply by a number. A few days ago, two more victims of the attack on the World Trade Center were identified through DNA technology. A total of 2,753 people were killed in the towers and planes, many of whom have yet to be identified. What are your emotions this morning? What would you like me to say on this hard day?
Let’s take a moment to reflect on three attributes of God that are especially relevant today.
The most recent installment in the What Would You Say? video series looks at an idea that is increasingly popular, often repeated, and surprisingly believable: that sex is “assigned” at birth. Most of us have or will encounter this phrase, which no one would have uttered throughout most of human history. But not all of us know how to respond. After all, the idea that sex is something merely “assigned” at birth is taken as truth by college professors, media pundits, and medical professionals. We even hear that on this issue “the science is settled.”
