This type of statistic manipulation or incomplete reporting is commonplace in the world of special interest activism. Although many mainstream prolife groups have an appearance of being immune to the dirty tactics of lobbying groups and politics, they are far from innocent and play those games right alongside the worst of them. As the saying goes, there’s lies, damn lies, and statistics.
Read MoreThere is a huge ethical and theological difference between holding our nose and reluctantly voting for an adulterous New York Democrat turned Republican and gleefully championing the cause of the impeached Republican president. I understand and I truly sympathize if some Christians are trying to be practical (though I don’t buy that it is actually practical), but we should be on guard against buying into the statist system so much that we turn into undiscerning fans of amoral politicians. Are we unwilling to call evil evil because some other candidates might be a moderately darker shade of evil?
Read MoreThe clergy is one of the last remaining mediaeval guilds in Western society, and it is a serious cancer on the body of Christ. It is negative and destructive, and if you doubt this what more proof could you need than the state of the Church today, which in the main is controlled by clergy guilds, which restrict access to ministry to guild members and therefore impede the work of the kingdom, since God does not accept this guild membership game and does not play by its rules, and never has.
Read MoreIsaiah 9 contains the phrase, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” You might recognize this passage as the inspiration for the famous musical composition—Handel’s Messiah. The passage is usually read in Christmas services and programs as a reminder that the Messiah's birth was necessary for him to act as mediator between us and God, and that is why the Son was given. While this is certainly true and deserves multiple "AMENS," the passage teaches us so much more than that! Isaiah chapter 9:6-7 teaches the ongoing progression of Christ's government of peace and justice which began during his first advent.
Read MoreLest there be any confusion, no one has written more forcefully than myself opposing the state and statist, socialist programs, including public schools. Even if I were to be persuaded of a program for “reparations” …
Read MoreWas Jesus a refugee?
The short answer is yes; he was.
What makes someone a refugee? Some have played word games to obfuscate this straightforward question. A refugee is anyone who has been forced to leave their home to escape persecution, natural disaster, or war. Does Jesus match this definition?
Read MoreBut you may ask, how is it that the values of our godless society dominate Church life if the prevailing spirituality is dualistic, since Gnostic dualism is hardly the religion of modern secularism? Because this dualism removes most of what it means to be Christian from the realm of daily life and relocates it to the spiritual realm. But everyone has to live in the real world, even pietistic dualists. And so, without a Christian perspective to guide their thoughts and lives in the real day to day world, since the faith is not seen as being relevant to it, Christians unwittingly imbibe the values of the world around them as a means of dealing with every day life.
Read MoreI have seen hundreds of comments from 2nd Amendment folks telling their friends they would die for their AR-15, while they think a man leaving water in a desert for immigrants is aiding "criminality." And then when abolitionists advocate for a preborn sanctuary for the preborn, we are told that the Supreme Court has already spoken. Do you see the problem, Christian?
Read MoreWhile surveying the landscape of the bitter Southern Baptist quarrels, the Christian fallout of Chick-fil-a compromising, and the general state of affairs within the broader evangelical “culture wars,” one thing has become crystal clear to me. The “cancel culture” so commonly condemned and mocked by politically and theologically conservative talking-heads is the very same culture as the Christian “boycott culture.”
Read MoreOver the years, Dr. Joel McDurmon has written over a thousand articles pertaining to theology, history, philosophy, and culture. We are thrilled to host many of these important articles. Along the way, we will be making small edits, retagging for organization, and creating new share images. Because many articles are tied to current events, we will be publishing these entries with the original publish date in order to retain context.
Read MoreAbortion will not be abolished merely by shutting down abortion mills. There must be more.
Furthermore, being centered on abortion mills alone is not abolitionism. There must be more.
I do not make these distinctions, nor do I call out faux-abolitionism for the sake of “tribal” loyalty, a misplaced fancy for extreme purity, or the desire to promote a particular brand. I want to maintain and defend the meaning of abolitionism because I believe ideas matter. I believe words matter. I believe that abolitionism matters. I believe abolitionism, properly understood, is found within Scripture. I believe abolitionism is true.
Read MoreIs social justice intrinsically Marxist? Should we think about social justice as opposed to an orthodox view of the Gospel? What should social justice look like? How should we think about justice in the context of the civil realm?
Read MoreToday Christianity is on the very periphery of learning in our culture. More problematically though, learning is on the very periphery of Christianity. The idea that the Holy Spirit works through the renewing of the mind, which is what the Bible teaches, has been replaced by the idea that the Holy Spirit works through the removal of the mind. The dedication of one’s mind to God in the service of his kingdom is looked upon today with suspicion in particular by evangelicals, for whom on the whole anti-intellectualism has become almost an article of faith.
Read MoreMany churches have older saints in their midst. Depending on circumstances determined by God (death of their family members, financial disaster, inability to work, etc.), these elderly saints can have little to no income. In some cases, they are even missing meals. Sadly, a standard solution for many local churches is to sign them up for welfare and other government stimulus programs. In other words, they are derelict in their responsibility of supporting the poor and aged in their midst. God requires the elderly's family to help them first,
Read MoreMany people have pushed back or openly ridiculed my view that biblical Christians ought to take back the phrase “social justice.” It has even occasioned some extravagant claims. In addition to other epithets, it is now sometimes heard that I have become leftist, or some other similar claim. Let me show you how misguided that really is, and indeed what a powerful ally is on my side in this practice.
Read MoreThis psalm focuses on praising our Lord - ascribing to Him the glory He already has, for His name is above every name.
Most Christians know that God calls us to praise Him and that such a call is not an optional component of Christianity. But do we understand what that means? What is praise? And how do we praise God?.
Read MoreI had a difficult time listening through much of it, despite several points of agreement. While I am grateful for a lot of what he says, and that he had an opportunity to share the Gospel clearly with the unbeliever Ben Shapiro, there are several grave concerns with his perspectives. Many people will think that the fact that he shared the Gospel here will outweigh the rest. It does not.
Read MoreYesterday the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma passed perhaps the most definite anti-abortion statement of any major statewide denomination. Resolution No. 7 is in stark contrast to the former stance of the BGCO concerning The Abolition of Abortion in Oklahoma Act (OK SB13).
Read MoreAsk a Christian what the kingdom of God is. Ten to one you won’t get a proper answer, just a lot of pious waffle about kingdom values and kingdom principles at best, and more than likely a load of super-spiritual nonsense that is no more than thinly disguised dualism.
Read MoreWe confess a faith that demands humility. There are many different forms of false humility masquerading as a virtue within the church, yet, that does not diminish the command to be humble. In a culture, even a Christian culture that practices an array of false humilities, understanding, and practicing true humility is even more vital.
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