Category: Christians & Culture

Commentary, from a Biblical perspective, on current events that are primarily cultural. There may be some overlap with politics and government, but the emphasis is on broader societal developments apart from politics, which also includes analysis of specific individuals.

Hope in a Deteriorating Culture

  

The culture shift of the past forty to fifty years has been astounding. I remember the late 1960s when it began in earnest. Being in college from 1969-1973, during the height of the Vietnam War, meant interacting with that shift constantly. Yet, even in the midst of such influences, my Christian faith was confirmed and became more real than ever. This is what gives me hope. Today, those influences are more in-your-face than before. We’ve seen radical changes in the… Read more »

Why We Must Judge

  

Every Sunday, I post a passage of Scripture without commentary. Although I often use Scripture during the week as foundational to my reasoning, I like to let it speak for itself once a week. I trust the Lord will use it to minister to someone; His Word will do that. Yesterday, though, the passage I quoted was from Matthew 7, part of the Sermon on the Mount, and it centered on judging others. While it speaks quite clearly to me,… Read more »

Iranian Persecution of the Christian Faith

  

Iran continues its persecution of Christians. The latest victim is Saeed Abedini, who is now an American citizen. Last week, he was sentenced to eight years in prison by a judge known for his particularly harsh sentences. What did Abedini do to run afoul of the regime? In the early years of this new century, when he was still an Iranian citizen, he converted to Christianity and became a leader in setting up a network of house churches. This, in… Read more »

Heroes vs. Famous Faces

  

Two big events in Washington, DC, this week. The first was the presidential inauguration; the second will be the annual March for Life on Friday. The first got a lot of coverage; the second won’t get nearly as much. Yet the second event is far more significant spiritually. While the inaugural address gave lip service to the ideal of the right to life as stated in the Declaration of Independence, the March for Life is the public face for those… Read more »

Les Miserables, Whittaker Chambers, & Delayed Revelation

  

One of the best movies I’ve seen in some time and one of my favorite historical subjects of study come together. First, the movie. I saw Les Misérables a couple of weeks ago and have intended to write about it. Too many other pressing topics intervened. Yet it’s still around in theaters, so if I can encourage anyone else to see it who has neglected to do so, I will have performed a public service. At first, I wasn’t quite… Read more »

C. S. Lewis: Evil in Our Day

  

Lewis, in the preface to his Screwtape Letters, provides a very interesting insight into where we are most likely to find evil in our day. I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of “Admin.” The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid “dens of crime” that Dickens loved to paint. It is not even in concentration camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in… Read more »

The Giglio Saga: The New Intolerance

  

This week was the first time I had ever heard of Louie Giglio. It’s the first time many Americans heard his name, but now, for those who pay attention to the news, he has become prominent. Here’s why he ought to be prominent: he is a Christian leader whose ministry just drew 60,000 young people to Atlanta for the dual purpose of worshiping God and helping to end the abominable practice of human trafficking—the slavery of our age. He ought… Read more »