Culture
Has the Church Surrendered Its Responsibility to the Academy?
Last night I had the opportunity to train 80 high school students at Crossline Church here in southern California. My ministry partners (Brett Kunkle, Alan Shlemon) and I will spend a month with these students (just like last year), training them once a week to help them navigate the evidences…
If You Want to Influence a Culture, Encourage a Young Colleague
While I was in Tempe last week for a Campus Crusade event as ASU, I carved some time from a very busy schedule to hang out with Matthew Mittelberg, the young son of Christian Case Maker, Mark Mittelberg. Matthew is leading an apologetics club on the campus of Grand Canyon…
Is “Rock and Roll” the Devil’s Music?
Last Sunday night Christian Contemporary music star Natalie Grant walked out of the Grammys. She was nominated for two Grammy awards (Best Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Performance and Best Christian Music Song), but couldn’t quite make it through the award show. Between Beyonce’s twerking, Mrs. Carter’s unladylike chair straddling, Jay-Z’s hyper…
Enjoy Christmas Tomorrow, Even Though It’s Probably Not Jesus’ Birthday
I celebrate Christmas. Growing up as an atheist, December 25th was about a lot of things, but not the birth of Jesus. For many centuries before the birth of Christ, December 25th was similarly non-Christian. The present date for Christmas traces back to the 4th Century. When Constantine declared Christianity…
Ten (Nearly Universal) Conservative Principles Perfect For Holiday Conversations
In the midst of the holiday season, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I’ve been thinking about the nature of our traditions and the challenges we often face when engaging friends and family members during the holidays. Most of us, regardless of theistic or atheistic worldview, seek to conserve a number of…
Enjoy This Distinctly Christian Holiday We Call Thanksgiving
The pilgrims who came over from England in 1620 were, in many ways, ordinary men and women. Some of them were members of the English Separatist Church (a Puritan sect of Christianity). These Separatists originally fled England and sailed to Holland to escape the religious intolerance and oppression of their…
The Rights of Children Ought to Come Before the Desires of Adults
It’s not unusual for police officers to be called to domestic violence scenes. I’ve responded to many such calls, both as a patrol officer and a detective. My first concern on arrival is the safety of everyone at the scene. Who, if anyone, is hurt? Does anyone need medical attention?…
The Road to the Future We Want, Passes Through the Past We’ve Forgotten
Imagine a world with fewer bullies, less violent crime, less poverty, fewer teenage pregnancies, greater academic excellence, higher self-esteem and less narcotic use. Most of us would welcome such a world (regardless of political persuasion, philosophical or theological worldview), even though we may disagree on how to achieve it. While…
