Tag Archives: current events

When I first started working as a police officer, DNA evidence was extremely rare. Criminalists, when processing crime scenes, relied far more on fingerprints to identify suspects than they did DNA. Over the years, forensic criminalists improved their ability to collect and process DNA evidence. Today, DNA evidence is commonplace. If I’ve got a piece of evidence at …

A recent Gallup Poll (released on December 24th) chronicles the continuing decline of religious influence in America. In 1952, 75% of Americans said religion was very important in their lives. Today, only 51% report this to be true. In addition, most Americans now believe religion is losing its influence on America. …

An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll measures the degree to which Americans think it’s important for political candidates to have strong religious beliefs. While the data is nuanced, the poll found that “just 25 percent of Americans say it’s very or extremely important that a candidate has strong …

A recent study from Lifeway Research reveals that “most Americans want more religious meaning to the Christmas season.” 65% of those surveyed said, “Christmas should be more about Jesus.” While that might sound like good news for Christians, the number of Americans who want to “keep Christ in Christmas” – …

A new, 2018 Pew Research Center Report polled a growing group in America: “religious nones.” This group describes themselves as “nothing in particular” when asked if they identify with a specific religious group. The vast majority are ex-Christians, and most are under the age of thirty-five. Pew asked a representative …

The recent suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain have renewed a national conversation about suicide and it’s causes. As a homicide detective, I saw an increase in our local suicide rate first-hand over a fifteen year period, and a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …

In the days following a recent school shooting (this one in Santa Fe, Texas), family members, friends and investigators found themselves searching for illusive answers. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott summarized the effort: “Unlike Parkland, unlike Sutherland Springs, there were not those types of warning signs. The red-flag warnings were either nonexistent …

The first Thursday of May each year is the National Day of Prayer; an appropriate American celebration, given how many Americans pray regularly. A recent Pew Research Religious Landscape Study found that most of us – 55% – pray every day, and more than three quarters of us (75%) pray …

I’ve been tracking the decline of Christianity in America ever since serving as a youth pastor in the early 2000’s. Even back then I couldn’t help but notice the astonishing rate at which young Christians were leaving the Church. The polls have been consistent about this, and the latest Pew …

On Easter Sunday, NBC aired Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert, featuring John Legend as Jesus. After watching one of the rehearsals earlier in the week, Legend’s girlfriend, Chrissy Teigen, tweeted: “John said there would be leopards today. But it’s lepers. I uh, am not good with the Bible.” Teigen’s …