What is the Christian Response to “In Diversity there is Strength”?

It is undeniable that certain factions within our culture are maliciously bringing Christ’s words about a divided house to fruition. (“And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” – Mark 3:25) Identity politics has taken root and caused deep fissures within the West. Worse still, it has infected the Body of Christ. Even within the denomination thought to be the most conservative in its theology, the Southern Baptist Convention, certain elements are loudly demanding that the organization adopt identity politics so as to make the group more “inclusive”. (For example, many are now claiming that an individual should be given a position of control and influence simply because they are a woman or of an ethnicity that isn’t white.)

A Message to Parents from a Concerned Youth Pastor

Being a youth pastor in the modern age is an almost unenviable task. Said persons are given the labor of ministering Biblical truth to a group of people who are incessantly incentivized by the world to be infantile, frivolous and profane. Additionally, adolescents are virulently indoctrinated with messaging that seeks to turn their hearts against the God of the Universe and true piety.

I write from experience, approaching almost ten years of attempting to disseminate a message of unfiltered veracity to teenagers and young adults. Other youth pastors who attempt to faithfully adhere to sound doctrine concur.

During the past decade, I’ve found the need to carefully study the Bible and to continually investigate a plethora of doctrines (including secular, quasi-religious and academic), as well as examine pop culture trends so as to help younger congregants persevere in the Lord and reject sinfulness. (2 Corinthians 10:5) Still, in this interval I’ve found that the task of aiding the youth could have been and could be easier if it weren’t for indifferent parents.

How to Protect Your Soul from Corruption

As Paul writes to Timothy, he mentions that the Holy Spirit revealed to him that during the latter times many would suffer from a conscience that is seared with a hot iron. (1 Timothy 4:1-4) Three critical questions arise:

1) What is a seared conscience?

2) How is the conscience seared?

3) What are the effects of a seared conscience?

Even when Christians Fall Short, it’s No Excuse to Refuse Belief in Christ

I recently heard a podcast episode which features a well known, conservative commentator. In said episode, he mentions how atheists frequently engage him and detail their excuses for not assenting to Christianity. According to this commentator, the most legitimate among these excuses has to do with Christians’ lack for fervor. Their alibi goes something like this:

“If Christianity is true, Christians would more zealously act in accordance to their faith. Since they don’t, it means that Christianity mustn’t be true. Therefore, I cannot believe.”

Escaping Escapism

Studies demonstrate that Americans spend approximately 5 hours and 35 minutes watching television and 5 hours using their smartphones each day. When asked why they take up almost all of their waking hours starting at a screen, respondents claim that doing so grants them an “escape” from life.

If one was ignorant of the fact that the US is one of the most affluent, technologically advanced, convenience-minded societies on the face of the earth, this answer would give the impression that everyday living is harsh and dreary. I cannot be the only person to see the irony here. Or, is it possible that something darker is at play?

Take the Test: How Precise Are You?

There’s isn’t a doubt that we’ve regressed as a culture. As an example, consider the ongoing destruction of the English language. When the majority of people prefer to communicate with others using truncated phrases, misspelled words and emojis than to form grammatically correct, coherent sentences, such a development isn’t proof of improvement or efficiency.

The Dangers of Seeking Validation in the Wrong Places

It’s been a few days since Kanye West shocked the Cultural Marxist establishment by both declaring that he finds commentator Candace Owens’ declarations to be interesting and posting a picture where he is shown wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat. Being that miss Owens is of the political persuasion that is almost entirely scorned by American celebrity culture, those that belong to it have vociferously denounced West with the intention of shaming him into retracting his statements.

Preserving Liberty in Christ in an Age of Lawlessness

Lately, an increasing number of young individuals have approached me seeking Biblical advice, particularly pertaining to personal matters. I find this reassuring, not because they are seeking me out, but because of what they are implicitly communicating through the questions they ask. On the surface, these questions would seem to indicate a lack of spiritual maturity. This is attributable to the substance of the inquiries which reveal the struggles and innermost turmoil these believers are attempting to overcome. However, I take a different view.

Are You the Product of Your Decisions or of Your Neurons?

Has the reader ever heard the following declarations or their variants?

“A seventeen-year-old criminal cannot be judged as an adult because his brain isn’t fully developed yet.”

“The child has ADHD. He’s too active.”

”This ethnic group’s IQ levels are below the national average. Hence, it’s to be expected that, generally speaking, they will conduct themselves in such an illogical and barbarous manner.”

“Free will is an illusion ingrained in us all by evolution.”

“Mental disorders are neurological in nature. Chemical imbalances are the cause of behavior deficiencies.”

These and similar notions are different faces of the same pernicious idea – materialism. This concept is demeaning and rejects the ultimate reality of the human essence because it reduces all activity to purely physical processes, including thoughts, emotions and character. The creed’s main goal is to dismiss the Biblical God as the Principal Cause of all and discount His revelation about our origins and makeup.

How to Reach Your Destiny…Wait, What?!

There are plenty of phrases and words that popular demagogues have purposely emphasized and/or emptied of their true meaning, with the intention of promoting a slew of erroneous ideas. Among these is the term destiny.

I’m assured the reader, if he lives on planet earth and is somewhat aware of the goings on in pop culture, has heard and read this term bandied about. So-called motivational speakers endlessly regurgitate it, psychologists blather on about it and even celebrity pastors (a massive oxymoron) wax poetic about it. But what do these talking heads mean when they utter it?