TruthCurrents

One of the things that happens to me and virtually any other pastor who dares to speak about politics in this generation is that the critics come out in full force. And in my experience, critics tend to land in one of three camps. There are one of three types of criticisms. So, as we attempt to think biblically about the world in which we live, I want to answer those three typical criticisms. Let’...

I often hear this question: “Can an authentic Christian vote for the Democratic party?” Well, I think that’s the wrong question. Politics come and go. Issues and positions change. Culture shifts. I don’t think you can make a blanket decision about voting for or against a political party in every instance, in every situation for all time all the way down the ballet. But I do think a legitimate ques...

As we enter the month of August it’s time to turn our attention to presidential politics. I’ve heard Christians say this year, more than I’ve ever heard before, that they plan to sit out this election because there’s just not a candidate they can vote for in good conscience. I want us to consider: how do we approach politics from a biblical worldview? Andrew T. Walker, “ Christian realism and the...

After decades of government promoted abortion, it turns out that nations are now beginning to incentivize parenthood because they’ve discovered that they need more babies. Talk about the law of unintended consequences… Bekah McCallum, “ A global baby bust ,” July 5, 2024. Daniel Darling, “ The limits of secularity ,” June 10, 2024.

As we come to the end of another Pride Month in America, it’s appropriate for us to consider where we stand with our culture with regard to “gay pride” and “LGBTQ rights.” Colin J. Smothers, “ The modern West’s infertility gods ,” June 24, 2024. Ericka Andersen, “ Who is the oppressed and the oppressor? ” June 10, 2024.

Last week in Indianapolis, IN, almost 11,000 messengers representing hundreds of churches from across the United States and across the world came together for the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. In light of negative news coming out of most evangelical denominations in recent months combined with the misrepresentation by the mainstream media of much of what happened there, it’s i...

In recent news, the Boy Scouts of America have now completed their surrender to the culture that started several years ago. And the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs has ignited a firestorm of criticism because he committed the audacious sin of commending his wife for being a great stay-at-home wife and mother. We live in a nonsense world. Joseph Backholm, “ Just ask a Boy Scout ,” May 28, 2024. J...

“Death to America!” That’s a chant that we see on TV sometimes. It usually comes from somewhere in Tehran or another place in the Middle East, but lately it has shown up in Dearborn, Michigan, the jihad capital of America. Let’s talk about that. Janie B. Cheaney, “ More than bedrock ,” April 18, 2024. A.S. Ibrahim, “ A wake-up call about Islamism in the United States ,” April 18, 2024. Bethel McGr...

Last Sunday was Mother’s Day and in a culture that can no longer even define the term “woman,” Mother’s Day is a bit of an anachronism. It’s a day that reminds us of some things that we intuitively know beyond a shadow of a doubt. But it’s a day that points out just how much nonsense has emerged in our culture. So let’s consider mothers. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., “ And a little child shall tell the t...

In his prescient novel, 1984, George Orwell argued that the control of language is a means by which governments and other totalitarian agencies control the narrative, the agenda, the way we control people. It is interesting that in 2024, language is becoming the battlefield for control in our culture. What does the bible have to say about this? R. Albert Mohler, Jr., “ The Antisemitism Awareness A...

A couple of years ago when the Dobbs decision threw Roe vs. Wade back to the states, a lot of us thought that the abortion conversation would begin to decline and eventually become less significant as a part of the public discourse. In fact, the exact opposite has happened and abortion is once again, not only a topic of conversation, but it is a lynchpin for this year’s presidential campaign. Let’...

Critics of the Bible often say that rather than the Word of God, the Bible is just a man-made document that is about ancient stories and has no relevance to today. And yet, over thousands of years the Bible has consistently been proven accurate by archeological evidence. It has explained and helped us understand events in the course of human history. Why can’t we turn to the Bible to evaluate the...

In the category of “You Just Can’t Make This Up,” last Sunday, March 31st, 2024 was both Easter Sunday for western Christianity as well as National Transgender Visibility Day. In writing the proclamation for that observance, President Biden said to the transgender community, “You are America and my entire administration and I have your back.” Well, I wonder who has the backs of those who have been...

This week is opening day for the 2024 MLB season. We ought to be talking about the prospects for each team or how the LA Dodgers committed $1 billion this winter to are agents trying to buy a World Series, but instead we are talking about one player: Shohei Ohtani, arguably the best baseball player on the planet. But we aren’t talking about him because he’s a talented ball player. We’re talking ab...

I had a private conversation recently where I used the language, “tyrant” to refer to some decisions by our federal government. The person I was talking to said, “Pastor, that’s a little overkill. Isn’t that word a little strong for what we live with in our culture?” So I wondered if I am maybe using the wrong language. So I decided to try to define what a tyrant looks like. I think I’ve done it a...

Alistair Begg is a widely popular conservative preacher. He has a program called “Truth For Life” that is very popular. He is a speaker at conferences and events across the nation regularly. But recently his radio program has been discontinued, his invitations have been pulled back, and he has been uninvited to some things. What did this Bible teaching preacher do to create such a stir? Let me tel...

Have you ever been right about something that you really wanted to be wrong about? Well Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S. Supreme Court knows exactly how that feels. He was right, but he didn’t want to be. Let me tell you. Joseph Backholm, “‘A fatal ignorance,” https://wng.org/opinions/a-fatal-ignorance-1708950898, February 26, 2024. Daniel Suhr, “An unwelcome vindication,” https://wng.org/opinions...

Sometimes it just feels like the end of the world when I can’t get my favorite chicken sandwich on a Sunday. At least, that’s what lawmakers in New York think because they want Chik-fil-a to have to open on Sundays. Andrew T. Walker, “‘He Gets Us’ almost, but not quite,” https://wng.org/opinions/he-gets-us-almost-but-not-quite-1707780464, February 15, 2024. Timon Cline, “‘Playing chicken with the...

In almost any restaurant in America, Christians can pray or give thanks before their meal without any concern about retribution. They can do that because their religious liberty rights are protected by law. In fact, Christians often meet in public places to do a varierty of Christian activities. In those places, there’s no question about their activity. It’s normal to see followers of Christ doing...

In this election year, voters in two separate polls, have identified immigration as the top issue they want politicians to deal with. Welcoming people across our border while disregarding our laws is not a biblical position. But at the same time, becoming so frustrated with the border crisis that we begin to treat people as political objects, that’s also not a biblical position. Sometimes, in the...

A few weeks ago right before Christmas, the current Pope announced a new doctrinal position for the Roman Catholic Church. He is now allowing Priests to bless same-gender marriages. And the church tells us that there’s nothing new here; there’s nothing to see. I’m going to tell you why that’s not honest. Kim Henderson & Christina Grube, “The pope and his critics,” https://wng.org/articles/the-...

Presidential election season has begun and it is full speed ahead. Lots of debates about the issues that voters are concerned about. But the greatest threat to America is untrustworthy and incompetent leadership: wolves feeding on the sheep rather than serving as shepherds.   Eric Teetsel, “Obscure by design,” https://wng.org/opinions/obscure-by-design-1705923852 , January 22, 2024.

The big words today are disinformation and misinformation, the idea that what you think is not correct and somebody is going to tell you what you really need to know. Maybe it’s big tech, maybe it’s the government. How do we know what to belive?   Josh Hawley, “Our Christian Nation,” https://www.firstthings.com/article/2024/02/our-christian-nation , February 2024.   Andrew T. Walker, “The mind vir...

Christmas break has come and gone and your kids are going off to school. So, let’s talk today about education. And let’s talk about the relationship between the government and your family and how we think biblically about this subject. Daniel R. Suhr, “Power grab in the Green Mountain State,” https://wng.org/opinions/power-grab-in-the-green-mountain-state-1701124654 , November 29, 2023. Michael Fa...

Welcome back to TruthCurrents. There’s a lot of subjects that we need to cover in days ahead, but I want to start the new year with a reminder of what TruthCurrents is and why we do it.