Christians worldwide have been facing intense persecution. But now some of them are fighting back. Pakistani churches have been subject to periodic attacks for decades. But last time that happened, when an attack on a worship service killed 14 and wounded 70, some 4,000 Christians
A major opinion poll has found that Americans want BOTH more government spending AND lower taxes. Also legalized marijuana. When it comes to religion, the poll shows the vast majority of Americans believe in God, with only 3% being atheists; and yet 21% say they
The Washington Post has a fascinating article about a manifesto written in 1996 entitled A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace. (Click the link. It’s worth reading.) The piece is by John Perry Barlow, who articulated a utopian high-tech libertarianism that still influences the tech
Rev. Adam Roe, in his series on vocation at Mission: Work, observes that Philip Melanchthon, author of the Augsburg Confession and other key texts in the Book of Concord, was a layman. Pastor Roe uses this fact as an example of “the priesthood of all
Church attendance and other marks of religious observance are in decline, but a new study has found that people–including the non-religious–are still praying. In fact, 57% of Americans say they pray every day, and 75% pray once a week or more. This would seem to
Which is better? A society characterized by cultural diversity? Or a society in which its many different kinds of people are assimilated into a single nation characterized by cultural unity? Today, the former view dominates, but the goal through most of history throughout the world
The Barna pollsters have released a study of what factors tie into Americans’ self-identity. The biggest factor by far is “family.” Then comes “country.” Then comes religion. Other elements, such as career and ethnicity, play a lesser but still significant role. The mix is different
Last Sunday one of our Scripture readings was about the children of Israel complaining in the wilderness, whereupon they were attacked by fiery serpents until Moses healed them by lifting up a bronze serpent on a pole, which Jesus would later apply to Himself (Numbers
President Obama appeared to endorse mandatory voting as a way to get money out of politics. In countries that have mandatory voting laws, if you don’t cast a ballot, you have to have to pay fines or other penalties. American polls show that most people
The Presbyterian Church (USA) has formally expanded its definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. It becomes the largest denomination to affirm gay marriage in the strongest possible terms, upholding same sex marriage even in states where it is not legal and applying to all
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