Abraham Lincoln and the ‘bastard’ Jesus Christ

Last updated on: December 15, 2012 at 2:22 pm By Joel J. Miller

Abraham Lincoln’s early years were marked by a rabid antagonism toward Christianity, but he ended his life as a believer. As my friend Stephen Mansfield details in his new book Lincoln’s Battle with God (published by Thomas Nelson), he was an iconoclast, a gadfly, and an intellectual bully. Well versed in the contradictions and problems with Christian scripture and doctrine, he was more than happy to bat believers around the head with these things. Lincoln even published an incendiary tract... Read more

Pray for Egypt’s Christians

Last updated on: December 23, 2012 at 4:15 am By Joel J. Miller

Egyptians will vote on a new constitution tomorrow. Newly enthroned Pope Tawadros II has so far sought to keep the church disentangled from politics, though he is encouraging his flock to “go and vote.” Coptic Christians, who make up only 10 percent of the Egyptian population, are understandably fearful the outcome. The new pro-Islamist government has little regard for religious freedoms, and opposition groups believe the new constitution will further enshrine discriminatory policies. Just Wednesday an Egyptian court sentenced Coptic... Read more

Is the virgin birth really predicted in the Old Testament?

Last updated on: January 11, 2014 at 9:28 pm By Joel J. Miller

Did the Old Testament prophet Isaiah actually predict that Mary would conceive Christ while still a virgin? In Guy Ritchie’s 2000 movie Snatch, Benicio Del Toro plays a diamond thief named Franky Four Fingers. As the story begins, Franky and his fellow workers of iniquity are in Antwerp for a heist, disguised as Hasidic Jews. As part of the ruse, while guards check for weapons and surveillance cameras roll, Franky rambles on about the veracity of Scripture: The Septuagint scholars... Read more

Four books by C.S. Lewis you must read

Last updated on: December 13, 2012 at 12:58 pm By Joel J. Miller

C.S. Lewis never imagined the lasting influence he would have. “After I’ve been dead five years,” he told his friend Owen Barfield, “no one will read anything I’ve written.” Proving the old prof wrong, last month we marked the forty-ninth year of his passing, and Lewis is read today perhaps more than ever. Still, this is a reasonable thought for an author. Books are not immortal. They rarely live beyond the generation of their author and earliest readers, and usually... Read more

Don’t be afraid to ignore yourself

Last updated on: December 11, 2012 at 12:59 pm By Joel J. Miller

According to the Life of the Elder Moses of Optina, a troubled monk visited the elder, seeking his counsel. “Batiushka,” he said, “there is a thought that is bothering me a lot.” “And what does your thought say to you, brother?” asked the elder. “Well, Batiushka, my thought says to me that you’re not doing this right, and you’re not doing that right. . . .” The elder sat quietly and listened while the monk went on at some length... Read more

Angels: Friends of the faithful

Last updated on: December 12, 2012 at 7:43 am By Joel J. Miller

Jacob wasn’t hanging around long. After scheming his brother out of the family blessing, he had to get some distance from his vengeful sibling. His mother arranged a pretext for his departure, and Jacob lit out. The roads were rough, and after several hours the weary traveler arrived at a place called Luz just as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Jacob’s mind must have been churning over the recent events. He had deceived his dad and arguably defrauded his... Read more

Why celebrate the conception of Mary?

Last updated on: December 9, 2012 at 6:39 am By Joel J. Miller

Rare is the religious image depicting a couple hugging tenderly by their bed before lovemaking, but today Orthodox Christians celebrate the conception of Mary, and the icon of the feast frankly captures her parents embracing bedside. An icon? A feast? Because someone got pregnant? Obviously the church considers Mary’s conception of great importance. Here’s why. Scripture repeatedly presents special children as unlikely children. Isaac, Samson, and Samuel were all miraculously born to women who long suffered the grief and disappointment... Read more

The true state of Christian persecution in Iran

Last updated on: December 8, 2012 at 7:10 pm By Joel J. Miller

I posted Friday about religious persecution in several countries, particularly Syria, Iran, and North Korea. An Iranian reader objected to the way I had characterized the situation in Iran. I responded to his comment but think it would be good for readers to see this material directly, rather than allowing it to get overlooked in the comments. As I mention in Friday’s post, the UN has expressed concern that over 300 Christians have been arrested since 2010 and that churches... Read more

Christians under attack in Syria, Iran, N. Korea

Last updated on: December 8, 2012 at 1:54 pm By Joel J. Miller

“O Lord . . . for thy sake I bear reproach.” –Jeremiah 15.15 An Algerian Christian faces five years in prison for the crime of sharing his faith with a Muslim. Authorities claim that Karim Siaghi insulted Mohammad, something he denies. His appeal is being heard in Oran, a costal city just 600 miles away from where Augustine once presided as bishop. There has been a lot of history a between that moment and this, much of it going against... Read more

The good-natured Dave Brubeck

Last updated on: December 7, 2012 at 1:20 am By Joel J. Miller

Since the passing this week of jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, I’ve kept returning to his music throughout the day. A track from which I’ve taken particular pleasure is “For All We Know,” a slow but swinging song played by the Dave Brubeck Quartet at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival. The annual festival is still a going concern today, but that inaugural year was tricky. The organizers were unable to secure the permits required to keep the planes flying in and... Read more