Is the United States of America a “Christian Nation”?
The founders were good men, but they were flawed men who founded a flawed nation (and be careful before you deny that; denying that is blasphemous). The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are amazing documents, but they are not Scripture; they are flawed human documents. This is a good nation, but it is certainly not perfect. It is a nation founded on faith, but it certainly isn’t a representation of Christianity.
5 Trends Christian Millennials MUST STOP Doing
This piece is not a critique of the video but rather a holistic response to young Christian millennials who often sacrifice their Christian values for the sake of being relevant to the world. I will remind you, oh beloved children of God, that Jesus himself said that the world will hate you because of your love for Him. You can love the world like Jesus loves the world and still be hated. It’s not your fault, so don’t change your method. Your advocacy for Christ should never come at the expense of your relationship with Him.
Later that evening, we had the closing devotional with AFC and our youth. Our youth minister, Raoul Ferris, asked us to go around the circle and tell the group what we were thankful for that day. Matthew Abbott, the Aggie who helped me change the battery, gave a profound answer—“I’m thankful for a broken key.” He then explained his reasoning. That battery was eventually going to “blow up”, but it happened at the perfect time—when we came back to help my wife with the broken key. It could have happened somewhere else in town where we would have been stranded. Even worse, it could have happened while we were driving down the road 60 mph, putting all of our lives in a dangerous situation. But it happened when we were sitting still, at a place where we could get a ride to Wal-Mart to buy a new one, at a time when the danger wasn’t nearly as high. Matthew was exactly right. I’m thankful for a broken key, too.
Trials and Tribulations and the New Creation
He knows about the infiltration of the seemingly insignificant sins into the life of the church at Pergamum. He knows that although everyone thinks the church of Sardis is alive it’s really dead. He knows the casual kind of faith and following that characterizes the church of Laodicea. Jesus knows. Though no one else does, Jesus knows.
Bernie Sanders & the Christian Pressure to Disagree
Perhaps there are many points to be made here about what it means that so many churches have become an unsafe place for doubt. But, for me, as I watched the crowd listening to Bernie Sanders, my hope was that I can become more gracious and patient with those who believe differently than me. For most, it’s not as simple as a change of belief. There is much at stake if they change their mind.
I’m Ahmed. Except I’m Not Brown.
All of these stories come across as Charming and Nostalgic tales of a nerdy little kid on his way to a predestined career in science, math, or technology. There was never any negative fallout. Yes, partly because it was more than a decade before 9/11.
But they’re happy stories mostly because I was a white Catholic kid named Andy Ihnatko. Not a brown kid named Ahmed Mohamed, and not a black kid named anything.
My stories about being a nerdy schoolkid all have good endings. My teachers took all of these things as signs that I had a lot of potential — it helped that I was not just white, but a white boy — and they responded by supporting and encouraging me.
Evidence mounts for viability of babies not considered legally ‘human’
A new study published Sept. 8 found that more infants born before 28 weeks gestation are surviving without disease or other complications compared to 20 years ago. The findings cast further doubt on the adequacy of the viability standard for protecting the unborn.
The nation’s Hispanic population has long been characterized by its immigrant roots. But as immigration from Latin America slows, the immigrant share among each of the nation’s Hispanic origin groups is in decline, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Washington’s Plan to Lampoon Cuban Politicians Is a Joke
Why on earth would the Obama administration want to spend taxpayer dollars ridiculing Cuban politicians as the two countries are starting to normalize relations?
It turns out that even as a new era of engagement dawns, Congress continues to fund efforts that were centerpieces of a decades-long policy of sabotage and confrontation.
Why It’s So Hard to Catch Your Own Typo
When we’re proof reading our own work, we know the meaning we want to convey. Because we expect that meaning to be there, it’s easier for us to miss when parts (or all) of it are absent. The reason we don’t see our own typos is because what we see on the screen is competing with the version that exists in our heads.
Selfies vs Shark Attacks: Which Are More Deadly for Travelers?
Let’s look at the numbers. Through August of this year, there’ve been eight confirmed shark-related deaths. In those same eight months, the number of selfie-related deaths reached at least ten. And those are just the ones easily tracked.
High school uses weed killer instead of fertilizer, destroys football field
We all make little mistakes at our jobs, but sometimes, little mistakes turn into huge ones … like mistaking weed killer for fertilizer.
Behold the field at St. Edward High School in Elgin, Illinois. That’s what happens when you bring the pain instead of the love for your turf.