A provocative post by Don Johnson explaining six reasons that many people reject Christianity. Each alleged reason is well defended. A few memorable snippets below. 1. Christians Behaving Badly As Gaudium et Spes points out, “believers themselves often share some responsibility for [atheism]…To the extent that they…fail in their religious, moral, or social life, they must be said to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion.” (19) 2. Heartbreak A recent study led by psychologist Julie Exline of Case Western Reserve University supports this notion. In … [Read more...] about Why Do People Reject Christianity?
Should the U.S. initiate a military strike in Syria?
The American public is starting to tune in to the debate in Washington about the possibility of the U.S. engaging in air strikes against the Assad regime in Syria (due to the Obama administration's determination that Assad used chemical weapons on his own people). AEI has a good round-up of recent polling on the issue. Here are a few things that stood out: Nearly three-quarters (74%) of those surveyed by Pew believe that US action there is likely to create a backlash against the US and its allies. Six in ten believe that action could lead to long-term military involvement. A majority think … [Read more...] about Should the U.S. initiate a military strike in Syria?
Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue
This may be the first book I've heard of that deals entirely with the subject of gossip. Perhaps that's because gossip is a slippery subject--hard to define, easy to justify, and uncomfortable to discuss. Pastor Matt Mitchell has done us all a valuable service through his new book, Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue (which releases today, and is currently available for 54% off at WTS Books - $6.50/copy until 9/11). Pastors and ministry leaders will particularly want to check this one out. The Foreword is by Ed Welch and endorsers include Ken Sande, Sam Crabtree … [Read more...] about Resisting Gossip: Winning the War of the Wagging Tongue
The Dumbest Generation: The Digital Age and Young Americans
Mark Bauerlein, a professor of English at Emory University, is the author of what sounds like an irresistibly fascinating 2009 book: The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don't Trust Anyone Under 30). The aim of the book is to describe the intellectual condition of the young American (using empirical evidence). Peter Lawler (former member of President Bush's Council on Bioethics, and professor of government at Berry College) says this book: "shows that young people are getting smarter in some ways, but dumber in others. … [Read more...] about The Dumbest Generation: The Digital Age and Young Americans
The Poverty of Nations
What can we do to assist those who live in extreme poverty? If you're not asking that question, and you're a Christian, you really should be. And this new book by Wayne Grudem and Barry Asmus would be a great place to start. The official description: The whole world has a stake in the war against poverty and leaders across the globe are looking for a permanent solution. That’s why economist Barry Asmus and theologian Wayne Grudem have teamed up to outline a robust proposal for fighting poverty on a national level. These two experts believe the solution lies in a comprehensive development … [Read more...] about The Poverty of Nations
A Third of High School Grads Not College Ready
Phillip Elliot of the Associated Press wrote last week:The ACT reported that 31 percent of all high school graduates tested were not ready for any college coursework requiring English, science, math or reading skills. The other 69 percent of test takers met at least one of the four subject-area standards. Just a quarter of this year's high school graduates cleared the bar in all four subjects, demonstrating the skills they'll need for college or a career, according to company data. The numbers are even worse for black high school graduates: Only 5 percent were deemed fully ready for life … [Read more...] about A Third of High School Grads Not College Ready