Savannah Guthrie has withdrawn from hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony to focus on her family. As you know, her mother, Nancy Guthrie, has disappeared in Tucson; police believe she was taken against her will in a “possible kidnapping or abduction.”

Now CBS News is reporting that its Tucson affiliate received a ransom note which “contained specific details about the home and what Nancy Guthrie was wearing that night.” The local sheriff has expressed concern that the eighty-four-year-old needs medication she must take daily, saying, “The clock is literally ticking.”

Ms. Guthrie’s disappearance is tragically not unusual in the US. In addition to abductions, elder fraud and abuse are epidemics, as hundreds of thousands of adults over the age of sixty are abused, neglected, or financially exploited each year.

It’s been said that the way we treat people is the true measure of our character. As we’ll see today, this is both bad news and good news. The choice is ours.

Why “America is awash in vice”

Cultural commentator Aaron Renn’s latest Wall Street Journal article is titled “America Is Awash in Vice.” The subtitle explains his thesis: “Gambling, drugs, and pornography were once held at bay by the country’s Judeo-Christian moral consensus. Not any more.”

Renn notes that we “hear a lot less about the mafia” than we used to, in part because federal law enforcement has worked hard to break up their criminal networks. But he explains the larger reason: “Society has legalized much of what the mafia used to do—gambling, drugs, and pornography.” As a result, “America is now a post-vice society.”

First, he cites gambling, now legal in all but a handful of states. About half of eighteen- to forty-nine-year-old men have online betting accounts, even though sports betting reduces savings and increases bankruptcy and domestic abuse.

Second, he notes the legalization of marijuana, which causes a variety of serious medical problems, and the decriminalization of psychedelic drugs like psilocybin. He also reminds us of the opioid crisis, in which “completely legal drugs sold by legitimate businesses caused hundreds of thousands of American deaths.”

Third, he points to pornography, “now delivered at industrial scale in high-definition video for free online.” This despite the fact that sex trafficking and child sexual abuse are common in the online pornography world.

Renn reports that for much of our history, America had a “softly institutionalized generic Protestantism” that “created an emphasis on moral reform and vice suppression.” As examples, the Comstock Act of 1871 banned the sending of obscene material in the mail, while the Mann Act of 1910 banned interstate prostitution. However, religious adherence and church attendance have declined in recent decades, while “academics and cultural figures called into question the old religious moral framework.”

He concludes:

A new and different public moral order has replaced the old one. This one has no problem with vice.

The mainstreaming of destructive vices is but one unforeseen negative outcome of the decline of Christianity in America. It’s unlikely to be the only one.

Nearly-nude celebrities at the Grammys

Legislation can constrain immorality to the degree that laws can be enforced, but it cannot produce morality. Because fallen humans are motivated by the “will to power,” our drive to be our own god (Genesis 3:5), we will almost always do what is in our own perceived best interest.

Even altruism typically serves our ends: we want to impress others with our compassion, obligate those we serve to serve us in return, and motivate God to reward us for our service.

And temptation will always appeal to our basest instincts.

Nearly-nude celebrities at last Sunday’s Grammys appeared as they did because they wanted to generate the publicity they knew their outfits would produce. Their strategy obviously worked: the internet is still talking about them this morning. They came up to the line of public nudity, which is as far as the law can go, while violating all principles of decorum and good taste in the service of advancing their careers.

Pornographers do the same, coming to the line of what is illegal while producing content that is clearly immoral and damaging both to those who make the content and those who view it. Those in the tobacco industry similarly victimize their customers for the sake of their profits.

Elective abortion is the most obvious and tragic example of all. As Mother Teresa observed, “It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.” Since abortion was legalized in America, more than sixty-five million children in America have died as a consequence of this moral “poverty.”

“Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I am no exception to the principle that laws cannot produce morality. I have spent my entire adult life teaching, preaching, and writing biblical responses to the issues of our day. By virtue of my vocation, I get to spend more time in Scripture each day than nearly anyone I know.

But what I know I should do and what I want to do are not aligned often enough. Paul’s testimony resonates with me: “I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members” (Romans 7:22–23).

Now comes the good news. After Paul asks, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (v. 24), he answers immediately: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (v. 25). The living Lord Jesus will transform my heart and shape my motives as he remakes me like himself (Romans 8:29). He will give me the desire to obey his word and the power to fulfill this desire. He wants to reproduce himself in me and in multitudes of other believers until the “body of Christ” encircles the world and advances his kingdom to the ends of the earth.

The key is to settle for nothing less than such holistic holiness. Being better than our broken culture is not good enough. We must want to be so much like Jesus that our private thoughts and public words and actions please and glorify him every moment of every day.

Do you want such holiness today? If you do, ask Jesus for the empowering of his sanctifying Spirit and then do what he leads you to do.

If you don’t, ask for the faith to have faith, the grace to seek grace.

If you’re a Christian, you have all of God there is.

Does he have all of you there is?

Quote for the day:

“The whole work of sanctification, from its first step to its last period, is all of grace, all must be ascribed to God’s free goodness.” —Thomas Manton (1620–77)

Our latest website resources:

• What does faith have to say about today’s sports culture?
• What does the future look like for Israel, Hamas, and Gaza?
• Should I have watched the Grammys? A reflection on cultural engagement and spiritual purity
• Alex Pretti’s death, immigration tensions & how Christians can respond with Dr. Ryan Denison
• Finding hope after life’s detours

Denison Forum

As the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas enters phase two, many are equally surprised it has held this long and dubious that it will continue. At the heart of those doubts are questions about the Board of Peace, which is meant to oversee much of this transition.

Why it matters

Rebuilding Gaza will take an enormous commitment from the nations that have pledged to help. Anything that leaves room for Hamas to regroup and eventually retake power—or for a group equally committed to Israel’s destruction, even if it comes at the expense of the people in Gaza—could result in even worse warfare than before. This peace needs to last, and it remains to be seen if it can.

The backstory: How we got to phase two and what to look for going forward

Last October, both Israel and Hamas agreed to a 20-point plan that would start with a cease-fire with the hopes that lasting peace could be achieved by the end of it. The first phase of that plan called for Hamas to return all living and dead Israeli hostages, while Israel would release 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. As of last week, the body of the final hostage was returned to Israel.

While both sides have continued to kill one another at various times over the last three months, overall, the violence has lessened to a tremendous degree. Moreover, the UN reports of starvation that proliferated last year have subsided, with 100 percent of Gazans now having their basic food needs met. And the Rafah Crossing from Gaza to Egypt is now open once again, paving the way for an estimated 18,500 people—including 4,000 children—in need of medical care to receive it.

However, phase one was always going to be the more straightforward part of the deal. Now comes the really tricky part.

You see, phase two is where most expect that the cease-fire will fall apart. Israel now has the reward they valued the most—the return of all hostages. Meanwhile, Hamas will now be expected to fully step back from governance and disarm—the requirement they have never fully agreed to live up to.

In place of Hamas, a National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) will pick up the mantle of governance. Ali Shaath has been tapped to lead this group of fifteen Palestinian technocrats as they attempt to guide the rebuilding of the region. A “Gaza Executive Board,” comprised of leaders from Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the UN, will help to supplement their efforts.

And above them all stands the Board of Peace that President Trump announced at the World Economic Forum last month. Yet, the Board has quickly become the most controversial element of the situation in Gaza, despite the presence of an armed terrorist organization in Hamas and Israel’s continued bombings.

So what is it about the Board that is so controversial? And will it ultimately prove to be more of a help or a hindrance on the path to peace in Gaza?

Has the Board of Peace already lost its vision?

The controversy surrounding the Board of Peace centers primarily on two points: the scope of their mission and who was invited. Let’s start with the mission.

When the Board was first proposed, the idea was that it would serve as an international body of countries committed to supporting Gaza’s reconstruction and development. Most would agree that the scope and scale of that project is far more than any one country could handle. For example, clearing the rubble is projected to take at least three years, so simply making the bulk of Gaza safe for the people of Gaza is a big ask to start with.

That’s why many of the Board’s skeptics were quick to point toward mission creep after President Trump presented his plans for the endeavor at the World Economic Forum. There, he announced that the group would instead seek “to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict” (emphasis added). “Areas affected or threatened by conflict” pertains to a lot more than just Gaza.

While Secretary of State Marco Rubio later clarified that Gaza will “serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world,” that only works if the group can stay committed long enough to actually finish their work in Gaza.

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that the first term on the Board will start with a three-year interval unless countries choose to pay $1 billion for permanent membership. Essentially, if you want to still be around when the time comes to profit from much of what is being rebuilt, you need to pay up and prove your commitment from the start.

And, given some of the nations that have signed up to do just that, many are dubious of what those efforts will look like in the long run.

Can the Board of Peace be trusted?

The second point of contention many bring up with the Board of Peace and its plans for the future of Gaza is related to the group’s composition. Many of America’s more traditional allies in Europe—France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, to name a few—have declined their invitation to join.

Instead, the Board will be composed largely of the Middle Eastern nations with whom Trump has negotiated heavily since returning to office. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, the UAE, and Israel have all agreed to play a role. Meanwhile, Russia and China have been invited but, as of this writing, have yet to say whether they will take part.

Given Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and China’s ever-present threat of attempting to take Taiwan, inviting them to a group focused on “enduring peace” has understandably raised some eyebrows. That Trump is set to preside over the body even after his term as president ends in 2028 is another point of suspicion for many who doubt that the Board was put together with the good of Gaza in mind.

And the reality of the situation is that the good of Gaza is, most likely, not the Board’s first priority. As Dan Perry points out, though, that may not be a bad thing:

Trump is also driven by a sense of ownership. He remains focused when a project feels like his, and the Middle East is such a project. If the Board of Peace appears to be key to sustaining his sense of ownership — and if it keeps pressure on regional actors, maintaining momentum toward dismantling Hamas’ grip on Gaza — then it may be useful, even if its structure is indefensible.

And Trump is hardly alone in paying more attention to causes from which he can benefit personally. The peace plan in Gaza hinges on everyone involved standing to benefit in some way.

World leaders have rarely—if ever—acted solely out of the goodness of their own hearts. Some opportunity for selfish gain has to be baked into the equation for nations and leaders to sacrifice as much as they’ll need to for Gaza to know true peace and restoration.

Would it be better if these leaders’ primary concern were the people of Gaza? Absolutely. But it also wouldn’t work.

As such, the situation in Gaza and with the Board of Peace speaks to a much larger truth about humanity, as well as the opportunity that truth presents for us to share the gospel.

Spiritual application: Redeeming human selfishness 

Milton Friedman once remarked:

I do not believe that the solution to our problem is simply to elect the right people. The important thing is to establish a political climate of opinion which will make it politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing. Unless it is politically profitable for the wrong people to do the right thing, the right people will not do the right thing either, or if they try, they will shortly be out of office.

To put it another way, the temptation toward selfishness is endemic to our fallen nature, and the key is learning to redeem it. In truth, though, it’s been that way from the beginning.

The very first person ever born with inherited sin murdered his brother because he was jealous that God honored Abel’s sacrifice rather than his own. And things didn’t exactly improve from there. Before Adam died, he would see his offspring spread across the land and begin to devolve into such wickedness that God would purge the earth of everyone but Noah and his family.

And even after humanity restarted with Noah, it didn’t take long for things to go downhill once again. However, living in accordance with Christ’s commands stands out all that much more because the world has taught us to expect selfishness and evil from our fellow humans.

And you don’t have to be a politician or world leader for that to be the case. There are selfish people in every walk of life, which means that your example can stand out regardless of where God has called you to work, the community in which he’s called you to live, or even the church in which he’s called you to serve.

Each time we see examples of selfishness or evil in the world, it’s an opportunity to either grow jaded and distraught or to be reminded of just how easy it can be for the gospel to stand out when we follow Jesus well.

Which response will you choose today?

Denison Forum

A reflection on cultural engagement and spiritual purity

The 68^th Grammy Awards were on television last night, an event intended to recognize outstanding achievements in music. My wife and I watched for a few minutes, but the parade of celebrities wearing very little clothing and taking turns disparaging the government soon became wearisome. (Though I must add that Jelly Roll’s acceptance speech, in which he glorified God and emphatically called on the audience to trust in Christ, was a very notable exception.)

In addition, I have heard almost none of the music being recognized and know very little about the performers apart from the headlines they occasionally generate. It was the same with the Emmys last fall, and I assume it will be the same with the Oscars in a few weeks. Thus far, I have seen exactly one of the movies nominated for best picture and am not sure I’ll see any of the others.

This is an odd confession for someone whose calling is to be a cultural apologist. How can I respond to the culture if I’m not more engaged in it?

It’s a question that concerns not just people like me but also people like you. And it has implications far beyond annual awards shows.

Living in a cave atop a tower

With regard to cultural engagement, a spectrum of options presents itself.

On one extreme, we can emulate the desert monastics who retreated from society into lives of complete isolation. They did so in part to prevent being “contaminated” by their fallen society, but also to intercede for that society.

On a study tour of Greece and Turkey some years ago, our group drove through a region noted for its “fairy chimneys.” These are rock formations characterized by tall pillars rising from the valley below. Many are pockmarked with caves. And some of these caves are inhabited by monks who live there for years, some for decades.

These monks are fed and otherwise supported by nearby monastic communities. Some of them will go many years with no contact with the larger world.

I asked our tour guide how Christian ministers could feel they were serving God in such isolation from the world we are called to influence for Christ. We are the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13), I noted, but salt has no effect if it remains in the salt shaker.

He explained that these monks dedicate their lives not to escaping the world but to praying for it. They feel that their intercession is a greater service to the global population and its challenges than anything else they could do.

If we believe in the merits of intercessory prayer (cf. Mark 11:24), we should consider the merits of their position.

What percentage of Christians possess a biblical worldview?

On the other extreme, we can engage so fully in our fallen culture that there is little distinction between us and those who do not claim to follow Jesus.

Only 30 percent of self-identified Christians attend church services each week. According to Barna studies, only 9 percent of us possess a biblical worldview. On a variety of issues, many Christians and even many evangelicals are indistinguishable from the larger culture in their beliefs and practices.

You and I likely fall somewhere in the middle. We don’t live in caves, we attend church with some regularity, and we don’t participate in obviously sinful activities such as the near-nudity on the Grammys stage or the profanity of many of the lyrics performed and speeches delivered.

But if you’re not locked into an extreme on a cultural spectrum, you must decide where you should be on each issue as it arises. And you can expect some who differ with you to take exception to your decisions.

Quoting David Brooks

For example, I regularly reference writers with whom I disagree on significant issues. My extended quote from the now-former New York Times columnist David Brooks in today’s Daily Article is an example. I agreed with some of what he wrote in his article so fully that I wanted to reproduce and respond to it. I disagreed strongly with some other parts of the same article, however, just as I sometimes disagree strongly with other positions Mr. Brooks takes on political and cultural issues.

I regularly cite media platforms such as the Times, even though I regularly disagree with their typical editorial slant. On occasion, readers will take exception to such references, fearing that I am endorsing these platforms by citing them.

If, however, I am only to cite platforms with which I completely and consistently agree, I will have no platforms to cite. I don’t even agree with some of my own sermons and writings from years ago. And I acknowledge the fact that I am no more inerrant today than I was then.

It’s virtually impossible to participate in any collective activity or organization without risking an apparent endorsement that might offend someone. For example, we have dozens of staff members at Denison Ministries. Each of them could be seen as endorsing what I am writing right now by virtue of their decision to work with us. Because my wife and I attended church yesterday, someone could accuse us of endorsing anything our pastor says or does today.

All of which makes a cave atop a tower understandably appealing.

“Speaking the truth in love”

As always, Jesus is our model.

He engaged with his fallen culture so fully that critics called him “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” (Matthew 11:19). He did so in the knowledge that we must take the gospel to the lost just as salt must contact that which it is to influence.

Yet our Lord refused to participate personally in the sins of his society (Hebrews 4:15). He was in the world but not of it. As the author and professor John A. Shedd noted, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”

When a ship is in the water, all is well. When water is in the ship, all can be lost.

Now Jesus is ready by his Spirit to lead us to those parts of the culture we are to engage by “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Your call may not be mine, just as mine may not be yours. But we are both called to use our influence for the advancement of God’s kingdom in our world (Matthew 6:33).

As the Spirit leads us, he will equip and empower us. He will give us the discernment to engage with sinners without committing their sins (cf. Hebrews 5:14). He will speak to us and through us (cf. Matthew 10:20).

And he will enable us to love others as he loves us.

“Bad ideas have victims”

My wife often reminds those she teaches that lost people act like lost people. As Paul noted, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

This is because “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). As my friend John Stonestreet says, “Ideas have consequences. Bad ideas have victims.”

This means that you and I are not cultural warriors doing battle with those who disagree with us, but cultural missionaries called to share the love we have experienced in Christ.

Our enemy is Satan, not those he has deceived. Our power is the Spirit who always defeats our enemy. And our hope is as secure as the promises of God.

You are alive when and where you are because you can make a kingdom difference when and where you are. Charles Spurgeon was right:

“It is the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.”

What part of this “business” is yours today?

Denison Forum