President Trump pardoned the Thanksgiving turkey yesterday, continuing a long and surprising tradition.

Such clemency apparently began with President Lincoln in 1863. Two years later, a White House reporter noted that “a live turkey had been brought home for the Christmas dinner.” However, Lincoln’s son Tad “interceded in behalf of its life . . . [his] plea was admitted and the turkey’s life spared.”

A century later, President Kennedy was presented with a Thanksgiving turkey and responded, “Let’s keep him going,” sparing his life. Presidents since have offered mercy to Thanksgiving turkeys in various ways, leading to the formalizing of the process by President George H. W. Bush in 1989.

This year’s presidential turkeys are named “Peas” and “Carrots.” (President Trump officially pardoned Peas, but Carrots will join him in retirement.) They’re not just any turkeys.

The National Turkey Federation tells us that turkeys selected for the so-called Presidential Flock are “acclimated from an early age to the unique experiences of the ceremony: television lights and crowded noises.” Peas and Carrots spent Monday evening at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in downtown Washington, DC, before their big day on the national stage.

When President Obama issued his Thanksgiving turkey pardon in 2013, he stated: “The office of the presidency is the most powerful position in the world [and] brings with it many awesome and solemn responsibilities.” Then he added humorously, “This is not one of them.”

Unless you’re the turkey.

All of God there is, is in this moment Continue reading Denison Forum – Why did Abraham Lincoln pardon a turkey? →

The Dow lost 395 points yesterday as tech stocks dragged down the major indexes. A star system in our galaxy is primed for an intense explosion that could wipe out the ozone layer in our atmosphere (though the system is eight thousand light years away from us).

Here’s the good news: we’re not living in AD 536, which one Harvard historian considers the worst year in human history. The reason: a cataclysmic volcanic eruption in Iceland spewed ash across the Northern Hemisphere, blanketing the land in a mysterious fog for eighteen months.

Temperatures fell; crops failed; people starved. Bubonic plague followed, wiping out one-third to one-half of the population of the eastern Roman Empire and hastening its collapse.

How does this dismal story relate to Thanksgiving?

“Give thanks in all circumstances”

I’ve been contemplating a challenging sentence in Scripture: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

“Give thanks” translates eucharisteite, from which we get “eucharist.” The Greek verb is a present tense imperative second person plural and thus can be literally translated, “Each and every one of you is commanded continually to express gratitude without ceasing.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why AD 536 was the worst year in history   →

My wife marked a significant birthday last week. I offered to take her anywhere to celebrate and she chose Disney World. Since she grew up just a few blocks from Disneyland in California and we visited Disney World often while living in Atlanta, the trip was a nostalgic and fun week for us both.

However, one part of our vacation was a new experience: we had never visited Disney World in mid-November. We saw Christmas decorations everywhere we looked. Wreaths on the doors, garlands on the light poles and attractions, Christmas parades in the streets. We were told that more than 1,500 Christmas trees were placed on the various Disney World properties.

The decorations were beautiful. The parades, light shows, and fireworks were stunning. Disney World celebrates Christmas in grand style.

But another holiday was noteworthy for its absence.

A holiday or a holy day?

I don’t remember a single reference to Thanksgiving. Not one pilgrim or turkey on the grounds. It was as though this Thursday’s celebration of gratitude does not exist.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why doesn’t Disney World celebrate Thanksgiving? →

In a rare reminder that sometimes helping people can be more important than maintaining party lines, President Trump joined with members on both sides of the aisle in Congress this week to announce that he will support a bipartisan prison reform bill. It might reach his desk as soon as next month. The bill will roll back certain elements of existing crime laws with regard to issues like minimum sentencing for nonviolent crimes.

President Trump stated that it was his “honor to be involved, and it’ll be an even greater honor to sign” the new law. As Ja’Ron Smith, the president’s domestic policy adviser, said of the bill, “What we’re doing here is finding a better way to be smart on crime. We want prison to serve as a place to lock up the people who are the most detrimental to society.”

But what about those prisoners who will be relatively unaffected by the new legislation?

There’s encouraging news for them as well.

The chance to be human again

As Yonat Shimron writes for Religion News Service, seminaries across the country are increasingly partnering with prisons to help inmates get bachelor’s degrees in subjects like pastoral ministry and biblical studies. The goal is to train inmates to “become ‘field ministers’ who can serve as counselors for other inmates, lead prayers, assist prison chaplains and generally serve as a calming influence in prison yards.”

To that end, “Applicants must be felons serving minimum 15-year sentences with a high school diploma or GED and a clean disciplinary record for at least a year.” The point is to equip inmates to be positive forces for the gospel from inside the prison.

And the program works.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Gospel-powered prison reform →

The wildfires raging through California continue to dominate headlines today. As of this writing, forty-two were confirmed dead from the Camp Fire blaze ravaging the northern part of the state, while two more have perished from the smaller yet still devastating infernos to the south. All totaled, more than three hundred thousand people have been displaced, and, with roughly one hundred still unaccounted for, officials fear the death toll will rise over the coming days and weeks.

While the worst of the damage has come in the northern part of the state, hurricane-level winds are expected to exacerbate flames in the south as gusts pour over mountain passes in that region. Moreover, even those outside the reach of the infernos have suffered as the wildfires have sent up smoke and particles that pollute the air far beyond the scope of the blaze.

Yet despite, or perhaps because of, the dangers the wildfires pose, other news from the region has also struck a chord with people around the world. Stan Lee, creator and mastermind of Marvel Comics and its litany of superhero movies, passed away in Los Angeles on Monday at the age of ninety-five.

For the better part of six decades, he captivated the minds of children and adults alike through iconic figures such as Iron Man, Spiderman, the Hulk, and Thor. He pushed boundaries with characters like the Black Panther and took people on adventures across space alongside the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Yet, the popularity of his comics and movies has as much to do with our society as his creativity. Whether it was the environment of the Vietnam War, the ever-present threat of terrorism following 9/11, the rampant cultural animosity of the last decade, or the litany of other events–like the California wildfires–that remind us that this world is a fallen place, people have often looked for a way to escape, even if only for a brief time.

But is that the correct response?

Killing our dragons

1. K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

Most people are fully aware of the dragons lurking around the corners of our lives. In fact, for many, the dragons seem so universally present that the hard part is finding a small corner where they don’t exist. This sort of escapism is often our natural response when the events of this life threaten to overwhelm us. After all, when was the last time you clicked over to your favorite news site and did not have to seek out something positive within the mass of negative stories?

Now, imagine what that would be like if you lived without the promise that God had already defeated your dragons (John 16:33; Revelation 20:10). If the only hope you had in this world was that you, or some other fallen and flawed creature just like you, could come in and save the day, then perhaps you too would spend a bit more time around superheroes.

Fortunately, that’s not the case for us, and it doesn’t have to be the case for anyone else either.

Embracing your story

Throughout the gospels, whenever Jesus helped someone in their time of need, their immediate response was to go and tell others about what he’d done for them. Even when he instructed them to remain silent and tell no one, as with the leper in Mark 1 or the deaf and mute man in Mark 7, they couldn’t help but share their experience with the Savior to anyone who would listen.

That we are called to do the same is not a new concept for most of us. However, that we know we should tell others about Jesus but often don’t perhaps indicates that we’ve forgotten what a good story we really have to tell. I think one of the main reasons is that we’ve failed to make Christ’s story our own.

The people in Scripture who did the most for God were the ones who lived every day with an acute awareness of what he’d already done for them. Their sense of joy and gratitude to the Lord knew no end, and so their ministry didn’t either.

Have we forgotten our story?

The best superhero story ever told

Ultimately, there is nothing wrong with enjoying superheroes or escaping for a couple of hours to watch a fun movie. Not all distractions are a bad thing, and sometimes it does genuinely help to forget about our troubles for a time. But when we re-enter the real world, will we be like those living without hope, or will we model something better? Will they see in us the promise that a real Savior has come and offers the salvation for which their souls yearn?

The gospel is the best superhero story ever written, even more so because it’s true and the person he came to save is you.

That’s a story our culture could really use right now. Will you share it with them?

Denison Forum

“Take my ribs, Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” This is how many across the nation have responded to the news that the longtime Supreme Court justice fell in her office Wednesday evening, breaking three ribs. Others have been less charitable.

Justice Ginsburg is a metaphor for American culture. How you reacted to the news of her accident likely reveals your position on today’s highly partisan political spectrum.

“A flaming feminist litigator”

Justice Ginsburg was one of nine women in her class at Harvard Law School. She was the first woman to become a tenured professor at Columbia University Law School and the co-founder of the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU. As the leader of this project, she successfully argued six landmark cases before the Supreme Court.

President Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court in 1993; the Senate confirmed her by a ninety-six to three vote. Since that time, she has gained a reputation for personal fortitude. She has yet to miss a day of oral arguments, even while undergoing chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, recovering from surgery for colon cancer, and grieving the death of her husband in 2010.

Ginsburg has become a “liberal icon” who describes herself as “a flaming feminist litigator.” Her criticism of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign drew applause from his critics and censure from his supporters.

One of the gravest challenges we face

It is tempting to view today’s polarization of the Supreme Court as a necessary reflection of the polarization of our nation. Since we are divided between “red” and “blue” states, rural and urban, liberals and conservatives, it seems fitting that our justices reflect such division. And it seems appropriate that the president should be able to make judicial nominations consistent with his political position since he was elected by the will of the people.

Continue reading Denison Forum – “Liberal icon” fractures 3 ribs in fall →

It took Pete Davidson twenty-five seconds to offend millions of Americans. The Saturday Night Live “comedian” was making fun of political candidates last weekend when he came to Dan Crenshaw, a Republican candidate for Congress from Texas.

Crenshaw is a former Navy SEAL who served five deployments overseas. In 2012, he was hit by an IED blast in Afghanistan. His right eye was destroyed in the blast and his left eye was severely damaged.

After several difficult surgeries, Lieutenant Commander Crenshaw eventually regained sight in his left eye. He deployed twice more, to the Middle East in 2014 and South Korea in 2016.

He was medically retired in September 2016 after ten years in the SEAL Teams. He was decorated with two Bronze Stars (one for Valor), the Purple Heart, and the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor. He then completed his master’s degree in Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He is now running for Congress in the Houston district where he grew up.

Davidson, commenting on the patch Crenshaw wears over his damaged right eye, made a remark about the veteran that is so offensive I won’t repeat it here. Crenshaw replied on Twitter: “Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Comedian ridicules wounded veteran →

Asia Bibi is a Pakistani wife and mother of five. She and her family were the only Christians in their village. Her fellow workers repeatedly urged her to convert to Islam.

In June 2009, she was harvesting berries with a group of other farmhands. She was asked to fetch water from a nearby well and stopped to drink with an old metal cup she found near the well. A Muslim neighbor angrily told her it was forbidden for a Christian to drink from a utensil used by Muslims. The woman condemned her faith and ridiculed her Lord.

Asia responded: “I believe in my religion and in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. What did your Prophet Mohammed ever do to save mankind? And why should it be me that converts instead of you?”

Five days later, she and her family were beaten by a mob, then she was arrested for blasphemy. In November 2010, she was convicted and sentenced to death by hanging. She was put in solitary confinement while her husband appealed her conviction. Her family was threatened with death and forced to flee their village.

A Pakistani governor who supported her was assassinated; a government official who worked for her release was shot to death.

On Wednesday, the Pakistani Supreme Court acquitted Asia Bibi of blasphemy charges. However, protesters immediately took to the streets and the leaders of one Islamic group called for the judges to be killed. Roads, schools, and phone services were shut down in most parts of Pakistan today as protests continued across the country.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Meet a modern-day faith hero →

I voted in the midterm elections yesterday.

I’m not going to tell you what candidates I supported–this ministry is intentionally as nonpartisan as possible, hoping to reach people of any and all political persuasions.

Rather, I’m writing to tell you how it felt to vote.

This is the twenty-first time I’ve voted in a presidential or midterm election, but this one felt different. In the midst of the most virulent political animosity I can remember, I walked out of the voting precinct with an overwhelming sense of gratitude to be an American.

I felt gratitude for our founders–they risked everything to fight the most powerful nation on earth in defense of an idea and a new nation. I felt enormous gratitude for the soldiers who have served and died for my freedom.

I felt gratitude for those who defend and protect us today. I felt gratitude for the women and men who love their country enough to run for office. I felt gratitude for all those who serve to make our political system work. And I felt gratitude to be an American.

Courage changes culture

On this All Saints’ Day, when Christians around the world remember the faith heroes who have gone before us, I’d like to explore with you this fact: courage changes culture.

Abraham left his home to follow God to a promised land. Moses confronted Pharaoh, the most powerful man on earth. Joshua and his people stepped into a flooded Jordan River. David faced Goliath. Galilean fishermen left their vocations to follow Jesus. Peter preached to the Sanhedrin. Paul testified before kings.

It takes courage to change the status quo. Friedrich Nietzsche was right: the “will to power” is the dominant drive in our fallen human nature. People who have achieved power will typically do anything to keep it. And those who seek power will do anything to achieve it.

Warren Bennis, the brilliant management scholar, observed that an “unconscious conspiracy” exists in every organization. Its purpose is to maintain the status quo for the future benefits of current participants. I have seen this “conspiracy” at work in every church, school, and organization I have served.

Continue reading Denison Forum – How I felt when I voted yesterday →

A town has changed its name to “Hauntington” at the urging of a seven-year-old.

Second grader Angelica Dee Cunningham wrote to the town council of Huntington, New York, suggesting that they make the switch for Halloween. To her surprise, they agreed.

Their decision may be a parable for our culture today.

Americans are not unique in celebrating Halloween. Romania has a Day of Dracula; Japan stages a giant parade; children in the Philippines go door to door to ask for prayers for those in Purgatory.

Nor do we devote more time and money to Halloween than other holidays. We will spend $9 billion this year on costumes, candy, and decorations. However, our Halloween spending pales in comparison to our spending on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, and Christmas.

Nonetheless, I believe Halloween may reveal more about American culture than any other holiday. Here’s why.

How many Americans will participate in Halloween?

“Halloween” is a contraction of “All Hallows’ Eve,” the evening before All Saints’ Day. Tomorrow, the Catholic Church will focus on the saints of the Church. This tradition began in AD 609 and encourages participants to remember and emulate the heroes of the faith.

Tonight, by contrast, the focus will be strikingly different. Fifteen million American adults will dress in costumes; witches are most popular, followed by vampires, zombies, and pirates. If your neighborhood is anything like mine, you’ve been haunted by ghosts, skeletons, and dragons for weeks.

Some 69 percent of Americans plan to participate in Halloween today. Since that is three times the percentage of Catholics in America, it is clear that far more people will observe Halloween than All Saints’ Day.

What two mistakes do we make about the devil?

My point transcends popularity, however. How much time do Americans really focus on being thankful at Thanksgiving? How much attention do we really give Jesus on Christmas Day?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Do you live in “Hauntington”? →

Judah Samet was rescued from Germany’s Bergen-Belsen concentration camp seventy years ago. He survived Saturday’s attack on his synagogue in Pittsburgh because he was running late.

Born in Hungary, Samet was six years old when his family of six was put on a train to Auschwitz. The route was blocked, so their train was eventually redirected to Bergen-Belsen.

An estimated fifty thousand people died in this camp, including Anne Frank. Samet’s family was eventually put aboard a train intended for another concentration camp, but they were liberated by American troops before reaching their destination.

Samet eventually made his way to Pittsburgh, where he owns a jewelry shop. Last Saturday, he was talking to his housekeeper and was four minutes late to Shabbat services. He entered the parking lot and was pulling into a handicapped spot when gunfire erupted. He was in the line of fire but wasn’t hit.

Two beloved brothers will be buried together

David and Cecil Rosenthal were not as fortunate.

The brothers had Fragile X syndrome, a genetic disorder that often results in mild to moderate intellectual challenges. The two were developmentally disabled and lived together.

Cecil loved to greet people at the door of the synagogue before services. A friend called his laugh “infectious.” He added that “David was so kind and had such a gentle spirit.” They were two of eleven killed at their synagogue last Saturday. Their funerals are today.

The Pittsburgh shooting is unfortunately not the only tragedy in today’s news.

A student was shot dead yesterday at Butler High School in Matthews, North Carolina. Indonesian officials are searching for clues after a jetliner crashed into the Java Sea yesterday, likely killing all 189 passengers and crew. Seven people were shot and wounded early yesterday morning during a Halloween party at a Southern California nightclub.

But I want to focus this morning on the synagogue shooting for three important reasons.

One: We must fight the rise of anti-Semitism.

I returned Saturday from spending three weeks in Israel. One of the topics I discussed with my Israeli friends was the global threat of anti-Semitism.

More than a third of the global Jewish population was murdered in the Holocaust. Three wars and multiple armed conflicts since the 1948 founding of Israel have made security issues a daily recurrence for them.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Holocaust survivor escaped death in Pittsburgh   →

Please read these names slowly: Bernice and Sylvan Simon, brothers Cecil and David Rosenthal, Rose Mallinger, Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Jerry Rabinowitz, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger.

Their lives were taken from them Saturday morning as they gathered to worship at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Some 2,500 people gathered yesterday at a memorial service for them, responding to what the mayor called “the darkest hour in our city’s history.” Robert Bowers, the man accused of killing them in a shooting rampage, is due in court today.

Three hate crimes in one week

This was the third hate crime in America last week.

Last Wednesday, Gregory Bush allegedly tried to enter a predominantly black church in Jeffersontown, Kentucky, just outside of Louisville. The doors were locked, so he went to a nearby Kroger store, where he allegedly killed two people, both African-American.

The first victim was Maurice Stallard, age sixty-nine, who was with his twelve-year-old grandson buying a poster board for a school project. The second was Vickie Jones, age sixty-seven, who was killed in the parking lot as Bush left. Bush has a history of mental illness and made racist threats in the past.

On Friday, a fifty-six-year-old Florida man named Cesar Sayoc was arrested after federal authorities said he mailed a total of fourteen packages containing pipe bombs. He was known for condemning Democratic Party leaders on social media.

The next day, eleven people were killed and six others injured (including four police officers) when a man shouting anti-Semitic slurs opened fire inside the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. According to a federal law enforcement official, the alleged gunman had frequently posted his hatred for Jews on social media.

Continue reading Denison Forum – “The darkest hour in our city’s history” →

“Basically, it’s all about causing suffering. And we intend to make Kavanaugh suffer.” This is how Dakota Bracciale explains her plans to host a ritual tomorrow to hex the newest Supreme Court justice.

Bracciale is co-owner of Catland Books, a self-described “metaphysical boutique and occult bookshop.” Her store in Brooklyn, New York, has already hosted three hexes on President Trump. The event is also a fundraiser, with proceeds to benefit Planned Parenthood and a center for homeless LGBTQ youths.

Bracciale says the event has sold out. However, that’s only about sixty people who will be in attendance. Thousands more will participate on Facebook.

The coven of witches will conduct a ritual including effigies, coffin nails, graveyard dirt, and a spell. They are planning a second “Ritual to Hex Brett Kavanaugh” for November 3.

The “Bind Kavanaugh” spell

Tomorrow’s event will not be the first time Justice Kavanaugh’s opponents have attempted to use magic against him.

In a “Bind Kavanaugh” spell performed before the Senate voted to confirm him, a group calling itself the Magic Resistance lit a white candle, symbolizing justice and purity. Then they placed the Justice tarot card adjacent to it on an altar and wrapped a black thread around a paper doll, symbolizing Kavanaugh, to bind him. Practitioners were urged to chant the names of his known accusers, binding him “in the name of” those they believed he had wronged.

The fact that Justice Kavanaugh was confirmed despite their efforts did not deter the “Bind Kavanaugh” participants. Their leader explains: “We need to do things to counter . . . despair and hopelessness. Ritual is powerful in that respect. Putting aside questions of its efficacy, it absolutely works in transforming consciousness and empowering those who do it.”

Bracciale agrees, stating that witchcraft has historically been an outlet for oppressed people to “take matters in their own hands.”

“Not as I will, but as you will”

This is exactly what Satan wants us to do.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Witches will hex Justice Kavanaugh tomorrow →

Jamal Khashoggi, a famous journalist and critic of Saudi Arabia’s leadership, walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to obtain some documents. He has not been seen since.

His fiancée is afraid he has been kidnapped or killed. Turkish authorities claim to have evidence that he was tortured and murdered by Saudi agents. Saudi officials insist he left the consulate shortly after arriving.

Let’s survey what we know this morning, then we’ll explore the reasons why his disappearance is so significant to the Middle East and to the West.

Who is Jamal Khashoggi?

Jamal Khashoggi was born in Medina in 1958. His grandfather was the personal physician of King Abdulaziz Al Saud, the founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His cousin, Dodi Fayed, was dating Princess Diana when the two were killed in 1997.

A longtime critic of the Saudi government, he relocated to the US in 2017 and began writing for the Washington Post. He founded a new political party this year directly opposing the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

On the afternoon of October 2, he went inside the main entrance of the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to obtain a document proving he was divorced. He could then marry his fiancée, a Turkish citizen, who waited outside. After he did not come back out, she reported him missing. The Saudi government claims he left the consulate through a back entrance.

What happened to Khashoggi?

CNN reported on Monday that the Saudis were preparing a statement acknowledging that Khashoggi’s death was the result of an interrogation gone wrong. According to CNN’s sources, the interrogation was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey. The report would likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and that those involved will be held responsible.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why a journalist’s disappearance is globally significant →

Steven Clary and his friends were ecstatic at halftime of the 2017 Super Bowl: his Atlanta Falcons were up 28-3 over New England. By the time the Patriots came back to defeat his team, he was in the hospital with chest pain.

A study published last year suggests that the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat can substantially affect the cardiovascular system. Heart rates peak most often during scoring opportunities and overtime.

September and October are the only months when you can watch baseball, basketball, hockey, and football. But our fixation with athletics is not confined to this season of the year: Americans spend $100 billion on sports each year.

According to a Barna study, 64 percent of Americans think pro athletes have more influence in society than pastors. We commonly refer to “idolizing” sports figures and other celebrities. Perhaps we’re more right than we know.

The sin at the heart of all sins

I have a wooden idol on one of the shelves in my library. I purchased it nearly forty years ago when I was a missionary in East Malaysia. It is a hand-carved image of a bird with a large beak. I was told that some of the natives viewed it as a nature god.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Is your sports team killing you? →

The BibleWalk Museum in Mansfield, Ohio, is a collection of more than three hundred wax figures. Its guided tours include the Miracles of the Old Testament, the Life of Christ, the Heart of the Reformation, the Museum of Christian Martyrs, and Amazing Grace–The Journeys of Paul. There’s also a “Dinner with Grace,” a Bible-themed dinner theater on the property.

Many of the museum’s wax figures come from closed wax museums around the country or were bought from manufacturers that had a surplus. Some were celebrities in their previous lives.

For instance, a wax figure of Prince Charles is now Abel, the murdered brother of Cain. A wax figure of Prince Philip serves as an angel. Elizabeth Taylor is in the King Solomon scene, apparently playing the Queen of Sheba. Steve McQueen and John Travolta have roles as well; Tom Cruise has been recast as Jesus.

Journalists and comedians have made fun of the museum for reusing celebrity figures. However, director Julie Mott-Hardin sees a larger purpose behind the publicity they have received: “Deep down, we believe that God sends each person here, so I want to make sure–as much as it’s in me–that they’re getting out of their experience here everything that God wanted them to get.”

Pastor Brunson returns home

Our post-Christian society is looking for significance in the wrong places. We focus on the celebrities in our culture and miss the ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things in God’s power for God’s glory.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why has Tom Cruise been recast as Jesus? →

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is expecting her first child with Prince Harry, according to an announcement by Kensington Palace this morning. The palace said the baby is expected in the spring of 2019.

The news was announced as the couple began a tour of Australia, their first official tour since their marriage. Their baby will be seventh in line to the throne.

Why is a royal baby so special?

UNICEF estimates that 353,000 babies are born each day around the world. What makes a royal baby so special?

Prince George was born on July 22, 2013. The next evening, he was presented to “the biggest media circus in royal history.” Hundreds of TV crews and reporters lined up for almost a month outside the hospital where his mother gave birth.

When Princess Charlotte was carried out of the hospital, the receiving blanket in which she was wrapped sold out within minutes. Its brand monitored 100,000 people from 183 countries visiting their website in less than twenty-four hours. When Prince George greeted President Obama at Kensington Palace in 2016, the clothes he was wearing sold out in minutes as well.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Meghan Markle, Prince Harry expecting first child →

Last weekend, Michael was a tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean. It was barely a hurricane Tuesday morning, with winds of ninety miles per hour. As the Associated Press reports, “a little over a day later, it had transformed into a monster.” Its wind speed increased 72 percent in less than thirty-three hours.

“Storms are known to do this, but normally we see this happening when it’s away from land,” according to a University of Florida climatologist. “What’s unusual is that it’s happening so close to land.”

The Atlantic now ranks it as “among the most ferocious land-falling hurricanes in American history.” The Washington Post agreed, describing Michael as “one of the most intense hurricanes to ever hit the United States.” It moved toward Georgia and Alabama by evening, becoming the first Category 3 storm to hit Georgia since 1898.

We have developed the most advanced meteorological technology known to humanity. Hurricane experts use satellites, buoys, and aircraft flown into the developing storm. They combine data from various predictive models.

But our best scientific instruments are no match for nature. This week’s devastation is another reminder that our world is more unpredictable and ungovernable than we wish to admit.

It is human nature to believe in the permanence of the present and to assume an even better future. But there’s only one way to face tomorrow with guaranteed hope.

Why did the religious authorities reject Jesus?

Have you ever wondered how the religious authorities could reject the teachings of the Son of God? Or how such astute theological minds could miss the truth of his revelation, while Galilean fishermen and common crowds heard him with grateful appreciation?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Hurricane Michael: Finding hope in disaster →

The big news this morning is Nikki Haley’s decision to resign as US Ambassador to the United Nations. She reportedly suggested the idea to President Trump six months ago and plans to make her resignation effective at the end of the year.

Why is she leaving a position of such influence?

“It’s been eight years of intense time”

The president was effusive in his praise: “She’s done a fantastic job and we’ve done a fantastic job together. We’ve solved a lot of problems and we’re in the process of solving a lot of problems.”

However, skeptics immediately began speculating about the “real reasons” for Ambassador Haley’s decision. While some have pointed to the possibility that she might run for president in 2020, she stated clearly: “I can promise you what I’ll be doing is campaigning for this one [pointing to President Trump].”

Others are suggesting that her role has become limited since John Bolton took over as national security adviser. Critics have questioned her use of private airplanes last year. And some wonder if financial considerations were a factor since she has one child in college and another headed there soon.

Ambassador Haley’s explanation is simple: “It’s been eight years of intense time,” referring to her tenure as governor of South Carolina prior to joining the administration. She wants the president to have “the strongest person to fight” and believes “it’s good to rotate in other people who can put that same energy and power into it.”

It’s worth noting that her two-year tenure is exactly the average for a UN ambassador: Since the position was created in 1946, there have been thirty-six people to hold the office.

Hurricane Michael and political storms

In other news, Hurricane Michael is expected to make landfall over the Florida Panhandle later today. Forecasters predict “a dangerous storm surge, flooding rainfall and damaging winds.” Total damage and economic impact in the US could approach $15 billion.

In this day of heightened political tensions, we should not be surprised that the approaching storm is sparking political storms as well. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who is running for the US Senate, may see his favorability ratings rise as he responds to the natural disaster. Skeptics are already claiming that his hands-on response to the pending tragedy is politically motivated.

In addition, the Democratic nominee for governor pulled his TV spots from media markets set to be impacted by the storm, while his Republican opponent did not. Now both sides are accusing the other of using the storm for political purposes.

“Absolute power corrupts absolutely”

Why are we so quick to ascribe political motives to political leaders? One reason is that we’re so often right when we do.

Lord Acton, a prominent British historian, famously remarked: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority. . . . There is no worse heresy than that the office sanctifies the holder of it.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why did Nikki Haley resign as UN Ambassador? →

I haven’t seen this much cardboard since our family moved to Dallas twenty years ago. Like millions of Americans, our home is the regular destination of brown boxes adorned with smiling logos. What was once a simple online bookseller is fast becoming the most ubiquitous company in the world.

CNN Business tells the story of Amazon’s astounding rise to global dominance. The company seemingly sells everything a consumer can buy, from electronic readers to home security systems to groceries. While there are genuine concerns about the demise of traditional retailers, Amazon’s business model is clearly in the ascent.

One sentence explains their success.

What I learned about America in Cuba

Jeff Bezos, now the world’s richest man, told an Economic Club of Washington dinner last September: “The number one thing that has made us successful, by far, is obsessive-compulsive focus on the customer as opposed to obsession over the competitor.”

This is a fascinating window into our culture. Why does such a customer-centric business model work so well? Consider two factors, both of which relate directly to churches today.

One: Americans are conditioned to think like consumers.

As Bezos notes, we will always want low prices, fast delivery, and large selection. And we will reward companies that deliver them to us. Likewise, churches that tell us what we want to hear will gain a hearing today.

I have discovered that it is not so everywhere. In my frequent travels to Cuba, I have witnessed Christians taking stands for Christ that lead to economic deprivation and government oppression. I have met Muslims who converted to Christianity at the risk of their jobs and even their lives. I know of pastors in China who preach the gospel while facing government censure and worse.

Two: Our culture is more cocooned than ever.

Shopping in a mall is a communal experience, as is attending a movie in a theater, a concert in a music hall, and a worship service in a church building.

Continue reading Denison Forum – What Amazon’s empire says about your soul →