“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else” (C. S. Lewis).

NASA launched a spacecraft yesterday that will get seven times closer to the sun than previous spacecraft. One NASA scientist called it a mission to “touch the sun.”

The Parker Solar Probe will cover 96 percent of the 93 million miles between us and our closest star. It will make twenty-four close approaches to the sun over the next seven years.

We’re obviously interested in the sun since life on our planet depends on it. But frankly, our sun is nothing special in the larger universe. While it would take one million Earths to fill it, the sun is just average compared to other stars in our galaxy. Betelgeuse, for instance, is about seven hundred times bigger and about 14,000 times brighter.

In total, scientists estimate that there are one billion trillion stars in the known universe. And God “gives to all of them their names” (Psalm 147:4).

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). How is this declaration in the heavens relevant to the hard choices we must make on earth?

The true test of faith

It’s easy to obey God when we understand why we should. The test of faith comes when we are called to step beyond what we understand or even want to be true.

Continue reading Denison Forum – A “mission to touch the sun” →

“The time has come to establish the United States Space Force.” With this announcement, Vice President Mike Pence told an audience at the Pentagon yesterday that the US must “meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield.”

By year’s end, the White House intends to create a US Space Command led by a four-star general. It would eventually establish a “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the US military.

For years, members of Congress and military leaders have been warning that space is a warfighting domain in need of more attention and resources. The Pentagon’s satellites are already used for missile-defense warnings, guiding precision munitions, and providing communications and reconnaissance.

Russia and China have made significant advances in militarizing space. Vice President Pence cited our adversaries’ advancements in developing hypersonic missiles which can travel up to five miles per second and evade our missile warning systems.

“America will always seek peace, in space as on earth,” he stated. “But history proves that peace only comes through strength. And in the realm of outer space, the United States Space Force will be that strength.”

Your life in the year 2000

Geopolitical analyst George Friedman has been predicting for years that World War III would begin in space. He notes, “It seems like science fiction, but one wonders how somebody in 1900 would have felt about a description of what World War II was going to be like.”

Consider our way of life just eighteen years ago.

When the new millennium arrived, you were awakened by a clock radio (iPhones did not exist for another seven years). There were no social media apps (they now cost us five hours a day). Weekday newspaper circulation was estimated at nearly fifty-six million (it’s down to thirty-one million now).

Continue reading Denison Forum – The “Space Force” and the protection of God →

The Mendocino Complex fire in California is now the largest in the state’s history. As of this morning, it has burned more than 292,000 acres. For comparison: the fire is nearly double the size of Chicago and more than triple the size of Philadelphia, Detroit, Portland, and Atlanta.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire, which started on July 27.

There is no such uncertainty with the Carr Fire, which has destroyed nearly two thousand structures and claimed seven lives. The fire started when a tire failed on a trailer, causing its rim to scrape the asphalt. With the heat and extreme drought in the area, that’s all it took to start a tragic inferno.

Rick Gates and Prince Harry

God’s word notes: “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!” (James 3:5). We are seeing this principle at work across today’s news.

Rick Gates was an intern when he first met Paul Manafort. Now Mr. Gates is the prosecution’s star witness in its case against Mr. Manafort on tax and bank fraud charges.

Two drones rigged with explosives detonated near Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro last Saturday. Security experts warn that such attacks are difficult for conventional armies to defend against and are likely to increase.

In more trivial news, Prince Harry is making headlines for the wrong reason. He and Meghan Markle attended a wedding over the weekend, where he was spotted wearing a shoe with a hole in its sole. The story made Time magazine.

The myth of “small” sins

There is a principle at work here, one our culture typically devalues.

According to Gallup, more Americans than ever before consider divorce, sex between an unmarried man and woman, gay or lesbian relations, having a baby outside of marriage, doctor-assisted suicide, and pornography to be acceptable.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The surprising cause of California wildfire →

Bill Hybels is making headlines again. The New York Times tells the story of a woman who worked as his personal assistant at Willow Creek Community Church. She is now describing multiple occasions in which he behaved toward her in extremely inappropriate ways I will not describe here.

Hybels denies her allegations. “I never had an inappropriate physical or emotional relationship with her before that time, during that time or after that time,” he stated in an email to the Times. He has already taken early retirement following other allegations of misconduct. Ten women in total have now made such accusations.

Willow Creek’s elders have stated: “We now believe Bill entered into areas of sin related to the allegations that have been brought forth.” Yesterday, the church announced that it plans to launch a new independent investigation into the charges against Hybels.

After Hybels took early retirement, Steve Carter became Lead Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek last October. He resigned his position on Sunday, stating that he and church elders disagree about ways the church can move forward. “I cannot, in good conscience, appear before you as your Lead Teaching Pastor when my soul is so at odds with the institution,” he wrote in a letter to the congregation.

The personal assistant making the latest allegations against Hybels worked with him some thirty years ago. Whether we believe he is guilty or not, we should take note of this fact: the public consequences of personal sin can come to light years after the sin is committed.

A satanic strategy

Satan loves to tempt us to sin, then use the consequences of our sins against us. But he wants these consequences to devastate us and the people of God as much as possible.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Bill Hybels and the illusion of “private” sin →

It seems I could comment on celebrity news every morning.

For instance, Patrick Stewart “stunned” fans with his weekend announcement that he will play Captain Jean-Luc Picard in a new Star Trek series. Russia has named US actor Steven Seagal its special representative for Russian-US humanitarian ties.

And two elderly men in Germany escaped their nursing home to attend a heavy metal rock concert. They were eventually discovered and escorted from the festival.

We might think tonight’s Bachelorette live finale fits into the same category–amusing but less than relevant to real life. Here’s why we’d be wrong.

Contestant shamed for his virginity

The Bachelorette has been on television for fifteen years. You probably know the premise: A woman is presented with a group of men who want to marry her. Various dates and activities narrow the group down to a final three contestants.

She then spends time in the “Fantasy Suite” with each of them, no cameras allowed. She usually has sex with each of the three men. (I will not link to articles explaining this fact since they are explicit.)

The “Bachelorette” then narrows the group to the final two and chooses the winner in the finale.

So much is wrong with this show. The idea that people could choose their life partner on the basis of contrived events in front of cameras is implausible in the extreme. (The Bachelor, which began in 2002, has produced only one couple that is still together. Only six couples from The Bachelorette are still together.)

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why “The Bachelorette” is such a bad idea →

Daisy-May Demetre was born with underdeveloped fibular bones in both legs. Her parents chose to have her legs amputated below the knee. After being fitted with prosthetics, she can walk, run, and jump and is an avid gymnast.

She is also a model.

Daisy-May has appeared on the catwalk at London Fashion Week. Now the seven-year-old has been awarded a contract with British fashion brand River Island. The company explained: “We required a model who has lots of energy and who looked great in activewear. Daisy-May Demetre fitted this brief perfectly.”

Her parents aren’t shocked that their daughter is inspiring so many people. Her father explained: “The support we get through Instagram from other disabled and non-disabled people is what we are about–helping to put smiles on faces and inspire people to push and follow their dreams.”

Woods and Mickelson will play for $10 million

Material success can be used for significant purposes.

Consider yesterday’s announcement that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will play a $10-million showdown match Thanksgiving weekend. The two golfing legends will compete against each other in the Las Vegas area on November 23 or 24.

They hope the match starts a series of events of a similar nature, pitting people or teams against one another with a high purse at stake.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Double amputee wins modeling contract →

Keith King sued Francisco Huizar III for “alienation of affection,” among other complaints, after Huizar had an affair with King’s wife. King filed his lawsuit in North Carolina, one of a few states where a person can sue another person for breaking up his or her marriage.

A North Carolina judge has now ruled that Huizar should pay $8.8 million. He plans to appeal.

Meanwhile, CBS executive Leslie Moonves stands to lose as much as $300 million if the network cancels his contract. Six women are alleging that they were sexually harassed by Moonves over the years.

In other news, several states joined efforts yesterday to block a Texas man from offering instructions online for making plastic guns using 3-D printers. However, CNN reports today that more than a thousand people have already downloaded plans to print an AR-15-style assault rifle.

The weapons could never be traced if used in a crime since they have no serial number. They could slip more easily through metal detectors and would enable criminals to circumvent background checks.

What do these stories have in common? The power of words.

Words can be miraculous

Emily Dickinson: “I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Marital affair could cost man nearly $9 million →

Adam Jobbers-Miller grew up in Wayne, New Jersey, the son of a fireman. He served as a volunteer fireman with his father before he was hired as a police officer in Fort Myers, Florida.

Jobbers-Miller was shot in the head on July 21 while responding to a report of a gunman at a gas station. He underwent surgery but died of his injuries a week later.

It takes tremendous courage to risk one’s life as a firefighter or a police officer. Jobbers-Miller did both.

In other news, the remains of Capt. Lawrence Dickson have been identified. He was the first of more than two dozen black aviators known as Tuskegee Airmen who went missing in action during World War II. Dickson was twenty-four when he went down on a mission over Austria on December 23, 1944.

Meanwhile, remains believed to be those of fifty-five American servicemen were flown out of North Korea on Friday. “These incredible American heroes will soon lay at rest on sacred American soil,” President Trump said.

A fifty-fifty chance of survival

It takes courage to do a hard thing that others will not do. If it were easy, it would already be done.

Rocket Men is Robert Kurson’s bestselling story of the Apollo 8 space mission. I was gripped by the book from start to finish. Kurson timed his narrative for the fiftieth anniversary of the first manned mission to leave Earth’s orbit, reach the Moon, orbit it, and return to Earth safely.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Fireman turned policeman dies at 29 →

You have almost survived “Shark Week.” The Discovery Channel phenomenon began in 1988. This year’s installment ends Sunday.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal hosted this year in part to overcome his fear of sharks. Producers had to build a larger-than-usual cage for him. They included extra-large windows for better visibility. As a result, a small shark squeezed through the bars and into the cage.

This was a first in the show’s thirty-year history.

The team behind the camera was able to get Shaq out of the cage quickly. One of the show’s producers said, “Shaq hasn’t moved that fast since he was in the NBA.”

If you find yourself in a similar situation but without a cage or television personnel to help, what should you do? Jimi Partington, one of the world’s leading great white shark experts, has some advice. In essence: fight back.

If a shark attacks you, you must convince it that you’re not its usual food. You do this, not by swimming away (this will mimic its typical prey and probably encourage an attack), but by standing your ground. Partington says to “go for the eyes and the gills, as these are the most sensitive areas of the shark.” You can also strike the shark on the nose.

The article concludes: “It’s best to be dominant, be confident and, in most cases, the shark will swim away. That might be hard to do in that scenario, but it could save your life.”

Mark Zuckerberg lost $15.1 billion in five minutes Continue reading Denison Forum – How to survive a shark attack →

Donald Trump was given a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame in 2007. In recent years, his star has been defaced several times.

The latest attack came yesterday morning when a man removed a pickax from a guitar case and smashed the red marble marker bearing the president’s name. Police arrested a twenty-four-year-old man named Austin Clay, who did not reveal a motive for the alleged vandalism.

In other news, a soccer player named Jaelene Hinkle was cut from Team USA before its upcoming tournament. The story is making headlines because Hinkle, a devout Christian, declined to play on the national team last year. Her reason: the US wore rainbow-colored numbers on their jerseys to celebrate Pride Month, a position her faith and conscience could not support.

On July 18, she received a call-up to the national team. LGBTQ advocates were outraged. Then she was cut five days later. Even her critics call her the best player in the league at her position. Now many are wondering if she was cut because of her religious beliefs.

In better news, US pastor Andrew Brunson has been released from prison in Turkey. However, he is still under house arrest and faces up to thirty-five years in prison.

Learning from Robert E. Lee

If you’re looking for stories about personal attacks, you can find them every day in the news. If you’re looking for the best way to respond to such hostility, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Trump’s Hollywood star defaced again →

A three-year-old boy in a stroller was the victim of an acid attack in England last Saturday. The child suffered serious burns to his arms and face when a corrosive liquid was thrown or sprayed on him. Five men have been arrested in connection with the crime.

The boy was discharged from the hospital on Sunday, but police said his long-term prognosis is not known. Authorities believe the child was targeted as part of a wider community dispute. He and his mother have been placed under police protection.

In other news, Pepperidge Farms has recalled three million units of its Goldfish Crackers because of fears they could contain salmonella. The products were distributed in the US; no illnesses have been reported.

The same cannot be said of McDonald’s. A parasite in their salads has turned up across nine states, sickening 163 people and hospitalizing three. You may already be infected—it usually takes about a week after the infection for symptoms to occur.

Meanwhile, Ritz is recalling Ritz Bits and cracker sandwiches over fears of potential salmonella contamination. And we were warned this month not to eat Kellogg’s Honey Smacks after the cereal was linked to a salmonella outbreak spanning thirty-three states.

Enslaved to the devil?

Can you think of any place on our fallen planet that is truly safe? As of this morning, wildfires in Greece have killed at least seventy-nine people. Flooding today could impact more than thirty million people from North Carolina to central New York.

A bombing in Pakistan left thirty-one people dead this morning. There have been more than two hundred shootings in Toronto so far this year. Salads, crackers, and cereal can sicken us. Every day brings new reminders of our mortality.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why was 3-year-old attacked with acid? →

Tim Tebow is one of the best-known Christians in America. A Heisman Trophy winner and two-time national champion at the University of Florida, he quarterbacked the Denver Broncos to the second round of the NFL playoffs before stints with the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

Next, he turned his attention to baseball, a game he hadn’t played since high school. He made his minor league’s all-star game this year; fans were hoping the New York Mets would call him up to the major leagues. Then he broke a bone in his right hand and is expected to have season-ending surgery today.

Tebow has used sports as a platform for his passionate Christian faith. In response, skeptics have relentlessly mocked his sexual integrity and commitment to prayer and Scripture. Despite such ridicule, Tebow’s integrity has consistently glorified God and advanced his kingdom.

There’s a lesson here for us: if we want to serve our Lord in a skeptical culture, our lives must match our message.

Broken sprinkler heads

I was walking in our neighborhood recently and paused on a footbridge that spans a small stream. It is one of my favorite places to visit each morning.

On this occasion, however, my eye was drawn to a white styrofoam cup floating on the water. My frustration at someone’s negligence became the focus of my thoughts rather than the beauty of God’s creation.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Another setback for Tim Tebow →

Zyler and Kadyn Sharpe are three-year-old fraternal twins living in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Which is a boy, and which is a girl? According to their parents, that’s a question only the children can decide.

Nate and Julia Sharpe have kept their children’s biological sex a secret from their birth. They have not taught them to associate their body parts with being a boy or a girl. They are going to allow their children to determine their gender. Such children are known as “theybies.”

Other parents are making the opposite decision.

Model Chrissy Teigen and her husband, singer John Legend, made headlines when they announced that they had selected the sex of their unborn child. They used in vitro fertilization to become pregnant. This process creates embryos in the laboratory which are then implanted in the mother’s womb. Teigen and Legend asked doctors to select a female embryo for her to carry to term.

In related news, “sex-selective abortion” is now common around the world. When a couple learns that their unborn child is not the gender they wanted, they have the baby aborted. According to Newsweek, such abortions “are rife in the U.S.”

“You will be like God”

Letting a child choose his or her gender, choosing a child based on gender, and aborting a child based on gender are all symptoms of an underlying condition. At their heart, they succumb to the temptation, “You will be like God” (Genesis 3:5).

Continue reading Denison Forum – Boy or girl? Parents raising “theybies” →

Cody is a ten-year-old boxer-lab mix who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. His owner, Alex Karcher, discovered that Cody would take his medicines more easily if he eats them with Burger King cheeseburgers.

When Alex told a restaurant employee his story, the manager told him that their location would provide free cheeseburgers for Cody for the rest of his life. After Alex wrote a letter to express his gratitude, the official Burger King Twitter account responded: “The world needs more kindness and empathy. Thank you for giving us the chance to do this for Cody.”

“The power of positive people”

The New York Times recently carried a fascinating article titled, “The Power of Positive People.” The writer focuses on research indicating that our well-being is significantly influenced by the company we keep.

For instance, positive friendships are especially common in regions of the world where people live far longer than the average. Experts are now encouraging us to create intentional networks of friends who will help us build long-term supportive relationships.

We can certainly use more positivity in our lives today. Consider this story in the news: Young adults are drinking themselves to death.

According to a new report, deaths from cirrhosis—the late stages of liver damage—rose by 65 percent between 1999 and 2016. Deaths from liver cancer doubled. From 2009 to 2016, the greatest increase in death rate from cirrhosis was among people between the ages of twenty-five and thirty-four, and the major cause was alcohol.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Free cheeseburgers and the secret to positive living →

An ethics council in the United Kingdom has concluded that changing the DNA of a human embryo could be “morally permissible” if such changes are in the child’s best interests and do not create further inequalities in society.

This is a monumental and troubling announcement.

Embryonic genetic editing: the positives

Let’s begin with some background. In addition to my work at Denison Forum, I serve as the resident scholar for ethics with Baylor Scott & White Health. In this capacity, I am especially interested in the ethics of genetic medicine.

I have been following advances in genome-editing techniques that have made it possible to correct genetic defects in human embryos. Since inherited disorders affect millions of people around the world, such advances offer great potential.

According to the New York Times, one recently developed technique could conceivably apply to more than ten thousand conditions caused by specific inherited genetic mutations. This technique is relevant to certain breast and ovarian cancers and to diseases such as Huntington’s, Tay-Sachs, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, and some cases of early-onset Alzheimer’s.

Continue reading Denison Forum – UK ethics council decides altering human embryos is “morally permissible” →

New Orleans Saints defensive end Mitchell Loewen was eating brunch with his wife and son last Sunday afternoon in downtown New Orleans. Suddenly he heard what sounded like “a bomb or an earthquake.”

He and others ran outside to find a silver Mercedes SUV lying upside down in the middle of the street. It had just plummeted from the fourth floor of an adjacent garage building.

Loewen later told reporters, “There were a bunch of people standing around, but not approaching the car and I was like, ‘What’s up, let’s help this guy.’ I mean, obviously there was someone in there. I wasn’t going to just stand by and watch. It was a life or death situation.”

The football player called people to help, and together they flipped the car onto its side and then upright. Loewen wrenched the door open, ripping it off its hinges, and leaned into the car to speak with the driver.

“He didn’t say much, he was just thanking us all. I hugged him and told him he was going to be OK, and then I prayed with him,” Loewen said. Paramedics arrived and took the man to the hospital; a police spokesman said he is expected to survive.

“A world of wealth for an inch of time”

We live in a dangerous world in need of more heroes.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Pro football player rescues man trapped in car that plunged off parking garage →

Like millions of others, I watched the press conference between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. Then I watched reactions in the press, and it was as if there were two different events.

Fox News reports that the president is facing “harsh bipartisan criticism back home” from lawmakers who claimed he “missed a chance to ‘stand up’ to the Russian president on election meddling.” Sen. John McCain, R–Ariz., was especially critical, calling the president’s statements “one of the most disgraceful performances by an American president in memory.”

By contrast, several Republican leaders were supportive of Mr. Trump’s meeting with Mr. Putin. For instance, Sen. Rand Paul, R–Ken., called critics of President Trump’s approach to Russia “mistaken” and said, “We should look for ways to make the dialogue better.” He described the president’s critics as victims of “Trump derangement syndrome.”

Our “post-truth” culture

Oxford Dictionaries selected “post-truth” as its international word of the year in 2016. The decision seems appropriate in our relativistic culture.

For example, Episcopal Church leaders decided last week to allow same-sex couples to marry in their home parish, even if their local bishop objects morally to gay marriage. This despite objections from some bishops that such a move would force Episcopalians “to accept social and cultural practices that have no Biblical basis in Christian worship.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Trump–Putin press conference: “Disgraceful” or “Trump derangement syndrome”? →

When the World Cup began a month ago, Argentina was favored to defeat Brazil in the final. France was predicted to lose in the knockout stage; Croatia was not expected to get that far.

As half the world watched yesterday, France defeated Croatia to win the title.

Before Saturday morning, few people had heard of Angelique Kerber, while Serena Williams has been recognized as the greatest tennis player of all time. Then Kerber defeated Williams to win the Wimbledon championship.

This time last year, Novak Djokovic was out of tennis and dealing with an elbow injury that required surgery. Yesterday he won the men’s Wimbledon title in straight sets.

Now the world is watching as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin prepare for their summit in Helsinki, Finland. According to Fox News, the two are expected to discuss Russia’s role in the 2016 presidential election, Putin’s forcible annexation of Crimea, sanctions imposed by the US in response to that annexation, the conflict in Syria, and nuclear arms control.

However, it is impossible to predict what will actually come from their meeting.

Facing an unpredictable future

Continue reading Denison Forum – Trump–Putin summit begins: How to navigate volatile times →

While the globe is fixated on Sunday’s World Cup final in Moscow between France and Croatia, the world’s largest annual sporting event is taking place more than 1,600 miles to the west. According to organizers, 3.5 billion people in 190 countries tune in to watch the Tour de France each year. Twelve million roadside spectators will cheer the cyclists.

Britain’s Geraint Thomas is currently in second place, just three seconds off the lead. Prior to 2012, a British cyclist had not won the race since its inception in 1903. In the last six years, Great Britain has won the title five times.

What explains their extraordinary success?

The “aggregation of marginal gains”

James Clear is “an author, photographer, and weightlifter focused on habits and decision making.” I read his email columns with great profit.

His latest article is titled, “This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened.” He profiles Dave Brailsford, who took over the British cycling team in 2010.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The surprising tour de force at the Tour de France →

Dr. Richard “Harry” Harris is an Australian anesthetist and experienced cave diver. He played a key role in the successful international effort that rescued twelve boys and their coach from a cave system in Thailand.

The Thai mission commander was extremely grateful for Dr. Harris’s contributions. He told a news conference yesterday, “Without him, in this operation, I don’t think we could have succeeded.”

Dr. Harris made the perilous two-and-a-half-mile journey in and out of Tham Luang cave every day to check on the health of the trapped boys. He was the last man out of the cave on Tuesday.

Tragically, he emerged from the darkness to learn that his father had died.

“Greater is He who is in you”

Heroism and happiness are not always connected in our fallen world.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Doctor emerges from Thai cave to learn his father had died →