Last night, ISIS claimed responsibility for the London attack that killed seven and wounded forty-eight. One of the terrorists wore a fake bomb vest. According to ABC News, the vest was likely intended to guarantee a police response that would lead to his martyrdom.

He was the father of a toddler; his wife was expecting a child. What would motivate him to carry out such an atrocity at the cost of his own life?

The day of the attack, an ISIS message called on its followers to use knives, guns, and vehicles in an “all-out war” on “infidels” during Ramadan. The audio message instructed jihadists to “attack them in their homes, their markets, their roads and their forums.”

When Ramadan began this year, jihadists attacked a bus filled with Christians in Egypt, murdering twenty-nine. Ten of the victims were children. The day after Ramadan began, a suicide bomber murdered eighteen people in Afghanistan, two of them children.

Last year’s Ramadan was the bloodiest on record. A gunman killed forty-nine and wounded fifty-three at an Orlando gay night club. An Islamist then stabbed a police officer and his wife in Paris. He claimed that he was responding to ISIS’s call for violence during Ramadan. Later that month, three ISIS suicide bombers killed forty-five and wounded more than 250 at Istanbul’s main airport. When Ramadan ended last year, the final global body count was 421 dead and 729 wounded.

Why would terrorists make Ramadan a time to escalate their violence?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why so much violence during Ramadan? →

“Racism will always be a part of the world, a part of America, and hate in America—especially for African-Americans—is living every day.” This is how LeBron James responded after someone spray-painted a racist slur on the front gate of his Los Angeles home.

This atrocity is not why James should be in the news today. Although his Cleveland Cavaliers lost last night to the Golden State Warriors in the first game of the NBA Finals, James led his team with twenty-eight points.

Earlier in this year’s playoffs, he passed Michael Jordan as basketball’s all-time postseason scoring leader. The list of his records and achievements in the game is staggering. LeBron James is not only one of the greatest athletes in history—he is also one of the greatest sports ambassadors in the world.

If he can be victimized for his skin color, anyone can. James is right: “No matter how much money you have, no matter how famous you are, no matter how many people admire you, being black in America is tough, and we’ve got a long way to go for us as a society and us as African-Americans until we feel equal in America.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – LeBron James and the answer to racism →

Oscar Wilde claimed that “there is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.” I’m not sure Kathy Griffin would agree.

The comedienne has made headlines with a photo in which she proudly held up a model of the decapitated head of Donald Trump. Widespread criticism ensued. She responded by tweeting, “OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I’m merely mocking the mocker in chief.”

Outrage continued to escalate. President Trump tweeted, “Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!” Chelsea Clinton called the picture “vile and wrong.” CNN‘s Anderson Cooper, who hosted the network’s New Year’s Eve broadcast with her, called the photo “clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.” CNN fired her as co-host of the program.

Griffin eventually posted another tweet saying, “I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong.” She added that she would ask the photographer to take down the image, although it has already spread across the Internet.

Continue reading Denison Forum – CNN fires Kathy Griffin over Trump photo →

The Pentagon has announced that an American rocket shot down a mock warhead over the Pacific yesterday. It was the first such test to target an intercontinental missile like North Korea is developing. The test came the same day North Korea claimed that it had successfully launched a precision-guided ballistic missile. Analysts believe the missile is being prepared to attack American aircraft carriers.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration is alleging that United Airlines operated a plane that was “not in airworthy condition” during twenty-three international and domestic flights. It proposes a $435,000 civil penalty against the airline.

You likely won’t die from a North Korean missile or an unsafe airplane today. But tomorrow is promised to no one.

A truck bombing near the Afghan presidential palace killed at least eighty people this morning. A young woman who survived last year’s Orlando nightclub massacre died in a highway car crash last Sunday. A four-year-old girl fell into a Utah river on Memorial Day and drowned. Her mother and a bystander who jumped into the river to save the girl also drowned.

We are all one day closer to eternity than ever before. That’s why “now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Continue reading Denison Forum – US destroys mock North Korean missile →

Tiger Woods was arrested yesterday in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. His mugshot with drooping eyes and frazzled hair soon went viral. He later issued a statement that is making headlines this morning, claiming that “alcohol was not involved” and citing “an unexpected reaction to prescribed medication.”

Whatever the cause of his arrest, it is another sad chapter in a story that was once so promising. I remember when Woods seemed destined to pass Jack Nicklaus’s eighteen major championships on the way to recognition as the greatest golfer of all time. After winning the US Open in 2008, he had fourteen major titles and was in the prime of his career.

A year later, he drove his Cadillac Escalade into a fire hydrant and a tree. Media scrutiny led to revelations of marital infidelities. He and his wife divorced the next year. Woods has not won a major tournament since.

The day before Woods’s arrest, Bernhard Langer became the first man to win all five senior major golf championships. I watched his victory on television and the interview in which he was asked to comment on his record-breaking success.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Tiger Woods explains his arrest in Florida →

Today, thousands of men and women carrying the names of fallen soldiers will conclude a thirty-one-day relay across a total of 6,200 miles. Organized by the nonprofit “Carry The Load,” the two routes began in Seattle, Washington and West Point, New York. They will meet in Dallas today for a Memorial Day March.

Last year, their event raised more than $2 million to build homes for veterans, provide adaptive training for injured soldiers, and support mental health programs. Their goal this year is to raise $2.5 million.

Their commitment is what Memorial Day in America should be all about.

Known as “America’s most solemn occasion,” this day has been set aside to remember the 1.3 million men and women who died in the service of our nation. This is the very least we can do for those who died for us and for those who grieve their loss. I am frankly concerned that in recent years Memorial Day seems to have become less about our fallen heroes and more about a three-day weekend to start the summer.

Contrast our holiday with the way Israel commemorates Yom HaZikaron, its Memorial Day, each year on April 30. Candles are lit in homes, schools, and synagogues. A siren is heard all over the country. When they hear it, Israelis stop everything. Those driving on roads and highways stop, get out of their cars, and stand in silence as they remember those who have died for their country.

Continue reading Denison Forum – What Israel taught me about Memorial Day →

It is the picture seen ’round the world.

Last Wednesday, President Trump, along with members of his family and political inner circle, shared a private audience in the Vatican with Pope Francis. A picture taken during their time together shows a smiling president next to a somber-faced pope.

The photo quickly went viral. When I did a Google search yesterday on “trump frowning pope photo,” 26,600,000 results came up.

Vox‘s response was typical: “It almost looks like a farce: Trump cheerily oblivious, Pope Francis looking for all the world like he’d rather be literally anywhere else but in that room with that man.” New York Times columnist Gail Collins linked to the Vox story and added that Pope Francis “looked as cheerful as if he was watching his car being towed away.” Late-night talk show hosts mocked the president as an avalanche of memes and caustic reports on the picture flooded the Internet.

However, the photographer who took the picture told Time magazine a different story.
Continue reading Denison Forum – Why did picture of Trump and the pope go viral? →

Sir Roger Moore passed away Tuesday at age eighty-nine. He was most famous for his portrayal of James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985.

I was surprised to learn that he was three years older than Sean Connery, the first James Bond. Connery paid tribute to Moore, stating that their relationship was “filled with jokes and laughter.” Pierce Brosnan, the fifth Bond, called him “a magnificent James Bond.” Daniel Craig, the current Bond, quoted the theme song from Moore’s 1977 film, The Spy Who Loved Me: “Nobody does it better.”

Moore’s passing reminded us of his iconic stature. It also highlighted his remarkable commitment to children as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. He served the organization for twenty-six years and was awarded its UK Lifetime Achievement Award.

We are wise to look for ways to redeem the consequences of living in a fallen world. For instance, two homeless men who rendered aid to victims of the bombing in Manchester are being hailed today for their selflessness and courage.

As British authorities continue responding to the tragedy, we should remember that Ramadan begins at sundown tomorrow. Muslims the world over will pray more and fast from sunrise to sunset, hoping their good works will gain Allah’s favor. This is one of the best times of the year to pray for Jesus to reveal himself to Muslims and lead millions to salvation by grace through faith in him (Ephesians 2:8–9). For more on reaching the Muslim world, I encourage you to visit my friends at GFM Ministries.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The remarkable relevance of Sir Roger Moore →

British Prime Minister Theresa May has raised her country’s terrorist threat level to critical, meaning that another attack may be imminent. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the horrendous bombing in Manchester.

In yesterday’s Daily Article, I stated that the attacker “does not represent Islam” and that “radicalized Muslims are a small minority of the larger Muslim world.” I noted that “they have killed many more Muslims than non-Muslims” and quoted a Muslim authority who condemned the attack in Manchester.

Some readers questioned my position, claiming that Islam is a religion of violence and that attacks such as the atrocity in England express its ideology. This is a common and urgent question. There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world; clearly, we need to know if each of them represents a threat to the rest of us.

I have been studying Islam since serving as a missionary to the Muslim world while in college. I have written a book and numerous articles on radical Islam and taught world religions with four seminaries.

In my experience, the relationship between violence and Islam is a complicated one that cannot be explained fully in an essay as brief as this Daily Article. I’ve therefore written a paper on this issue titled Islam: A Religion of Violence or Peace? which you can read here. I’ll summarize my view briefly but hope you’ll refer to my longer essay for a fuller explanation.
Continue reading Denison Forum – Did the Manchester attacker represent Islam? →

Last night, pop singer Ariana Grande finished a concert in Manchester, England, some 200 miles northwest of London. As the audience filled with teenagers began leaving the show, an explosion ripped into the crowd. At least twenty-two people were killed, and nearly sixty people were injured.

The blast went off around 10:35 PM in the foyer outside the main hall of the Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe. Witnesses said the bomb appeared to have used nails; such shrapnel increases a bomb’s ability to wound its victims.

Police believe a man carrying explosives acted as a lone attacker and died in the blast. British Prime Minister Theresa May chaired an emergency Cabinet meeting this morning and called the episode an “appalling terrorist attack.” She just announced that police and security staff believe they know the identity of the apparent suicide bomber but are not revealing the name for the time being. Police just arrested a twenty-three-year-old man in connection with the attack.

As of this moment, we do not yet know who is responsible for this atrocity. Here’s what we do know.

One: We can expect such attacks to continue. As I am writing this morning, police have just evacuated a shopping center in Manchester, where witnesses heard a “big bang.” British police have said they are making an arrest every day on average in connected with suspected terrorism.

Radicalized Muslims believe that the West has been attacking Islam for centuries. Since Britain and other Western countries are democracies where we elect our leaders and support our military, they consider us complicit in this perceived attack on their religion.
Continue reading Denison Forum – Terrorist attack in England: 3 facts →

The Greatest Show on Earth is over. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus gave its final performance last night. The circus’s owner says his production could no longer compete with iPhones, the Internet, and video games.

Does it seem that the world is changing faster than ever?

The Roman Catholic Church remains committed to conservative moral values, but students at Notre Dame, its most prominent university, walked out of their own graduation yesterday to protest Vice President Mike Pence.

Texting while driving has become such an epidemic that police officers near Atlanta are dressing as construction workers to spy on passing cars. Authorities in Albany, Georgia have posed as panhandlers at street corners to find violators. Police in Michigan use unmarked vehicles to catch texters.

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus was right: we cannot step into the same river twice. Much of the change that dominates our lives is a two-edged sword. The Internet has enriched our lives enormously, but it also spawned our pornography epidemic. Air travel has made the world more accessible than ever, but it also speeds the spread of infectious diseases. Nuclear technology can fuel cities or destroy them.

St. Augustine called evil the “shadow side of good.” Wherever we find God at work, we find Satan at work as well. But it will not always be so: “The world is passing away along with its desires,” but “whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).

Think about all that changes when we step from earth into heaven. No more cell phones. No more email or Internet or technology. What will remain?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Notre Dame students walk out on VP Pence →

During a press conference yesterday, President Trump was asked if he had urged then-FBI Director James Comey to slow or stop an investigation into Michael Flynn. His response: “No. No. Next question.” This morning’s CNN claims that “in those four words, Trump staked the viability of his presidency.”

Today’s news is dominated by the growing conflict in Washington. How are Christians responding? On the eve of the 2016 election, Christians were divided into seven camps:

1.    For Donald Trump because they believed he was the right person to be president.
2.    For Mr. Trump because of his party’s positions on the Supreme Court, abortion, tax reform, and other issues.
3.    For Mr. Trump because they opposed Hillary Clinton.
4.    For Hillary Clinton because they believed she was the right person to be president.
5.    For Mrs. Clinton because of her party’s positions on cultural and moral issues.
6.    For Mrs. Clinton because they opposed Donald Trump.
7.    For another candidate or not voting.

On the 118th day of the Trump administration, it seems to me that most Christians are still where they were when Mr. Trump was elected. As a result, we find ourselves divided over partisan politics and the issues they raise. Meanwhile, political turmoil in Washington is escalating with no end in sight.

Since our ministry engages cultural issues, we will need to address controversial political subjects even more frequently in the coming days. Therefore, it seems appropriate for me to state clearly my position regarding our seven options: none of the above.

The Denison Forum on Truth and Culture is called to fuel a movement of culture-changing Christians by engaging cultural issues with biblical truth. As a result, three principles motivate our work:

One: We focus on Kingdom issues.

We exist to help people know Christ and make him known. Our ultimate enemy is spiritual, so the ultimate answer to our challenges is spiritual (Ephesians 6:12). Therefore, we address cultural issues as a means of addressing the underlying spiritual issues of our day.

Two: We serve the Lord through his church.

The church is the body of Christ in the world today (1 Corinthians 12:27). As C. S. Lewis observed, “The whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts—we are his fingers and muscles, the cells of his body.” Therefore, we are called to help the church change the world.

Three: Our mission transcends politics.

In engaging cultural issues, there are times when we must address partisan topics and political leaders. When we do so, we sometimes frustrate readers who want us to be more supportive or more critical of the leader in question. We have received a few such letters since Mr. Trump’s election. We received similar letters when Mr. Obama was president and when Mr. Bush was president before him.

I believe strongly that God is calling more Christians into political service than are answering his call. However, our ministry exists to serve people across the political spectrum. Therefore, we seek to advance God’s Kingdom rather than political agendas.

As events in Washington unfold over coming days and weeks, “speaking the truth in love” remains our mission (Ephesians 4:15). It is a privilege to share this mission with you each day, to the glory of God.

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Yesterday, the stock market suffered its biggest one-day loss in eight months, a decline Reuters attributes to continued turmoil in Washington. We should not expect this turmoil to die down any time soon.

The Justice Department has appointed Robert J. Mueller, a former FBI director, as special counsel to oversee its investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election. This after the Senate Intelligence Committee asked former FBI Director James Comey to testify during a public hearing.

They are also asking for memos prepared by Comey detailing his conversations with the White House and Justice Department about the FBI’s Russia investigations. Democrats are escalating their criticisms of his administration while Republicans are divided.

The president’s supporters blame the media and other groups they believe are aligned against his reform agenda. His critics see recent events as further evidence of his alleged shortcomings. We should not be surprised that a nation as polarized as ours would be polarized over these events.

This is a time for Christians to stand apart from the crowd.

As followers of the One who is the Truth (John 14:6), we are commanded to “speak the truth to one another” (Zechariah 8:16). As followers of the One who is love (1 John 4:8), we are commanded to do so “in love” (Ephesians 4:15). As followers of the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16), we are commanded to respect those in authority (Romans 13:1) while serving our highest authority (Acts 4:19–20).

Continue reading Denison Forum – How should Christians respond to political turmoil? →

Someone could retrieve Brad Pitt’s skin cells from a hotel bed and use them to make a baby. Two men could make a baby that is biologically related to both. A man could clone himself.

These are some of the possibilities with in vitro gametogenesis (IVG). Today’s New York Times tells the story: scientists take adult skin cells and reprogram them to become embryonic stem cells. Then they guide the cells to become eggs or sperm.

Researchers in Japan have already used the technique to produce healthy baby mice. Within a decade or two, the technique may be refined for use with humans.

In other news, technology experts say North Korean hackers could be behind the massive malware assaults that continue to impact the world. A teenager was killed Friday night when a woman repeatedly rammed her into a tree with her Jeep Liberty; a friend of the victim said the altercation escalated from a Facebook argument.

In the April issue of National Geographic, D. T. Max describes ways “humans are shaping our own evolution.” His article begins with Neil Harbisson, a color-blind “cyborg” with a color-sensing antenna implanted in his skull. The antenna’s fiber-optic sensor picks up colors that a microchip implanted in his skull converts into vibrations he senses as colors.

According to Max, around 20,000 people have implants in their bodies that can unlock doors. Last year, the CEO of a company called BioViva claimed that she successfully reversed some of the effects of aging in her body by using injections from a gene therapy her company created. A subject at the University of Pennsylvania was able to transmit electrical impulses from his brain through a computer to control a robotic arm and sense what its fingers were touching.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Making a baby from Brad Pitt’s skin cells? →

Columnist Emma Teitel is proposing that “we scrap both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day for good,” replacing them with “Guardian’s Day.” Her reason: both holidays assume that a parent is a female or a male.

Why is this a problem? Teitel: “The gendered holidays are . . . generally a drag for non-binary parents who don’t identify with a single gender.” The “Guardian’s Day” she proposes would be a “rotating statutory holiday—meaning you can celebrate it any day you please, and you can interpret it any way you like.” For instance, “A guardian can be a mom, a dad, a non-binary parent, a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a pet owner, or why the heck not—someone who takes really good care of his houseplants.”

I doubt that “Guardian’s Day” will catch on. But the cultural movement it symptomizes is a “tolerance” train that has already left the station.

Twenty-five years ago, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy defined “liberty” as “the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.” Two years ago, he enshrined this “right” in the ruling that legalized same-sex marriage: “The Constitution promises liberty to all within its reach, a liberty that includes certain specific rights that allow persons, within a lawful realm, to define and express their identity.”

Justice Kennedy’s decisions reflect and express the cultural narrative of our day. However, this supposed right to self-invention goes back to the beginning of human history. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent promised Eve that if she chose her will over God’s word, she would “be like God” (Genesis 3:5). Every temptation since is a variation on this lie.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Is it time to replace Mother’s Day? →

What do these four news stories have in common?

One: This Washington Post headline received global attention: “‘You are paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks,’ chopper tells Calif. beachgoers.”

Two: A computer virus locked up more than 200,000 computers over the weekend and threatens to wreak more havoc today. The virus, which exploits a security flaw in Windows XP, is “beyond anything we have seen before,” according to the director of Europe’s cybercrime center.

Three: Emmanuel Macron became France’s youngest leader since Napoleon when he was inaugurated as president on Sunday. He takes over a country beset by internal divisions and a sluggish economy; his party is so new it has no seats in Parliament.

Four: North Korea launched a missile Sunday morning that flew 430 miles and landed in the sea between North Korea and Japan. It announced today that this missile can carry a large, heavy nuclear warhead and warned that US bases in the Pacific were within its range.

If the world seems smaller than ever before, that’s because it is.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Paddleboarding next to 15 great white sharks →

“One of the hallmarks of higher education, and of democracy, is the ability to converse with and learn from those with whom we disagree.”

So stated Education Secretary Betsy DeVos during her commencement address at Bethune-Cookman University in Florida. Ironically, some in the audience had their backs turned to her as she made this statement. Others heckled her during her speech.

This is the season of graduations and commencement speeches. I’m honored to be delivering such an address at Truett Seminary tonight. Thousands of other schools and universities will be holding similar exercises across the month.

But we live in an era when many tolerance advocates refuse to tolerate those with whom they disagree. What happened to Secretary DeVos is a symptom of a much larger narrative.

The latest New York Times Magazine headlines, “Is an Open Marriage a Happier Marriage?” After reading the long article, it’s clear to me that the author wants us to answer, yes. The social media campaign, “#ShoutYourAbortion,” wants us to believe that “abortion is normal.”

According to The Smithsonian, alcohol placement ads in movies have nearly doubled over the last two decades. More than 80 percent of movies now contain depictions of alcohol use. This despite the fact that, according to JAMA Psychiatry, nearly one in three Americans have suffered from “problem drinking that becomes severe.”

Isaiah said of his nation, “Jerusalem has stumbled, and Judah has fallen, because their speech and their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious presence” (Isaiah 3:8). What “speech” and “deeds” did he mean? “They proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves” (v. 9).

Would he say the same of us?

The latest Harvard Business Review carries a fascinating article, “Preparing for the Cyberattack That Will Knock Out U.S. Power Grids.” If we lose electrical power, we lose everything connected to it. And that’s nearly everything today. Is our spiritual enemy following a similar strategy?

If the root problem we face is spiritual, the root answer must be spiritual as well.

1. S. Lewis: “Mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature.”

Scripture promises that “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles” (Isaiah 40:31). How high will you fly today?

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I still remember my first time on a carousel. Before the ride began, my father put me on a ceramic, multicolored horse. Then the platform started spinning and the horse began going up and down. It was all very exciting. But when it was over, I got off the ride where I got on it.

A carousel seems to me an apt metaphor for today’s headlines. What people think about political or cultural figures before they make the day’s news is usually what they think about them after they read the day’s news.

Take the James Comey firing, for example. According to today’s New York Times, the decision “deepened the sense of crisis swirling around the White House.” CNN‘s senior legal analyst went further, calling the move a “grotesque abuse of power.”

But Speaker of the House Paul Ryan supported the move, stating that “people had lost confidence” in Mr. Comey prior to his dismissal. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham agreed: “Given the recent controversies surrounding the director, I believe a fresh start will serve the FBI and the nation well.”

Did the news about the Comey firing change your opinion about the president? If you’re like most people, the answer is no. Those who oppose Mr. Trump oppose his decision; those who support him support his decision.

This should not surprise us. The American media have become increasingly polarized in recent years. Gone are the days when a television news anchor was known primarily for objectivity. Now we have progressive TV stations and conservative TV stations, progressive radio talk shows and conservative radio talk shows, progressive print media and conservative print media.

Each knows the market it seeks to reach on behalf of advertisers who pay its bills. Pickup trucks are advertised during football games while luxury cars are advertised during golf tournaments. It’s the same with nearly all products today—they know their specific market and the media that enables them to reach that market. In turn, the media knows who their advertisers want to reach and how to reach them.

It’s no longer about telling the truth. It’s about telling the version of the truth that agrees with our opinion and advances the bottom line.

I often remind audiences that in the Bible, God is a king (Revelation 19:16); in our culture, he is a hobby. A hobby is inherently subjective while a kingdom is inherently objective. You cannot make me like your hobbies, but a king can make me submit to his authority.

The book of Judges ends with this cryptic statement: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). Sound familiar?

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Lucie Bahetoukilae thought she was flying on United Airlines from Newark, New Jersey to Paris. She went to the gate number on her boarding pass, where the agent scanned her ticket and directed her onto the plane. She speaks only French and did not know that the gate for her flight had changed.

Someone else was in her seat, so a flight attendant directed her to a new seat. Once in San Francisco, she had to endure an eleven-hour layover before boarding a new flight to Paris. United apologized for the mishap.

Flying to the wrong city is a metaphor for our confused culture, illustrating the fact that sincerity is no substitute for truth. Lucie Bahetoukilae was sincerely convinced that she was flying to Paris when she was actually going the opposite direction. The same can happen to any of us spiritually.

We are returning home from Israel today. As God led us in the Holy Land, God will lead us in our homeland. Unlike the pagans of ancient times, we know that our Father is not limited to a specific locality: “The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1).

To experience our Lord’s leadership, however, we must listen for his voice.

In Numbers 9, the people brought a particularly perplexing problem to Moses. His response: “Wait, that I may hear what the Lord will command concerning you” (v. 8). Like Moses, wise Christians today know that they should consult with God on every challenge they face.

I know a CEO who leaves a large Bible on the corner of his desk to remind himself that God’s word is “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Another business leader has a small room behind his desk reserved for use as a prayer closet (Matthew 6:6).

Continue reading Denison Forum – United sends passenger to SF instead of Paris →

Centrist Emmanuel Macron won yesterday’s presidential election in France, decisively defeating the far-right candidate, Marine Le Pen. His victory caps a tumultuous campaign in which, for the first time in history, no major party fielded a candidate who qualified for the runoff election. Macron will be France’s youngest president in history.

France is not the only country undergoing tumultuous change these days. Fueled by refugee crises, discontent with immigration, and slow economic growth, more and more Europeans are turning to new political leaders and parties.

Meanwhile, inspections have been ordered at every German army barracks after Nazi-era memorabilia was found at two of them. Yesterday, North Korea detained another American citizen as tensions between the two countries continue to escalate. Violence in Syria killed four people and wounded a child, despite efforts to de-escalate the conflict there.

By contrast, consider the miracle that is the Jewish people.

I am writing today from Jerusalem, which I consider the most amazing city on earth. Holy to three faiths that total more than half the world’s population, this city is a testament to the enduring resolve and relevance of the Jewish people.

Though Jews comprise less than 0.2 percent of the world’s population, they have received 22.4 percent of the world’s Nobel Prizes. Some of our greatest scientists, doctors, philosophers, and artists are Jewish. How different would the world be without Albert Einstein, to cite just one example?

Continue reading Denison Forum – Reflecting on the French election from Jerusalem →