Of all the strange stories making news over the weekend, this was perhaps the strangest. A worker went inside an ATM in Corpus Christi to repair the locking mechanism of the door. It shut behind him, locking him in.

He didn’t have his phone with him, so he started feeding notes into the receipt dispenser asking for help. Most customers thought his notes were a prank, but someone finally called the police. They kicked down the door, freeing the man.

Imagine this event as a parable: people are locked inside the materialism of our culture. They need help escaping their prison for the freedom found only in Jesus. How will we respond?

I was reading Jeremiah 1 and came to this statement from God about Israel: “I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me” (v. 16a). What “evil”? “They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands” (v. 16b).

What was Jeremiah to do in response? “But you, dress yourself for work; arise, and say to them everything that I command you” (v. 17a). Note that the prophet must say “everything” he hears from God, whether his message will be popular or unpopular. The Lord anticipated this concern, continuing: “Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you” (v. 17b). “Dismayed” translates a Hebrew word that means to be “terrified.”

As I studied these words, this paradoxical insight came to me: we need not fear people unless we fear them.
Continue reading Denison Forum – Man caught in ATM seeks help through receipt slot →

Who is Kid Rock, and why should you care that he plans to run for the US Senate?

The musician, whose birth name is Robert James Ritchie, is a rapper and singer whose albums have sold more than thirty-five million copies worldwide. An outspoken conservative, he endorsed Mitt Romney for president in 2012. Now he has announced that he will run for the US Senate from Michigan.

Why am I writing about yet another musician/actor/celebrity who wants to enter politics? Consider his positions on moral issues: “I am definitely a Republican on fiscal issues and the military, but I lean to the middle on social issues. I am no fan of abortion, but it’s not up to a man to tell a woman what to do. As an ordained minister I don’t look forward to marrying gay people, but I’m not opposed to it.”

I could find nothing online about his claim to be an “ordained minister,” but that’s not my point. I’m writing today to predict that we will see more “Kid Rock” theology in the future. His positions capture the essence of our postmodern relativistic culture: he’s personally opposed to abortion but believes it’s the woman’s right to choose, and he’s uncomfortable with gay marriage but not opposed to it. He seems conservative and tolerant at the same time, which is the best of both worlds.

Except that it’s not.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why it matters that Kid Rock will run for Senate →

According to authorities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a man behind bars may have put himself there with the help of a smart home device. Eduardo Barros and his girlfriend were reportedly house-sitting a home over the weekend. When she got a text message, Barros became angry, accusing her of cheating on him, and allegedly hit and kicked her.

Then he got a gun, told her he was going to kill her, and asked, “Did you call the sheriff’s?” The smart home device heard those words and took them as “call the sheriff’s.” Deputies responded and Barros was taken into custody. The sheriff told ABC News that the device likely saved the woman’s life.

Technology no doubt presents enormous challenges these days. A Texas teenager taking a bath was electrocuted when her cell phone fell into the bathtub. Forbes is reporting that personal data for as many as fourteen million Verizon customers was exposed because of a security lapse. Cell phones have made Internet pornography more available than ever, especially to children.

However, there’s good news in today’s tech news as well: one week after North Korea launched a missile capable of reaching Alaska and Seattle, the US carried out the first successful interception of such a weapon. MIT is working on 3D printing with the potential to build houses in remote locations where materials and labor would be in short supply. And robots are being developed to help fight cancer.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Smart home device calls sheriff, saves woman →

A newly married same-sex couple wants to “show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim.” Jahed Choudhury and Sean Rogan were married in Walsall, a town 130 miles northwest of London.

However, Islam prohibits same-sex marriage. As a result, some members of Mr. Choudhury’s Muslim family disagreed with his decision. He told reporters, “This is about showing people I don’t care, my family doesn’t want to come on the day, they just don’t want to see it, it’s too embarrassing for them.” His family is certainly not the first to face this question.

In fact, a reader who has been invited to a family member’s same-sex wedding wrote to me recently asking how he should respond. If you’ve not been in this position yet, likely you will be in years to come.

Consider four biblical facts:

One: Scripture forbids same-sex sexual relations. I have written extensively on this issue (see my How to Defend Biblical Marriage, for example). A same-sex marriage contradicts God’s intention for us.

Two: God created and defined marriage. In his view, marriage is only between a man and a woman (cf. Genesis 1:28; Jeremiah 29:6; Matthew 19:4–5; 1 Corinthians 7:14). Therefore, a same-sex “marriage” is not a biblical marriage.

(Some claim that God’s word doesn’t address this subject, alleging that such marriages did not exist in the biblical era. This is not true. Same-sex relations were known in ancient Canaan; the emperor Nero was married to two men in separate ceremonies. Biblical writers had abundant opportunity to endorse such relationships, but they consistently forbade them.)

Three: We should not endorse what the Bible prohibits. Paul refused to engage in behavior that would make his brother “stumble” (1 Corinthians 8:13). Our witness is vital to our public ministry as followers of Jesus.

Four: God loves gay people and calls us to do the same. We are all broken by sin (Romans 3:23). Jesus died for all sinners (Romans 5:8) and loves us unconditionally (John 3:16). Now we are to love others because “he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

How do these facts help us decide whether to attend a same-sex wedding? Here’s my position: I would not attend the wedding or the reception since my presence at either would suggest that I approve what God forbids.

However, I would meet with the couple beforehand to explain: because I care for them, I cannot endorse what I believe is not best for them. I will pray for them and want to be involved in their lives. But I believe that a wedding celebrates a sacred covenant between a couple and God. I cannot attend such a ceremony if it violates his word and will.

Since my decision may damage my relationship with the couple, I would do all I could before and after the wedding to demonstrate my love for them. Jesus ate with sinners (Matthew 9:10) and calls us to love everyone he loves. But love sometimes requires us to say what people need to hear even when it is not what they want to hear.

“Speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15) is our challenge, our mandate, and our privilege.

Denison Forum

John Francis did not speak for seventeen years. The problem wasn’t with his voice but with his soul. As he explained, “I used words to hide from people, and from myself. . . . I decided not to speak for one day, as a kind of gift to my community. My girlfriend thought I was doing a nice thing. When I woke the next day, I didn’t see any reason to speak, so I didn’t.”

Over the coming years, Francis earned a bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD in environmental studies. During this time, he recalls, “I liked not speaking. It gave me peace.”

Seventeen years later, he began talking again when he felt he had something to say. However, he notes, “I still practice being silent every morning, and sometimes don’t speak for several days at a time. It reminds me to listen properly; not to judge what I think I’m hearing, but to try to understand what people are really saying.”

Most of us cannot abstain completely from talking, but we clearly need to do something about the information overload of our day. A study conducted eight years ago determined that the average person consumes 100,000 words every day. Since that time, social media has added another 54,000 words a day. Experts in the field refer to our condition as “infobesity.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Man stops talking for 17 years →

A Time magazine article in my Twitter feed caught my eye. It summarizes Cornell professor Brian Wansink’s six principles for eating less:

One: Don’t eat in view of food.

If you have cookies or chips sitting out at your house, you probably weigh eight pounds more than people who don’t. Those with breakfast cereal sitting in view typically weigh nineteen pounds more; those with soda sitting out weigh twenty-five pounds more than someone who doesn’t.

At a buffet, slim people are more likely to sit facing away from the food, while heavier people are three times more likely to sit looking at it. Watching other people eat causes us to think we need to eat more.

Two: Make food harder to reach. Keeping serving dishes off the table reduces how much men eat by 29 percent. Candy on your desk likely results in a double-digit weight gain.

Three: Plan ahead. Skinny people peruse the buffet before deciding what to eat; heavier people dive in and eat everything they don’t hate.

Four: Slow down. It takes twenty minutes for the “fullness signal” to tell us we’ve eaten enough, but the average American meal takes less than twenty minutes to complete.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Six psychological tricks for eating less →

Kori Doty gave birth to a baby named Searyl Atli last November. The parent claims that a visual inspection at birth is unable to determine what gender a person will have or identify with later in life. As a result, the parent wants to keep Searyl’s sex off all official records.

This could be the first baby in the world not to have a gender designation. I predict that it will not be the last.

Meanwhile, ABC News reports that “earlymoons” are “the latest wedding trend.” More and more engaged couples are apparently taking vacations together before their wedding. One wife explained, “It was just us being able to enjoy each other’s company and just relax with no burden of kind of anything else weighing us down especially all the pre-wedding planning.”

Nowhere in the article does the writer mention the moral question of an unmarried couple vacationing together. This unfortunate omission is not surprising since cohabitation has increased by nearly 900 percent over the last fifty years.

I understand why a parent who rejects the concept of God-given biological gender would resist identifying a baby by gender. And why a couple who has no moral objection to sex before marriage would choose to live and vacation together before their wedding.

But what does the Lord think about these decisions?
Continue reading Denison Forum – First genderless baby born in Canada →

Fifty million Americans use heartburn drugs such as Nexium, Prilosec, and Prevacid. All three are proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). In a recent study, patients who began using PPIs were 25 percent more likely to die than people who started taking other types of heartburn medication.

However, the study’s author emphasized that people taking PPIs should not stop their medication without consulting their doctors. The drugs could help people with bleeding ulcers and those at a higher risk for cancer.

So, should you take these medications or not? Until further research is done, it’s apparently hard to say.

Meanwhile, meteorologists are working on ways to predict the weather years into the future. According to one expert, scientists are using petabytes of data to develop and test models that would predict major weather events. He explains: “We’re optimistic for some of these big events, like a big El Nino, we can predict them.”

By contrast, consider my meteorological experience yesterday. I went for a walk in my neighborhood at 6 a.m. after checking the National Weather Service app, which predicted that rain would begin at my location around 8:30 a.m. Fifteen minutes later, rain and lightning forced me to return. I checked the app again—even though rain was falling outside, it claimed that showers would not begin until 8:15 a.m.

One more news item: the American Federation of Astrologers says that seventy million Americans read their horoscopes every day. According to a Harris poll, 26 percent of Americans believe in astrology. One study reports that 58 percent of Millennials consider astrology to be scientific.

Why are we so intent on predicting the future?

It’s not that we’re necessarily good at it. When Apple unveiled its new phone ten years ago, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer claimed, “There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share.” Steve Chen, cofounder of YouTube, wasn’t sure his creation was viable: “There’s just not that many videos I want to watch,” he explained.

Paradoxically, the fact that we cannot predict the future is one reason we try. Anything that gives us a perceived sense of control over the uncontrollable will always be enticing. Since technology has given us greater mastery of our present circumstances than any generation in history, our quest to foresee the future is understandable.

However, tomorrow is unknowable to all but the One who transcends time: “I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose'” (Isaiah 46:9–10).

In light of his omniscience and our finitude, our choice is simple: We can join our secular culture in fearing an unknown future, or we can trust what we cannot see to the God who sees us. Which is our Father’s intention for his children? Which is a greater witness to his provision and power?

Thomas Fuller: “He who fears not the future may enjoy the present.” Will you enjoy the present today?

Denison Forum

More than 60,000 fireworks lit up the New York City sky for twenty-five minutes last night in the nation’s largest Fourth of July celebration. Seattle ranked second, with a show lasting twenty-one minutes; next came Boston, with a twenty-minute extravaganza.

Americans spent more than $7 billion on Independence Day celebrations, up from $6.8 billion last year. Of that, $947 million was spent on food ($37 million just on ketchup). And we bought more than $5 million worth of US flags imported into the country (ironically, most came from China).

The news was not all festive, however. North Korea successfully launched a missile capable of reaching Alaska. A tropical wave in the Atlantic could become a storm or depression today. And police issued a stern warning after another dog was rescued from a hot car. But the news did not deter the celebration of our country’s birthday.

Independence Day is not a uniquely American occurrence. According to A Global World, 161 countries around the world celebrate Independence Day, National Day, or a similar national holiday.

Why?

Despite the news, or rather because of it, we seek solidarity and community with each other. The reason is simple: we were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26–27), and our Creator is one God in three Persons who relate intimately and eternally with each other.
Continue reading Denison Forum – The profound reason we spent $7 billion on July 4 →

Thank a soldier for your freedom. That’s how a highway sign I saw recently encouraged us to celebrate Independence Day. The sign is right: More than 1.2 million Americans have died in defense of the freedoms we cherish today. Every soldier serving our nation is someone to whom we owe more than we can pay.

But the courage America requires began before there was an America.

In preparation for Independence Day, I have been reading John B. Boles’s magnificent biography, Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty. Boles reminds us that the act which created America was high treason against the British. When delegates to the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia 241 years ago to adopt the Declaration of Independence, they knew they could pay for their patriotism with their lives.

According to Boles, “By the second week of June, [the delegates] were aware that a British flotilla of 132 ships was headed for New York City. On July 1––just before beginning to consider the final draft of the declaration––Congress learned that a squadron of fifty-three British ships had arrived off the coast of Charleston.”

When the delegates declared our nation’s independence, Britain had the strongest military in the world. Their navy dominated the world’s oceans. Most Indian tribes sided with the British, who promised to protect their tribal lands.

Continue reading Denison Forum – How America can remain ‘the land of the free’ →

Megan Johnson received a heart transplant at the age of twenty-three. The next year, she married a Christian musician named Nathan Johnson and moved to Nashville.

Last week, she gave birth to a girl named Eilee Kate. She and her husband were ecstatic, posting pictures of their baby online. Later that morning, Megan died. The cause of her death has not yet been determined.

Josh Wilson, leader of the Christian band in which Nathan plays, told reporters: “We have grieved in hope, but we believe Meg is with Jesus and one day we will be too, so that is how we grieve with hope.” He started a GoFundMe account to help Nathan with expenses and give him some time at home.

As of this morning, the fund has raised $401,500.

On the eve of our nation’s Independence Day, there are many reasons why I am thankful for the United States of America. Our historic commitment to religious liberty, our passion for individual freedom, and our natural beauty and resources are gifts to Americans and the world.

But I am especially grateful for the benevolence of our people.

Continue reading Denison Forum – New mother’s death leads to amazing generosity →

Today is Asteroid Day. In case you want to join the celebration, you can watch a program on NASA TV describing how researchers find, track, and characterize Near-Earth Objects.

From the skies to the seas: a video showing tourists in shallow water at a Florida beach has been seen more than 5.2 million times. Not because of the tourists, but because of the seven sharks swimming around them.

From sharks to tragedy: an aspiring YouTube star convinced his girlfriend to shoot a gun into the thick book covering his chest. He was certain that the book would stop the bullet and the video would make them famous. The bullet killed him; his girlfriend has been charged with manslaughter.

From tragedy to celebration: a baby was born on a Spirit Airlines plane traveling from Ft. Lauderdale for Dallas/Ft. Worth. The airline has awarded him free air travel for life.

You’re probably wondering what these stories have to do with you today. Here’s the answer: very little. Your odds of dying from a meteor, asteroid, or comet impact are one in 1,600,000. You are 17,777 times more likely to die in a car crash.

Sharks are not likely to kill you, either—falling coconuts kill fifteen times more people than sharks each year. I would guess that you’re not willing to fire a gun into a book on your chest. And I could find no statistics for the number of babies born on airplanes since this happens so rarely.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why was this video seen 5.2 million times? →

A man yelling “Freedom!” crashed his vehicle into Arkansas’ new Ten Commandments monument yesterday morning. The privately funded monument had been in place outside the State Capitol in Little Rock for less than twenty-four hours before it was smashed into pieces.

Michael Tate Reed was charged with defacing objects of public interest, criminal trespass, and first-degree criminal mischief. He was likewise arrested nearly three years ago in the destruction of Oklahoma’s Ten Commandments monument at its State Capitol. The group that raised money for the Arkansas monument has already ordered a replacement.

Since the serpent rejected God’s word in the Garden of Eden, God’s enemies have been trying to abolish his truth (Genesis 3:1–4). But, as Charles Spurgeon noted, “The word of God is the anvil upon which the opinions of men are smashed.”

Consider one such opinion gaining great popularity these days.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is one of the best-known astrophysicists in the world. He recently claimed that there is no evidence in our dangerous universe for a benevolent God. However, in his best-selling Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, he makes an admission that struck me. When asked “what happened before the beginning” of the cosmos, he answers: “Astrophysicists have no idea. Or, rather, our most creative ideas have little or no grounding in experimental science.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Man smashes new Ten Commandments monument →

Two new cases of human plague have been confirmed in New Mexico’s Santa Fe County. Plague can be transmitted by fleas from wild rodents that have died. The fleas can be carried by pets back into the home, where they put people at risk. Plague can be treated with antibiotics, though it can be life-threatening if treatment is not given in time.

Now consider what I call “the parable of two trees.”

I was hiking in the woods over the weekend and came upon a tree felled by a beaver. The trunk was sawed in half and the tree’s branches lay on the ground.

Returning to Dallas, I was walking in our neighborhood when I came upon a tree whose leaves are turning brown. I’m no arborist, but even I know that leaves in Texas are not supposed to lose their color in June. A bit of research revealed that “leaf scorch” is a likely explanation. This condition is caused by nutrient deficiency, damaged roots, poor drainage, or insect damage.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Two cases of plague confirmed in New Mexico →

Jewish people celebrating LGBT pride in Chicago were told they could not display the Israeli flag because other people found it “offensive.” Ironically, the march from which they were banned is described by organizers as being “more inclusive” than Chicago’s main Pride parade.

Several people who carried the Star of David flag were removed from the march. One of them said that she lost count of the number of people who harassed her. The organizers explained that they are “anti-Zionist” and that their organization “supports the liberation of Palestine and all oppressed people everywhere.”

Jews were not the only people rejected by this march for “tolerance”—American flags were also not welcome, as they were likewise considered signs of oppression. Flags from other nations were present at the event, however.

The illogic of the organizers’ position is remarkable.

First, they assume that the Chicago marchers supporting LGBT rights in Israel are opposed to the liberation of Palestine. Having traveled to Israel more than twenty times, I can testify that many—if not most—Israelis want a separate state for Palestinians.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Israeli flags expelled from gay pride parade →

Jordan Spieth won yesterday’s Travelers Championship in miraculous fashion. In a playoff, his sixty-foot shot from a bunker rolled into the hole and won the match. Watching his victory on television was one of my sports highlights of the year.

Spieth is now the youngest player after Tiger Woods to win ten tournaments in his career. But his astounding win is not his most important victory of the year.

Golf Digest has ranked “the top 30 nice guys of the PGA tour.” Players were graded on several criteria, including treatment of fans, being a good role model, treating the “little people” well, and being “nice when no one is looking.” Who came in first place?

Jordan Spieth.

Three years ago, he established a charitable trust that supports youth with special needs, junior golf, military families, and the fight against pediatric cancer. Spieth says, “When I look back on my life, what we accomplish [with the foundation] will be more important than anything I do in golf.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – Jordan Spieth won the tournament that matters most →

Senate Republicans have unveiled their version of a health care bill that would replace ObamaCare. Unsurprisingly, the partisan divide in Washington continues: Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has condemned the bill, calling it “a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” while Republican leader Paul Ryan says he is “eager” for it to pass.

Meanwhile, something caught my eye that didn’t happen but made the news anyway.

The Los Angeles Times reported this week that a 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific Ocean about ten miles from Santa Barbara. A quake of that magnitude could cause buildings to crumble. But none fell to the ground. In fact, no one felt a tremor.

That’s because there was no earthquake.

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology were studying a quake that occurred on June 29, 1925. Someone accidently triggered an email that automatically generated a story on the Los Angeles Times website through an algorithm called Quakebot. The Times quickly tweeted a correction.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The earthquake that didn’t happen →

Face-detecting systems in China now authorize payments, provide access to facilities, and track down criminals. According to the current MIT Technology Review, this technology may soon spread to other countries around the world.

Speaking of new technology, the Drone Racing League World Championships are on television this week. Last year, more than thirty million people from forty countries watched. Venture capitalists have invested $20 million in the sport this month.

Meanwhile, Amazon is on track to become America’s largest clothing retailer. It is planning a program called “Prime Wardrobe” that lets you try on clothes before you buy them. The company is already expanding its grocery delivery business and recently agreed to acquire Whole Foods.

If you remember when you needed money to buy things, drones didn’t exist, and Amazon was just an online bookstore, you’re as old as I am. But the world is changing faster than ever, and we can wax nostalgic or we can embrace the opportunities of this new day.

Scripture repeatedly calls us to “sing to the Lord a new song” (Psalm 96:1; 98:1; Isaiah 42:10). God can help: David testified that “he put a new song in my mouth” (Psalm 40:3). In heaven, the four living creatures and twenty-four elders “sang a new song” (Revelation 5:9).

Innovation has always been part of God’s plan for his people. In The Saint vs. the Scholar, Jon M. Sweeney makes this point in a perceptive way.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Will you soon make payments with your face? →

Gary Rehm was three months shy of retirement when he died on the USS Fitzgerald last Saturday. At thirty-seven, he was by far the oldest of the seven sailors who perished. According to his uncle, Rehm called the other sailors on the ship his “kids.” When the ship docked stateside near his Virginia home, he invited those who were far from home to join him on holidays.

When the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship, Rehm said, “If my kids die, I’m going to die.” By various accounts, he saved at least twenty of them. He then went down to save more and perished with six others.

Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). The sailors saved by Gary Rehm will spend the rest of their lives knowing that someone loved them enough to give his life for them. Imagine the sense of personal worth and significance such knowledge would bring.

Actually, you can know the feeling personally: “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Now we have a choice: we can assess ourselves by what we do or by what God has done.

We live in a culture that measures us by our performance. Commenting on the special election in Georgia, today’s Washington Post says of Republican Karen Handel, “She won, so she’s a winner.” You probably remember that the Cubs won last year’s World Series. Do you remember the team that lost?
Continue reading Denison Forum – Navy sailor gave his life to save his ‘kids’ →

That’s how CNN describes today’s special election in Georgia, which has become “the most expensive House race in history.” Today’s Washington Post has a headline story on the death of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was released in a coma from North Korea a few days ago. And NBC News warns that “dangerously hot temperatures” are forecast for California and the desert Southwest today.

However, if you were reading the news on the other side of the world, the headlines would be very different. The Jerusalem Post reports on yesterday’s meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Paris. China Daily tells us about an anti-smog campaign in Beijing and other northern cities. And The Korea Times reports on a water shortage crisis in southern Korea.

The Greek philosopher Anaximander is credited with drawing the first map of the world. He lived in Miletus, on the western coast of modern-day Turkey. Unsurprisingly, Miletus was at the center of his map.

Wherever you are, you seem to be in the center of the world. What leads the news depends on where you’re reading the news. But God has a different perspective.

Continue reading Denison Forum – ‘Democrats seek first big win of Trump era’ →