In December 2014, President Obama began the process of normalizing relations with Cuba. The two governments now have embassies in each other’s countries. Prior to the president’s arrival on Sunday, the hotel company Starwood announced that it will be making a “multimillion-dollar investment” in Cuban hotels. Cruise lines are preparing to include the island nation in their Caribbean itineraries.

However, the Cuban government has not budged on human rights.

Dozens of members of “Ladies in White,” a group that campaigns for the release of political prisoners, were arrested hours before Mr. Obama touched down in Havana. According to Columbia University professor Christopher Sabatini, over 1,400 dissidents and human rights activists were detained just in the last month. Clearly, the Castro regime wants the economic benefits of improved relations with the U.S., but it does not want to cede power and control to obtain these benefits.

Those who are familiar with Holy Week should not be surprised.

Continue reading Denison Forum – OBAMA IN HAVANA AND THE CUBA I KNOW →

Terasem Movement is a research foundation that seeks to “transfer human consciousness to computers and robots.” The firm has created thousands of highly detailed “mind clones” to record the memories, values, and attitudes of specific people.

Using this data, scientists created a replica of the wife of the company’s founder. The robot is named Bina48. Made of skin-like rubber, it makes facial expressions, greets people, and has conversations—all made possible through facial and voice recognition software, motion tracking, and internet connectivity.

At least 56,000 people have given information to create “mindfiles” that can one day be uploaded to a robot or holograph. According to the company, everything down to a person’s mannerisms and quirks can be recreated.

The desire for immortality is basic to human nature. There is something in us that wants to outlive us. Even thirty-two percent of atheists and agnostics believe in an afterlife. We have this desire to live forever because God gave it to us. It is part of his plan for us. He created us to live forever with him in paradise. This world is just the first step toward that world, a means to that end.

Continue reading Denison Forum – COMPANY MAKING ROBOTS TO CLONE HUMANS →

March Madness began yesterday for men’s college basketball teams. There are more winners and losers than the sixty-four teams that began the tournament, however.

If you’re one of the forty million people who filled out a bracket, know that your odds of predicting the winner of every game are one in 9.2 quintillion. (Baylor’s loss yesterday ended my chances.) But beer and pizza companies always win during March—beer consumption escalates nearly thirty percent, while pizza orders increase by nineteen percent.

Meanwhile, productivity in America loses. Experts estimate that lost wages paid to distracted and unproductive workers could reach as high as $1.9 billion. That amount of cash stacked in dollar bills would reach approximately 120 miles into the atmosphere. That’s seventeen times higher than the altitude at which commercial jetliners fly.

Clearly, what we do in private affects what we accomplish in public.

This fact relates to our spiritual lives as well. In My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers claims that “my worth to God in public is what I am in private.” Why is this true?

Continue reading Denison Forum – HOW MUCH WILL MARCH MADNESS COST OUR ECONOMY? →

President Obama has nominated Merrick B. Garland to be the nation’s 113th Supreme Court justice. In most years, this would be an historic but typical act for a president. But this is not like most years.

In coming days and weeks we’ll hear heated arguments from both sides in what promises to be one of the most vitriolic Supreme Court nomination battles in history. Republican leaders are already on record that they will not consider any replacement nominee from Mr. Obama. Democrats will counter that Republicans are violating their constitutional duty to consider the president’s candidate. They will likewise brand their opponents as obstructionists who put party ahead of the nation.

Republicans will counter that they have the constitutional right to respond to the president’s nomination as they wish. And they will cite a lack of precedent for a president to nominate a Supreme Court justice during the last year of his second term.

The crux of the issue, however, is simple.

Continue reading Denison Forum – OBAMA NOMINATES GARLAND FOR COURT: WHY THE UPROAR? →

Donald Trump won Florida, Illinois, Missouri, and North Carolina last night. And Bernie Sanders won Missouri, delaying Hillary Clinton’s march to the nomination.

Six months ago, who would have imagined either outcome?

I attribute Donald Trump’s success to five beliefs: (1) immigration and foreign trade are costing us jobs; (2) Muslims hate and threaten us; (3) the religious liberty of Christians is in peril; (4) President Obama is a weak leader who doesn’t believe in American greatness; (5) politicians have failed us. Trump’s supporters view him as a strong, non-political leader who will build a wall against immigrants and keep Muslims out of America while renegotiating foreign trade and guaranteeing religious liberty for Christians.

I attribute Bernie Sanders’s success to two beliefs: (1) the “one percent” are ruining our economy for the rest of us; (2) America should increase the government’s role in providing health care, education, and social services. When George Stephanopoulos recently asked Sanders if he wants to turn America into Denmark or Sweden, the senator replied, “And what’s wrong with that?”

These political narratives and the circumstances that produced them have created the most polarized political climate America has seen in decades. How would Scripture advise God’s people to respond to these strident, chaotic days?

Continue reading Denison Forum – LAST NIGHT’S PRIMARIES: WHAT IS GOD SAYING TO US? →

North Korea is claiming that it could wipe out Manhattan by sending a hydrogen bomb on a ballistic missile into New York City. Turkey has targeted Kurdish militants with airstrikes in Iraq, retaliating for a suicide car bombing that killed at least thirty-seven in the Turkish capital. Sea-level rise could disrupt the lives of more than thirteen million people in the U.S., according to a study published yesterday.

Welcome to another day in the news.

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the challenges we face? Wages have been stagnant since 1979. The number of Americans dying of heroin has quadrupled in recent years. Now that same-sex marriage is legal, an organized effort has begun to legalize all “consensual sexual relations,” including polygamy and incest.

In days like these, it’s easy to abandon hope. But when you’re ready to give up, look up.

In Job 40, God addresses the multitude of skeptical questions posed by Job and his friends. Not by responding to their issues, but to their finitude. The Lord points to “Behemoth, which I made as I made you” (v. 15), an animal whose strength surpasses that of any human. Then God notes that he made “Leviathan,” a creature no man can conquer or control (Job 41).

Continue reading Denison Forum – WHEN YOU’RE READY TO GIVE UP, LOOK UP →

Miracles From Heaven premieres this week. The movie tells the true story of a girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder that threatened her life. After she fell into the hollow of a tree, she was examined by doctors who could find no evidence of her terminal disease.

The girl’s mother is played by well-known actress Jennifer Garner. She told People magazine that her role helped her become reengaged with her faith. Her commitment to Christ “has always been quietly a part of me,” she said. Now she’s “getting used to the idea of talking about it.”

Every person the actress influences for Jesus will be grateful.

I bring you greetings today from Scotland, where my wife and I spent the last week. The history of this small nation is remarkable. We visited a chapel constructed in 1130. I spoke in another chapel built 600 years ago. We walked around a royal mansion begun in the 16th century and an abbey founded in 1128.

Continue reading Denison Forum – ‘MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN’ AND JENNIFER GARNER’S FAITH →

She wanted to make official what he has been doing unofficially for years. Earlier this week, a video went viral showing a young woman named Misty surprising her father figure, Ryan, with adoption papers.

In her letter to him, she wrote: “You’ve raised me my whole life . . . putting my hair in tight Princess Leia buns . . . I know we are so weird together, but that’s what makes you you, and I cannot imagine not having you in my life. I’m so grateful to be able to call you Dad.”

In the eyes of the state, Ryan may not have been her legal father. But that did not keep him from acting like a father. Such can be said of God.

He is a Father regardless of whether someone acknowledges it or not. As Flannery O’Connor noted, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”

God draws near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18), extends grace generously (2 Corinthians 9:8), and loves lavishly (1 John 3:1). Contrary to cultural belief, God is not mad at us, but is madly in love with us. He quite literally has loved us to death. And Christ’s death and resurrection is an invitation to be adopted as sons and daughters of the King.

Continue reading Denison Forum – GIRL SURPRISES MAN WHO RAISED HER WITH ADOPTION PAPERS →

When the bat flew out of the player’s hands and towards the head of a child, a father knew he only had seconds to respond. Eight-year-old Landon was distracted, sending a picture to his mom of the great view he and his dad had from behind the dugout. But love, taking the form of his father’s now bruised arm, shielded him from the potentially tragic collision.

His dad Shaun Cunningham said: “I saw it heading towards him. I didn’t have a lot of time. Guess I’d call it Dad-mode. Just protecting my son.” An unhurt Landon told a local reporter: “I have a great dad! My dad’s a hero!”

The picture has since gone viral. Everyone else is moving away from the bat, except for the father, who is moving towards it. The picture is an echo of eternity, a shadow of the divine.

You may know Ernie Johnson as the award winning sportscaster for Turner Sports. He was recently featured on ESPN’s E:60. This particular episode highlighted Johnson’s hard work and rise to fame, but the central theme of Ernie’s story was his desire to bless his children. According to Ernie, “There is nothing better a dad can do than bless his son.” His father had blessed him, and now he wants to bless his children. Another echo of eternity, a shadow of the divine.

Abraham Kuyper found that God the Father litters the world with reminders of Himself. These “few precious stones that we discover on earth are merely the scattered signposts of a new Jerusalem.”

Continue reading Denison Forum – DAD SAVES SON AND THE PHOTO GOES VIRAL →

I am traveling this week, and grateful to Nick Pitts for writing the Cultural Commentary in my absence. Nick is Director of Cultural Engagement for the Denison Forum. He has been writing daily for our website across the last year, and is the author of The Daily Briefing, a survey of each day’s news in biblical perspective. Nick is a Ph.D. candidate at Dallas Baptist University, finishing his dissertation. I encourage you to subscribe to the Daily Briefing, and know you will profit from his wisdom and insight in the Cultural Commentary this week.

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Over 350 Chick-fil-A restaurants are now offering a “family challenge”: If you’ll lock your phone up in a “Cell Phone Coop” for the entire meal, you win a free ice cream cone. This coop, a cardboard box at the center of your table, holds your phone while your family keeps your attention. The average American spends four hours a day on the phone. But Chick-fil-A is hoping to entice their customers to reduce that time and increase their calorie count.

Research shows that dinnertime conversation boosts the vocabulary of young children more than being read aloud to does. Regular family meals have been shown to lower the risk of teenage smoking, binge drinking, marijuana use, eating disorders, and sexual activity. However, it does increase their chances of attaining a higher grade point average and better self-esteem.

Continue reading Denison Forum – FREE CHICK-FIL-A? SAVING MONEY AND FAMILIES →

Manfred Fritz Bajorat was a fifty-nine-year-old German sailor. His body was recently discovered in a yacht floating in the Pacific Ocean. Authorities have no idea how long he has been dead. The dry ocean winds and salty air helped mummify his body, which was found slumped over a desk in what seems to be a radio room.

His death was certainly unique, but so was his life. So is yours.

NASA estimates that there are more than one billion “Earth-like” planets in our galaxy. These are rocky planets approximately the size of Earth that orbit sunshine stars in the “habitable zone” where water could be liquid at the surface. This estimate doesn’t include the number of such planets in other galaxies.

And yet, despite all these options, we have yet to discover life on any planet but our own.

Closer to home, scientists have now discovered the specific gene that can lead to gray hair. It is known as IRF4 and relates to the cellular process that produces melanin, the pigment that determines hair color. This gene variant does not guarantee that its owner will have gray hair, but it makes graying more likely.

Continue reading Denison Forum – SAILOR’S MUMMIFIED BODY DISCOVERED IN YACHT →

Super Tuesday results are in. What have we learned?

Hillary Clinton now has a commanding lead in the Democratic race. Marco Rubio won Minnesota; Ted Cruz won Oklahoma, Alaska, and his home state of Texas; and Donald Trump won the rest of the states. Both Rubio and John Kasich can win their home states in two weeks. If that happens, as one pundit said, “it’s going to go on and on and on.”

Here’s something else we learned: Whether you like the results or not, the system works.

America is a nation where anyone who is a natural born citizen, fourteen years a resident, and thirty-five years of age can be president (U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 1). As a result, Clinton is likely to become the first female major party presidential candidate. Trump, a businessman in his first political campaign, is the clear frontrunner for his party’s nomination. And there is increasing interest in a third party candidacy as well.

Continue reading Denison Forum – SUPER TUESDAY AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICA →

The 88th Academy Awards are still making news today. Two themes resonated last Sunday night that mirror the moral and spiritual condition of our culture today.

One: Whatever hurts others is wrong for us.

Spotlight won for Best Picture. The movie focuses on the Catholic church’s clergy abuse scandal. Leonardo DiCaprio won for Best Actor and used his speech to warn against the dangers of climate change. (For more, see Nick Pitts’s Leo Wins Oscar: Is Climate Change the Most Urgent Threat?) Lady Gaga delivered the most-discussed musical element of the night, focusing on the horror of sexual abuse. And host Chris Rock commented all night long about the lack of diversity among the nominees.

Two: Whatever you do personally is right for you.

Alicia Vikander won Best Supporting Actress for The Danish Girl, portraying the wife of a man who undergoes surgery to become a woman. Eddie Redmayne was nominated for Best Actor in the same film. Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress, portraying a housewife who is threatened with losing custody of her daughter because she has a sexual relationship with another woman.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE ACADEMY AWARDS: 2 THEMES AND 2 RESPONSES →

Actor Johnny Depp has agreed to speak at the Reason Rally. This is an event sponsored by atheist, humanist, and other secularist organizations scheduled for June 4 at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial.

If you were invited to address the crowd that day, would you?

Last Friday we explored the priority of sharing Jesus with those who need salvation. How does this subject make you feel? If you’re like most of us, there’s a nagging fear in the back of your soul: What if you fail? What if you’re rejected? What if you hurt more than you help?

It’s better to leave ministry to the “ministers,” it seems.

What is behind our fear? We’re not afraid to tell people about our children (or grandchildren!) or the last movie we saw. But souls are eternal and we are fallen. We don’t want to make things worse. The medical oath, “First, do no harm,” seems to apply here. If another person’s eternity is up to us, they’re in trouble.

Continue reading Denison Forum – JOHNNY DEPP TO SPEAK AT ATHEISTS’ CONVENTION →

“There’s something about Mr. Trump that makes it hard for people who love him, and people who hate him, to love each other.” So states The Wall Street Journal, reporting on marital rifts being created by Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy.

One couple has set its rules: When Mr. Trump appears on the evening news, one or the other must leave the room, or they must flip to the National Geographic channel. And they never discuss him in the bedroom.

Politics are getting more divisive by the day, it seems. In last night’s Republican presidential debate, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz repeatedly attacked Mr. Trump, who responded in kind. And Bernie Sanders is sharpening his criticisms of Hillary Clinton on the eve of the South Carolina Democratic primary.

Michael Scherer notes in Time that America’s presidential contests “are designed to be brutal passion plays, the best alternative to the bloody wars of succession humanity used in centuries past.”

And so it has been across our history.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN IS AFFECTING MARRIAGES →

Ben Higgins is the most famous software salesman in America. The six-foot-five graduate of Indiana University loves children and the Chicago Cubs. He also stars on this season’s The Bachelor. And he is a strong evangelical Christian.

You wouldn’t know the last fact from watching the show, however.

According to Slate’s Ruth Graham, Higgins makes his faith clear—he blogs about Jesus, quotes Christians on his Instagram, and wears a tattoo of Proverbs 16:3. But the show’s producers blur or minimize his commitment to Christ, so viewers get only a glimpse of generic religion as they follow his story. And they don’t know that Ben plans to abstain from sex until he is married.

Why is his faith so secret on the show? I could not find any information about the personal faith of Mike Fleiss, the show’s producer. But his goal for The Bachelor is clear: to attract as many viewers as possible. Fleiss says the average Bachelor sleeps with three women each season. This is clearly part of the show’s allure.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE BACHELOR IS A STRONG CHRISTIAN—WHY NOT ON THE SHOW? →

On February 24, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an agreement with Cuba to lease the area surrounding Guantánamo Bay to the U.S. On February 24, 2016, standing before a portrait of Mr. Roosevelt, President Obama announced plans to close the military prison there.

I watched the president’s speech and the debate that ensued. Both sides center on national security. Mr. Obama claims that the prison hardens international resentment against the U.S. and makes Americans less safe. Opponents dispute this claim and counter that the president’s plan does not account for the most dangerous current detainees or future terrorists. (For more on the Guantánamo Bay debate, see Nick Pitts’s How does Guantanamo undermine our values?.)

Do you worry about national security? If so, you’re not alone. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, only eighteen percent of Americans think we are winning the war on terrorism. That’s the lowest percentage, by far, in ten years. The number of Americans who believe terrorists are winning has doubled in the same time span. According to surveys, national security and terrorism now ranks as the top priority for the federal government.

Continue reading Denison Forum – OBAMA WANTS TO CLOSE GUANTÁNAMO BAY: HOW DO YOU FEEL? →

For seven hours last Saturday night, Jason Brian Dalton drove from one target to the next across Kalamazoo County in southwest Michigan. His shooting rampage killed six and injured two others. In between the shootings, he apparently picked up passengers for Uber. According to CNN, “One question looms above all else: Why did the gunman do this?”

Here’s my question: Why do we care?

Of course I don’t mean that we should not care about the victims of this horrific tragedy. Jesus weeps for them, as should we. Or that we shouldn’t try to understand the shooter’s motives, since they are related directly to his prosecution.

But I’m focusing on a different question this morning: Why do we want to know why the gunman did what he did? Here’s my answer: Because senseless violence is the most frightening violence of all. If I don’t understand why it happened to you, I worry that it could happen to me.

Earthquakes in California are a different story where earthquakes strike than where they don’t. The tropical cyclone in Fiji is a different story for people who live on islands than for people who live inland. If what happened to you could happen to me, it matters more to me.

Continue reading Denison Forum – THE MICHIGAN SHOOTING: WHAT WE DON’T KNOW →