If you live in Las Vegas, you might not expect a visit from Santa this year. You’re likely not surprised that “Sin City” has been ranked the “most sinful city” in America again this year.

But you might be surprised that Houston came in second, Atlanta ranked number five, and Dallas came in at number eight. In addition to making the top ten in America’s most sinful cities, here’s what else the three cities have in common: I have lived in each of them.

Does this mean I’m the common denominator?

In a very real sense, the answer is yes.

But you’re not off the hook.

“What is wrong with the world?”

Scan this morning’s headlines and you’ll find abundant evidence that sin is not confined to my city or yours:

• “Putin says Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region militarily or otherwise”
• “Israel identifies body of returned hostage, remains of Israeli officer still in Gaza”
• “Doctor sentenced to 30 months over Matthew Perry’s death from ketamine”
• “Fatal shooting rocks luxury MGM casino as police hunt for gunman”

And yet, since human nature doesn’t change, our sin problem is as recurrent as the sunrise and as prevalent as air. To claim we are the exception to sin is to sin.

To illustrate, I have seen this anecdote repeated often over the years:

In answer to a newspaper’s question, “What is Wrong With the World?” G. K. Chesterton wrote in with a simple answer: “Dear Sirs, I am.”

However, this is not what the great British philosopher and journalist actually wrote. In a 1905 letter to the editor, Chesterton observed:

Political or economic reform will not make us good and happy, but until this odd period nobody ever expected that they would. Now, I know there is a feeling that Government can do anything. But if Government could do anything, nothing would exist except Government. Men have found the need of other forces.

Religion, for instance, existed in order to do what law cannot do—to track crime to its primary sin, and the man to his back bedroom. The Church endeavored to institute a machinery of pardon; the State has only a machinery of punishment. The State can only free society from the criminal; the Church sought to free the criminal from the crime.

Abolish religion if you like. Throw everything on secular government if you like. But do not be surprised if a machinery that was never meant to do anything but secure external decency and order fails to secure internal honesty and peace. . . .

In one sense, and that the eternal sense, the thing is plain. The answer to the question “What is Wrong?’ is, or should be, “I am wrong.” Until a man can give that answer, his idealism is only a hobby.

“The thing that makes a difference in people”

We are several days into the annual season called Advent, from the Latin adventus, meaning “arrival” or “coming.” While most of the attention is on Jesus’ first coming at Christmas, early forms of the observance focused not only on our Savior’s birth but also on his return, an event usually termed the “Second Coming of Christ.”

But this is chronologically incorrect.

Without question, Jesus came into our world at the event we call Christmas. I can point you to numerous first-century Roman and Jewish historians who documented the fact of our Lord’s earthly existence. And without question, he will come into our world again at the end of history: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7; cf. Matthew 24:42–44; Acts 1:11; Hebrews 9:28; 2 Peter 3:10).

But in between the two, Jesus “comes” into our world every time he comes into a human heart. Every time someone asks him to forgive their sins and become their Savior and Lord, he takes up residence in their life by his indwelling Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). In this very real sense, we become the “body of Christ” as he continues his earthly ministry in and through us (1 Corinthians 12:27).

And this “second coming” changes everything.

The pastor and author Paul Powell noted: “The thing that makes a difference in people is not the centuries nor even our cultures. It is Christ. He alone is able to break through all the pressures and patterns and make us new people.” He then quoted 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation,” and added:

When people commit their lives to Christ, they are changed. When enough people are changed, our world will be changed.

“There is only one relationship that matters”

To this end, let’s close with a paragraph from last Sunday’s reading in Oswald Chambers’s My Utmost for His Highest. It is my favorite entry in his classic devotional; I seem to quote it in a Daily Article every year:

There is only one relationship that matters, and that is your personal relationship to a personal redeemer and Lord. Let everything else go, but maintain that at all costs, and God will fulfill his purpose through your life. One individual life may be of priceless value to God’s purpose, and yours may be that life.

Will God “fulfill his purpose through your life” today?

Quote for the day:

“The same Jesus who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, and your future. He is still in the miracle-working business, and his business is the business of transformation.” —Adrian Rogers

Our latest website resources:

• Ukraine, Hegseth, American work, box office booms & college-football chaos
• Managing holiday loneliness, controversial cloning, and the spiritual revival of Millennials and Gen Z
• Navigating faith and political discussions with Gen Z
• What does the Bible say about suicide?
• Why are so many young people struggling to find hope—and how can we help?

Denison Forum

The Oxford 2025 Word of the Year is rage bait, defined as “online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive.” Could this be what we are seeing with regard to growing war crimes claims against Secretary of War Pete Hegseth? Or did Mr. Hegseth commit a genuine violation of the US code regarding military actions?

Were the survivors legitimate targets?

At the center of the controversy is a Washington Post story about a September 2 attack staged by US forces on a boat believed by officials to be ferrying drugs. The article reports that Mr. Hegseth gave a spoken directive: “The order was to kill everybody,” according to a person with direct knowledge of the operation. A US missile then struck the vessel, igniting it in a blaze from bow to stern. When the smoke cleared, a live drone feed showed two survivors clinging to the smoldering wreck.

According to the Post article citing “two people familiar with the matter,” the Special Operations commander overseeing the attack ordered a second strike to comply with Mr. Hegseth’s instructions. The two survivors were then blown apart in the water.

Lawmakers from both parties are now raising the term war crime in response. They point to “18 US Code § 2441 – War crimes,” which states that such a crime occurs when someone “intentionally kills . . . one or more persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including those placed out of combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause.”

Some experts argue that those who survived the first strike would fall under this description. If so, Mr. Hegseth could be held legally culpable.

However, the commander overseeing the operation, Adm. Frank M. “Mitch” Bradley, stated that the survivors were legitimate targets because they could theoretically call other traffickers to retrieve them and their cargo. He reportedly ordered the second strike to fulfill Mr. Hegseth’s directive that everyone be killed.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting yesterday, Mr. Hegseth told reporters that he had authorized the operation but that he left the room ahead of the second attack for another meeting. However, he added that the admiral had “the complete authority” to order the strike and “eliminate the threat.”

There is much more to this unfolding story, but media reports are overlooking an aspect that transcends the political, legal, and military issues making headlines these days.

My greatest personal regret

I was born in Hermann Hospital in Houston, Texas, to an electronics salesman and his wife. I grew up primarily in an apartment complex in southwest Houston. We had enough but not more than enough. Our family was not only not famous—we didn’t know anyone who was.

Because of my father’s horrific experiences in World War II, we never went to church or even discussed spiritual things in our home. My father had his first heart attack when I was two years old and lived nineteen years on what the doctors called “borrowed time” before a second heart attack took his life when I was in college.

While my parents were wonderful to my brother and me, if I could have chosen the circumstances of my early life, I might have wanted them to be famous and wealthy. I might have chosen to be born into privilege and prosperity, with a father and mother who were deeply involved in God’s work and raised me to know and love our Lord.

I might have wanted my father to be healthy and live to old age. The greatest personal regret of my life is that my father never met my sons or their families.

If you could, I would imagine you might have made changes to your family and early life as well.

How insignificant was Jesus’ hometown?

It therefore bears remembering that Jesus was the only baby in human history to choose his parents, the place of his birth, and the persons who would attend his birth.

He could have been born in a Jerusalem palace to parents of cultural prestige and still come as the Jewish Messiah. He could have grown up in the Holy City and displayed his divine capacities to a national audience.

Instead, he chose a mother and adoptive father so impoverished that their offering at his birth was the one specified for the poor (Luke 2:24). He chose to be born in a cave where animals were kept and where his infant body would be laid in a stone feed trough. For his attendants, he chose field hands so ritually unclean that they could not enter a synagogue or the Temple. He grew up in a town so insignificant that it is not mentioned even once in the Old Testament and was a joke in its day (John 1:46).

He called followers who were not Pharisees and Sadducees but fishermen and tax collectors. He touched leprous limbs and dead bodies, befriended Samaritan sinners and Gentile demoniacs, and welcomed all who welcomed him.

“Christ’s wounds are your healings”

Accordingly, if the Christ of Christmas was commenting on the missile strike with which I led today, I suspect that he would focus less on legalities and military strategy and more on the immortal souls of those who perished.

Jesus would not minimize the crimes they are alleged to have committed or the urgency of protecting our nation from the influx of deadly drugs. His word makes clear the priority of lawful order and self-defense (cf. Romans 13:1).

But he would remind us that we are each sinners in our own way, that we have each done things worthy of the reprobation of society and the judgment of God (cf. Romans 3:23; 5:12; Jeremiah 17:9). And he would remind us that he chose before the foundation of the world to die for those on that boat and for the rest of us as well (Revelation 13:8 NIV).

Matthew Henry invited us:

“Come, and see the victories of the cross. Christ’s wounds are your healings, his agonies your repose, his conflicts your conquests, his groans your songs, his pains your ease, his shame your glory, his death your life, his sufferings your salvation.”

How will his invitation change your Christmas?

Quote for the day:

“There is no death of sin without the death of Christ.” —John Owen (1616–83)

Our latest website resources:

• Managing holiday loneliness, controversial cloning, and the spiritual revival of Millennials and Gen Z
• Navigating faith and political discussions with Gen Z
• What does the Bible say about suicide?
• Why did Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services fail? What the outages can teach us about the spiritual realm
• Why are so many young people struggling to find hope—and how can we help?

Denison Forum

The legendary actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke turns one hundred on December 13. What explains his longevity? He recently told People magazine, “I’ve always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person’s insides—and hate. And I never really was able to work up a feeling of hate. I think that is one of the chief things that kept me going.”

However, he knows that “the end of my life is so much closer.” What happens then? “When you expire, you expire,” he said. “I don’t have any fear of death for some reason. I can’t explain that but I don’t. I’ve had such a wonderfully full and exciting life that I can’t complain.”

He added, “What I left in the way of children’s entertainment and children’s music—that’s my legacy.” As long as children are singing the words or songs he made famous, he said, “the most important part of me will always be alive.”

“I don’t believe in Australia”

I have long been amazed by the assumption of so many people that their subjective beliefs about the afterlife will unquestionably correspond to what actually happens to them when they die. I remember a woman who confidently told me, “I don’t believe in hell,” as if hell must therefore not exist. This seems to me like saying “I don’t believe in Australia” and therefore assuming there is no such thing as Australia.

We don’t make such claims about any other reality that lies beyond our capacity.

Imagine assuming that a hotel will have a vacancy when we arrive and therefore choosing not to make a reservation. Or presuming that we will have a job for which we did not apply or a place on a team for which we did not attempt to qualify. Or believing that the road we choose will take us home upon no evidence except that we chose it.

And yet Dick Van Dyke can confidently assert, “When you expire, you expire,” and claim that “the most important part of me will always be alive” through the children’s music he made. He is convinced that his subjective opinion regarding his eternity must be true, even though he has no objective basis for it.

He is by no means alone in this.

According to a new Cultural Research Center survey, 25 percent of those who do not identify as Christians are certain they will “cease to exist in any form or place” when they die. Another 20 percent believe they will “join with the universe,” while 14 percent say they will “return to earth as another life form.”

Only 3 percent say they will “experience torment and punishment.” With regard to eternity, the others apparently believe that their unbelief is all they need to believe.

Proving I would be a good husband

At this point, we could have an apologetics discussion regarding the logical basis for the Christian faith. We could consider compelling rational arguments for God’s existence, overwhelming evidence for the veracity of Scripture, and remarkable historical confirmation for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

But when you die (assuming the Lord tarries that long), these arguments will no longer be operative for you. When you cease to live, you will obviously have no capacity by which to decide or affect what happens to you next. By definition, your life after death will be entirely dependent on a Power that transcends death.

To have personal confidence that Jesus will bring us into life beyond this life (John 14:3), we can do what we do with all relational realities: we examine the evidence, then we step beyond it into an experience that becomes self-validating.

If I had been required to prove to Janet that I would be a good husband before we married, we would never have been married. Instead, she considered what she knew about me, then she took a step beyond such knowledge into a marital relationship with me. (Some would say this “step” was a very large leap, and I would not dispute them.) Over our forty-five years of marriage, I hope that her decision has (at least on my good days) been self-affirming.

We do the same with Jesus: We examine the evidence for his life, death, resurrection, and divine character. Then we step beyond it into a saving relationship with him by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8–9). When we do, he promises that we are in his omnipotent hand forever (John 10:28), declaring that “everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26).

And he offers us assurance that is based on biblical truth but becomes intuitively personal as well.

This is where Christmas comes in.

“If the presence of God is in the church”

As I noted yesterday, the fact that the omnipotent God of the universe could reduce himself to become a fetus and be born as a baby is among his most staggering miracles. Here’s my point: If he could live in his body, he can live in yours and mine by his indwelling Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). We can become the “body of Christ” as Jesus continues his earthly ministry in and through our lives (1 Corinthians 12:27).

And our experience of the living Lord Jesus in this life assures us that we will experience him in the next.

On the days I walk closely with Jesus, I sense his presence, peace, and joy in such transcendent and transforming ways that the question of my eternity with him never seems to come up. I am already experiencing the eternal life that becomes ours in the moment we trust him as Savior and Lord (John 3:16). And I can say with Paul, “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).

On the days I drift from intimacy with Jesus, in those hours and moments when I allow temptation, distraction, or deception to turn my heart from his, my relationship with him becomes more transactional and less transformational. I work for Jesus more than I walk with Jesus. And the joy of my eternal life begins to dim.

What Charles Finney said about the church is true of our hearts as well:

“If the presence of God is in the church, the church will draw the world in. If the presence of God is not in the church, the world will draw the church out.”

Which will be true for you today?

Quote for the day:

“The Christian life is to live all of your life in the presence of God.” —R. C. Sproul

Our latest website resources:

• Navigating faith and political discussions with Gen Z
• What does the Bible say about suicide?
• Why did Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services fail? What the outages can teach us about the spiritual realm
• Why are so many young people struggling to find hope—and how can we help?
• Epstein files, MAGA infighting, peace deals & Tom Cruise

Denison Forum

As soon as Thanksgiving is over, Christmas decorating begins at my house. My wife is the expert; I am the hired help. You can know this by examining our nativity scenes.

One is simpler, featuring the baby Jesus surrounded by adoring parents and a worshiping angel. The other is more complex, with animals, shepherds, and three Magi. I have pointed out over the years that the Wise Men were not present at the first Christmas, but since my theological observations have fallen annually on deaf ears, I have learned to keep my objections to myself.

However, here’s a nativity set I must protest: a Cape Cod artist has created what Axios calls “New England’s newest unlikely holiday sensation: the Lobster nativity scene.” Jesus is depicted as a baby lobster in a bed of seaweed inside a crab shell cradle. The stable is a lobster trap. The other figures are various versions of lobsters as well.

When I read the story, I was viscerally bothered by the crass commercialization of Christmas. Is there nothing someone won’t do to sell something in the season we celebrate our Savior’s birth?

But then I remembered C. S. Lewis’s poignant description of the Christmas miracle:

The Second Person in God, the Son, became human himself: was born into the world as an actual man—a real man of a particular height, with hair of a particular color, speaking a particular language, weighing so many stone. The Eternal Being, who knows everything and who created the whole universe, became not only a man but (before that) a baby, and before that a fetus inside a woman’s body.

If you want to get the hang of it, think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.

Or a lobster.

“We hold these truths to be sacred”

Over the weekend, I read famed historian Walter Isaacson’s new book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written. It is a word-by-word analysis of the Declaration of Independence’s central assertion:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

The book tells the fascinating story of the Declaration’s evolution from Thomas Jefferson’s initial draft to the document’s final version. For example, we learn that Mr. Jefferson, despite his deistic misgivings regarding the supernatural, originally wrote, “We hold these truths to be sacred . . .” However, Isaacson reports that Benjamin Franklin crossed out “sacred” and wrote “self-evident” in its place.

This is unsurprising, given Franklin’s worldview.

As Isaacson notes, the famous Founder spent more than a month in late 1771 with the famous Scottish philosopher David Hume. Here, he learned Hume’s maxim that self-evident truths are “discoverable by the mere operation of thought” rather than upon empirical observation. As a result of Franklin’s edit, our threefold right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is a “truth” in the sense that we assent logically and rationally to it.

The famed triad’s nature is defined in the same manner: the Founders created a secular republic and therefore offered no biblical or spiritual definitions for life or liberty. In his comment on the third phrase, Isaacson writes that the pursuit of happiness is also “your right—and your opportunity—to seek fulfillment, meaning, and well-being however you personally see fit.”

Christmas is proof that Jesus disagrees.

The only baby who chose to be born

The observable universe is currently estimated to be about ninety-two billion light-years across. Traveling at 186,232 miles per second, it would take you that long to travel from one edge to the other. If your mind can grasp such expansive immensity, it is more capable than mine.

And yet the Creator measures all of that “between his thumb and little finger” (Isaiah 40:12, MSG). Furthermore, it was by Jesus that “all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible” (Colossians 1:16). It is also in him that “all things hold together” (v. 17).

When Jesus unveiled even a glimpse of his heavenly divinity to his best friend John on Patmos, the apostle “fell at his feet as though dead” (Revelation 1:17). Christ is so majestic that when he returns, “on his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16).

And yet he voluntarily “emptied himself” of his indescribable immensity (Philippians 2:7) to become a fertilized egg the size of a pinhead in the womb of a peasant teenage girl. He grew as a fetus and was born as a helpless baby who was then laid in a stone feed trough and worshiped by dirty field hands. He was the only baby in human history to choose to be born and to choose the manner of his birth—and this is what he chose.

Three decades later, he made another fateful choice, again humbling himself “by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v. 8). He could have been executed by stoning at the hands of a Jewish mob (John 8:59), but he chose to die for our sins by Roman crucifixion, the most painful, tortured manner of execution ever devised.

If your friend became a lobster

In short, our Savior chose to sacrifice his “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” for us. Nothing about his decision was “self-evident” in Hume’s sense of rational operation. Finite human minds cannot comprehend such divine reasoning (cf. Isaiah 55:8–9).

But let’s try.

Imagine that it would somehow benefit you for a friend to come back to life as a lobster, a slug, or a crab. This is a fair analogy for the incarnation of Jesus, since the biological distance between humans and such creatures is infinitesimal compared with the infinite distance between God and us.

Here’s my question: If your friend were to make this decision, then die in your place so you could live eternally, would you ever again doubt their love for you?

Quote for the day:

“Because of his boundless love, Jesus became what we are that he might make us to be what he is.” —St. Irenaeus

Our latest website resources:

• Navigating faith and political discussions with Gen Z
• What does the Bible say about suicide?
• Why did Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services fail? What the outages can teach us about the spiritual realm
• Why are so many young people struggling to find hope—and how can we help?
• Epstein files, MAGA infighting, peace deals & Tom Cruise

Denison Forum

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly wants to meet President Trump “as soon as possible,” possibly over Thanksgiving, to finalize a joint US–Ukrainian peace agreement. The primary gap to be bridged is apparently over territory: the current twenty-eight-point US proposal concedes additional land to Russia beyond what it already controls.

The US argument is that the current trajectory of the war suggests Ukraine would eventually lose the territory anyway. White House officials stress that Mr. Trump’s primary goal is to end the war, no matter what the peace deal ultimately looks like.

Such an approach is often termed Realpolitik, a German word meaning “politics of reality.” Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was a foremost proponent, urging the US to engage with other powerful nations in a practical manner rather than on the basis of political doctrine or ethics. He famously stated, “America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests.”

In this view, advancing these interests is the job of a nation’s leaders, whatever ethical compromises must be made along the way. As the political philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah noted, “A value is like a fax machine. It’s not much use if you’re the only one who has one.”

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t feel the same way?

Reflecting on a staggering reality

The psalmist declared, “Give thanks to the Lᴏʀᴅ, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 136:1). He did not claim that God “does” good but that he “is” good. His “steadfast love” (translating the Hebrew hesed, meaning “unconditional and unchanging kindness”) “endures forever,” meaning that it will eternally be what it is right now.

This is because “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and God does not change (Malachi 3:6). If the Supreme Being did, he would be less than Supreme and thus less than God.

Paul similarly reminds us that “God is for us” (Romans 8:31). Max Lucado comments:

Not may be, not has been, not was, but God is! He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you [read] this, he is with you. God is for you (his emphasis).

Take a moment to reflect on the staggering reality that the King of the universe, the Creator of all the cosmos, the Lord of time and eternity “is for you” right now.

“A good that is forever giving”

No wonder the Bible commands us to continually “give thanks to the Lᴏʀᴅ,” to “offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14), to “magnify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30), and to give thanks “always and for everything to God” (Ephesians 5:20, my emphasis). No wonder those in heaven will spend eternity giving thanks to the Lord we worship (Revelation 4:9; 7:11–12; 11:17).

And no wonder we are called to “give thanks in all circumstances” on earth as well (1 Thessalonians 5:18; cf. Hebrews 13:15).

The Bible teaches that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). In response, St. Augustine asked:

What do we love? A good that words cannot describe, a good that is forever giving, a good that is the Creator of all good. Delight in him from whom you have received everything that delights you. But in that I do not include sin, for sin is the one thing that you do not receive from him. With that one exception, everything you have comes from him.

How will you respond tomorrow to those who prepare your Thanksgiving meal? What will you say to those who give you gifts this Christmas? Is thanking those who are kind to us not instinctive?

How much more should we instinctively live a lifestyle of thanksgiving with an attitude of gratitude toward our Father?

If we don’t, why don’t we?

Why I thank someone for something

I cannot speak for you, but I can be honest about my own heart.

When I thank someone for something, I am acting in response to their benevolence. I am admitting that they have offered me grace (defined theologically as “unmerited favor”). They have given me something I did not have but am glad to receive.

In that moment, they were in a sense my superior and I was their inferior. Consequently, I want to express my gratitude as a way of paying my debt and thus leveling the scales of merit.

Here’s the problem: My fallen “will to power” does not want to live in perpetual debt to anyone, even (and sometimes especially) to God. I want to be my own god (Genesis 3:5), the king of my own kingdom. I am happy to give to others and be thanked, but I am less happy to receive as a pauper before a prince, a beggar at the gate of the king.

But this is the reality of my status before an omnipotent God. The good news is, it is also just the posture required to experience his best.

“Keep your eyes open to your mercies”

Jesus paradoxically asserted, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). This is the first Beatitude, the first foundation stone for the Sermon on the Mount and the Christian life it teaches. Our Lord’s words can be paraphrased, “Blessed are those who are spiritually destitute and starving in their souls, for they make God their king and experience life in his kingdom.”

As a fallen human, I submit to God to the degree that I recognize my need for what he alone can provide. But the fact is, I need his best in every dimension of my life, every day. I need his wisdom for every decision, his strength for every trial, his joy for every moment.

So, if I live a lifestyle of thanksgiving with a posture of gratitude to God, I position myself to receive all that my loving Father wants for me. And my changed life will glorify him and lead others to him.

In this sense, Robert Louis Stevenson was more right than he may have known when he advised,

“Keep your eyes open to your mercies. The man who forgets to be thankful has fallen asleep in life.”

How awake is your soul today?

Quote for the day:

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.” —Cicero

Our latest website resources:

• Navigating faith and political discussions with Gen Z
• What does the Bible say about suicide?
• Why did Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services fail? What the outages can teach us about the spiritual realm
• Why are so many young people struggling to find hope—and how can we help?
• Epstein files, MAGA infighting, peace deals & Tom Cruise

Denison Forum

“Signs of a true revival have been piling up lately”

As we focus on gratitude this Thanksgiving week, let’s consider a recent article in the Atlantic that offers surprising encouragement about evangelical Christianity. Spencer Kornhaber reports:

Signs of a true revival have been piling up lately. After years of decline, church attendance has leveled and might even be climbing. TikTok brims with “Christiancore” aesthetics and tradwives. An administration whose Millennial vice president converted to Catholicism just six years ago is pushing explicitly theological policy crusades. And the musical middle has gone megachurchy, filling the Billboard Hot 100 with country-tinged redemption tales and actual worship songs.

The rest of the article focuses on a new album by Rosalía, a singer Kornhaber describes as a “Catalan superstar.” In the album, she “adopts the sound and ambitions of a classical oratorio to mirror the modern quest for salvation, in all its thrilling and frustrating contours.”

Kornhaber writes: “The question of what we believe about our souls and what that belief demands is more serious than lifestyle fads or partisan politics allow for.” I completely agree. However, he then concludes: “Embracing that search, Rosalía preaches, can be as significant as having an answer” (my emphasis).

This is an assertion we need to discuss today, for reasons that far transcend the article that asserts it.

Science documents positive effects of religion

In Why We Believe: Finding Meaning in Uncertain Times, Oxford theologian Alister McGrath cites evidence that the “act of believing” confers significant benefits such as “giving structure to life, providing reassurance, reducing anxiety, and facilitating social integration.”

This is good news, since we are believers by nature. The Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith writes:

All human beings are believers, not knowers who know with certitude. Everything we know is grounded on presupposed beliefs that cannot be verified with more fundamental proof or certainty that provides us assurance that they are true. This is just as true for atheists as for religious adherents. . . . There is no universal, rational foundation upon which indubitably certain knowledge can be built. All human knowing is built on believing. That is the human condition.

However, when we practice our beliefs through religious activities such as prayer, Bible study, worship, and other spiritual disciplines, we seem to experience especially noteworthy benefits. For years, scientific research has documented the positive effects of religious observance. From mental health and social stability to charitable giving, civic engagement, and overall wellness, the pattern is clear: engaging in religious practices is good for us.

So we can be thankful for the increase in religiosity Spencer Kornhaber and many others are reporting these days. As he notes, “Embracing [the] search” for spiritual meaning produces significant benefits.

But can these benefits be “as significant as having an answer”?

Drenched on my morning walk

I went for my early morning walk yesterday, ninety minutes before rain was predicted to begin in our area. Ten minutes later, it started to rain; by the time I made it back home, I was drenched.

The thought occurred to me: Humans are better at predicting and controlling what we create than what we do not. Mechanics can predict the performance of cars more effectively than meteorologists can predict the weather because people make cars but God makes nature. Doctors can do much to treat the diseases of bodies made by our Creator, but medical science ultimately cannot prevent death—only God can.

There are clear benefits to the practice of religion, just as there are benefits to walking in nature or visiting an art gallery. Similarly, an attitude of gratitude lowers the stress hormone cortisol and increases “feel-good” hormones like dopamine and serotonin.

But the greatest benefit of thanksgiving, like the greatest benefit of religious practice, comes not from the act but from its object.

When we can “do all things”

Paul assured us, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, my emphasis). Notice that the apostle did not say “in the church” or “in Bible study.” His Greek phrase, translated “in Christ,” means “located within or connected directly to Christ.”

The Bible is a sacred book (2 Peter 1:21), but it is a means to the end of knowing its Author personally (John 20:30–31). Worship is transforming to the degree that we focus our hearts on an Audience of One and are awed by him (cf. Isaiah 6:1–8).

As we noted yesterday, our ultimate purpose in life is becoming like Christ (cf. Romans 8:29). However, the power to know him in a transforming way is found not in us but in him. He alone has the ability to defeat our temptations, pardon our sins, heal our deepest hurts, and empower our faithful service.

When we seek to know the living Lord Jesus intimately, he makes us like himself and continues his ministry in the world through us. As Paul testified, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV, my emphasis).

But only then.

Warren Buffett’s farewell advice

The famed investor Warren Buffett is retiring at year’s end and recently wrote his farewell letter to shareholders. In it he advised:

“Decide what you would like your obituary to say and live the life to deserve it.”

I want mine to say, “He lived to know Christ and make him known.”

What do you want yours to say?

Quote for the day:

“Study to know Christ more and more, for the more you know, the more you will love him.” —George Whitefield

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• Epstein files, MAGA infighting, peace deals & Tom Cruise
• Two federal judges use AI to draft judicial decisions: Why accountability is our first responsibility

Denison Forum

What do these surprising political headlines from the weekend have in common?

• “Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene to quit Congress after Epstein files feud”
• “Trump pivots from bashing Mamdani, predicting he will ‘do a great job’ as mayor”
• “Supreme Court, for now, keeps in place Texas Republican-friendly congressional map”
• “Orthodox Church pews are overflowing with converts”

In each case, you have to be grateful for what is being reported to experience the news as good news. If you’re not a fan of Mr. Trump or Ms. Greene, if you don’t find New York City or Texas state politics relevant, or if you’re not interested in the cultural narrative illustrated by the Orthodox Church’s rising popularity, you won’t click on the links.

Here’s why this theme matters this Thanksgiving week and every week.

How God treated my migraine in Cuba

Gratitude is the pathway to flourishing. It’s not enough to have the resources necessary for happiness—we must be grateful for these resources to experience their full benefit.

Consider a mundane illustration: My wife sent me to our bank the other day to draw out some cash from the ATM. The machine asked how much I wanted. I asked the screen what the maximum amount was. It told me $800, so I asked for that amount. It then canceled my transaction. When I went inside the bank to see what had gone wrong, I was informed that $500 is the maximum amount you can withdraw, a fact lost on the ATM’s messaging system.

I was frustrated by this technological snafu, but I had been contemplating today’s theme for a few days and remembered it in that moment. I therefore made myself express gratitude for a bank that holds our money, ATM technology that dispenses it, and enough money to be able to withdraw what we needed.

My friends in Cuba would not share my frustration. A recent article in the Economist profiles the ongoing crisis gripping their island nation: electricity usually does not work, and water is often unavailable for drinking, cooking, washing, or even flushing a toilet. According to one study, 89 percent of Cuban families live in extreme poverty; only 3 percent can get the medicine they need at pharmacies.

Over my many preaching trips to the island, however, I have seen Cuban Christians adapt to their challenges. Without electricity, they open the windows of their worship centers and praise God by sunlight and candlelight. Without government support, they grow their own food and share it with each other. Without medicines, they pray for healing.

During one of my trips, I developed a migraine headache one evening. There was no aspirin or other medicine to be found, so the pastor brought an elderly member of his church to see me in my hotel room. “Brother Ben” anointed my forehead with oil and prayed for me, and my headache vanished.

Our Cuban sisters and brothers have taken to heart the biblical command, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Their gratitude helps them identify God’s blessings and then enables them to experience his gifts personally.

Displacing bad behavior with good behavior

This principle is rooted in basic human nature.

Many years ago, an article by the New York Times columnist David Brooks explained our theme. According to Brooks, “There’s a trove of research suggesting that it’s best to tackle negative behaviors obliquely, by redirecting attention toward different, positive ones.” He added, “Don’t try to bludgeon bad behavior. Change the underlying context. Change the behavior triggers. Displace bad behavior with different good behavior.”

In other words, when we are frustrated, disappointed, or otherwise challenged, choose to “give thanks in all circumstances.” Look for a reason to be grateful even in the midst of disappointment or pain.

You may be in the hospital, but you can be grateful that hospitals exist and that you are receiving medical care. You might be grieving the end of your marriage, but you can look for whatever good came from your relationship and be thankful for it. You could be facing your first Thanksgiving without a loved one, but you can remember wonderful times together and focus on the fact that every day is Thanksgiving for those who dwell in God’s glorious paradise.

When we do this, we experience more than the pleasurable emotions resulting from the dopamine and serotonin released in our brains by gratitude: we position ourselves to experience personally the blessings we remember.

“Changed” or “exchanged”?

This principle applies most of all to our ultimate purpose in life. Oswald Chambers observed, “The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of himself, the Holy One, by putting into me a new disposition, the disposition of Jesus Christ.”

Being “born again” is therefore not just metaphorical but real (John 3:3). Jesus remakes us as God’s children (John 1:12) and infuses us with his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). When we mentally replace our fallen nature with his perfection, seeking to manifest his character and continue his earthly ministry, his Spirit does something mystical and even miraculous in us.

Watchman Nee was right: “We think of the Christian life as a ‘changed life,’ but it is not that. What God offers us is an ‘exchanged life,’ a ‘substituted life,’ and Christ is our Substitute within.”

Remember the impact Jesus made in his incarnation. Now imagine his impact through yours.

Our omnipotent Lord cannot be Lord of our lives without changing our lives (cf. Acts 4:13). However, as Tim Keller noted,

“If God is not at the center of your life, something else is.”

Would those who know you say God is at the “center of your life” today?

If not, why not?

Quote for the day:

“Outside Christ, I am empty. In Christ, I am full.” —Watchman Nee

Our latest website resources:

• Why did Cloudflare and Amazon Web Services fail? What the outages can teach us about the spiritual realm
• Why are so many young people struggling to find hope—and how can we help?
• Epstein files, MAGA infighting, peace deals & Tom Cruise
• Two federal judges use AI to draft judicial decisions: Why accountability is our first responsibility
• What can we learn from Africa’s growing church amid trial and persecution?

Denison Forum

When news broke that President Trump was preparing to present Ukraine and Russia with a plan for peace, many were wary of what the proposal might entail. As details began to leak last night, it appears that at least some of those concerns were warranted. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears open to discussion, even if many of the nation’s European allies are not.

Axios reported the complete list, but some of the most important points are:

• Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO now or in the future, and NATO would not be allowed to station troops in Ukraine. Ukraine would, however, be eligible to join the EU and would receive short-term preferential access to the European market.
• Ukraine would receive what one US official described as “an explicit security guarantee” from the US, although the details of what that guarantee would entail are still unclear. The current plan marks the first time Trump has been willing to offer such a guarantee officially.
• The eastern Donbas region would be officially recognized as Russian territory, while the 14 percent currently controlled by Ukraine would become a demilitarized buffer zone between the two nations.
• $100 billion in frozen Russian assets will be used to help rebuild Ukraine, while the proposal also calls for Europe to invest $100 billion in the reconstruction.
• All prisoners and civilians currently held captive by either side—including the children taken by Russia—will be returned, while “a family reunification program” will be implemented as well.

Overall, the plan appears to clearly favor Russia over Ukraine, though the circumstances of the war meant that this scenario was always the most likely. The question now is whether the plan provides enough room for both sides to agree.

Ceding the land currently controlled by Russia—much less giving up territory still controlled by Ukraine—has long been the most difficult aspect of any negotiations for peace. Doing so is technically illegal under Ukraine’s constitution, and many in Europe are wary of any end to the war that makes it seem as though Russia won.

So, what changed? Why does Zelensky seem more open to this kind of agreement now than he has been in the past?

Why Zelensky may be more motivated for peace

When Zelensky was first elected president of Ukraine, he ran on a promise to clean up the government and crack down on those who abused their positions of power for personal gain. And while he has made some progress in that regard, a series of scandals has begun to rock his hold on the government.

Earlier this summer, he was forced to quickly backtrack after attempting to limit the organizations responsible for investigating corruption. Now he faces renewed pressure after two top officials were caught embezzling $100 million from the nation’s energy sector through kickbacks.

While the two officials have since resigned and Zelensky has not been accused of taking part in the crime, his political opponents are calling for more. Namely, they want him to force out his longtime chief of staff and political “gatekeeper,” Andrii Yermak, arguing that it’s difficult to see how corruption on that scale could have escaped his notice.

Yermak has played a key role in managing Ukraine’s relationships with its western allies and in negotiating a potential end to the war. Losing him would be a blow to Zelensky without any guarantees that it would restore the trust lost with his people.

As such, it seems as though he might be more willing to consider conditions of peace that were off the table in the past over fears that his position—both militarily and politically—is only going to get worse from here.

So, while it’s unlikely that every part of Trump’s proposed ceasefire will be enacted, something akin to this deal may be the best offer that Ukraine gets. The question now is whether Zelensky and his allies can accept that reality.

However, they are far from the only ones who struggle with such decisions.

Redeeming our fallen reality

Jonah Goldberg once noted that “Self-awareness is indispensable to seeing the lines between what you want to be true and what is actually true.” Unfortunately, self-awareness tends to be a quality that many of us struggle to consistently live out. And the results are often catastrophic.

If it helps, though, humanity has been fighting against false self-perceptions of our abilities and limitations from the start.

In many ways, Satan’s temptation to Adam and Eve in the Garden was rooted in the idea that they were not only capable of being equals with God but that they deserved to be as well (Genesis 3:5–6). Israel’s issues with God in the wilderness and their refusal to worship him alone in the centuries leading up to the Exile stemmed from much the same place. And the call to submit our sense of need and entitlement to the Lord in order to find peace with him and with each other is one of the most frequent themes throughout Paul’s letters.

When we refuse to accept the reality of our situation and of our own limitations, it makes accepting God’s will for our lives extremely difficult. And when we evaluate his will through the lens of what we feel entitled to or from the perspective of our own selfish desires, it will often seem lacking.

The truth is that God loves us enough to disappoint us when he knows doing so is in our best interests (Matthew 7:9–11). In those moments, learning to offer Christ’s prayer from the garden that “not as I will, but as you will” is crucial to walking in step with the Lord (Matthew 26:39).

So, where are you struggling with self-awareness today? Are there any areas of your life where you’re finding it difficult to accept God’s will because it conflicts with your own?

This side of heaven, all of us will face moments where it’s difficult to accept the reality of our lives and where our choices have brought us. However, your situation isn’t going to improve by simply wishing things were different or—even worse—trying to live as though it already is. The sooner we accept that fact, the quicker we can join God in his plans to redeem our fallen reality in ways that only he can.

Are you willing to make that choice today?

Quote of the day:

“Faith is acting like God is telling the truth.” —Tony Evans

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• Tom Cruise receives his first Oscar

Denison Forum

Two very disparate stories are headlining the news this morning.

First, President Trump stated on social media last night that he has signed the bill that directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to publicly release all its Jeffrey Epstein-related files. Senators from both parties said the DOJ must now release the files within thirty days.

Second, the Associated Press is reporting that “the House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to repeal part of a new law that gives senators the ability to sue the federal government for millions of dollars if their personal or office data is accessed without their knowledge.”

The Senate included such a provision in the funding bill that ended the recent government shutdown. This was in response to reports that the FBI analyzed phone records of as many as ten senators in 2023 as part of an investigation into President Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The House was “blindsided” by the provision and has voted to overturn it. Now the Senate must decide how to respond.

 “The definition and axioms of free society”

I have the greatest admiration for Abraham Lincoln. I have visited his birthplace in Kentucky, stood near where he stood at Gettysburg, and been in the theater where he was shot and the home where he died.

I have enormous respect for Thomas Jefferson as well. While I grieve his failures and hypocrisy concerning slavery, I am grateful for his brilliant intellect and revelatory wisdom so foundational to America’s birth. I have visited his Virginia home and burial site and stood in awe beside the room in Philadelphia where he wrote the Declaration of Independence.

However, I must audaciously disagree with something Mr. Lincoln said about Mr. Jefferson.

In Jon Meacham’s magisterial biography, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle, we find a statement in which Mr. Lincoln praises Mr. Jefferson: “The principles of Jefferson are the definition and axioms of free society.” Meacham adds that “chief among [them] was that all men were created equal.”

Mr. Lincoln elaborated:

All honor to Jefferson—to the man who, in the concrete pressure of a struggle for national independence by a single people, had the coolness, forecast, and capacity to introduce into a merely revolutionary document an abstract truth, applicable to all men and all times, and so to embalm it there that today, and in all coming days, it shall be a rebuke and a stumbling block to the very harbingers of re-appearing tyranny and oppression.

If only it were true.

Why are there 49,000 federal laws?

In the partisan political furor over the Epstein files, with each side looking for ways to attack the other, the victims of Epstein’s sexual abuse and sex trafficking are all too easily overlooked. Even senators, occupying one of the highest echelons of political power in the land, can reportedly be victimized by the government they lead.

From Cain and Abel to crimes generating headlines today, fallen humans have consistently and often emphatically rejected Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that “all men are created equal.” Pornography objectifies people made in the image of God; sex trafficking commercializes souls for whom Jesus died; crime victimizes people loved infinitely by their Creator.

The beating heart of our fallen nature is the will to power: our quest to be our own god (Genesis 3:5) at the expense of everyone else. All the while, they are doing the same at our expense. Is it any wonder that the US has enacted over forty-nine thousand federal laws across our history? Or that they consistently fail to restrict our behavior or reform our character?

And yet, despite all our failed attempts to legislate morality, we persist in the effort. In large part, this is because abandoning the effort obviously would lead to anarchy and chaos. But also, this quest for a just society reveals something transcendent about our souls.

“The echo of a tune we have not heard”

This week, we have been focusing on the transforming power of intimacy with Jesus. Today, let’s add a very different dimension to the conversation.

In “The Weight of Glory,” C. S. Lewis identifies “a desire for something that has never actually appeared in our experience.” He speaks of books or music, for example, in which we experience beauty but never quite attain the deeper beauty to which they point. As he notes, “They are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not heard, news from a country we have never yet visited.”

I myself have had this experience many times. Sitting on my favorite bench beside my favorite lake; watching the sun rise or set over the ocean; hiking in the woods amid blossoming dogwoods and azaleas on a glorious spring morning. I have been privileged to visit places that will remain fixed in my memory to the end of my life—the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee, the hushed beauty of the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem, the majesty of the Acropolis in Athens, and the wonder of the Pantheon in Rome spring to mind.

But each and every time, without exception, there was a nagging sense in the back of my soul that this is not “it.” There is something more, something beyond this, something more perfect of which this is a beautiful but ethereal imitation. Plato was right in calling this world a “shadow” of the ideal. We legislate against our immorality and strive for beauty and joy with all our hearts, but we never actually attain what we seek. Even when it seems we do, the moment passes and the shadows envelop us once more.

Lewis had the explanation to which I am pointing us today:

If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.

“When I am weak, then I am strong”

If nothing in this fallen world can satisfy our souls, let’s use the temporal to experience the eternal, the material to unite with the spiritual, the mundane to seek the transcendent. Aristotle corrected Plato by claiming that the ideal is found in the material, and in a sense he was right.

If God is truly omnipresent, we can meet him in every moment and place. If he is truly omnibenevolent, we can experience his love even in the most loveless moments. If he is truly omniscient, we can find his wisdom and follow his guidance even in the darkest valleys. If he is truly omnipotent, we can experience his transforming strength even in our greatest weakness.

In fact, it is likely that it is in just such moments that such revelations will come. When Paul trusted his “thorn in the flesh” to God’s providence, he discovered that he could say, “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

What is your “thorn” today? Where are you most disappointed or frustrated with life? Conversely, if your circumstances happen to be joyful this morning, are they enough for your soul?

The Bible assures us, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). In just the moment where you find yourself today, can I invite you to seek “with all your heart” the Father who is seeking you (Jeremiah 29:13)?

Quote for the day:

“You can’t truly rest until every area of your life rests in God.” —A. W. Tozer

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Denison Forum

A chatbot is a “program or application that users can converse with using voice or text.” The bots simulate human conversation by using natural language processing to understand users and respond to their questions.

I suppose it was inevitable that chatbots would come not only to customer service, e-commerce, entertainment, and media but also to the church. Here are some examples:

• One Day Confession uses AI to “simulate the experience of confessing to a Catholic priest, providing thoughtful responses based on biblical teachings and principles.”
• Confession–Catholic also allows the user to “enter the content to ask for forgiveness” and then “receive forgiveness” from the app.
• EpiscoBot.com allows users to ask questions and receive answers reflecting “the teachings and policies of the Episcopal Church.”
• A pastor named Ron Carpenter has created an AI app that allows you to ask questions and receive answers drawn from his sermon archive.

And there’s even Text With Jesus, an AI-powered chatbot billed as “a divine connection in your pocket.” It invites you to “embark on a spiritual journey and engage in enlightening conversations with Jesus Christ, the apostles, and a multitude of other revered figures from the Bible.”

Of course, chatbots creating the illusion that we are talking directly with Jesus are just that—illusions. However, many of us who would never use an app to talk to Christ nonetheless have a “chatbot” relationship with the real Jesus.

I know. For many years, I was one of them.

God with a massive set of scales

As I have often recounted, I grew up in a family that never attended church services. I believed there was a God but had no concept of a personal relationship with him.

In my theological worldview, he was a divine judge with a massive set of scales, balancing the good I did on one side against the bad on the other. Whichever way the scale tipped determined where I went when I died. Since I thought I was basically a good person, I assumed I had all of God I needed in my life.

As a teenager, I was invited to attend a local Baptist church, where I heard the gospel and eventually made a commitment to trust in Christ as my Savior and Lord. I then began practicing what I understood the Christian life to be—praying, reading the Bible, attending church services, serving others, and sharing my faith. Over time, I sensed a call into vocational ministry (another story for another day). Theological degrees followed, as did service on a seminary faculty and pastoral ministry in three churches.

Then came a day that changed everything.

“Trying to prove to yourself that you are loved”

I was pastoring a church in Atlanta, Georgia, when our staff participated in a silent retreat at Ignatius House, a Jesuit retreat center on the Chattahoochee River. During the retreat, we were given an essay by the writer Mike Yaconelli in which he recounted a remarkable experience at a spiritual retreat of his own. He testified:

God had been trying to shout over the noisiness of my life, and I couldn’t hear him. But in the stillness and solitude, his whispers shouted from my soul, “Michael, I am here. I have been calling you. I have been loving you, but you haven’t been listening. Can you hear me, Michael? I love you. I have always loved you. And I have been waiting for you to hear me say that to you. But you have been so busy trying to prove to yourself that you are loved that you have not heard me.”

What God said to Mike, he said to me. In those days, my Father showed me that he wants a personal, intimate relationship with me above all else. He wants to be as real, alive, and active in my life as any other living person. More so, in fact, since he and I can commune directly any time, any place.

By contrast, I was relating to him as transactionally as I would to a chatbot: asking questions and deriving answers and advice. I prayed when I needed forgiveness or guidance, read his word to prepare sermons and Bible studies, and worshiped as part of my pastoral responsibilities. But I could not remember the last time I spent an hour with Jesus just to be with Jesus. I could not remember the last time I read the Bible for no reason except to hear his voice.

And this broke my heart: I could not remember the last time I told Jesus from my heart that I loved him.

“So shall your God rejoice over you”

Yesterday, we focused on life-changing intimacy with God. The day before, we discussed the private sins that imperil such intimacy. Today, let’s add one more fact: sins no one else sees are just as effective in blocking the Holy Spirit as those that are obvious. Such sins are even more nefarious in a way, since we think we can commit them, confess them, and face no consequences for them.

In truth, they are bricks in a wall separating us from the personal, transforming presence of Jesus.

By contrast, seeking true intimacy with Jesus is the path to experiencing his best and reflecting his transforming character to a broken culture. Our Lord says of his people, “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5). He is already “living among you” as your “mighty savior” (Zephaniah 3:17a NLT). As a result, “He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (v. 17b NLT).

If you want to experience his delight, gladness, love, calm, and joy, ask his Spirit to lead you into greater intimacy with Jesus than you have ever known, then follow his lead. There will be things to do and stop doing, steps to take as you journey further into his transforming presence. He promises: “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Dr. Duane Brooks noted in a recent devotional,

“We cannot go with God and stay where we are.”

Will you “go with God” today?

Quote for the day:

“To fall in love with God is the greatest romance; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him the greatest achievement.” —St. Augustine

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• A Veterans Day reflection on a debt we can never repay
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Denison Forum

Late last night, President Trump wrote on social media that House Republicans should vote to release all files in the Jeffrey Epstein case. His statement comes ahead of an expected House vote this week, after the House Oversight Committee released more than twenty thousand pages of documents related to Epstein last week. They include communications between the convicted sex offender and numerous high-profile people in politics, media, Hollywood, and foreign affairs.

The issue has come to dominate headlines and popular culture in recent days. Saturday Night Live, for example, made numerous jokes about it too vulgar for me to repeat or reference. My purpose today is not to sort through the entire story, but to speak to an issue it illustrates that directly affects you and me every day.

Divorcing character from leadership

Ours is largely a two-party political system. Since the creation of the modern-day Republican and Democratic parties in the nineteenth century, no third-party candidate has been elected to the presidency.

As a result, voters are typically obligated to choose the candidate they believe will best lead the country, whether they have significant issues with that candidate’s personal character or not. In this scenario, some choose not to vote, or they vote for a third party or write-in candidate. Others respond that this approach renders the person’s vote null and takes a vote from the major party candidate they would have otherwise supported, essentially helping elect the other candidate. This is a debate for another time.

Here’s my point: Whatever our partisan political views, we must not divorce character from leadership.

Some believe that so long as a person does the job they’re elected to do, their personal character issues are less relevant. Many will therefore view whatever comes of the Epstein files through the same partisan lens they view all other news.

I recognize that we elect a president, governor, mayor, and so on, not a pastor or Sunday school teacher. We don’t typically care much about the personal morality of a CEO whose company’s products we buy.

But we should.

And we should not view elected leaders merely as corporate CEOs and ourselves as the consumers of their “products.”

Three reasons character matters

Let me explain why.

One: Personal character matters to the person.

According to Heraclitus, “A man’s character is his fate.” This is more true than the ancient philosopher knew.

The Bible states, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). This is true for believers as well: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10). It is therefore vital that we pray for the spiritual health of our leaders, for their sake (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

Two: Personal character matters to the public.

King Manasseh “did what was evil in the sight of the Lᴏʀᴅ” and “led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lᴏʀᴅ destroyed before the people of Israel” (2 Chronicles 33:2, 9). As a result, God judged the nation and it fell into captivity (v. 11).

It is often said that we get the government we deserve, but we need leaders who appeal to the “better angels of our nature” and inspire us to the consensual morality upon which our democracy depends.

Three: Personal character matters to God.

Personal sin keeps Christians from experiencing the abundant life of Christ. We manifest the horrific “works of the flesh” rather than the life-giving “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:19–23). And our so-called “private” sin keeps the Holy Spirit from using us fully.

As Oswald Chambers noted in today’s My Utmost for His Highest reading, “God’s revelation of himself to me is determined by my character, not by God’s character.”

We can confess our sins and be forgiven (1 John 1:9), but their consequences persist. We remain spiritually stunted and miss the joy of the Lord that is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and our most compelling witness to a joyless world.

A word to Christian leaders

I’ll close today with a word to those of us who are privileged to be in spiritual leadership.

Satan wants us to believe (though we would never put this into words) that because of our calling, we are above the normal temptations of life. Of course this is tragically untrue, as the ongoing clergy abuse scandals show. The devil also wants us to think that we are somehow less susceptible to his wiles than others, hoping to draw us into a conversation over an issue that soon turns into a temptation and then into sin (cf. Genesis 3:1–7; James 1:14–15).

Our enemy does this because he knows that character failures by Christian leaders are especially devastating to the cause of Christ. Our sins can cause greater harm to more people. And our secularized culture will quickly seize on our faults as proof that our message is irrelevant or even dangerous, and that joining the Christian movement is dangerous as well.

So, Christians urgently need to reject the bifurcation of character and leadership so prevalent today. To this end, if you’re a Christian leader, let me urge you to take a moment for a spiritual inventory. Ask the Spirit to identify any area of your life that displeases God, then confess all that comes to your thoughts. Do this regularly. Make it your ambition to honor your Lord in “spirit and soul and body” (1 Thessalonians 5:23) today.

If you’re not in Christian leadership, let me urge you to pray daily for those who are. Intercede for your pastor, Bible teachers, and other leaders by name. Ask God to protect them from the enemy and empower their faithfulness to his glory.

And whatever your role in the body of Christ, I invite you to submit to the Spirit right now (Ephesians 5:18), asking him to empower you against temptation and produce his holiness in your heart. You and I cannot sanctify ourselves, but the Spirit of Jesus will make anyone more like our Lord, if only we are willing.

Andrew Murray assured us,

“God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to him.”

Are you “wholly yielded to him” today?

Quote for the day:

“The destined end of man is not happiness, nor health, but holiness. God’s one aim is the production of saints.” —Oswald Chambers

Our latest website resources:

• Two federal judges use AI to draft judicial decisions: Why accountability is our first responsibility
• Shutdown ends, Democrats’ identity crisis, Pelosi update, MLB pitchers indicted & Nico Harrison fired
• What can we learn from Africa’s growing church amid trial and persecution?
• A Veterans Day reflection on a debt we can never repay
• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’

Denison Forum

Democrats and Republicans clashed over several issues during the government shutdown, which came to an end late Wednesday night. However, the enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act—more commonly known as Obamacare—were by far the most prominent point of contention.

But why was that the case?

After all, if the situation were truly as straightforward as either side presented, then it shouldn’t be this controversial. So, with that dilemma in mind, let’s take a closer look at what’s really going on with the enhanced subsidies, and why they are emblematic of a much bigger problem.

To begin, it’s important to distinguish between the enhanced subsidies that will expire at the end of the year and the subsidies that have been around for more than a decade.

What are the enhanced subsidies?

Initially, the designers of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) thought asking participants to spend 2–10 percent of their income on premiums would make the program affordable for those who needed it. Where a person fell on that spectrum depended on their income level, with those just above the poverty line paying 2 percent while middle-income Americans would pay closer to the 10 percent cap. The remaining difference between the premiums set by insurers and what the individual or family had to pay was subsidized by the government.

We’ll take a closer look at the numbers in a minute, but for now, it’s important to understand that these subsidies remain in place. However, in 2021, Congress determined that more help was needed.

Back then, COVID was still a problem, and the economy had not recovered from the pandemic. At the same time, enrollment in the ACA had never reached the levels expected by its authors—or the levels necessary to make it financially viable. Yet Republicans had failed repeatedly to replace it with anything better.

So, Congress decided to throw more money at the problem and passed “enhanced” subsidies that redefined what was affordable, from 2–10 percent of one’s income to 0–8.5 percent.

The most significant change was for those who earned 150 percent or less of the federal poverty level (FPL). For them, coverage essentially became free, and their enrollment swelled in response.

However, reports of how much those rates are likely to increase have less to do with those at the bottom end of the income spectrum than with those toward the top of the scale.

Who is truly covered?

In addition to making health coverage free for those toward the bottom of the income spectrum, the enhanced subsidies also removed the cap on who was eligible. As such, anyone who wanted to sign up for the program could do so and pay no more than 8.5 percent of their annual income for coverage.

That’s currently set to revert to the original 400 percent of the FPL, which would be an annual income of roughly $62,600 for a single adult or $128,600 for a family of four. Anyone over that level will have to pay the full price, meaning most in this category will likely either look for alternative options or forgo health insurance altogether. And if enough people leave the system, it will drive up the prices for those who remain.

You see, the vast majority of the population already gets their health insurance covered through other means. Roughly half of the country—160 million—get coverage through their work, while Medicare and Medicaid cover another 120 million. That leaves about 40–50 million who fall somewhere in the middle.

Of that 40–50 million, about half are currently enrolled in the ACA, which is still a big jump from the 11 million who took part before the enhanced subsidies started. If the numbers go back to what they were in 2020, then it will make it even more expensive for those who remain, since most of those who leave will be the ones who tend to be healthy enough to see insurance as more of a luxury than a necessity and are cheaper to insure as a result.

So, what should the government do? As you might expect, there are lots of ideas, but there appear to be very few viable solutions.

Can Congress find an answer?

The Democratic side of Congress has made its position clear for quite some time. They want the enhanced subsidies extended for at least a year and were willing to shut down the government for a month and a half to try to see it done. Conversely, President Trump wants to take the money sent to insurance companies and give it to Americans to help them purchase their own healthcare. And some Republicans are trying to find a way to do just that.

Others in the Senate are open to negotiating an extension of the enhanced subsidies, but want to tie stronger abortion restrictions to the legislation. Still more would prefer a system where subsidies exist, but everyone has to pay something. Of the options proposed so far, something akin to this last solution seems most viable.

Given that nearly 12 million enrollees have never filed a claim—three times as many as before the enhanced subsidies—accusations of fraud and “gaming the system” have risen steadily in recent years. It’s unclear whether that increase is truly due to fraud—though there is evidence that some have signed up without knowing it—or simply a healthier segment of the population choosing coverage.

However, insurance companies receive their premiums either way and have grown tremendously as a result. And when three-quarters of those enrolled can do so for free, the temptation for insurers to abuse that system can be hard to resist.

All of that to say, it seems clear that the current system isn’t working—or, at the very least, has some rather serious bugs—but finding a viable alternative remains elusive. Unfortunately, the temptation to treat symptoms rather than address the real problem is not limited to the government, and our walk with the Lord often suffers for the same reason.

Are you content with your sins?

One of Scripture’s most consistent teachings regarding the nature of sin is that if you don’t address its root cause, no other solution will work. Jesus addresses this tendency in the Sermon on the Mount, where he contrasts the law’s emphasis on right action with the demand to look instead at the motivations behind those actions (Matthew 5). However, the Gospels are hardly alone in preaching this truth.

We see it lived out in the examples of kings like Amaziah, Jotham, and others who worshiped God but failed to tear down the pagan altars throughout Israel. We see it in Paul’s encouragement to surrender our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord, dedicating every aspect of our lives and every minute of our day to him (Romans 12:1). And we see it in Christ’s warning to the church in Ephesus, whom he commends for enduring suffering and rooting out false teaching but denounces for abandoning their first love (Revelation 2:2–4).

The temptation to address the symptoms of our sins or to stop short of allowing the Holy Spirit to root out their true cause is often one of the most damaging impediments to a strong relationship with the Lord. Part of the problem is that we can make real progress, but it will never be enough if we find ourselves content with any fragment of that sin remaining in our lives.

So, are there any sins in your life where you’ve stopped short of a true solution? Is there some area where you’re holding back, contenting yourself with minor improvements while knowing the Lord has called you to something more?

Take some time right now to surrender those sins to God. Ask him to forgive you and help you know how to change in whatever ways are necessary to find true freedom in him. And ask him to help you recognize when those temptations return again.

Let’s start today.

Quote of the day:

“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become—because he made us.” —C. S. Lewis

Our latest website resources:

• President Trump signs spending bill ending US shutdown
• https://www.denisonforum.org/podcasts/culture-brief/shutdown-ends-democrats-identity-crisis-pelosi-update-mlb-pitchers-indicted-nico-harrison-fired-ep-45/
• Two federal judges use AI to draft judicial decisions
• What can we learn from Africa’s growing church amid trial and persecution?
• A Veterans Day reflection on a debt we can never repay

Denison Forum

Late last night, President Trump signed into law a spending package that reopened the US government, drawing the record-long forty-three-day shutdown to a close. The package includes:

• Funding for the federal government through January 30.
• Full-year funding for the Agriculture Department, military construction, and the legislative branch.
• Language guaranteeing the reversal of federal layoffs initiated by the Trump administration during the shutdown and a moratorium on future cuts.
• Paychecks for federal employees, including air-traffic controllers, which will send thousands of furloughed government workers back to the job.

However, the bill postponed the issue that was central to the standoff until later this year: how to address the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. Democrats refused to fund the government without assurances that the subsidies would be extended; Republicans wanted to fund the government and then debate the subsidies.

The debate highlighted a strange feature in our federal governance. Democrats are in the minority in both the House and the Senate, so Republicans could presumably have outvoted them and passed the legislation they wanted. They did so in the House; the measure they approved yesterday and sent to the president for his signature passed 222 to 209, largely along party lines.

But they could not do so in the Senate, even though they hold a 53–47 majority. Only after eight senators (seven Democrats and one Independent) agreed to vote with the Republicans could they pass the legislation to the House, which then passed it and sent it to the White House.

The reason is the “filibuster,” a strange component in the Senate’s governance. You probably didn’t get up this morning hoping I would write on it. Nor did I. I had a very different article planned, but after reading today’s news of the government reopening and considering what led to it, I decided to write what follows.

The reason, as I’ll explain, has more to do with our souls than with our governance.

Why the “filibuster” is significant

On September 22, 1789, Pennsylvania Senator William Maclay wrote in his diary that the “design of the Virginians . . . was to talk away the time, so that we could not get the bill passed.” This occurred in the very first session of the US Senate. The Virginia senators utilized the right of unlimited debate, a tactic that came to be known as the “filibuster” (from the Spanish filibustero, which ironically means “lawless plunderer”).

By the mid-nineteenth century, filibusters became more common as a way for an individual senator or minority party to prevent legislation from proceeding. This led to demands for “cloture,” a method for ending debate and bringing a question to a vote.

In 1917, the Senate adopted a rule allowing for debate to be closed with a two-thirds vote. In 1975, the number of votes required for cloture was reduced to sixty, where it stands today. However, the Senate adopted new precedents in the 2010s to allow a simple majority to end debate on nominations; the sixty-vote practice remains for legislation.

Over the years, when a party has held the majority, some within it have called for abolishing the sixty-vote requirement to end debate. After all, the voters elected the majority; to allow the minority to block their legislative decisions seems undemocratic. Others have warned that when the other side regains the majority in the future, the current majority will be unable to block legislation to which they object.

This may seem like an “in the weeds” discussion of an arcane political practice, but the issue has very real and practical consequences. The fifty-three Republicans in the Senate could not pass legislation reopening the federal government without the support of eight Democrats (Republican Sen. Rand Paul voted against the bill). From food stamp payments to air traffic issues to furloughed workers, millions of Americans were directly affected as a result.

Why minority rights matter

The Founders created a democratic republic in which the minority has significant rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights. If you are ever in the minority on a significant issue, you’ll be grateful for this arrangement.

For example, when the so-called Equality Act was adopted by the Democrat-led House a few years ago, it failed in the Democrat-led Senate because Democrats could not obtain enough Republican support for the sixty votes needed to overcome the filibuster. There were adamant calls by some Democrats to suspend the filibuster to pass the legislation by simple majority. However, Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to do so, which ensured that the Act would not proceed.

Since I agree with those who consider the Equality Act “the most invasive threat to religious liberty ever proposed in America,” I am deeply grateful for this outcome.

Now to the larger purpose behind this “civics lesson” I didn’t intend to write this morning.

Why we have laws, and why they are not sufficient

The whole reason humans construct laws to govern our behavior is that we cannot be trusted to act morally without them. The oldest known surviving law code dates to 2095 BC and includes laws against murder, robbery, and kidnapping. From Cain and Abel to today, sinful people have behaved in sinful ways.

This fact pertains not only to citizens governed by our laws but also to those who construct them. Presidents, governors, mayors, legislators, and judges are no less fallen upon their ascension to office than the rest of us. Checks and balances that prevent leaders from exercising unaccountable power, as laborious and frustrating as they may be at times, are essential to protecting some of us from the rest of us.

Here we find yet another reason why the gospel is such “good news.” Human laws cannot change human hearts, but Jesus can. Unlike any other world religion, worldview, or system of government, he forgives every sin we confess (1 John 1:9), separates our sins from us “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12), buries them in “the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19), and “remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25 NIV).

But Jesus not only forgives sins—he remakes sinners. When we make him our Lord, he makes us a “new creation” as the “children of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17; John 1:12). When we submit our lives daily to his Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), he sanctifies us and manifests the character of Christ in us (2 Thessalonians 2:13; Romans 8:29; Galatians 5:22–23).

This is why living in the Spirit is the key to the abundant life of Christ. And it is why sharing Christ with our broken culture—however we can, whenever we can—is our greatest service to our fellow Americans.

Our nation’s future and flourishing depend not on human governance but on divine grace. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

It never will.

Quote for the day:

“There is no greater communication of love than proclaiming the gospel of God.” —Alistair Begg

Our latest website resources:

• Shutdown ends, Democrats’ identity crisis, Pelosi update, MLB pitchers indicted & Nico Harrison fired
• Two federal judges use AI to draft judicial decisions: Why accountability is our first responsibility
• What can we learn from Africa’s growing church amid trial and persecution?
• A Veterans Day reflection on a debt we can never repay
• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’

Denison Forum

Legislation that would reopen the US government advanced through the House Rules Committee early this morning; the full House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill this evening. The eight Democratic senators who made this possible are being vilified or thanked, depending on the news outlet you happen to read.

In fact, the news is much in the news these days. Perhaps you have followed the controversy embroiling the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) after the Telegraph, a British media outlet, published an exclusive report showing that the BBC doctored a Donald Trump speech to make him appear to encourage the Capitol Hill riot on January 6. The version the BBC aired quoted Mr. Trump:

We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol and I’ll be with you and we fight. We fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not gonna have a country anymore.

However, the first sentence was spoken fifteen minutes into the speech, while the second sentence came fifty-four minutes later. In addition, the BBC edited out what Mr. Trump said following the first sentence: “I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”

The BBC has since apologized; two of its top executives have resigned; Mr. Trump has threatened legal action; there have been calls to defund the BBC; and the network’s future direction and government support could be in doubt.

In a day when the public’s trust in mass media is at an all-time low, this story is not likely to encourage our faith but to reinforce our skepticism.

However, our doubts about the media are themselves reflective of even more foundational doubts that affect all of us, all of the time.

Welcome to the “Polycene” era

According to The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, we are now in the “Polycene” era. His in-depth article is a fascinating recap of recent years in technology and culture.

• With regard to computer and AI, the “silicon foundation” for the Polycene is “multiple intelligences, seamlessly networked, co-improving and co-evolving in real time.”
• With regard to natural disasters and geopolitics, we’re in an era of “poly-crisis.”
• With regard to global migration, immigration, and sexual and gender distinctions, we’re in an era of “polymorphic communities.”
• With regard to global trade and interconnected commerce, we’re in an era of “poly-economic networks.”

In a Polycene world, Mr. Friedman concludes, “most of the problems we face do not have ‘either/or’ answers: they have ‘both/and’ answers.” As a result, “Key actors must be able to occupy multiple states, and hold competing ideas in tension, at the same time.”

In a sense, Christians have been living in a Polycene worldview for twenty centuries. We believe that God is three persons in one essence; the incarnate Christ was fully God and fully man; God is sovereign while humans are free; the Bible is divinely inspired and humanly written. My first theology professor in seminary assured our class that if we cannot live with theological tension, we cannot do good theology.

But unlike our postmodern, relativistic culture, we “hold competing ideas in tension” on a foundation of authoritative biblical truth:

• We believe God is both three and one because the Bible declares him to be so (cf. Matthew 28:19; John 14:26).
• We believe Jesus came as fully God and fully man because the Bible demonstrates both to be true (Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 4:15).
• We believe the Bible is divinely inspired and humanly written because it tells us so (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).
• We believe God is sovereign while we are free because Scripture teaches both (Psalm 115:3; Acts 3:19).

And we are commissioned to declare the unchanging truth of Scripture to our fallen culture (2 Timothy 4:2), to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).

“Those who call evil good and good evil”

This week, we have discussed the necessity of faith in Christ and the importance of encouraging others to embrace such faith. Both stand on the foundation of biblical revelation, the absolute truth declared by God in his word.

Such truth is no more popular today than it has ever been.

Seven centuries before Christ, the prophet declared, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20–21).

Long before postmodern philosophers convinced our culture that “truth” is the result of our subjective interpretation of our subjective experiences, Jesus explained the root of the problem: “This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and the people loved darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19).

I am no different.

I want to focus on the parts of the Bible that reinforce what I want to do while ignoring the parts that do not. I can easily declare biblical truth concerning same-sex attraction, for example, because I do not struggle with this temptation. But there are other temptations with which I do struggle, sins about which the Bible is just as clear but subjects which I am prone to look past.

Here’s the good news: when I submit these temptations to the truth of Scripture and ask the Spirit to empower my obedience, I experience a victory that verifies the veracity of God’s word and empowers me to share its transforming truth with my fellow strugglers on the road.

“During times of universal deceit”

The more our “post-truth” culture rejects biblical truth, the more it needs it.

Paul warned that for some, “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame” because they have “minds set on earthly things” (Philippians 3:19, my emphasis). For believers, by contrast, “our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (vv. 20–21).

Now we are commissioned to “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9) so that all may experience the transforming grace of Christ. The English novelist George Orwell warned:

“During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”

Let’s be revolutionaries together today, to the glory of God.

Quote for the day:

“If the world is against the truth, then I am against the world.” —Athanasius (d. AD 373)

Our latest website resources:

• A Veterans Day reflection on a debt we can never repay
• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’
• Tariffs on trial, Nigerian Christian persecution, Dick Cheney, Mamdani and Dems win big & NFL trades
• How can Christians respond to persecution and defend religious freedom?
• Trade deals, East Wing destroyed, NBA gambling scandal, election day preview & scented stamps

Denison Forum

NOTE: I invite you to join me in honoring our veterans today by praying for them, their families, and our nation. I am sharing a personal reflection in an article we will publish on our website this morning.

The US Supreme Court announced yesterday that it will not revisit its landmark 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. The Court rejected an appeal from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk who was ordered to pay compensation to a same-sex couple after denying them a marriage license due to her religious beliefs.

For those of us who believe in Jesus’ definition of marriage (Matthew 19:3–6; cf. Genesis 2:18–25), this news is disappointing but not surprising. Whether the issue is abortion, adultery, divorce, pornography, euthanasia, or a host of other moral concerns, we should not expect a secular democracy to guide itself by biblical morality.

How is such secularism working for our culture?

The popularity of “ethical non-monogamy”

Among Millennial and Gen X respondents to a recent survey, more chose “ethical non-monogamy” over monogamy as their relational style preference. In case you’re not familiar with “ethical non-monogamy” (and I hope you aren’t), the term refers to “romantic or sexual relationships where all partners consent to having multiple intimate relationships.”

Of course, for those of us who believe biblical morality, the term is as oxymoronic as “minor surgery” (there’s no such thing for the patient), an “unbiased opinion,” or the “Civil War.” (An elderly member of the church I pastored in Atlanta cautioned me against the latter term, reminding me that “there was nothing civil about it.”)

Pornography is becoming more violent and addictive than ever. Chatbots are becoming more sexually explicit as well. Without the constraints of network television FCC regulations, streaming services air movies regularly that are highly pornographic. (I won’t link to recent examples, nor will I watch them.) A recent Saturday Night Live host actually made jokes about sex trafficking, rape, and pedophilia. (Again, I won’t link to what she said due to its disgusting nature.)

At the heart of our cultural morass is our rejection of a cultural moral compass. It’s not just that we disagree about right and wrong—secular people no longer believe there is such a thing as right and wrong.

This has implications for our national future. As the eighteenth-century philosopher Edmund Burke noted, “Among a people generally corrupt, liberty cannot long exist.”

But it also has implications for our eternal future, an issue you and I urgently need to consider today.

JD Vance hopes his wife will become a Christian

My wife and I were watching when Vice President JD Vance recently addressed a group of students at a Turning Point USA televised event. When he was asked about his wife’s religion (she was raised Hindu), he said, “I believe in the Christian gospel, and I hope eventually my wife comes to see it the same way.”

The reaction was swift and vociferous, some branding Mr. Vance a “bigot” and worse. Such critics betray a basic ignorance of biblical teachings regarding the necessity of evangelism (cf. Matthew 28:18–20; Acts 1:8). But even more deeply, they point to the greatest danger of our tolerance-based ethos: the insistence that Christians tolerate what harms another person eternally.

Jesus said of himself, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). This is why he later testified, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

The apostles took Jesus’ words to heart when they risked their lives to proclaim concerning him, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). Lest there be any question, consider this clear statement: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).

“I loved you enough to say no”

Here is the biblical logic behind the claim that salvation comes through Christ alone:

• If God is the Supreme Being, he must be perfect (Isaiah 6:3). Otherwise, a more perfect being would be more supreme than he.
• Heaven must be perfect as well, or God cannot remain perfect while dwelling there (cf. Revelation 22:1–5).
• Every human being has sinned, committing mistakes and failures which break our relationship with our perfect Creator and must bar us from his perfect presence (Romans 3:23).
• The consequence of sin is death, since sin cuts us off from our holy Lord and thus the only source of eternal life (Romans 6:23).
• A person who would pay this debt on our behalf must be sinless himself, or their death could pay their debt but not ours (Romans 5:8).
• Jesus Christ is the only sinless person who has ever lived and the only one who died in our place to purchase our salvation (1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2). No other religious leader or figure of history has ever claimed to be and do the same.
• When we ask Jesus to forgive our sins and become our Lord, he reconciles us to his Father and makes us the children of God (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 1:12). No other religion makes the same offer.
• If we reject our Father’s loving grace, we will spend eternity separated from him in a place the Bible calls “hell” (Matthew 10:28; cf. Revelation 20:15).

This was why Paul had “great sorrow and unceasing anguish” for his unbelieving Jewish brethren (Romans 9:2). It was why early Christians risked—and many gave—their lives to preach the gospel to “the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Like them, we should no more tolerate the spiritual lostness of our secularized friends and neighbors than we would tolerate a terrorist who would murder them. The more they reject our message of salvation, the more they need it. And the more we love them, the more we will risk their temporary rejection for the sake of their eternal souls.

Author and humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote to her children,

“I loved you enough to say no when you hated me for it.”

How much will we love the people we influence today?

Quote for the day:

“Witnessing is that deep-seated conviction that the greatest favor I can do for others is to introduce them to Jesus Christ.” —Paul Little

Our latest website resources:

• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’
• Tariffs on trial, Nigerian Christian persecution, Dick Cheney, Mamdani and Dems win big & NFL trades
• How can Christians respond to persecution and defend religious freedom?
• Washington walks back attempts to single out Catholic clergy
• Trade deals, East Wing destroyed, NBA gambling scandal, election day preview & scented stamps

Denison Forum

A group of Senate Democrats reached an agreement last night with congressional Republicans, the first in a series of votes that would lead to reopening the US government. The negotiated deal reverses federal layoffs, promises a future vote on expiring Obamacare subsidies, and fully reopens the government through January 30. The Senate and the House still require a final vote, then the continuing resolution would head to President Trump for his signature.

Healthcare benefits have been at the heart of the longest-ever government shutdown, which raises the question: How much of our lives are spent managing our mortality? Americans spend $265 billion each year on physical activity, $70 billion a year on weight-loss plans, and $100 billion on prescription drugs.

Nearly a million people have evacuated in the Philippines ahead of a deadly typhoon that struck yesterday. Paris residents are entering a lottery to share cemetery space with Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. The plastic surgery industry is now booming in the US.

It is human nature to seek to mitigate human finitude, but the mortality rate is still 100 percent. In a world where death comes to all (Hebrews 9:27), why should we believe that “God is love” (1 John 4:8)?

 “Let death do its work in us”

I spent the weekend grappling with a sinus infection, the details of which I won’t share as you begin your Monday. However, I would wager that, like me, you can name something (or several somethings) about your health you’re glad you won’t have to endure forever. And every day you tire of the news with its never-ending cycles of doom and gloom, you can take heart that your world will not always be like this.

St. Ambrose of Milan (339–97) is best known for his influence on St. Augustine, but he was a brilliant theologian in his own right. He encouraged us:

Let death do its work in us . . . so that life may do its work also: a good life after death, that is, a good life after victory, after the battle is over, when the law of the flesh is no longer in conflict with the law of the mind, when we have no more battles with mortal flesh but in mortal flesh we have victory.

He understood that for Christians, dying is not the final battle but the final victory. Our death is but the doorway into a life without death, a world in which “death shall be no more” (Revelation 21:4) and, as John Donne warned our old foe, “Death, thou shalt die.”

Max Lucado is right:

Though you and I may wish for a longer life for our loved ones who have gone before us, they don’t. Ironically, the first to accept God’s decision of death is the one who dies. You see, while we’re mourning at a grave, they’re marveling in heaven. While we’re questioning God, they’re praising God!

As I often said at funerals, when we take our last breath here, we take our first breath there. We close our eyes in this world of death and open them in that world of life. We step out of the “car” and go into the “house.” We are well, and we are home. And we discover for ourselves the truth of Jesus’ promise: “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26).

“No different from being unborn”

Here’s our problem: we cannot prove that it is so.

When we die, we obviously have no agency to save ourselves from death. Like a patient under anesthesia, we are completely dependent on someone besides ourselves to bring us back to life. But unlike those facing anesthesia, we cannot interview someone who has come back from the other side, so we have no way to prove that the other side even exists, much less that we will go there upon our death.

Every position we take on the afterlife is, therefore, a faith position.

The atheist Richard Dawkins is sure that “being dead will be no different from being unborn,” but he has absolutely no way to prove that he’s right. He has faith that there is no God, judgment, or afterlife, just as I have faith that all three are real.

Faced with a faith decision we cannot avoid—and no one can avoid death—we do well to examine the evidence and then make our decision on its basis as best we can. Here’s the evidence upon which I base my hope of eternal life: the fact of Jesus’ empty tomb.

The fact that beckons when I doubt

I can prove to you without opening a Bible that Jesus of Nazareth existed, was crucified, and was believed by his followers to have been raised from the grave. When they began proclaiming the resurrection, the easiest response by the authorities would have been to produce Jesus’ corpse. This would have ended the Christian movement before it began.

But they did nothing of the sort. They fabricated the lie that the disciples stole the body only because they had no body to display (Matthew 28:11–15).

From then to now, the fact of Jesus’ empty tomb beckons to me every time the inevitable doubts of faith begin to find me. There is no logical explanation for it:

• If the disciples stole the body, they kept the secret better than any secret has ever been kept and then died tortured deaths for a lie.
• If the disciples went to the wrong tomb, the authorities would have shown them to the correct tomb.
• If Jesus had somehow resuscitated himself after his death, despite the spear that pierced the pericardial sac around his heart and the mummified airtight shroud in which his corpse was wrapped, he could not have performed the miracles that proved his resurrected divinity and sparked the Christian movement.

If Christ rose from the grave, he must be God. His word must be true. Trusting him must be the most reasonable decision to make. Sharing his hope must be the greatest gift we can give. And death must be the door to eternal life.

“The funeral of all his sins”

The Puritan Thomas Brooks (1608–80) noted:

“A Christian knows that death shall be the funeral of all his sins, his sorrows, his afflictions, his temptations, his vexations, his oppressions, his persecutions. He knows that death shall be the resurrection of all his hopes, his joys, his delights, his comforts, his contentments.”

Why is this reminder good news for you today?

Quote for the day:

“He whose head is in heaven need not fear to put his feet into the grave.” —Matthew Henry

Our latest website resources:

• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’
• Tariffs on trial, Nigerian Christian persecution, Dick Cheney, Mamdani and Dems win big & NFL trades
• How can Christians respond to persecution and defend religious freedom?
• Washington walks back attempts to single out Catholic clergy
• Trade deals, East Wing destroyed, NBA gambling scandal, election day preview & scented stamps

Denison Forum

Toward the end of President Trump’s first term in office, his administration designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC). The label is given to nations that “engaged in severe violations of religious freedom” as understood under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. While the label was removed the following year by President Biden’s Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, Trump reinstated it this past weekend in response to increased scrutiny of the government’s failure to protect the Christians within its borders.

Designating a country as a CPC doesn’t lead to immediate sanctions or require the administration to follow through on Trump’s threats of military action and withheld aid. However, it does necessitate that Congress look into the matter, and representatives from the House Appropriations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee are preparing to do just that.

But while President Trump is the most powerful voice to raise concerns over the treatment of Christians in Nigeria, he’s far from the first. Senator Ted Cruz introduced legislation in August proposing sanctions against the country for violations of religious freedom. And the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has advocated for intervention for years.

The Commission’s report from August of last year describes in detail the myriad ways in which Christians have suffered at the hands of terrorist organizations and bandits, as well as at the hands of the government at the state and local levels. Despite the country’s constitution officially prohibiting the adoption of an official religion, it does permit the use of Sharia and blasphemy laws. Citizens are not supposed to be compelled to abide by them, but that hasn’t stopped local and state governments from using them to imprison, beat, and even stone those who fail to abide by their codes of conduct.

However, Nigeria’s Christians are not the only ones to suffer such treatment, and the reality of the situation is more complex than the headlines make it seem.

Boko Haram and violence in the North

As Conner Jones described on this week’s episode of Culture Brief, part of what makes the situation in Nigeria so complicated is that the nation has a population of nearly 240 million people, and it’s split relatively evenly between Christians and Muslims. Most of the country’s Christian population resides in the southern half, while the northern half is predominantly Muslim.

The vast majority of the violence is located in the northern and central parts of the country. In major southern metropolitan areas, like Lagos, Christian persecution is relatively low. In the north, however, militant groups like Boko Haram target both Christians and Muslims who will not go along with their brand of radicalized Islam. While followers of Jesus are 6.5 times more likely to be killed than Muslims, these terrorist armies have killed tens of thousands of their fellow Muslims as well.

To their credit, the government has tried to intervene at times, only to find that its forces are often outmatched. Just last month, Boko Haram overran a military barracks along Nigeria’s northern border and forced the soldiers to flee, leaving behind their weapons.

Yet, as bad as the violence is in the north, central Nigeria is even worse.

Fulani Herdsmen and a more complicated conflict

Isa Sanusi, the executive director of Nigeria’s branch of Amnesty International, said in May that 93 percent of the roughly ten thousand people killed by bandits in the last two years came from two states in the central part of the nation. But while there is undoubtedly a religious component to the violence in this region, economics play an important role as well.

The primary perpetrators of the attacks in central Nigeria are the Fulani Herdsmen. For generations, they raised their cattle and other livestock in a nomadic way of life. However, as the country’s population increased, more and more of that land was converted to farms, most of which are owned and operated by Christians.

That said, what started as a land dispute has since morphed into something else.

These radicalized groups have learned that it is often far easier to find support for their cause when they can claim it is motivated by religion. Moreover, at least in central Nigeria, they receive less pushback by targeting Christians than they would by attacking those who share their spiritual perspectives.

And while government officials claim that “both sides have been perpetrators and victims,” Zayiri Yusuf—a Nigerian political analyst—notes that “I am yet to find any Muslim community where people have been sacked and others came in to occupy those places.”

At the end of the day, even if the violence is motivated by more than religion, religion is still at the heart of the death and destruction that has turned Nigeria into “The deadliest country for Christians.”

So, what can we do about it?

How to pray for the persecuted

When faced with the reality of persecution to the extent seen in Nigeria, we have to start with prayer. However, we can intercede for our brothers and sisters in Christ more effectively when we know enough about them to better empathize with what they’re going through. That means reading beyond the headlines and talking points to truly learn about their situation and the dangers they face.

So, while we pray for those who go to bed each night unsure of whether they’ll see the morning, we must also pray for those in the government who are genuinely trying to help but lack either the strength or resources to make a significant difference. And we need to pray that God would protect the Muslims who are being persecuted as well, understanding that those who perpetrate this violence do not represent the entire religion.

Taking the time to research the events and people for whom we pray will add depth to our intercession and help them remain on our hearts and minds far longer than if we simply offer a short prayer before moving on with our day.

Then, once you’ve prayed for those facing the threat of persecution, take some time to ask the Lord if he would ask anything else of you as well.

Wissam al-Saliby, the President of 21 Wilberforce, joined Dr. Mark Turman on this week’s Faith and Clarity podcast to discuss the persecution in Nigeria and around the world, as well as some of the more tangible ways that people can help. Organizations such as Open Doors, The Voice of the Martyrs, and others are also worth exploring.

We are all called to help

God is not going to ask most of us to share the gospel in areas where we might lose our lives for doing so. That may be his will for some, but even if it’s not your calling to go, we are all called to help.

So, before you close this article or pause this podcast, take some time to ask the Lord where he wants you to help. It could be as simple as setting reminders in your phone or on notes around your bedroom to help you remember to pray more frequently for those facing persecution. Perhaps he would have you donate your time or resources to one of the organizations trying to help those same people. Or maybe his calling for your life is to take the step of becoming more directly involved in taking the gospel to some of the world’s darkest places.

Whatever the case may be, know that he has a role for you to play in helping the lost come to know Jesus and in supporting your fellow believers as they attempt to do the same.

What is your role today?

Quote of the day:

“Every Christian a missionary; every non-Christian a mission-field.” —Winkie Pratney

Our latest website resources:

• Nigeria is becoming a “mass grave” for Christians
• Tariffs on trial, Nigerian Christian persecution, Dick Cheney, Mamdani and Dems win big & NFL trades |CB Ep. 44
• How can Christians respond to persecution and defend religious freedom?
• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ’67’
• Washington walks back attempts to single out Catholic clergy

Denison Forum

This week’s elections have been framed by many, especially those critical of President Trump, as a negative referendum on his second term. Some are even predicting that the Democrats’ victories portend a “blue wave” in next year’s midterms. By contrast, others suggest that Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race is a political “gift” for Mr. Trump, so long as he understands voters’ frustrations that led to Mr. Mamdani’s ascension.

While I would not offer partisan advice to Mr. Trump as he responds to these partisan views, I have been reflecting on his approach to a far more significant election in his future.

The president dialed into Fox & Friends a few weeks ago to discuss the war in Ukraine. During the conversation, he explained his motivation for trying to broker an end to the conflict: “I want to try and get to heaven, if possible,” he said. “I’m hearing I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole. But if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

Prodded recently by a reporter to elaborate, he said, “I’m being a little cute. I don’t think there’s anything that’s going to get me into heaven. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound.” He added, “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven, but I’ve made life a lot better for a lot of people.”

Saved by grace but living by works

Mr. Trump’s soteriology (doctrine of salvation) needs a significant biblical corrective. We are saved by grace and not works, by what Jesus has done rather than by anything we can do (Ephesians 2:8–9; Romans 11:6). If Donald Trump has trusted in Christ as his Savior, he is a child of God and has eternal life now (John 1:12; 3:16). If he has not, he urgently needs to make this commitment (2 Corinthians 6:2).

But I am focusing today less on the president’s soul and more on yours and mine.

My assumption is that you have already trusted in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. (If you have not, I encourage you to read my article, “Why Jesus?”, make the commitment I explain at its end, then reach out to a Christian friend who can help you grow in your new faith.)

My point is this: We know we are saved by grace, but many of us live by works.

We agree with St. Augustine that God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. We’ve heard pastors assure us that Jesus would die on the cross all over again just for us. But in every other dimension of our lives, we are what we do. Imagine appealing to grace when you undertake your next assignment at work, take your next test at school, or owe your next mortgage payment to the bank. Even marriage and family have performance-based conditional limits relative to adultery and abuse.

The same is true in a sense with our souls. As we have been discussing this week, we are commanded to love our Lord and our neighbor holistically and unconditionally (Matthew 22:37–39). This takes discipline and devotion: we go to church on Sunday, pray and read the Bible during the week, devote significant time and resources to Christian causes, and even read (and write) articles like this one.

But it’s not enough.

If you’re like me, you live with the knowledge that you don’t always love God holistically or your neighbor unconditionally. In fact, we fall short on both counts—sometimes far short—every day. And working harder to do better seems to be a path not to progress and holiness but to discouragement and burnout.

The supermoon and our sanctification

Last night we saw the brightest supermoon we will see this year. If we didn’t know better, we would think that this was because the moon itself became larger and more luminous.

However, astronomers inform us that the moon’s “light” is a reflection of the light of the sun and that the moon was closer to our planet and thus appeared to be larger and more luminous. I would not know any of this to be true if someone who knows more than me had not told me. My part is to trust their scientific expertise rather than my flawed observation.

So it is with our souls. Trying harder to be more godly doesn’t make us more godly, at least not in the long run. We need a source of light and wisdom beyond ourselves. And we need to trust that source even—and especially—when it contradicts our self-reliant culture.

What does God’s word tell us about spiritual progress?

• When facing temptation: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
• When facing decisions: “Trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6).
• When facing difficult circumstances: “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).
• When facing death: “He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11).

In short, God alone is “able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24).

As with astronomical wisdom, our role is to believe that this is so. As with the moon and the sun, we are to receive what our Source offers by grace and then to reflect that grace to a graceless world.

This means that we read Scripture, pray, worship, and serve, not so God will love us but because he already does. We practice spiritual disciplines not to grow spiritually but to position ourselves to experience the sanctification only the Spirit can effect in our lives.

“The best thing we will ever know”

First15, our ministry’s devotional resource, noted recently:

Of all the wonders our Creator provides us, boundless and unadulterated relationship with Jesus vastly exceeds them all. Jesus is the best thing we will ever know. His love restores, satisfies, transforms, and heals. His grace empowers and brings transcendent peace. His nearness resolves the great fears of our hearts. And his Kingship calls us to a right relationship of living for heaven rather than a pursuit of that which is worldly and fleeting.

Tim Keller was right:

“To be loved but not known is superficial. To be known and not loved is our nightmare. Only Jesus knows us to the bottom and loves us to the sky.”

When last did his love change your life?

Why not today?

Quote for the day:

“For breadth the love of Jesus is immensity, for length it is eternity, for depth it is immeasurability, and for height it is infinity.” —Charles Spurgeon

Our latest website resources:

• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’
• How can Christians respond to persecution and defend religious freedom?
• Washington walks back attempts to single out Catholic clergy
• Trade deals, East Wing destroyed, NBA gambling scandal, election day preview & scented stamps
• What does the Bible say about transhumanism?

Denison Forum

As expected, Democrats Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey and Abigail Spanberger of Virginia won their state’s gubernatorial races last night, while California voters approved a plan to redraw their state’s congressional map in Democrats’ favor.

However, the headline news is that Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City. Mamdani is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Socialists of America, and he is the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century. On his campaign website, he advocates for freezing rent, fare-free buses, no-cost childcare, city-owned grocery stores, and tripling the City’s production of housing. He says he will pay for all of this by raising taxes on corporations and the wealthiest New Yorkers.

According to the Times of Israel, he has also refused to support Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, repeatedly accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, and vowed to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York City (where the United Nations is headquartered). In a 2023 video, he said, “When the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF” (Israel Defense Forces).

However, Mr. Mamdani has vowed to fight antisemitism as mayor, and left-wing Jewish groups in the city supported him, though other Jewish voters fear that he “poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community.”

So, what kind of mayor has America’s largest city elected? Is he a radical socialist or a pragmatic reformer? A dangerous antisemite or an inclusive antiracist?

We will have to see what Mayor Mamdani does to determine who he actually is.

Why “the world is not enough”

In the 1976 movie Network, the character Arthur Jensen asserts:

There are no nations. There are no peoples. . . . There is only one holistic system of systems, one vast . . . interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational dominion of dollars. . . .

It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the national order of things today. . . . We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale. The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale. It has been since man crawled out of the slime.

You can make a biblical argument for his argument:

• Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit because it was “good for food” and a “delight to the eyes” (Genesis 3:6).
• Cain murdered Abel after God blessed Abel’s offering over Cain’s (Genesis 4:1–8).
• The Jews worshiped Canaanite gods who were purported to control the weather and thus the economy.
• When Jesus warned, “You cannot serve God and money,” the Pharisees, “who were lovers of money,” heard his words and “ridiculed him” (Luke 16:13–14).
• Among the wicked in Revelation are those who worshiped “idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood” (Revelation 9:20).

In a world of materialism, success is measured by material means. We are what we have, what we do, and what others think of what we have and do. But we can always have and do more and impress more people with what we have and do. We are never done.

As the fictional spy James Bond’s family motto proclaimed, “The world is not enough.”

This changes everything

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

According to economist Adam Smith, whose 1776 book The Wealth of Nations was extremely influential for colonial America, the “invisible hand of the market” guides society through self-interested choices to greater societal outcomes. As consumers want what we want, the free market produces goods and services that benefit not only us but everyone else. The astounding technological and material advances produced by capitalism over the centuries illustrate his thesis.

However, the “pursuit of happiness” our nation was created to secure, unalloyed by unconditional love for ourselves and others, can lead only to a zero-sum competition for materialistic success. And such success cannot meet the deepest hunger of the human heart.

This is why the third part of the Great Commandments we’re discussing this week is so important. As we have noted, Jesus famously taught us to love our Lord and to love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39a). Many people overlook the rest of the second command, however: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 39b, my emphasis). The phrase could be translated, “Love your neighbor in the same way and to the same degree as yourself.”

So, we might ask: How do we love ourselves?

If we love ourselves as transactionally and materialistically as the world loves us, we will similarly love our neighbor for what they do and have that is selfishly relevant to us. But if we love ourselves as unconditionally and passionately as God loves us, we will similarly love our neighbor as a beloved fellow child of our Father.

This changes everything.

“Reclaim your primal identity”

Philip Yancey wrote:

Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?

Henri Nouwen similarly urged us:

Look in the mirror each day and claim your true identity. Act ahead of your feelings and trust that one day your feelings will match your convictions. Choose now and continue to choose this incredible truth.

Then he added:

“As a spiritual practice, claim and reclaim your primal identity as a beloved daughter or son of a personal Creator.”

What is your “primal identity” today?

Quote for the day:

“Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence.” —Henri Nouwen

Our latest website resources:

• If spreading the gospel was as easy as ‘67’
• How can Christians respond to persecution and defend religious freedom?
• Washington walks back attempts to single out Catholic clergy
• Trade deals, East Wing destroyed, NBA gambling scandal, election day preview & scented stamps
• What does the Bible say about transhumanism?

Denison Forum

In a democratic republic, politics and politicians will always play an outsized role in our culture. For example, this morning’s announcement that former US Vice President Dick Cheney has died at the age of eighty-four is making headlines even though his term in office ended sixteen years ago.

Today’s political races are dominating the news as well, from the mayoral contest in New York City to gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey to a redistricting vote in California. By my calculations, these elections will directly affect 80.3 million people, which is obviously a very significant number of people, but less than a quarter of our national population.

The larger story is what they mean for our own larger story.

• According to a new poll, 49 percent of Americans say our best times are behind us, while only 41 percent think they lie ahead. According to Politico, this underscores “a pervasive sense of unease about both individuals’ own futures and the national direction.”
• Only 39 percent of Americans believe the Republican Party governs in an “honest and ethical way”; only 42 percent say the same about the Democratic Party.
• Most Americans expect political violence to keep growing in the US.

We are not surprised by reports that Iranians are taught to hate America. But it is distressing that so many Americans are taught the same. In cultural commentator Andrew Sullivan’s latest blog, the Oxford and Harvard PhD graduate summarizes a new report on American higher education:

On race in American history, for example, only one viewpoint is actually taught: that the US is a white supremacist state that murders and imprisons black people as its core goal, that its real founding was 1619, its Constitution is a form of white tyranny, and racial “progress” is a lie designed to obscure this permanent reality.

Sullivan grieves for recent generations who have been indoctrinated in Critical Theory and its resultant anti-Americanism. Clearly, we live in a divided and divisive time in great need of a positive path toward a unified future.

The good news is that this path is as available and transforming as it has ever been.

“They are generally the same people”

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in Tel Aviv thirty years ago today. I flew home from Israel that morning and heard the news upon landing in the US. In the years since, I have been many times to Rabin Square, the site that commemorates his tragic death. He was murdered not by an Islamic terrorist but by a Jewish extremist opposed to Mr. Rabin’s peace initiatives with Palestinians.

His death illustrates G. K. Chesterton’s maxim: “The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because they are generally the same people.”

We are clearly to love both. Jesus insisted: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). His words can be translated literally from the Greek, “Continually and unconditionally love those who hate you and ask God for their best even as they are persecuting you.”

Our Lord went even further when he taught us, “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). To translate again, “To the exact same degree that I have loved you, you also are to continually love one another.”

Our Savior’s love was unconditional (Romans 8:35–39), sacrificial (1 John 3:16), and empathetic (John 11:35). Now we are commanded to love others, including those who hate us, in the same way.

Imagine the difference in America if every American Christian obeyed his command.

When I love my neighbor well

Of course, as we noted in discussing our love for God yesterday, such love for others is impossible in human agency. I cannot love my neighbor, much less my enemy, as Jesus loves me. I am a sinner, but God “is” love (1 John 4:8).

However, Jesus never intended me to do so. He wants to continue his earthly ministry through me as his “body” (1 Corinthians 12:27), which includes his ministry of love. He wants to forgive those who sin, comfort those who grieve, and heal those who hurt through me.

My part is to stay submitted to his Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and then measure success by what Jesus does through me (John 15:5). When my words and deeds express his love for those I serve, I love my neighbor well. When they do not, I do not.

This works in every dimension of life. If you’re a teacher, Jesus loves your students and wants to love them through you. If you’re a doctor, lawyer, pastor, or business person, he wants to love your patients, clients, congregation, and customers through you. If you’re a parent, he wants to love your children through you. If you’ve been hurt by someone, he wants to love even your enemy through you.

And he wants such love to transform not only our divisive and discouraged culture but our hearts as well.

Forgiving a concentration camp guard

In her classic autobiography The Hiding Place, Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom told this remarkable story:

It was at a church service in Munich, Germany, that I saw him, the former SS man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbrück. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. Suddenly it was all there—the roomful of mocking guards, the heaps of clothing, [her sister] Betsie’s pain-blanched face.

He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,” he said. “To think that, as you say, he has washed my sins away!”

His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side. Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. “Lord Jesus,” I prayed, “forgive me and help me to forgive him.”

I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. Again, I breathed a silent prayer, “Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me your forgiveness.”

As I took his hand, the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand, a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.

I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on his. When he tells us to love our enemies, he gives, along with the command, the love itself.

Why do you need her discovery today?

Quote for the day:

“If God should have no more mercy on us than we have charity to one another, what would become of us?” —Thomas Fuller (1608–61)

Our latest website resources:

• Washington walks back attempts to single out Catholic clergy
• Trade deals, East Wing destroyed, NBA gambling scandal, election day preview & scented stamps
• What does the Bible say about transhumanism?
• How can Christians navigate anxiety and negative thoughts?
• When I’m attacked for being a Christian, how should I respond?

Denison Forum