Mark Cuban is known for being many things: billionaire entrepreneur, maverick owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Shark Tank “shark.” Now we can add 9/11 benefactor.

Cuban recently purchased what Axios describes as a “stunning set of drawings of the World Trade Center.” They were made in 1963, ten years before the buildings’ 1973 dedication, and they capture the majestic and monumental nature of those iconic structures. Cuban is not keeping the drawings in Dallas, however—he is donating them to the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. He made his gift ahead of Saturday’s 9/11 anniversary.

Cuban explained that the tragedy “strikes an emotional chord with every American” and added, “I wanted the actual drawings to be where any American can see them, and the Smithsonian was the right home.”

Where were you on 9/11?

Any American old enough to remember September 11, 2001, is grieving its upcoming twenty-year anniversary.

We are remembering where we were on that Tuesday morning as we watched the news: airplanes flying through a cloudless sky into skyscrapers, the fire and billowing smoke, the collapse of the twin towers into rubble. Images of people jumping to their deaths rather than burning to death are especially imprinted on our minds and hearts.

Twenty years later, we can find retrospectives on nearly every dimension of the tragedy: its impact on our culture, our unity, our politics, our military, our economy, and our spiritual lives. No aspect of American life has been untouched.

9/11 truly “strikes an emotional chord with every American.”

When horrific events happen to us, it’s human nature to seek ways to make good from bad. We don’t want to feel that our suffering is wasted, that our pain has no purpose.

This desire reflects our Creator’s heart.

From the prison to the palace

All through Scripture and human history, we find God using evil for good and problems for his purposes. Joseph’s prison led to Pharaoh’s palace; Moses’ exile led to the Exodus; the threat of Goliath led to the enthronement of David; the persecution of the early church led to the spread of the gospel (cf. Acts 8:1).

I often state that God redeems all he allows. People sometimes respond by asking if this is true even for 9/11, or the Holocaust, or other horrifying tragedies. I believe that it is. And I believe that God wants to redeem even this heartbreaking anniversary for his glory and our good.

We are focusing this week on Jesus’ invitation to “take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:29) by submitting our lives to his leadership, purpose, and power. We have learned that our omniscient Master sees a future better than we can possibly imagine and will guide all who will follow. His Spirit will speak to us in the present and empower us to impact our culture where we live today.

Today, let’s claim the fact that he knows our past better than any historian and is working to redeem even our greatest tragedies for his eternal purposes.

Should we fear radical Islam?

You have gifts, abilities, and experiences which are uniquely yours and which God wants to use for his purposes today. You have also experienced pain and disappointment that God wants to use in making you a “wounded healer” for others.

If you will submit to Jesus’ “yoke” today, asking his Spirit to empower, control, and use your life, he will answer your prayer (Ephesians 5:18). And you will prove the axiom that changed people change the world.

This fact relates to issues raised by 9/11 that continue to affect us today. Denison Forum writer Mark Legg has produced an outstanding article explaining the need and opportunity for Christians to engage the Muslim world. Mark has also written an article documenting miraculous ways God is reaching Muslims today and calling us to join him at work.

What about terrorists like those who attacked us on 9/11? Ryan Denison has written an excellent overview of contemporary radical groups such as ISIS, al Qaeda, and the Taliban; he also identifies practical ways we can join God in reaching even them with the gospel.

God wants to use our past, both good and bad, as he equips and leads us to engage Muslims where we live and around the world. And he wants to use the grief we feel over 9/11 as motivation to reach as many people as we can in the knowledge that tomorrow is promised to none.

“He didn’t hesitate a single second”

Dr. W. L. Steiger was on a World War II ship in a submarine zone. Their ship was carrying ten thousand soldiers. One morning, he and the captain were looking at the sunrise through their binoculars. Here is what he says happened next:

“Suddenly each of us saw the white wake of a torpedo headed straight for our ship. . . . We could not dodge it; we had no room or time to move our ship out of its path. The captain turned to me, thinking of those boys still asleep in the ship, and said, ‘This is it!’

“There was no way out—this was the end. Then suddenly something happened which none on our ship had considered. There was a destroyer riding to our port, battling the waves. Suddenly, the skipper of that small ship saw the same thing that we saw from our bridge—that torpedo headed straight for our midships. That young skipper shouted down the tube to his engine room, ‘All engines ahead flank!’ and headed his destroyer straight into the path of that torpedo.

“She took its full impact and sank in ten minutes with most of her officers and crew. He was my best friend, that young skipper. He knew when he gave that order that he and his crew would be lost, but he didn’t hesitate a single second.”

Dr. Steiger never forgot that sacrifice. He told the story everywhere he could, to everyone he could—the story of the man who died for him.

Like W. L. Steiger, you have a story to tell of the Man who died for you. His crucified past is the pathway to our glorious future.

Who will hear his story from you today?

Denison Forum

Predictions about the future are making headlines today. For example, CNET tells us that “the next Apple event could be just around the corner.” However, if you read the article, you learn that “there hasn’t been any word, official or otherwise, on the exact date and time” for the event, much less what new technology the company will reveal.

With the NFL season set to kick off Thursday night, you can find predictions like these for every team in the league. (Don’t bother with this prognosticator, however: he says my Dallas Cowboys will finish 8–9 and miss the playoffs, so he’s clearly not to be trusted.)

Other stories in the news also demonstrate the clear unpredictability of the future. For instance, the pandemic caused a shortage of drivers in the UK, which led to a shortage of supplies to McDonald’s restaurants, which led to the headline, “McDonald’s runs out of milkshakes in England, Scotland, and Wales.” Who saw that coming a year ago?

An Apple II manual signed by Steve Jobs in 1980 recently sold at auction for $787,484. 3D-printed houses are gaining in popularity. Robots have been developed that can work cooperatively to move a couch in your home. Who would have predicted these stories a year ago?

An update on Tim Keller’s health

Some stories in the news illustrate not just the unpredictability of the future but give cause for great concern as we face it. For example, parents in California have sued to stop chants to Aztec gods in their children’s ethnic studies curriculum. What is next in our post-Christian, even anti-Christian, culture?

The Taliban are claiming victory over the last opposition forces in Afghanistan. Now that they are consolidating control of the country, what’s next for al-Qaeda? ISIS? Terrorism against America and the West?

At least eighty churches in Louisiana were damaged by Hurricane Ida; what will the next natural disaster bring? New COVID-19 infections are up 316 percent from last Labor Day; what will happen with future variants?

New York City pastor Tim Keller shared an update last Sunday on his battle with pancreatic cancer. On August 23, doctors discovered a cancerous lump underneath a previous surgical scar and have increased his chemotherapy to previous levels. Keller notes: “Pancreatic cancer is able to learn how to evade medication, so it is only God’s power that we look to for complete healing.”

He then asks: “Please do pray that I will be able to fulfill my teaching and other obligations, and that the neuropathy and other side effects will be minimal while the medication will be effective against the cancer, and that we will run the race God has set before us with joy.”

Please join me in praying as Dr. Keller asks today.

What Jesus knows that we don’t

Tim Keller is right, and not just about his pancreatic cancer: “It is only God’s power that we look to for complete healing.” In yesterday’s Daily Article, we explored Jesus’ invitation to “take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:29a). We discovered that we should submit our lives and challenges to Jesus’ “yoke” and direction because he is “gentle and lowly in heart,” meaning that he always does the right thing with and through our lives (v. 29b). In addition, his yoke is “easy” (it fits perfectly), so that his “burden is light” (v. 30).

Today let’s add another reason to wear Jesus’ yoke: he can always be trusted to lead us into our best future.

Because Jesus is divinely omniscient, he knows the past more perfectly than any historian; he sees the present more fully than any reporter; and he comprehends the future more completely than any futurist.

Now let’s apply this fact to our personal lives.

Jesus knows your past better than you do, so he knows your education and experiences as well as your sins and failures. As a result, he can be trusted to utilize your life in ways that take the greatest advantage of your past experiences for his glory and our good.

Jesus also knows your present better than you do, so he knows your gifts, skills, and resources as well as your shortcomings and challenges. As a result, he can be trusted to utilize your life in ways that take the greatest advantage of your present opportunities for his glory and our good.

And Jesus knows your future better than you do, so he knows the people he is already preparing for your ministry. He knows the doors he is opening and closing, the opportunities tomorrow for which he is equipping you today. As a result, he can be trusted to utilize your life in ways that take the greatest advantage of your future service for his glory and our good.

A prayer I invite you to offer with me today

Joseph’s past visions and present circumstances prepared him to interpret Pharaoh’s visions and build a future no one foresaw but God. Moses’ past in Pharaoh’s household and present circumstances in the wilderness prepared him to lead Israel into a future no one could have predicted but our Lord. Peter’s past education in Judaism and present experiences as a successful businessman prepared him to lead the Christian movement into a future no one could have imagined but Jesus.

Now our Lord is ready to redeem your past and use your present to lead you into a future only he can foresee. Here’s the key: If you will wear Jesus’ yoke today, he will guide you today. If you will not, he cannot.

These words from Kate B. Wilkinson form a prayer I invite you to join me in offering to our Master:

May the mind of Christ my Savior
Live in me from day to day,
By his love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through his power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May his beauty rest upon me,
As I seek the lost to win,
And may they forget the channel,
Seeing only him.

Whose yoke are you wearing today?

Denison Forum

This Saturday, I watched OU defeat Tulane in NCAA football (barely), UT defeat Louisiana (handily), Georgia defeat Clemson (suspensefully), and Alabama defeat Miami (of course). Along the way, I monitored the third round of the PGA Tour Championship and watched the Texas Rangers play baseball (sort of).

In other words, it was a typical Labor Day holiday. Watching sports has become synonymous with the symbolic last weekend of summer, as have barbecues, family outings, blockbuster movies, and anything else we can do to create a few days of rest and retreat.

But the world is waiting for our return tomorrow, of course.

As the death toll from flooding in the Northeast climbs above fifty people, the Washington Post reports that nearly one in three Americans experienced a weather disaster this summer. Meanwhile, the hiring slowdown in August shows Delta’s impact as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect every part of our lives. Here’s a surprising consequence of the pandemic: auto thefts have spiked as people have left their cars unattended for longer than usual.

The Labor Day holiday offers us a respite from all of this. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a source of rest and peace that sustains and empowers us not just for a weekend, but for every day of the year?

An amazing invitation

In Matthew 11, Jesus issues this amazing and encouraging invitation: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (vv. 28–30). Each word repays study and reflection.

Let’s begin with verse 28:

• “Come” is better translated as hurry or come hither.
• “To me” is Jesus’ invitation to hurry to him—not to the church, or religion, or other people, or ourselves. Go to Jesus now. Don’t wait until tomorrow or the end of this day.
• “All” means all. No person on our planet is excluded, including you.
• “Labor” translates the Greek word for working. This is active—those who are working hard to advance their careers, help their families, and serve God and his church.
• “Heavy laden,” by contrast, is passive, referring to burdens placed on us by other people. The original context was the Jewish law (cf. Acts 15:10) in which the people were given 613 laws to keep, but it refers to any expectations or requirements placed on us by someone else.
• “I will give you rest” could be translated, “I will rest you.” Note the word will—this is Jesus’ guarantee to us.

Verse 29:

• “Yoke” refers to the typical means of guiding working animals in Jesus’ day. The farmer used the yoke to tell the ox where to go, what to do, and how fast, far, and long to do it. The yoke guided every part of the ox every moment that it was worn.
• “Take my yoke upon you” thus means to submit to Jesus’ will completely. We are to bear no yoke but his. To take his yoke, we refuse the yoke of our own pride and ambitions, the yoke of others’ expectations, the yoke of cultural definitions of success. We can wear only one yoke at a time—we are to wear his.
• “Learn from me” repeats this invitation in a different way. The phrase could be rendered, “Enroll in my school.” In Jesus’ day, a student gave his life to his teacher, following him twenty-four hours a day. Students were not just learners but holistic disciples.
• “I am gentle” shows why we should enroll in Jesus’ school. “Gentle” translates praus, which describes the person who always does the right thing. Because Jesus’ will for us is “perfect” (Romans 12:2), we can trust him with every dimension of our lives and days.
• “Lowly in heart” points to his humility, the fact that he came to serve (Mark 10:45), and that he only and always wants our best.
• “I will give you rest” repeats Jesus’ promise of verse 28 for emphasis.

Verse 30:

• “My yoke is easy”—easy means that his yoke fits well. An ancient tradition says that Jesus the carpenter made the best yokes in all of Galilee, and that over his carpenter’s shop there was the sign, “My yokes fit well.” If the yoke is well-fitted to the animal, it is “easy” to bear. Jesus alone knows what purpose best fits our gifts, abilities, shortcomings, experiences, education, and future. His yoke alone fits well.
• “My burden is light”—if the strap fits well, the backpack is light. If the yoke fits well, the burden attached to it is light. If your burden is heavy today, check your yoke.

What happens when we wear Jesus’ yoke

You are wearing someone’s yoke today. If you are wearing any yoke but the one Jesus intends for you, you can find rest only by taking it off for a while, getting away for a holiday weekend, or finding other ways to distract from your stress and retreat from your pressures. But your yoke is always waiting for your return.

However, Jesus’ yoke will bring you rest every moment of every day. It will bring you rest in the midst of your work and the burdens you bear. It will lead you to a life of eternal significance and present fulfillment. It will produce the “fruit of the Spirit” in your life—the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control you will find nowhere else (Galatians 5:22).

Henri Nouwen expressed well the difference Jesus makes when we wear his yoke by trusting our lives completely to his leadership and care:

“Dear Lord:

“Today I thought of the words of Vincent van Gogh: ‘It is true there is an ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.’ You are the sea. Although I experience many ups and downs in my emotions and often feel great shifts and changes in my inner life, you remain the same. Your sameness is not the sameness of a rock, but the sameness of a faithful lover.

“Out of your love I came to life, by your love I am sustained, and to your love I am always called back. There are days of sadness and days of joy; there are feelings of guilt and feelings of gratitude; there are moments of failure and moments of success; but all of them are embraced by your unwavering love. . . . O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know there is ebb and flow but the sea remains the sea.”

Whose yoke are you wearing today?

Denison Forum

Dozens of people are dead in the Northeast from floods and destruction caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. A toddler was among the victims. 

In other news, search-and-rescue efforts continued yesterday for five military personnel who went missing Tuesday when a US Navy helicopter crashed off the coast of San Diego. One sailor was pulled from the ocean. And police have been searching this week for a woman who allegedly dumped a bag of suspected human remains in a Virginia store dumpster. 

In an article on a Texas law restricting abortion, why am I beginning with these stories? 

You could say that I’m “burying the lede,” which refers to “hiding the most important and relevant pieces of a story within other distracting information.” 

But I’m actually not. 

Abortion is the leading cause of death in the US 

Our media focuses intensely and understandably on the victims of storms, military tragedies, and alleged crimes. However, since Hurricane Ida swept ashore in Louisiana six days ago, 14,172 babies have been aborted in the US (multiplying the rate of 2,362 per day in the US times six). 

This works out to 862,130 abortions per year in the US, making abortion by far the leading cause of death in our country. (Heart disease ranks second, at 659,041, followed by cancer at 599,601.) 

Here’s a related fact: the CDC reports that over 21,000 infants died in the US in 2018. This works out to fifty-seven per day, which is obviously tragic. But forty-one times more babies die from abortion each day than from all other causes combined. 

If 2,362 babies were to die today from any cause other than abortion, Americans would be appropriately appalled and demand that our elected officials do something to end such a tragedy. 

In Texas, with regard to abortion, they have. 

What a preborn baby cannot say 

Senate Bill 8 was signed by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott last May. The law bans abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, which can occur as early as six weeks after conception. 

As a result, the law would block approximately 85 percent of abortions in Texas. According to Texas Health and Human Services data, 53,000 abortions were performed in the state last year. This means Senate Bill 8 could save 45,000 preborn babies a year. 

Texas abortion providers asked the US Supreme Court to freeze the law. However, in a five-to-four vote, the Court formally denied this request late Wednesday night. 

The majority stressed that their ruling did not constitute a conclusion about the constitutionality of the law or limit other challenges to it. Rather, they cited “complex” and “novel” procedural questions that led to their decision. Chief Justice Roberts joined the three liberal justices in dissent. 

Protests have already begun. For example, President Biden announced yesterday that he had directed his Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department to launch a “whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced that the House of Representatives would vote later this month on a bill that would “enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.” 

In protests against the Texas law and other pro-life legislation, I have often seen people carrying signs declaring, “My body, my choice.” 

Of course, a preborn baby cannot say the same. 

A case study for effective cultural engagement 

I believe passionately that life is sacred from conception to natural death. (For my arguments based on Scripture, reason, history, and culture, see my paper, “What does the Bible say about abortion?“) As a result, I am deeply grateful for Senate Bill 8 and those who brought it into law. 

But I want to do more than report this historic news: I’d like us to make it a case study for effective cultural engagement. 

Some conservative Christians have become convinced that since our secularized culture has degenerated so far from biblical morality, continued efforts to make a difference are fruitless. We’re wasting our time trying to change society, we’re told. Better to focus all our attention on protecting religious liberty from its enemies while protecting future generations from the rampant sexualization and secularization of our day. 

Undoubtedly, we need to do all we can on both fronts. I praise God for organizations such as First Liberty, the Alliance Defending Freedom, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and others who are defending religious freedom from its enemies. And I completely agree that we should not take for granted our children and grandchildren—many are surrounded each day by radical secularism and must be discipled strategically and effectively in biblical truth and worldview. 

But Senate Bill 8 shows that we can do more. While protecting our families and defending our rights from those seeking to discriminate against Christians, we can also engage our secular culture in ways that make a dramatic difference. 

Why this bill is different 

In the decades since Roe v. Wade tragically legalized abortion, many have abandoned hope that it would ever be overturned. Numerous legal challenges have been attempted, but few have been sustained or made a tangible difference. When abortion advocates have filed suit against pro-life supporters, they have often won the day. 

However, the Texas law we’re discussing is different from other attempts. Instead of having the government enforce the law, the bill authorizes private citizens to sue abortion providers or anyone who helps someone get an abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected. This person would not have to be connected to a provider or someone who had an abortion to sue. 

Consequently, there is no state official enforcing the law, which means there is no one for abortion providers to sue. This does not mean that Senate Bill 8 will not continue to face legal challenges, as we noted above. But it does show that this unique feature is important to its success thus far. 

Creativity is vital to cultural transformation. For example, a Chicago coffee shop owner who experienced healing from horrific trauma through therapy is using the proceeds from his sales to fund free therapy sessions for people in need. And the IRS caught an alleged dark web drug dealer by tricking him into sending more than $180,000 in cash to the agency in exchange for cryptocurrencies. 

Surprising examples of God’s surprising ways 

Such examples of surprising but effective strategies are found throughout Scripture. 

Joseph interprets his fellow prisoners’ dreams, the Egyptian Pharaoh hears of him, and Joseph interprets the ruler’s dreams, saves the nation from famine, provides for his family, and preserves the Jewish people through whom the Messiah would come. 

God calls Moses, a fugitive from Egyptian justice, to lead his people out of Egyptian slavery. He uses the Red Sea to destroy the Egyptian army. He destroys the fortified city of Jericho after his people march around its walls. He elevates an unknown shepherd to be king of Israel. He saves his servants in Babylon from a fiery furnace and a lions’ den. 

Jesus calls not rabbis or priests in Jerusalem but fishermen in Galilee to lead his movement. He restores a thrice-failed apostle and uses him to preach a Pentecost sermon that brings thousands to faith. He chooses a Jewish Pharisee to be his apostle to the Gentiles. He gives his Revelation to a prisoner on an island of exile. 

When you think about it, it’s hard to find biblical examples that are not surprising and even shocking. 

Here’s the point: if we will be led by the Spirit of God, we will fulfill the purposes of God in the power of God to the glory of God. He has creative plans for us we cannot imagine: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT). 

Our sovereign God will use us to engage and transform our culture for his glory and our good if we will trust him and follow his Spirit. 

An evangelist magician makes the AGT finals 

A putter used by Tiger Woods in 2002 sold at auction last Sunday for $393,300. It is believed to be the most expensive golf club ever sold. I can buy a similar putter for $399.99 today, but no one will consider it to be more collectible because it was mine. The putter sold at auction was valuable not because of what it was but because of whose it was. 

If Jesus is your Lord, you are the child of God (John 1:12). This is your unchanging identity, a fact no power in this world can change. In addition, you are made by God for a purpose that is distinctively yours. Your spiritual gifts, abilities, education, experience, and opportunities combine in ways that are unique to you. 

For example, Christianity Today recently interviewed Shoaib Ebadi, the founder of SAT-7, a Christian ministry that began broadcasting in Iran in 2002 and is now one of the few ways to reach people in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Ebadi was born in Afghanistan but became a Christian in 1999 as a refugee in Pakistan. Today he heads a company producing Christian media in various languages around the world. His experiences and capacities have prepared him uniquely for this moment in history. 

A magician named Dustin Tavella has advanced to the finals of America’s Got Talent. He is a Christian who uses magic for evangelism: “We want to be a bridge between the church and the not-church—to get the people not in church into the church, and to get the people in the church, outside of the walls.” His unique skills have garnered a national platform few could have imagined a few weeks ago. 

Stefen Wisniewski, an NFL kicker who won Super Bowls with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, is retiring to become a pastor. He explains: “The absolute best part of my life is my relationship with Jesus Christ, and I can’t imagine a better full-time job than teaching people the Bible and sharing the love of Christ with others.” His former career is giving him a platform for his next career. 

David Klingler made the cover of Sports Illustrated as a quarterback at the University of Houston and played several years in the NFL. As the new football season begins, the current edition of Texas Monthly is profiling Klingler—not for his athletic exploits, but because he is now an Old Testament professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. What he did makes what he does more appealing to the larger culture. 

What Fred Rogers said at Dartmouth 

If you and I will abide in Jesus, he assures us that we will bear “much fruit” (John 15:5). That’s because the love that changes hearts and lives will flow through us to touch those we are called to influence. Such love is a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22), not a product of human effort. 

Frederick Buechner observed: “Love is not really one of man’s powers. Man cannot achieve love, generate love, wield love, as he does his powers of destruction and creation. When I love someone, it is not something that I have achieved, but something that is happening through me, something that is happening to me as well as to him.” 

Are you so yielded to God’s Spirit that God’s love is “happening” through you? 

David testified: “God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes” (2 Samuel 22:25 MSG). Have you “opened the book of your heart” to your Father today? Can he write the next chapter of your story in any way he chooses? 

Asked differently: Is there a place he cannot lead you? A task he cannot assign you? A person you won’t forgive? Someone from whom you won’t seek forgiveness? A person with whom you won’t share your faith? 

In his 2002 commencement address at Dartmouth, Fred Rogers concluded: “When I say it’s you I like, I’m talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see, or hear, or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate. Peace that rises triumphant over war. And justice that proves more powerful than greed. 

“So, in all that you do in all of your life, I wish you the strength and the grace to make those choices which will allow you and your neighbor to become the best of whoever you are.” 

Will you ask God for such strength and grace right now?

Denison Forum

I have been writing The Daily Article for twenty-one years, but this is a first: I am reporting on an article in the men’s fashion magazine GQ. I have not read one of their articles before today, but this title caught my eye: “Prayers Up: How God Became the Hottest Thing in Fashion.”

The article tells us about an Instagram platform called “I NEED GOD” now offering a webstore with some interesting merchandise. For example, they are selling a sweatshirt bearing the message, “God loves me and there is nothing I can do about it.” And a shirt with a direct quote from Justin Bieber’s Instagram: “God is obsessed with you!” (Other products are far more ironic or, some might say, inappropriate.)

Here’s another story you might not expect: a church in San Antonio, Texas, recently held a mass wedding. This is not a cult—it’s actually one of the largest churches in the city. Their pastor and staff became concerned about couples who were unable to marry during the pandemic. So they offered to reimburse couples for their marriage licenses ($81 in their county) and gave them $500 in cash to go toward a honeymoon.

Their commitment had a condition, however: the couples had to go through premarital counseling with the church. Fifty-two couples completed counseling and were married in a joint service last month.

Pledging allegiance to the Pride flag

This week we’re discussing ways to fight fear with faith. Each day’s news reinforces the need for such faith.

For example, a California teacher has been removed from her classroom after instructing her students to say the Pledge of Allegiance, not to an American flag, but to a Progress Pride flag.

A dermatology professor at Harvard Medical School reports a spike of patients seeking cosmetic interventions. The reason: they saw their faces on conference calls all day during the pandemic and now want to make improvements to their appearance, a phenomenon being called “Zoom dysphoria.”

Consumer confidence is down; trust in media is cratering; religion is declining in many places around the world.

In days like these, believers need to use every means at our disposal to offer our culture the life-changing good news of God’s love in Christ. The apparel we discussed earlier is correct theologically: because God is love (1 John 4:8), he does indeed love you, and there’s nothing you can do to change his character or the fact that he is “obsessed” with you.

However, there’s another side to the story.

“The sine qua non of spiritual fruitfulness”

Jesus told his followers, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser” (John 15:1). According to renowned Bible scholar D. A. Carson, our Lord employed a symbol found throughout the Old Testament describing Israel as a vine (cf. Psalm 80:9–16; Isaiah 51:1–7; Jeremiah 2:21; Ezekiel 15:1–8).

However, Carson notes, “whenever historic Israel is referred to under this figure, it is the vine’s failure to produce good fruit that is emphasized.”

By contrast, Jesus calls himself the “true” vine, i.e., the one that produces true and good fruit. His followers are “branches” stemming from him as their source. As a result, he calls us to “abide in me, and I in you” (v. 4a).

Here’s the catch: “As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me” (v. 4b). Consequently, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5, my emphasis).

Carson asserts: “Continuous dependence on the vine, constant reliance on him, persistent spiritual imbibing of his life—this is the sine qua non of spiritual fruitfulness” (his italics; the Latin phrase means “that without which there is nothing”).

The first time I heard the gospel

So, what does it mean to “abide” in Jesus?

We could take the rest of the year to explore this vital question, but for today we’ll note that it means at least the decision to surrender every dimension of our lives to his lordship. Whatever the cost, whatever he asks, whatever it takes.

Oswald Chambers describes such total surrender as the path to joy that repays its cost and more: when we abandon ourselves to Jesus, “the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of his joy. . . . the thought of self-sacrifice never crosses our minds, because sacrifice is the Holy Spirit’s ultimate expression of love.”

Here’s the problem: there is often a gap between surrender and the joy that repays its cost. A soul-numbing, faith-discouraging, temptation-amplifying gap. A gap between our fear of surrender and God’s transforming response to our faith.

I remember clearly the first time I heard the gospel. I was in the seventh grade; a friend invited me to ride his church’s bus to a Christian event in downtown Houston. The preacher seemed to be looking right at me when he challenged us to confess our sins and give our lives to God.

That night, walking home after getting off the bus, I looked up into the starry night and told God “no.” I remember being afraid that if I gave my life to him, he would make me miserable. He would probably make me a missionary to some distant land and keep me from doing the things I wanted to do.

I was afraid to surrender my life to him that night. I still feel that fear today. I am guessing you do as well.

“I believe; help my unbelief!”

However, here is how abiding in Christ works: we must pay its price before we experience its results.

When we order products online, we are usually required to pay for them before they are delivered. It works in the same way here: we must choose holiness before we want to be made holy. We must choose to abide in Jesus before we want to give up what it takes to abide in Jesus.

This is because Satan is a brilliant tempter, customizing his offerings to what our fallen human nature desires. We should not be surprised that we want what he is tempting us to do. If we wait until we don’t want to sin before we choose not to sin, we’ll be waiting for the rest of our lives.

If alcoholics wait until they don’t want to drink before they start sobriety, most will never get sober. If we wait until we’re not afraid to surrender our lives to Jesus, most of us will never surrender our lives to Jesus.

So, a foundational key to abiding in Jesus is asking his Spirit for the strength to choose to abide in him. It is asking for the faith to have faith, echoing the prayer of the man who prayed my favorite prayer in Scripture: “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24).

It is asking for the courage to trust Jesus before we see the first results of such trust. It is stepping into the river before God stops the flood, marching around the fortified city before God destroys its walls, choosing the lions’ den before God stops the lions’ mouths.

Are you afraid that if you give your life fully to Jesus, he’ll make you a missionary to some distant land or otherwise keep you from doing what you want to do? The fact is: If he sends you to be a missionary, this is because being a missionary is absolutely what is best for your life. If he keeps you from doing what you want to do, this is because he knows that what you want to do will harm you in ways you cannot yet see.

So, what fears are keeping you from surrendering your life fully to your Savior? Do you need to ask the Spirit to help you choose such surrender today?

Why Satan lets us “get away with” sin

Here’s a second barrier to abiding in Christ: we must surrender every dimension of our lives to experience the transforming power of our Lord.

Our culture so easily separates Sunday from Monday, the spiritual from the secular, religion from the “real world.” From the time we begin attending church or doing anything else spiritual, our fallen society begins urging us to keep such activities to ourselves. God can be your hobby, they assure us, so long as you don’t force your hobby on anyone else.

As a result, we are easily deceived into believing that we can tolerate private sin with the confidence that it will never become public. But, like the sons of Samuel who “took bribes and perverted justice” in their personal dealings, our private sins will inevitably be exposed (1 Samuel 8:3–5).

In fact, if you are “getting away with” unconfessed and unrepented sin today, it’s likely because your enemy is waiting until your sins will do even more damage when they are made public. The further you climb up the cultural ladder, the farther you will fall one day, and the more your fall will injure yourself and others.

The Bible makes following Jesus incessantly and insistently holistic: taking up our “cross daily” (Luke 9:23), being “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), presenting our “bodies as a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1). Roman crucifixion killed every part of your body, not just your arm or leg; the Jewish sacrificial system required every part of the animal, not just its hoof or tail.

Are you leaving part of your “body” off your altar, separated from your cross? That’s like telling a surgeon there’s part of the cancer in your body you don’t want her to remove. God can heal only what we allow him to touch. He can lead into his perfect will only those who will follow.

Is there a part of your life you are afraid of submitting to Jesus? Once again, you are not yet in position to experience the results of such holistic surrender to your loving Lord, so ask his Spirit for the strength and courage you need.

And know this: the more we abide in Jesus, the more fruit we will bear for his eternal glory and our greatest good.

“You are the Beloved of God”

It comes to this: if we see ourselves as children beloved by our Father, we will see the price of obedience as the privilege of love. We will position ourselves to experience all he can give to those who trust fully in him. And others will see the reality and relevance of our faith and be drawn to its Object and Source.

Henri Nouwen observed:

“The world is only evil when you become its slave. The world has a lot to offer—just as Egypt did for the children of Jacob—as long as you don’t feel bound to obey it. The great struggle facing you is not to leave the world, to reject your ambitions and aspirations, or to despise money, prestige, or success, but to claim your spiritual truth and to live in the world as someone who doesn’t belong to it.”

As a result, Nouwen continues, “All the good things our world has to offer are yours to enjoy. But you can enjoy them truly only when you can acknowledge them as affirmations of the truth that you are the Beloved of God. The truth will set you free to receive the beauty of nature and culture in gratitude, as a sign of your Belovedness. That truth will allow you to receive the gifts you receive from your society and celebrate life.

“But that truth will also allow you to let go of what distracts you, confuses you, and puts in jeopardy the life of the Spirit within you.”

Will you claim your status as God’s Beloved today?

Denison Forum

Tesla unveiled their plan to create a humanoid robot at its AI day conference. It will be able to help around the house with tasks, get groceries, and . . . well, it’s hard to say how useful it would actually be, but it looks sleek (and existentially frightening if we think about the plot of most sci-movies on the subject).  

It’s built around the same AI technology as Tesla’s self-driving cars. They claim a prototype will be available “sometime next year,” though the technology still faces immense hurdles and will probably take longer.  

A company called Boston Dynamics already builds humanoid robots that continue to improve over time. In one video, they show off their prototype robots by having them do preprogrammed parkour. Their incredible routine ends with a backflip.  

At present, Boston Dynamics already mass manufactures robots on four legs, affectionately called “Spot.” The owner can automate Spot to accomplish tasks on its own or control it themselves. Companies in mining, oil and gas, construction, utilities, and even NASA use these robots to perform all kinds of tasks, often ones that are dangerous for humans.  

If all of that sounds terrifying, don’t worry: they’ve made sure that “humans can outrun them.”  

Isn’t that encouraging? 

Some more positive areas of futuristic development include: 

• A cranial surgery was successfully performed on an epileptic child in 2019 with the help of a robot. 
• Some robots being developed are nearly microscopic and help eliminate cancer cells.  
• In New Zealand, a company is testing drone deliveries for things like pizza. 
• Self-driving cars and humanoid delivery robots continue to be developed. 

It seems like technology is catching up to The Jetsons. 

Will humanity be “terminated”?  

The takeover of Schwarzenegger-like Terminator robots is probably not going to happen, but the movie’s AI network known as Skynet may pose a greater danger. To understand why, we need to clarify some terms. Three kinds of technology can get easily confused:  

• Robots: Robots simply do repeatable tasks. These have been used for years to make factory assembly lines more efficient and sometimes entirely automated. They can also be dancing toys for kids.
• Specific or Narrow AI: This is a program that learns and adapts. These kinds of AI can already beat humans in some of the most complex games. An AI defeated the human champion of the notoriously complex Chinese game Go. Such AI is used in self-driving cars, and, more vitally, in social media and Google. One will also find the term “deep learning,” which refers to the depth of layering in the AI’s program. Sometimes people will use the term “algorithm” to avoid confusion with artificial general intelligence.
• Artificial general intelligence (AGI): No one has developed an AGI (at least, not publicly). AGI would perform a wide range of cognitive tasks at the same level or better than humans. AGI could learn, like a child, how to play multiple kinds of games and navigate different problems fluidly. This could conceivably mean that the AGI would experience creativity and even emotions. 

Though AGI is what most people think of when they hear the acronym AI, companies that use AI are utilizing narrow AI. AGI raises philosophical questions: Would it be self-aware? Would it have a mind? Would it be “alive?” Though interesting, we’ll put off those inquiries for another time. 

Physicist and machine learning expert Max Tegmark argues that humanity will probably not be overtaken by robots. If an AGI were set on gaining power, it wouldn’t need robots. It could just influence people through their phones, control computers, and leverage the economy. That concept is a bit more frightening than skull robots with machine guns if you ask me.  

That said, Tegmark is optimistic about the positives of AGI if we control it well. Some experts doubt whether AGI will ever exist, though surprisingly most think it will be invented in the next century.  

The far more prevalent issue of today is companies’ usage of narrow AI.  

How TikTok employs machine learning to keep you watching  

The key component of AI is “machine learning,” which makes predictions based on large amounts of data. Give it data about how long one hundred million people spent watching a cat on YouTube and it will interpret that data to know who else might like to watch that video.  

The site that probably utilizes this most efficiently is TikTok. In TikTok, people refer to the narrow AI as the algorithm. The ubiquitous algorithm learns the user’s preferences over time so that the content changes to exactly fit each person. Their feed will become dominated by what they spend the most time watching, whether it’s cooking, political, informational, DIY, funny, or even ironic videos making fun of TikTok itself. The variety of TikTok content is astounding; it has something for everyone.  

Endless swiping and millions of creators provide nearly limitless content, and what’s presented is actively personalized by a massive AI network. It’s no wonder that TikTok users spend an average of one hour per day on the app and that 90 percent of TikTok users view it daily.  

This strategy leads to some predictable downfalls. 

If someone watches conspiracy videos from certain creators, the AI will begin showing the user what they want to see—probably more conspiracy videos. Just like in other social media sites, this can lead to inbred thinking. On TikTok, though, the effective AI makes it particularly compounded.  

Additionally, though TikTok technically regulates pornography, the content is nonetheless often heavily sexualized, and loopholes to pornography exist, especially for users who want to see it. Many users won’t see any sexual content on TikTok, but that’s because each individual’s feed is personalized to them.  

TikTok’s explosive growth demonstrates the power of AI.  

AI is everywhere  

Though TikTok is a prevalent example, narrow AI’s influence is not limited to that demographic. Essentially every major media site now uses targeted advertisements with the help of AI. 

• Amazon predicts what purchases their shoppers will want, personalizing the home page to incentivize buying.
• Netflix predicts what shows will keep its users on their site. The AI can also choose a still shot from a movie to show as the cover seen on the homepage and changes it to renew interest in its users. This is why Netflix’s homepage appears differently for different people. 
• Gmail and Google Docs will often predict the next word a writer will type (and is, in fact, doing so as I write this article).
• Facebook identifies people’s faces and interprets the content of posts to target advertisements based on conversations. 
• Google uses AI for translation. The AI learns and improves over time so that Google Translate will improve year over year.
• YouTube uses AI to flag videos, recommend the next videos, and, again, target ads.
• Spotify uses machine learning to customize each listener’s experience. 

The list goes on. I recommend this article for a helpful summary. 

Remember, each of these AIs are narrow and specifically designed for each task. Each company is not using one universal AI and applying it to their goals. That would require AGI.  

Nonetheless, AI is a powerful tool. In certain applications, AI, just like robots, efficiently solves problems and works for everyone’s benefit. At the same time, tools in the hands of sinful people will lead to abuse.  

AI does whatever it is designed to do very, very well. If AI is designed to keep people watching TikTok and YouTube, it will do that. Predictably, the better machine learning has become, the better it keeps people on their phones. The negative effects of high screen times have been written about widely.

Does the Bible speak to this modern invention?  

What does the Bible say about AI?    

The biblical implications of AGI, a conscious artificial mind, would take far longer to cover (though it may become necessary at some point). For now, we’ll just cover narrow AI and two dangers Christians should be aware of.  

AI magnifies temptation

Since AI has the unique ability to magnify what users want, it, therefore, magnifies fleshly desires. Certainly, this is true of sexual temptations. It is also true of countless other sins: jealousy, self-indulgence, etc. AI will follow whatever vice it gets a hold of. It knows to sell alcohol to alcoholics; it knows to peddle sin to sinners.  

The Bible says to flee sexual immorality and the desires of the flesh (1 Corinthians 6:18; Romans 8:5). If certain platforms cause temptation, throw them away or limit them. Know that Satan can use algorithms to magnify temptations. 

Someone I know became addicted to buying unnecessary things from Amazon and had to impose restrictions on his own bank account. 

If the hand causes sin, cut it off (Matthew 5:30).  

AI magnifies time-wasting

Fasting reminds us of God’s provision and leads to thankfulness. Fasting from social media can create the practical effect of detaching us from the grip of its influence. 

This past week, I spent a ludicrous amount of time on YouTube, and so decided to take a break from it for at least a week. In the past year, my mother completely deleted her Facebook account due to having wasted too much time on the site. 

Paul writes, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:15–17). 

Don’t let this become legalism or judgmentalism, and certainly do not fast so that others will see you—social media isn’t evil. Nonetheless, we must be wise with our screen time and remember that algorithms are actively trying to keep us online.  

It’s clear that AI is used for good in many of its applications. As Christians, however, we must be aware of its grip and know that Satan can use it against us. Let us be “crafty as serpents and innocent as doves” and honestly know ourselves and our own sin (Matthew 10:16; Lamentations 3:40).  

Before we turn our eyes to screens, let us turn our eyes to Christ.

Denison Forum

Who are your heroes? Let me nominate a few more today.

An all-volunteer group of American veterans of the Afghanistan war launched a mission last Wednesday to shepherd hundreds of at-risk Afghan elite forces and their families to safety. ABC News reports that the group, dubbed the “Pineapple Express,” launched their rescue “after nightfall in near-pitch black darkness and extremely dangerous conditions.”

Working unofficially in tandem with the US military and American embassy, they moved people inside the wire of the US military-controlled side of Hamid Karzai International Airport. As of Thursday morning, the group said it had brought as many as five hundred Afghan special operators, assets, and enablers along with their families into the Kabul airport, handing each of them over to US military protective custody.

Their operation was an element of “Task Force Pineapple,” an informal group whose mission began August 15 as a frantic effort to rescue a former Afghan commando who had served with them and was being hunted by the Taliban. These current and former US special operators, aid workers, intelligence officers, and others with experience in Afghanistan ended up smuggling more than 130 people over ten days into the airport.

When we face an enemy more powerful than ourselves, we need the help of someone more powerful than our enemy.

This fact is true not only in Afghanistan but where you live as well.

Harvard’s atheist chief chaplain

By now, you’ve probably seen reports that Harvard University’s new chief chaplain is an atheist. Greg Epstein, who has been the university’s humanist chaplain since 2005, is author of the book Good Without God.

In a day of “angry atheists” such as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, I expected such vitriol from him. But when I read his book a few years ago, I was impressed with his purpose:

“If this book accomplishes one thing for or on behalf of the billion nonreligious people, let it not be that we learn how better to convince others that there is no God, or that religion is evil. May we encourage more hospital visits by the nonreligious, both literally and metaphorically. May we do more good work together and build something positive in this world—the only world we will ever have. May we focus more on the ‘good’ than on the ‘without God.’”

Epstein is confident that nonreligious people can “build something positive in this world” because of his “informed conviction that humanity has the ability to progress toward its highest ideals.” He adds, “The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.”

The thesis of his book and his work is simple: “We don’t look to a god for answers. We are each other’s answers.”

However, let’s ask Dr. Phil’s question: How’s that working for us?

A diplomat’s daughter beheaded in Pakistan

Officials in Louisiana have begun surveying the wreckage left by Hurricane Ida. At one point, more than a million people were without power. At least one death so far has been attributed to the storm. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kate has formed in the Atlantic and constitutes the eleventh named storm in this busy hurricane season.

In Brazil, bank robbers strapped hostages to their getaway cars as human shields, targeting three different banks Monday and tying victims to the roofs and hoods of ten vehicles. The United Nations atomic agency is reporting that North Korea appears to have restarted its main nuclear reactor used to produce weapon fuels, openly threatening to enlarge its nuclear arsenal.

A diplomat’s daughter was beheaded in Pakistan. A man in Uganda who had converted from Islam to Christianity was tied up and murdered by his father after refusing to forsake his faith in Jesus.

And stories of atrocities and violence continue to surface daily from Afghanistan. For example, a former interior minister reported that the Taliban “brutally killed” a popular folk singer days after claiming that “music is forbidden” in Islam. And a human rights group is warning that “an estimated ten thousand Christians, many of whom are ‘guilty’ of converting from Islam,” are at risk of being “targeted with deadly violence” in the country.

“Reproductive Freedom Congregations” in Texas

To repeat: when we face an enemy more powerful than ourselves, we need the help of someone more powerful than our enemy.

Yesterday, we identified ways you and I can help people facing the storms of life. Today, let’s identify the enemy behind these storms and the only One more powerful than he is.

Satan is the original terrorist. Jesus called him “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). Speaking of the devil, our Lord warned us that “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). When we see stealing and killing and destroying, we can know that our enemy is at work.

He is the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), the “prince of this world” (John 12:31), and the “deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). Jesus declared: “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).

This verse is especially relevant to the trials we face today: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

For example, Satan has so “blinded the minds” of ISIS and other jihadist groups that they think they are serving God by killing Christians. He has so blinded the minds of atheists like Greg Epstein that they think they can solve our most intractable problems without the help of an omnipotent God. He has so blinded the minds of postmodern secularists that they think “their truth” is “the truth.”

Satan can deceive those who claim to be Christians as well. For example, Religious News Service reports that “Reproductive Freedom Congregations” in Texas are “publicly declaring their support” for abortion. And stories about clergy accused of sexual abuse tragically make the news seemingly every day.

Four steps to spiritual victory

Satan is very real and very dangerous. For that reason, we’ll close with practical ways to win the spiritual battles we face. Let’s identify four essential principles.

One: Expect to be attacked.

Scripture warns: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). “Your” is addressed to Christians. If Jesus is your Lord, Satan is your adversary.

Two: Admit that you cannot defeat him in your strength.

The devil is better at tempting than we are at resisting. Just as he “deceived Eve by his cunning” (2 Corinthians 11:3), so he deceives and defeats those who try to withstand his assaults with human capacities.

Three: Surrender to the power of God.

This verse is key: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Note the order: submit and then you can resist.

And note God’s promise: when you submit to God and resist the devil, “he will flee from you.” There is no temptation you cannot defeat in the power of your Lord. His word is clear: “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. 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).

So begin every day by being “filled” with the Spirit (see this article for practical steps to take each morning). Then surrender your temptations and trials to the One who “is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

Four: Turn temptation into immediate prayer.

Scripture warns us: “Do not give the devil a foothold” (Ephesians 4:27). Here’s how: develop the reflex of taking your temptations instantly to God, submitting them to him and seeking the power of his Spirit.

Erasmus was right: Satan hates nothing so much as for his evil to be used for good. When you use temptations as opportunities for trust, you glorify your Lord and frustrate your enemy.

“Don’t let the storm turn you inward”

I just finished Max Lucado’s encouraging book, You Are Never Alone: Trust in the Miracle of God’s Presence and Power. Let’s close by claiming some of his insights about God’s provision and grace as our Father’s gifts to us today.

Max notes: “You’re stronger than you think because God is nearer than you know.” When we trust our temptations and challenges to our Lord, “Your problem becomes his pathway. The challenge you face becomes a canvas upon which Christ can demonstrate his finest work.”

As a result, he counsels, “Don’t let the storm turn you inward. Let it turn you upward.” But Max also reminds us that we must truly trust our storm to our Savior, warning us that “contingent faith is the faith of sidewalk chalk: it’s beautiful when the sun shines, but it washes away when the rain falls.”

And he also warns us against self-sufficiency that trusts more in ourselves than in our Lord, quoting Charles Spurgeon: “It is not our littleness that hinders Christ, but our bigness. It is not our weakness that hinders Christ; it is our strength. It is not our darkness that hinders Christ; it is our supposed light that holds back his hand.”

By contrast, Jesus is “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). This “power at work within us” is the Holy Spirit who already indwells every Christian (1 Corinthians 3:20).

In other words, you already have within you all that you need to trust the God who is for you to defeat the enemy who attacks you.

My youth minister was right

You and I live in a world filled with spiritual conflict: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

My high school youth minister was right: we are either running into Satan or we are running with him.

There is no third option.

However, be encouraged: when you run into Satan, this means you are running with God.

With whom will you run today?

Denison Forum

Dawn broke yesterday over the Hurricane Katrina memorial on the Louisiana Gulf Coast. The granite cross was erected in 2006 beside a plaque engraved with the names of 163 people who lost their lives to the storm in this area. Each year on August 29, a remembrance ceremony is held here.

I wonder if those who built the memorial and those who made a pilgrimage to it every year thereafter imagined that another monster storm would come ashore in the same place on the same day.

Hurricane Ida swept ashore near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, yesterday afternoon as a devastating Category 4 hurricane. With winds of 150 mph, it tied as the state’s most powerful storm with Laura from last year and the Last Island Hurricane of 1856.

All of New Orleans is without power this morning as the storm continues marching northward through Louisiana. It has weakened to a tropical storm, but life-threatening flash flooding is continuing.

This devastation feels personal to me. I was honored earlier this year to deliver the keynote address for the second time at the Louisiana Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. I have been privileged to pray personally with Gov. John Bel Edwards and know the governor and his wife to be people of deep personal faith. Many of the religious leaders in the state have become personal friends.

Undoubtedly you know the frustrating impotence of wanting to help friends and loved ones face suffering beyond our capacity to remedy. The loss of a spouse, parent, or child; a diagnosis of terminal disease; the collapse of a marriage—there are storms we cannot calm and broken hearts we cannot mend.

When the two collide, what are we to do? What are some biblical ways we can help friends in a hurricane?

One: Be prepared.

Because of the Fall, “the whole creation has been groaning in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22). You and I inhabit broken bodies on a broken planet.

As a result, the first step to helping people in storms is to expect and prepare for storms.

My wife’s parents retired from Houston, Texas, to a farm they built in northern Arkansas. When they built their house, they also built a tornado shelter. When they stocked their kitchen, they stocked their shelter. They knew that the only time to prepare for a storm is before it arrives.

If you doubt the urgency of preparing for disaster, just read today’s news.

For example, the remains of thirteen fallen American heroes were brought home from Afghanistan yesterday. Marine Corp Sgt. Nicole L. Gee was one of them. The bombing killed her six days after the Pentagon tweeted a picture of her cradling an Afghan infant in her arms in Kabul. Gee reposted that photo on Instagram with the caption, “I love my job.”

President Biden and Dr. Jill Biden met with a number of family members present at Dover Air Force Base for the transfer. If you were the president, what would you say to them?

The US is projected to see nearly one hundred thousand more COVID-19 deaths between now and December 1. Seventeen-year-old Jo’Keria Graham was one victim, dying of COVID-19 just a few days before she was to start her senior year of high school. Louisiana hospitals anticipating victims of Hurricane Ida are already packed with patients from the latest coronavirus surge.

Physician Mona Amin told a reporter, “Children are getting hospitalized at higher rates than we’ve ever seen.” She added: “As this Delta variant surges, we are also seeing children of vaccinated parents get admitted for hospitalization for COVID.”

What would you say to their parents?

Two: Be empowered.

Christ the Redeemer will soon have a rival: Christ the Protector. The former is an iconic 125-foot statue of Jesus overlooking Rio de Janeiro; the latter is a 140-foot statue under construction seven hundred miles to the south.

The Wall Street Journal describes Christ the Protector as “one of about three dozen giant statues of Jesus that have been constructed around the world during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.” The tallest is a 253-foot statue of Jesus planned in Tamaulipas, Mexico, though so far the project has stalled.

The article explains their popularity: “Even the nonreligious can find solace in a benevolent figure who expresses protection and welcoming.”

Here’s the good news: you can experience such “protection and welcoming” from the real Jesus right now. And you can pray for his compassion for hurting souls to empower your own.

Unlike other religious figures venerated through statues and idols around the world, our Savior has experienced the pain he now redeems. He walked through the same terrifying storm from which he spared Peter (Matthew 14:22–31). He suffered the same hunger, thirst, weariness, and pain he now helps us endure. He faced the temptations he empowers us to defeat (Hebrews 4:15–16).

In God Will Help You, Max Lucado writes: “When we feel lonely, knowing someone understands can make all the difference. You can be surrounded by people but still feel lonely if you don’t feel known. And you can be alone but not lonely if you are known. God became flesh so we would always feel known by him” (his emphasis).

Now we can seek his heart for the hurting people we know.

Our Savior is praying right now for the victims of Hurricane Ida, the crisis in Afghanistan, the coronavirus pandemic, and untold other calamities (Romans 8:34). Join your Savior by asking him for his heart for hurting hearts today.

Three: Be present.

My father suffered a near-fatal heart attack when I was two years old. He was then a heart patient for all the years I knew him before dying ten days before Christmas during my senior year of college.

The events surrounding his death were and are a blur to me. I remember virtually nothing about Dad’s memorial service, burial, and the days before and after.

But I will always remember a friend from college who drove across Houston the day after Dad’s death to spend the day with me. He did not speak a word that I recall. But his unconditional presence felt to me like the presence of Jesus.

That’s because it was. It’s nearly unbelievable but steadfastly true: Christians are the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27). We are the visible manifestation of Jesus’ continuing ministry in our world. When we are present with people in their suffering, Jesus is present with them in their suffering.

After we pray in the spirit of Christ, we can answer our prayers by being the presence of Christ.

If you’re in crisis, my first inclination as a trained theologian is to theologize with you. If you’ll sit quietly for a while, I’ll explain to you how the Augustinian free-will theodicy relates to the fall of creation and the hurricanes and other disasters that result. I’ll tell you how Irenaeus’ soul-building model is relevant to your pain, then I’ll outline the eschatological and existential approaches favored by some scholars.

My college friend would sit at your side. When you’re in the storm, which approach would you prefer?

Some doctors treat diseases; other doctors treat patients. When your friend is in the storm, be the latter.

Four: Be prayerful.

What about those with whom you cannot be present?

Though I have been to Louisiana many times over the years, I cannot safely go to its devastated cities and towns this morning. But my prayers can.

I have never been to Afghanistan. I am not invited to the military funerals of our heroes killed there last week. I cannot stand alongside those who are risking their lives for us and those who are grieving for the fallen. But my prayers can.

I cannot be with the family and friends of veteran actor Ed Asner after his death yesterday at the age of ninety-one. I cannot safely visit a COVID-19 ward or fight wildfires in the West.

But my prayers can.

What about those whose suffering is largely their fault? Oswald Chambers was right: “Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never to fault finding.”

God’s word counsels us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6, my emphases). As you read the news, pray the news. And pray for the mind and heart of Christ in the power of the Spirit to guide you as you pray.

Five: Be practical.

Texas Baptist Men is the third-largest voluntary disaster relief organization in the US, after the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Their courageous initiative models the best of Christian benevolence.

When others run from disaster, they run to it.

Today is an example. Volunteers are headed to Louisiana this morning in multiple teams, bringing a large kitchen team and a chainsaw team as part of their relief efforts. My wife and I have already donated to their efforts; you can join us here. You can also support the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, and other organizations as they mobilize to help.

God’s word is clear: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10, my emphasis).

What “gift” have you received?

Whom will you serve with it today?

“Sore must be the storm”

Are you prepared for the storms you will face today? Empowered by Jesus’ compassion? Present? Prayerful? Practical?

Emily Dickinson wrote:

“Hope” is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—

And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—

I’ve heard it in the chilliest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet—never—in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of me.

But it does. Hope asks more than a “crumb” of us—it asks us to give it to everyone in “the Gale” today.

Will someone be glad tomorrow that you read this article today?

Denison Forum

Kanye West filed court documents Tuesday to legally change his name to “Ye.” He wants to get rid of his full name—Kanye Omari West—in favor of his longtime nickname with no middle or last name. His parents gave him the name he has carried for his forty-four years of life, but now he wants to rename himself.

In other news, researchers evaluated more than 5,800 foods and their impact on human health and the environment. Among their discoveries: eating a serving of nuts could add twenty-six minutes to your lifespan. However, eating a single hot dog could cost you thirty-six minutes of life. 

By contrast, prayer has been demonstrated clinically to lower depression and anxiety and reduce anger and aggression. Studies also show that prayer can foster a sense of connection with God and others and strengthen marriages. 

However, to pray in transformative ways, we need to “name” ourselves as our Father sees us. 

As we continue our weeklong series on the Holy Spirit, let’s explore today some practical steps we can take to pray in the Spirit in ways that change our lives and our world. 

A woman has an emotional affair with a chimpanzee 

A woman in Belgium has been banned from the Antwerp Zoo after her four-year-long emotional affair with a chimpanzee. Their relationship through the glass surrounding the ape’s enclosure has become so close that it is adversely affecting the primate’s relationships with the zoo’s other chimpanzees. 

We were created for intimacy with our Creator. When we seek intimacy outside his intention for us, the results can be damaging to us and others. 

Seeking such intimacy with the Almighty is urgent, for tomorrow is promised to no one. 

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts made headlines with his death Tuesday at the age of eighty. A beloved Anglican pastor in Tennessee, the Rev. Thomas McKenzie, was killed with his daughter Charlie in a car crash Monday morning. The wreck occurred just thirty minutes after he announced on social media that he was driving her to her senior year of college. 

The good news is that our Father is as close as our next prayer. We are taught to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) because God listens “without ceasing.” He is not bound by the space-time continuum in which we exist, which means he has all of eternity to hear your next prayer. 

And he wants to: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). 

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is meeting with US President Joe Biden later today. Even though I have been to Israel more than thirty times and am a lifelong citizen of the US, I could not meet with either of them. The heads of some of the world’s biggest tech companies met yesterday with President Biden. I was not invited; nor were you, I suspect. 

But you and I can meet with the King of the universe right now. 

Praying on the Temple Mount 

Israel made headlines this week when it began allowing Jews to pray on the Temple Mount, an area previously reserved for prayer only for Muslims. I have prayed at the Western Wall more than thirty times and have visited the Temple Mount numerous times as well. However, due to coronavirus issues, I have not been back to the Holy Land in nearly two years. 

The good news is that I don’t need to be near the site of the ancient temple to meet God in prayer. He is as close as my knees. 

In fact, he’s even closer. 

Paul asks, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Not only does the Spirit live in believers—when “we do not know what to pray for as we ought,” the good news is that “the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). What’s more, “the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (v. 27). 

When you and I pray, God’s Spirit prays for us and through us. We don’t need to worry that we don’t know what to pray, because he does. He knows “the will of God” and will always pray effectively as a result. 

In fact, the Spirit’s role in prayer redefines our role. Eugene Peterson observed, “If the Holy Spirit—God’s way of being with us, working through us, and speaking to us—is the way in which continuity is maintained between the life of Jesus and the life of Jesus’ community, prayer is the primary way in which the community actively receives and participates in that presence and working and speaking. Prayer is our way of being attentively present to God who is present to us in the Holy Spirit.” 

In response, Kristen Deede Johnson notes: “Scripture is promising that the Spirit himself is interceding for us all the time! We never fully know what we ought to pray for, and that’s all right. The Spirit will take whatever we offer, however rich or impoverished our words are, however present or distracted we feel, and intercede for us in accordance with God’s will. Thanks be to God!” (her italics). 

“God rebuilt my life of prayer” 

In addition, God’s Son is praying to his Father for us: “Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). Since he “always lives to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25), you can know that Jesus is praying for you right now.

One more factor: God’s word helps us pray. 

Johnson quotes Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s statement in Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible: “God’s speech in Jesus Christ meets us in the Holy Scriptures. If we wish to pray with confidence and gladness, then the words of Holy Scripture will have to be the solid basis of our prayer.” Johnson responds: “Praying with the borrowed words of the Bible was one way God rebuilt my life of prayer on a more solid basis, reminding me that prayer is answering God, not generating my relationship with God.” 

Here’s what we’ve learned so far: 

• God the Father is listening for your next prayer.
• God the Son is praying for you right now.
• God the Spirit is praying through you.
• God’s word will guide your words as you pray its promises and truths.

As a result, prayer is about positioning ourselves to experience the triune God in the guidance of his word. We need not worry about praying correctly—if we truly seek him, we will find him (Jeremiah 29:13; cf. Proverbs 8:17). If we will make time to listen before we speak, we will hear his voice through his word, worship, and world. 

What’s more, through our time of intimacy with our Father, his Spirit will mold us into the character of his Son (Romans 8:29). As a carpenter must touch the wood he shapes and a painter must touch the canvas she paints, so the Lord must “touch” us to sanctify us (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:23). He does this most fully and powerfully through prayer. 

“They end up less than human” 

Here’s our problem and our opportunity: you and I will experience the Spirit’s transforming power to the degree that we are yielded to the Spirit’s transforming power. 

As we have noted all week, we are commanded by God to be “filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), surrendering daily to his cleansing, leading, and empowering. Have you taken the steps necessary to be filled by him today? If not, why not? 

One way the Enemy tempts us to resist being filled by the Spirit is to deceive us into believing that we don’t need what the Spirit can do in our lives. He knows that self-sufficiency is the enemy of the Spirit’s power. That’s why self-reliance is trumpeted every day by our fallen culture. 

According to author Thomas B. Smith, “If it is to be, it’s up to me.” Albert Camus claimed, “In the depths of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.” William Ernest Henley testified, “I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” 

In The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom, cultural commentatorOs Guinness points to the postmodern “hermeneutics of suspicion” by which generations of college students have been taught that “all relations are negotiated solely by power.” Thus, “the best protection against the unwanted power of others is to approach everyone with suspicion. . . . The outcome is an aging society fueled by pervasive suspicion, mistrust, rumor, conspiracy theories, and cynicism. Nothing is what it appears to be and no one can be trusted, so suspicion is the best insurance against the mounting menace of manipulation by the power of others.” 

While we are taught to be suspicious of the “power motives” of everyone else, we are ironically encouraged to embrace our own. Guinness cites Yuval Noah Harari’s Homo Deus, which claims that humans will become “godlings” due to the fruits of artificial intelligence and biogenetic engineering. 

Guinness responds by quoting Rabbi Jonathan Sacks: “When humans try to be more than human, they end up less than human.” 

“Only God can make a tree” 

By contrast, you and I can experience today the transformational power of the One who made humans and everything else in our remarkable universe. Joyce Kilmer testified:

I think that I shall never see / A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest / Against the earth’s sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day, / And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in Summer wear / A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain; Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me, / But only God can make a tree.

Now God is waiting on your next prayer. 

Let’s sum up what we’ve discovered today: 

• You were made for intimacy with our Maker.
• He longs for such intimacy with you.
• God the Father is listening for your next prayer.
• God the Son is praying for you right now.
• God the Spirit is praying through you right now.
• God’s word will guide your words as you pray its promises and truths.
• However, you must reject the culture’s insistence on self-reliance.
• If you submit your mind and life to God’s Spirit right now in prayer, you will experience his transforming presence and grace.

Robert Robinson prayed these now-famous words: 

Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the Lord I love.
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Have you given your heart to Jesus yet today?

Denison Forum

Sometimes a news article catches your eye immediately, such as the New York Post headline, “Aussie news network broadcasts Satanic ritual accidentally.” As a news anchor reported on a new law protecting police animals, a clip was accidentally shown of a cloaked figure who “enthusiastically says ‘Hail Satan’ in front of an inverted cross and behind a red-clothed altar.” The anchor explained later that this was “a system error and rather unfortunate timing!”

Other stories are less likely to catch your attention. For instance, I’m not sure that you have been following with rapt attention the minutiae of congressional action regarding infrastructure legislation. As a result, you may not know (or care) that House Democrats narrowly passed a measure yesterday approving a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint while locking in a late September vote on a roughly $1 trillion Senate-approved infrastructure bill.

Meanwhile, another legislative debate is going even further under most people’s radar.

Five ways taxpayers could be funding abortions

The 2022 appropriations bill put forward by Democrats in the House of Representatives removes the following provisions:

• The 1976 Hyde Amendment prohibiting the Department of Health and Human Services from spending taxpayer dollars for most abortions
• The 1973 Helms Amendment restricting foreign aid funds from being expended on abortion
• The 1983 Smith Amendment that prohibits the Federal Employee Health Benefits program from funding elective abortions
• The 1989 Dornan Amendment that prohibits funding elective abortions within Washington, DC
• The 2004 Weldon Amendment that protects health care providers from discrimination on the basis of their refusal to pay for and provide abortions or refer women to have them

The Daily Signal adds that “a slim majority of Senators still support pro-life policy and may not follow the House’s approach.” That is good news, but if the House approach becomes law, my tax dollars will pay for elective abortions, despite my vociferous objection to this sin.

I’m not alone in my concern: nearly six in ten Americans (including one in three pro-choice advocates) oppose using tax dollars to pay for abortion. But abortion advocates in the House seem intent on ignoring the wishes of the majority of Americans by adopting unprecedented taxpayer abortion funding.

Benjamin Watson’s brilliant defense of life

Here’s a related story that has likewise received little media attention: the FDA determined last April that abortion-causing drugs could be mailed to patients during the coronavirus pandemic without requiring a visit to a doctor or clinic. Now abortion advocates are fighting to make so-called “abortion by mail” permanently legal in the US.

Benjamin Watson, a former Super Bowl champion and NFL tight end, recently wrote a brilliant article in USA Today in which he stated that “preborn babies don’t have to prove their worth” to us. Unlike football players who are judged constantly by their performance, he states, “Our dignity as humans—our fundamental worthiness to exist—doesn’t have to be proven; it is an endowment we receive at the moment of conception and keep forever until our natural death.”

He adds: “Nobody should have to pass a test to deserve to exist.”

However, Watson reports, thirty-nine states in the US let you abort a baby “for reason of sex selection,” killing the unborn child specifically because of his or her gender. In addition, forty-six states let you abort a child specifically because of his or her race.

What does God think about children? His word calls them “a heritage from the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Psalm 127:3). Jesus said of them, “To such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

In Jeremiah 32, the Lord grieves that his people “built the high places of Baal in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to offer up their sons and daughters to Molech” (v. 35), a reference to child sacrifice. God calls this horrific practice an “abomination,” from  the Hebrew word toebah describing something that is “detestable,” “loathsome,” or “horrifying.”

If abortion advocates in the Congress have their way, taxpayer funds will soon be paying for such a toebah in America.

Relativism is infecting the church

How could this happen in a nation founded on the principle that “all men are created equal” and “endowed by their Creator” with the “unalienable” right to “life”?

Americans were united in World War II against the threat of Nazi Germany, as when our soldiers liberated Paris from Nazi occupation on this day in 1944. Humans must deal every day with objective realities such as the laws of physics; for example, the world’s fastest roller coaster in Japan suspended operations after four reports of people breaking their backs or necks on the ride. Mortality is a fact for us all, as illustrated by the death of the tallest man in the US, who was seven foot, eight inches and died of heart disease at the age of thirty-eight.

But recent generations have been taught that truth itself is a subjective construct, resulting from the subjective way our minds interpret our senses. With regard to abortion, your body is yours to do with as you wish, or so we’re told. The same moral relativism is applied to sexual orientation and gender identity, euthanasia, and a host of other ethical issues.

Such relativism is infecting the church as well. For example, according to a new study, more than 60 percent of self-described born-again Christians between the ages of eighteen and thirty-nine now say Jesus is not the only way to salvation, claiming that Buddha and Muhammad are also valid paths to salvation.

Let’s test ourselves personally. I recently saw this quote by Ella Fitzgerald: “Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” Fitzgerald was one of the greatest singers in history; as the first African American woman to win a Grammy Award, her story of overcoming racial discrimination is truly inspiring.

But are “love and inspiration” all we need to not “go wrong” in life? Are right and wrong this subjective?

Paul Simon on “the way we’re ignorant”

This week, we’ve been exploring the role of the Holy Spirit in catalyzing the moral and spiritual transformation our culture so desperately needs. On Monday, we focused on steps you and I must take each day to be “filled” and empowered by him. (Have you taken these steps yet today?) On Tuesday, we discussed the urgency of being empowered by the Spirit before we face the crises endemic to this fallen world.

Today, let’s consider what is perhaps Satan’s most pernicious strategy in keeping God’s people from experiencing God’s power through God’s Spirit.

Remember that the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. Sin blocks his work in and through our lives. This is why we are commanded, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:19). We are likewise commanded, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30).

However, if we believe the lies of postmodern relativism, we will not consider our sins to be sins. As a result, we won’t feel the need to avoid them when they tempt us or to confess them when we commit them.

This is a vicious cycle: if we ignore the reality of sin, we grieve and quench the Spirit in our lives, which further weakens us and makes the allure of temptation and the effects of sin even worse. Not only do we lose the “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22) and thus the joy of the Lord, we also decimate our witness and demean our Lord.

In “So Beautiful or So What?” Paul Simon sings:

Ain’t it strange the way we’re ignorant
How we seek out bad advice
How we jigger it and figure it
Mistaking value for the price

The formula for spiritual victory

The answer is to begin each day by surrendering that day to the power and leading of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18), then turning every temptation we face immediately over to him for his strength, perspective, and help.

I have learned this fact over the years: Satan is better at tempting than I am at resisting. He knows me better than I know myself. As a result, he knows those temptations I can easily resist and seldom wastes his efforts with them. He also knows those temptations I cannot resist without the Spirit’s help and uses them to entice me into sin.

However, he obviously doesn’t want me to turn to the Spirit for help, so along with the temptation, he tempts me to resist it in my strength. He wants me to believe that I can say no to this sin, that I can stop that behavior before it gets worse, that I don’t need God’s power.

He likes to turn the lights down gradually so that my eyes adjust to the dark before I realize my danger. Or, to change metaphors, he wants to drag me into deadly quicksand an inch at a time until I am trapped before I know it.

As a consequence, I must turn to the Spirit immediately whenever I face temptation. I must remember that if I could defeat this temptation myself, I wouldn’t be facing it. The same is true for you.

Here’s the formula: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Submit, then you will be empowered to resist, and then you will have the victory. But only in that order.

Dark tunnels and wind catchers

Corrie ten Boom was the only member of her family to survive the Nazi concentration camps. She experienced human depravity and suffering at their worst. She therefore had the moral authority to say, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

Is your train going through a spiritual tunnel today? If not, it likely will tomorrow. When it does, trust the Engineer.

“Wind catchers” are structures first perfected by the ancient Persians that funnel passing winds from the tops of buildings to the rooms below. They have been making a comeback recently. As Ryan Denison explains in his latest website article, “the fact that conventional air conditioning currently accounts for roughly a fifth of all electricity consumption worldwide means that we’re likely to see more wind catchers dotting the skies in the coming years.”

Ryan notes that the same Greek word (pneuma) was used by early believers both for spirit and for wind “because the latter concept so aptly describes the former.” He adds: “Just as the ancient cultures relied upon working with the wind to harness its power and improve their lives thousands of years ago, we too must learn to work with the Spirit” to experience the power of God.

Is the wind of the Spirit free to work in and through your life today?

Denison Forum

If you’re from the south (or have ever visited during the summer), you’ve probably asked yourself how people survived in a time before air conditioning. 

Turns out, people didn’t wait until the first air conditioner was invented in the early 1900s to decide that question needed an answer. Evidence suggests that humans have been finding ways to beat the heat for the better part of three thousand years. 

The ancient Egyptians appear to be the first to find a solid solution, though they mostly relied on harnessing the wind rather than creating their own. As is often the case, later generations would continue to improve upon the technology, and you can still see some of the best efforts today in places like the Iranian city of Yazd. There, the ancient Persians perfected structures, called bâdgirs, that sat high atop their buildings and funneled the passing winds down to the rooms below. 

And while the structures have largely fallen out of favor in recent centuries, given that the wind was often accompanied by dirt and pests, they’ve started to make a comeback in recent decades. 

In the UK, for example, roughly seven thousand versions of the wind catchers were installed on buildings constructed between 1979 and 1994, including the Royal Chelsea Hospital in London and various supermarkets in Manchester. Closer to home, the visitor center at Zion National Park in southern Utah also employs a wind catcher to help regulate the summer heat. Scientists have recorded a temperature difference of roughly 29 degrees Fahrenheit between inside and outside of the building. And that’s with people regularly passing through. 

While not every location will allow the wind catchers to work well, the fact that conventional air conditioning currently accounts for roughly a fifth of all electricity consumption worldwide means that we’re likely to see more wind catchers dotting the skies in the coming years. 

Are you working with or against the Spirit? 

Wind is a powerful force, and learning how to work with it rather than against it has often proven to make a profound difference in the degree to which a culture prospers. 

The same is true, from a spiritual point of view, for us as well. 

There’s a reason that Scripture frequently references the Holy Spirit as akin to a gust of wind. In fact, early believers used the same Greek word (pneuma) for spirit and wind because the latter concept so aptly describes the former. 

As Christians, learning to work with the Holy Spirit’s presence and power in our lives instead of against it is one of the most important factors in our maturation as believers. And the key to working with the Spirit is embracing the kind of lifestyle God can bless. 

In Galatians 5, Paul famously writes that the fruit of the spirit is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). However, to experience that fruit in our lives, we must first heed the instruction that comes a few verses earlier: “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law” (Galatians 5:16–18). 

Just as the ancient cultures relied upon working with the wind to harness its power and improve their lives thousands of years ago, we too must learn to work with the Spirit by living in accordance with God’s desires as revealed throughout Scripture and through his daily guidance if we want to experience his power and fruit in our lives today. 

So take a moment to step back and ask God to help you use this Spirit-focused perspective to evaluate your walk with him. Does it feel like that relationship is pushing against the wind or moving with it? 

But note that the latter does not necessarily mean everything has gone smoothly or that your days have been problem-free. In fact, it’s often when the tough times arise that we can gain the greatest clarity into the state of our spiritual life. 

The degree to which it seems like we are able to face our problems without being robbed of the fruit described above is perhaps the best way to gauge whether we are working with or against the Spirit’s presence in our lives. 

Which best describes your relationship with him today? 

Denison Forum

Tropical Storm Henri made landfall Sunday afternoon in Rhode Island. More than 135,000 customers from Maine to New Jersey are without power this morning; storm surges threaten eastern Long Island and southern New England. A state of emergency was declared in New York and Connecticut due to the storm, with five hundred National Guard troops activated for deployment to Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

In other weather news, severe flooding in Middle Tennessee has left at least twenty-two people dead as of this morning and dozens of people missing. The dead reportedly include twin toddlers who were swept from their father’s arms.

President Biden spoke yesterday afternoon on the tropical storm and the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan. He announced that his administration had activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, ordering US commercial airlines to provide flights for the Afghanistan evacuation efforts. The flights would not go to Afghanistan but would be used to transport those already flown out of the country.

The conflict in Afghanistan continues to dominate headlines and hearts today. Germany’s armed forces reported a firefight at Kabul airport this morning between unidentified gunmen, Western security forces, and Afghan guards. One Afghan guard was killed and three were wounded at the airport’s north gate. All gates were closed in response.

An American mom trapped in the Taliban-controlled country pleaded for help in evacuating. Reports indicate that the Taliban set a woman on fire for “bad cooking” as other women are reportedly being forced into sex slavery. Many are concerned that the Taliban now possess tens of billions of dollars of military equipment and supplies formerly under control of the Afghan security forces, some of which they could transfer or sell to transnational terror groups such as al-Qaeda or ISIS.

And we continue to hear reports of the Taliban searching for Christians. The leader of an underground church in Afghanistan said, “The Taliban has a hit list of known Christians they are targeting to pursue and kill. The US Embassy is defunct and there is no longer a safe place for believers to take refuge.” An Afghan church leader said the Taliban will “eliminate the Christian population” in the country.

In a world racked with natural and man-made disasters, what is the way forward for the gospel?

“The Unconquerable Islamic World”

Robert Nicholson’s article in the Wall Street Journal caught my eye. Titled “The Unconquerable Islamic World,” it declares that “Afghanistan shows the folly of mistaking Christian ideals for ‘universal’ ones.”

Discussing the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, he writes: “We Westerners failed not for lack of effort, but because military and economic power alone cannot change the Islamic world in a lasting way.” He claims, “It never occurred to us that America was what it was because of Christianity, and Afghanistan was what it was because of Islam.”

He identifies the “pillars” on which Islam stands: “The Qur’an is Allah’s final revelation, binding on all humanity; faith is a matter of private devotion as well as public law, best lived out in a state that blends religion and politics; and Muslims should, where possible, hold power over non-Muslims to ensure that Allah’s law is rightly enforced.”

Nicholson claims, “It is doctrines like these that cause the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Hamas to fight the ‘Jews and Crusaders’ who tread on land that historically belonged to Islam. But their commitments are far from radical; most Muslims see them as normative even if they fail to act on them.”

As a result, he declares, “The West cannot change the Islamic world.” He believes that “the best strategy will move from rollback to containment and prioritize the defense of American interests and allies over the promotion of values and institutions.” He adds, “This does not mean we will stand by when their choices cross American red lines, but the US must affirm their right to make them.”

I am seeing similar arguments across the political spectrum as analysts begin dissecting what went wrong in Afghanistan and suggesting better paths forward. The consensus is that the West cannot change Islam. Unless we are forced to defend ourselves from Islamic extremists, we should learn to live and let live.

“The man in a white robe”

This argument is attractive and compelling for Americans, not just for our engagement with Muslims but for Christians’ engagement with the secular culture in which we live. As more and more Americans reject organized religion and embrace unbiblical morality, evangelicals are told that tolerance is our society’s highest value and that we should live and let live.

Secularists ask us: What business is it of ours if others choose abortion or euthanasia? What right do we have to tell people what gender they can love and marry? Isn’t everyone’s sexual orientation and gender identity their business? The “culture wars,” by which evangelicals have sought to declare and defend biblical truth and morality, are being lost—or so we’re told.

As with Muslims in Afghanistan, our critics claim that it would be best for us to recognize that we cannot change others and stop promoting “values and institutions” that are countercultural.

But Nicholson overlooks a crucial factor: the spiritual awakening now occurring in the Muslim world. As missionary Tom Doyle and many others have documented, Muslims in recent years have been coming to Christ in unprecedented numbers. Some are hearing the gospel through media ministries, while many are seeing visions and dreams of Jesus.

Tom Doyle told author Lee Strobel of ministries placing ads in Egyptian newspapers that say, “Have you seen the man in a white robe in your dreams? He has a message for you. Call this number.” Doyle added, “So many Muslims were having these dreams that Christian ministries started placing ads to reach them.”

What the Holy Spirit is doing in the Muslim world is the key to the transformation we need in our culture as well.

“Religion has become more important than God”

Why are we not seeing such a spiritual awakening in the West? The fault is not with God. He never changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8). Anything the Spirit has ever done he can still do.

The fault is with us.

In his most recent newsletter, former Christianity Today editor-in-chief Mark Galli highlighted a sermon by German pastor Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt (1842–1919). At one point, Blumhardt observed: “Our civilization simply doesn’t need God anymore. What good is God when you are on the train? The man at the controls, it is his job to get me to Stuttgart. The conductor can groan, the fireman can break his back, the engineer can worry, but isn’t it all the same to me? I just sit there on the train.

“That is why we can be so crude and ruthless about enjoying everything these modern times offer us; we do not need God. Science and technology do not need God. They are succeeding quite well without him!”

He added: “God is of no real importance, even for people with religion, because religion has become more important than God. Though people get into tremendous arguments about religious questions, all the time God is dead. And it is perfectly all right with them if he is dead, because they can do what they like. That is another trait of our times, people want to be able to do whatever pops into their heads or feels good at the moment.”

Blumhardt responds: “God in Christ is not dead; he still is the Alpha and the Omega. And everything in between is chaos, not just a spiritual alienation in which people don’t know where life is going, but real chaos. Men and women are meant to share in the work for the end, for God’s kingdom on earth, but they won’t share. And so the madness goes on.”

For his part, Blumhardt testifies: “I don’t want a minute of easy happiness until this earth knows that God is alive! We must bow down under the living God and weep aloud for having killed him up to now. We are born for trouble, born for battle. Shame on us Christians who are always wanting to have it nice and soft, with a bit of God in our lives! We’ve got to fight until we’re dead, or we aren’t worth Christ’s name. God calls out to us, ‘Share in my business!’ and we are fooling ourselves until we do this.”

He concludes: “Let each one of us be earnest with himself and get off his soft bed. Even if it costs you your life, go right in, into the thick of the fight! Jesus is alive, and Jesus is victor, and he has given us our part to carry out.”

“We must obey God rather than men”

Before Pentecost, when Peter was asked whether he was a follower of Jesus, “he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‘I do not know this man of whom you speak’” (Mark 15:71). After Pentecost, when the same Sanhedrin that arranged Jesus’ execution demanded that he cease preaching the gospel, Peter replied, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) and proceeded to declare God’s word to them (vv. 30–32).

Before Pentecost, when John and his brother James encountered Samaritans who “did not receive” Jesus, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” (Luke 9:53–54). After Pentecost, when John and Peter encountered a crippled man beside the temple gate, they stopped for him, shared Christ with him, and helped him experience Jesus’ healing transformation (Acts 3:1–10).

Before Pentecost, the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane “left Jesus and fled” (Matthew 26:56) and met together behind locked doors “for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19). After Pentecost, they were so bold in their faith that the religious authorities were “astonished” (Acts 4:13).

The difference was simple: at Pentecost, “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4).

“The greatest imperative in the Christian life”

To be “filled” with the Spirit is to be controlled and empowered by him. God commands every Christian every day to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). To experience this “filling,” we must take these steps:

1. Get alone with the Lord.
2. Ask the Spirit to bring to mind anything in our lives that displeases God and is blocking the Spirit’s power in our lives (we will say more of this later in the week).
3. Confess all that comes to our thoughts, claiming God’s forgiving grace (1 John 1:9).
4. Ask the Spirit to take control of our feelings, attitudes, thoughts, words, and actions. Submit our plans for the day specifically to him.
5. Believe that he has answered our prayer.
6. Stay in surrendered communion with the Spirit throughout the day. When we face challenges and temptations, pray for his help. If we fall to temptation, pray for him to forgive us, cleanse us, and restore us. When we face opportunities and decisions, pray for him to lead us. Stay “connected” with him all day long.

When I lead study tours to Israel, we always go to the “Upper Room,” a Crusader-era structure located near the place where Pentecost occurred. I always teach the Acts 2 Pentecost miracle to the group and the steps I just outlined.

Then I say to them what I say to you today: “The greatest imperative in the Christian life is to be filled with the Spirit. The greatest enemy of the Christian life is self-sufficiency that resists such empowerment. Self-reliance is spiritual suicide. Spirit dependence is spiritual victory.”

Whether we are facing natural disasters, man-made crises, or the daily challenges of living in a fallen world, you and I were designed by God to depend daily on the power of his Spirit.

“In Afghanistan, the real church is going on”

An Afghan pastor and evangelist named David Paiman was recently interviewed by Christianity Today. His father was a Muslim imam; Paiman went to Mecca six times before coming to faith in Jesus. He first heard the gospel from a former Muslim who had a vision of Christ during a pilgrimage to Mecca. Paiman came to Christ after Christians prayed for a friend with epilepsy who was healed.

His explanation of the crisis in Afghanistan is different from what we are seeing in the secular media. When asked what life was like for Christians after the American invasion in 2001, he replied: “That’s what I call false hope. I will never forget in 2001 when the American army came and took over, everyone was celebrating, everyone got freedom and people were praising and thankful for America. Exactly twenty years later, we see what’s happening now.”

The interviewer asked, “With the hope that you experienced, what did you think might happen?”

In words that echo Pastor Blumhardt’s indictment of Western religion, Paiman replied, “The real hope is Jesus Christ. Afghanistan has been trying many ways to get hope, to get peace inside Afghanistan, but they did not try Jesus Christ. They did not try God. They did not try his love and his mercy. My prayer and zeal are to share Christ with them.

“They can receive Christ and they can get the real hope, the living hope that never ends.”

Then the pastor noted: “In Afghanistan, people know they are the church, and they understand that. But here, in most of America, they say the building is a church. There is a building with a cross on it. That’s what they call church but, in Afghanistan, the real church is going on.”

Would the Holy Spirit say “the real church is going on” in your life today?

Denison Forum

As Christians, we cherish our religious freedom. But this constitutional right is a little harder to accept when it involves another religion—if, for example, a mosque is built in our community. 

Liberty for All: Defending Everyone’s Religious Freedom in a Pluralistic Age explains the all-encompassing benefits of religious freedom. The book is a  challenging yet rewarding read for the layperson. 

What is religious liberty?

Author Andrew T. Walker, an associate professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, offers this definition: “Religious liberty is the principle of social practice wherein every individual, regardless of their religious confession, is equally free to believe, or not to believe, and to live out their understanding of the conscience’s duty, individually and communally, that is owed to God in all areas of life without threat of government penalty or social harassment. It is nothing short of grasping truth and ordering one’s life in response to it.” 

That includes people of every religious belief, or none at all. Religious liberty, in Walker’s view, “helps us manage social and religious differences” in a pluralistic culture. 

More importantly, there can be no decisions for Christ without freedom of choice. 

The gospel and religious freedom

“We Christians should extend religious liberty to everyone, because everyone is pursuing truth, even if incorrectly,” Walker wrote. “In a secular and increasingly pluralistic age, we need to allow falsehood a space to be wrong in hopes that individuals will ‘come to the knowledge of the truth’ (1 Tim. 2:4). 

“This does not mean we refrain from naming moral wrongs or fall captive to empty-headed relativism. It means we do not seek to criminalize, persecute, or marginalize people whose beliefs are sincere and are animating them toward lives of purpose, meaning, and goodwill (and there are checks and balances to consider when convictions pose risks and harms to civil society).” 

Only Christ can judge religious convictions. The just state’s job is to guarantee freedom of choice. But even in an unjust society where Christians are persecuted, the gospel has shown throughout history an ability to thrive. “The government may possess the authority to kill the body, but it cannot damn the soul,” Walker wrote. “The martyrs of the early church went to their deaths knowing that from death came life.” 

A day of judgment is coming. Until then, governments should allow religious freedom. 

“If the gospel is true, the gospel does not need government preference,” Walker wrote. “Why? Because in the scope of history, truth wins.” 

And that’s good news.

Denison Forum

At this writing, as many as fifteen thousand Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover of the country. They have been urged to go to Hamid Karzai International Airport for evacuation out of the country, but the US is reportedly unable to provide transportation or guarantee them safe passage.

A Taliban spokesman promised that “nobody will be harmed in Afghanistan,” including Americans. However, their actions so far speak a very different message.

They faced their first street protests yesterday against their takeover of the country. When a crowd gathered in the northeastern city of Jalalabad, Taliban soldiers fired into them and beat protesters and journalists. At least two people were killed and a dozen injured.

Taliban fighters recently executed twenty-two Afghan commandos as they tried to surrender. Earlier this month, they assassinated a presidential spokesman who was head of the government’s media and information center. A letter circulating recently listed activities forbidden by the Taliban, including girls banned from school, women confined to their homes and forced to wear a full hijab, boys forced to learn rote recitation of the Qur’an, and women banned from leaving their houses without a male relative.

With regard to Americans still trapped in Afghanistan, Walter Russell Mead writes in the Wall Street Journal that “Mr. Biden should worry about a repeat of Tehran in 1979.” He adds that “even if national Taliban authorities want to avoid a confrontation, with thousands of unprotected US and other foreign citizens scattered around a chaotic country, authorities in the capital may not be able to control radical factions or ransom-hungry groups of local fighters and criminal gangs.”

The history of al-Qaeda and the Taliban

While Americans are understandably deeply concerned about our citizens remaining in Afghanistan under the Taliban, we should also be concerned about ourselves at home.

American troops were sent to Afghanistan twenty years ago in response to the 9/11 attacks and the Taliban’s provision of safe harbor for Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda. Our forces toppled the Taliban from power not because we were concerned that they wanted to launch attacks on our homeland, but because we wanted to prevent further such attacks from al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups they were protecting.

From their beginning, the Taliban were foundationally linked with al-Qaeda. Their shared Islamic ideology and fight against Soviet forces in Afghanistan brought them together.

Al-Qaeda was an experienced militant group with an established global brand when the Taliban were in their infancy. The early training, fundraising, and supplies provided by al-Qaeda were critical to the Taliban’s growth. In turn, before the Taliban were toppled by US forces, al-Qaeda reportedly paid them up to $20 million a year for its safe haven in Afghanistan.

What of their relationship today?

The United Nations reported in June 2021, “A significant part of the leadership of al-Qaeda resides in the Afghanistan and Pakistan border region. . . . Large numbers of al-Qaeda fighters and other foreign extremist elements aligned with the Taliban are located in various parts of Afghanistan.”

While the Taliban committed to the US government in February 2020 that it would restrain jihadist groups, including al-Qaeda, from organizing and launching terrorism from the country, the UN states that “it is impossible to assess with confidence that the Taliban will live up to its commitment.” It adds that “al-Qaeda and likeminded militants continue to celebrate developments in Afghanistan as a victory for the Taliban’s cause and thus for global radicalism.”

“The best news al-Qaeda has had in decades”

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, “the Taliban continues to provide al-Qaeda with protection in exchange for resources and training.” US authorities reportedly believe that al-Qaeda’s chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, is in Afghanistan as well.

The Morning Dispatch reports that “many top al-Qaeda leaders have sworn blood oaths to the successive heads of the Taliban, and others including Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has a $10 million price on his head from the US government, serve as leaders of both groups.”

It quotes Nathan Sales, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, who wrote in an expert briefing: “The Biden administration’s withdrawal from Afghanistan is the best news al-Qaeda has had in decades. With the Taliban back in charge of the country, it is virtually certain that al-Qaeda will reestablish a safe haven in Afghanistan and use it to plot attacks on the United States.”

Sales added: “The terrorist group responsible for 9/11 will soon find itself flush with cash looted from Afghanistan’s central bank, with weapons seized from the defeated Afghan army, and with fighters freed from prison.”

Britain’s defense minister agreed, warning that al-Qaeda will likely have a resurgence as Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. And Robert M. Gates, secretary of defense for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama from 2006 to 2011, wrote in the New York Times that the Taliban “still maintain ties with al-Qaeda.”

He asked, “Why should we assume they will no longer harbor al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups that seek to target those—above all, the United States—that ousted them from power and have been fighting them for twenty years?” He concluded in his June 2021 article that “the consequences of another Taliban takeover in Kabul would not be limited to the people of Afghanistan.” Now that takeover has been accomplished.

Will 9/11 be a “catalyst for acts of targeted violence”?

As I noted in my 2011 book, Radical Islam: What You Need to Know, al-Qaeda and similar jihadists are convinced that America has been attacking the Muslim world since the Crusades. They consider the creation of the modern state of Israel in 1948 to be a theft of land from its rightful Muslim owners and see our support for Israel as complicity in this attack. Since Americans are citizens of a democracy, they view us as part of this “assault” on Islam.

Since the Qur’an requires Muslims to defend Islam (cf. Surah 2:190), al-Qaeda’s followers believe they are required to attack Americans in our homeland. As a result, they do not see 9/11 as an attack on innocent Americans but as a defense of Islam striking back at “Crusader” aggression.

Now that the Taliban are in control of Afghanistan, such attacks may be more likely. The head of an Afghan news and media company told New York Times columnist Bret Stephens, “The relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda will get stronger. Why should the Taliban fear the Americans anymore? What’s the worst that could happen? Another invasion?”

He added: “These guys are going to be the most belligerent, arrogant Islamist movement on the planet. They are going to be the Mecca for any young radical of Islamic heritage or convert. It’s going to inspire people. It’s a godsend for any radical, violent group.”

Author Peter Bergen believes the Taliban takeover will inspire extremists around the globe. He notes, “When ISIS ran a lot of Iraq and Syria, there were a lot of Westerners who volunteered to go and fight. Here we have the Taliban doing something not dissimilar in Afghanistan. I anticipate a lot of problems for Western states.”

The Department of Homeland Security added in a recent security alert that the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 and upcoming religious holidays “could serve as a catalyst for acts of targeted violence.” It noted that al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula recently released the first English-language version of its Inspire magazine in four years, apparently intended to mark the upcoming anniversary of 9/11.

Three practical responses

What can you and I do about the threat of a resurgent al-Qaeda?

One: Pray for members of al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and other jihadist groups to come to Christ. Jesus urged us to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). As I have noted frequently, more Muslims are coming to faith in Jesus today than at any time in Islamic history, many through visions and dreams of our Savior. If you doubt whether such conversions are possible, remember Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).

Two: Pray for Christians in Afghanistan and across the Muslim world to be protected, emboldened, and empowered as they share Christ with their neighbors. We are to “keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18). I plan to say more about this in tomorrow’s Daily Article, but please join me in praying for our sisters and brothers today.

Three: Pray for ministries and missionaries to Afghanistan and the Muslim world to be effective and courageous. Jesus called his followers to “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38). Then Jesus called his apostles to answer their prayer by taking his message to their culture (Matthew 10).

The choice of the hour

I was interviewed yesterday by Chris Brooks, a brilliant pastor and radio host. At one point, he mentioned a member of his church in Michigan who has been called to go to Afghanistan as a missionary. Ask God to raise up many more, then pray for them and support them however you can. And ask God to use your life and witness to reach Muslims and others in your circle of influence.

Chris also quoted the maxim that, in regard to missions, we can “go, give, or live in sin.”

Which will you choose today?

Denison Forum

“I am sitting here waiting for them to come. There is no one to help me or my family. I’m just sitting with them and my husband. And they will come for people like me and kill me. I can’t leave my family. And anyway, where would I go?”

This is how Zarifa Ghafari, the youngest mayor in Afghanistan, describes her future with the Taliban now in charge of her country. They have frequently vowed to kill her in the past. Her father was gunned down last November, twenty days after the third attempt on her life failed.

The Taliban declared an “amnesty” yesterday and called on women to join their new government. Their spokesman declared during a news conference Tuesday in Kabul, “We assure that there will be no violence against women.”

However, when the Taliban last ruled Afghanistan, their fighters tortured and killed the country’s former president, then hanged his body from a traffic post. Women who were unaccompanied in public places could be beaten; an Afghan mother was forced to kneel in a stadium and then shot dead between the goal posts.

According to the US State Department, women over the age of eight were prohibited from attending school; females were given only the most rudimentary access to health care; the Taliban raided and temporarily closed a foreign-funded hospital in Kabul because male and female staff allegedly mixed in the dining room and operating wards.

Which should women and girls in Afghanistan believe: the future now promised by the Taliban or the one predicted by their past?

“Life can only be understood backwards”

Søren Kierkegaard was right: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

The crisis facing Afghanistan is a tragic object lesson in the importance of history to a culture and corresponding civilization. However, this lesson is not limited to Afghanistan. I believe there are principles to be learned that apply directly to America and our future in these critical days.

As I noted earlier this week, the Taliban have been driven by a version of Islamic theology known as “Deobandi.” It excludes all studies and traditions not directly related to the study of the Qur’an. Crucially, it claims that the “purity” of the Qur’an and the practices of the Prophet Muhammad (known as the Sunnah) is the goal for which Muslim society should strive.

In essence, the Taliban seek to create a culture mirroring the seventh-century world in which Islam began. This worldview motivates their disparaging view of women, non-Muslims (“infidels”), and Muslims who disagree with them (“apostates”).

In addition, they are a product of their Afghan history. As National Geographic notes, their country is landlocked and surrounded by mountains, deserts, and competing empires. It has been surrounded historically on the north by countries influenced by Russia, on the west by Iran and Persian influence, on the south by Pakistan and British influence, and on the east by Chinese influence.

The Afghan people have been resisting foreign incursions for centuries, nearly all by non-Muslim powers. The Taliban have also thrived in rural areas neglected by governing elites in major cities. Their tribal culture is the product of their faith, their environment, and their history.

Their governing approach in the future is likely to reflect these values, to the tragic detriment of women and all who oppose their puritanical version of Islam.

The “cultural climate change” we face today

Os Guinness is one of the most perceptive cultural analysts in the Christian world. His new book, The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai’s Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom, is a work I cannot recommend too highly.

In it, he explains our cultural moment as a conflict between two versions of freedom: the 1776 American revolution and its commitment to freedom within a Judeo-Christian worldview, and the 1789 French revolution and its commitment to freedom within a radically secularist worldview.

Guinness notes that the Russian and Chinese revolutions which followed the French shared its commitment to secularism. They also produced genuine totalitarianism and “became the epitome of oppressive evil and the complete denial of liberty.”

These revolutions “were overtly antibiblical, antireligious, and anti-Christian, and their overall record on freedom has been dismal. . . . their claims to be the true and reliable source of human freedom have been left in tatters by the history of their repressive secularist regimes in the twentieth century and the slaughter of millions of their own citizens.”

Why is this history relevant to the current moment? Because there is a transformative movement afoot in America and the West that repudiates the 1776 American revolution and seeks to remake our country along the secularist lines of the 1789 French revolution.

Guinness writes: “In the form of postmodernism, political correctness, tribal politics, and the extremes of the sexual revolution, the advocates of cultural Marxism and critical theory are now posing serious threats not just to freedom and democracy but to earlier understandings of humanity and to Western civilization itself.” He calls this “cultural climate change” and warns that it is “damaging the way we used to live and beginning to shape the way we need to live if humanity is to flourish.”

Four crucial commitments

What does a biblical approach to a flourishing civilization look like? Let’s identify four foundational commitments:

One: God is the creator and sustainer of the universe and of all life (Genesis 1:1; Colossians 1:16–18). His word is true (John 17:17; Psalm 119:160) and guides every dimension of life (2 Timothy 3:16–17; Psalm 119:105; Matthew 4:4).

Two: All people are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and thus are equal in value and worth to God (Acts 10:34; Galatians 3:28) and should be to each other (Mark 12:31).

Three: People are inherently sinful (Romans 3:23) and thus require governing authority and the rule of law to which they owe obedience and support (Romans 13:1–7; 1 Timothy 2:1–2). At the same time, those in authority should lead by serving (Luke 22:26) with personal integrity (1 Timothy 4:12) and humility (Philippians 2:3).

Four: Society and individuals should do all they can to care for those in need, including the poor and afflicted (Deuteronomy 10:18; 24:17; 27:19), the widow and the orphan (James 1:27), and all who need our help (Matthew 25:35–40).

How Afghans have flourished

Taken together, these commitments fuel a culture motivated by personal character and collective progress in which individuals and society each serve the other for the common good. They clearly contradict the antireligious French revolution, the communistic dictatorships of China, Cuba, and North Korea, the corrupt authoritarianism of contemporary Russia, and the secularist revolution currently sweeping the West.

It should not surprise us that civilizations that reject these biblical principles tend to struggle, while those who embrace them tend to flourish. This is not a health-and-wealth gospel or a promise that people who live biblically will not suffer in our fallen world (John 16:33). Rather, it is a historical observation built on the logical fact that creatures who live according to the plans and purposes of an all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful Creator should expect to experience the results of his “good and acceptable and perfect” will (Romans 12:2).

Consider the results of democracy in Afghanistan across the last two decades. While decidedly imperfect and often led by corrupt officials, the society there thrived in significant ways:

• Infant mortality rates fell by half.
• In 2005, fewer than one in four Afghans had access to electricity; by 2019, nearly all did.
• Denied education under the Taliban, more than one in three teenage girls today can read and write.
• The “social progress index” in Afghanistan, measuring prosperity, human development, and overall happiness, rose dramatically.

My point is not that Afghan society, like that in America and every other nation in our fallen world, has not struggled with massive challenges. Rather, it is that worldview matters. The foundational beliefs of a society are enormously influential in determining its present outcomes and future flourishing.

The crucial question

I am praying that the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan will not lead to dramatic reversals for women and others in Afghan society, but if the past is a reliable predictor of the future, the prospects for them are indeed dim.

I am also praying that America and the West learn from the failed revolutions of the past and present. Os Guinness is right: “Either America goes forward best by going back first [to biblical foundations and morality], or America is about to reap a future in which the worst will once again be the corruption of the best.”

This statement is a present-tense reality: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lᴏʀᴅ” (Psalm 33:12). However, nations are made of people. So let’s add: “Blessed is the person whose God is the Lᴏʀᴅ.”

Are you living a life God can bless today?

Denison Forum

The latest from Afghanistan: The US Embassy in Kabul was evacuated last night. The Taliban took control of the presidential palace yesterday. The UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting for this morning.

The Taliban’s sweeping takeover of Afghanistan is dominating world news. Tomorrow, we’ll examine America’s decision to withdraw through the lens of Scripture and Christian theology. For today, let’s ask some prior questions: Who are the Taliban? What does God think about them? How should we respond biblically to them?

Who are the Taliban?

In my 2011 book, Radical Islam: What You Need to Know, I explained the origins of the Sunni Islamist group known as the “Taliban” (from the Pashto for “students”). According to the most common explanation, when two teenage girls were kidnapped and raped in 1994 by followers of a warlord in Afghanistan, a group of thirty students joined their village cleric, Mullah Muhammad Omar, in rescuing the girls and hanging the group’s commander from a tank barrel.

Their group grew in strength and popularity, eventually gaining the support of religious parties within neighboring Pakistan. In the chaos of post-Soviet Afghanistan, their enforcement of order and law was a welcome relief to the population. They conquered Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city, at the end of 1994. Two years later, they captured the capital city of Kabul. By 1998, they occupied 90 percent of the country.

Before long, it became clear that the Taliban would enforce a puritanical version of Islam akin to Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia. They provided sanctuary to Osama bin Laden and formed a crucial base for the rise of al-Qaeda.

After 9/11, they refused to expel bin Laden and end their support for terrorism. In response, a US-led coalition invaded Afghanistan to remove them from power. A new constitution was adopted in January 2004, creating a parliamentary democracy. However, charges of widespread corruption soon surfaced against the new government and have persisted in the years since.

US forces remained in the country as the Afghan government developed a military force intended to prevent the return of al-Qaeda and other terrorist organizations. Over two decades, more than 2,300 US military personnel were killed in Afghanistan, with more than twenty thousand wounded.

The “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”

Following prior announcements of troop drawdowns by Presidents Obama and Trump, President Biden stated in April 2021 that the US would withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by September 11, 2021. In response, the Taliban have escalated their military engagement across the country in recent days.

Yesterday, they seized the capital city of Kabul. They are planning a ceremony at the presidential palace renaming Afghanistan as the “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.”

They are promising a new era of peace and normalcy in the country along with amnesty for those who have battled them for two decades. However, there are already indications of a return to the harsh version of Islam that Afghans lived under from 1996 until the Taliban were driven out of power in 2001.

When they previously ruled Afghanistan, they banned television, music, and cinema, and disapproved of girls over the age of ten going to school. Women had to wear the burqa and had to be accompanied by a male relative whenever they went outside. The Taliban were accused of human rights and cultural abuses such as their destruction of the famous Bamiyan Buddha statues in central Afghanistan.

Now there are reports of such atrocities again. Last month, according to the semi-official Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, Taliban fighters went door to door in one province looking for people who had worked for the government, killing at least twenty-seven civilians, wounding ten others, and looting homes.

In early July, Taliban leaders in two provinces ordered religious leaders to provide them with a list of girls over the age of fifteen and widows under the age of forty-five for “marriage” with Taliban fighters.

“Its end is the way to death”

The Taliban follow Deobandi theology (named for a seminary founded in 1866 in the city of Deobond, India). This school excludes all traditions and studies not directly related to the study of the Qur’an. It rejects reinterpretation of Islamic precepts in accommodation to changing times and seeks to return to the “purity” of the Qur’an and the Sunnah (practices of the Prophet Muhammad).

In line with this worldview, the Taliban believe religious edicts to have a divine source and thus view them as more authoritative than humanitarian laws stressing individual freedoms.

In this sense, we can view the Taliban as religious zealots. While tribal and social issues are definitely influential for them, their passionate commitment to extreme religious legalism fuels their drive to create a purified Islamic culture.

God’s word is clear: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Like millions of people who follow false religions, the Taliban are deceived by Satan into believing that their religious zeal can save their souls.

The atrocities they have committed in the name of their religion are in fact inspired by the “thief” who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). And their treatment of women clearly violates God’s will (cf. Galatians 3:28).

What should be our response?

In this spiritual conflict (Ephesians 6:12), Christians should be praying for God’s protection for those endangered by the unfolding tragedy in Afghanistan. And we should pray passionately for Taliban leaders and followers to meet Jesus in visions and dreams, a miraculous phenomenon now reaching Muslims around the world.

To this end, let’s make Paul’s prayer for his fellow Jews our intercession for the Taliban: “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:1–4).

If you question whether God can answer such a prayer, consider the man who first prayed it. If Saul the persecutor could become Paul the apostle, this fact is clear: it is always too soon to give up on God.

NOTE: I want to thank Dr. Mark Turman and Mark Legg for their outstanding work in writing last week’s Daily Articles while I was on vacation with my family. I am grateful for the privilege of partnering with such gifted and godly men. It is an honor to share this ministry with them and with you.

Denison Forum

A blue canvas with a single stripe down the middle sold for $43.8 million in 2013. A banana duct-taped to a wall was bought for a whopping $120,000 two years ago.

These art pieces and others like them receive more eyerolls and laughs than appreciation by most (the banana “sculpture” is titled “The Comedian”). Maybe “art” like this is what comes to mind when you think of “minimalism.” Technically, minimalism did start as an art movement in the ’60s, and, though the “art” mentioned above is not considered part of the minimalist modern art movement, their simplicity gets the point across.

Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer pointed out that art diffuses philosophical ideas into popular culture. In the past decade, a new wave of popular minimalism has trickled down from avant garde art, captivating Millennials and Generation Z.

The cultural invasion of minimalism

Brands have picked up on this trend using a “minimalist aesthetic” in their marketing to reach the younger generation. There are minimally designed styles, groceries, shoes, wall art, and even baby clothes. As an old Gen Z-er, I feel the appeal of these brands. I proudly own a pair of Allbirds shoes. They’re comfortable and clean. (Today’s Daily Article is not sponsored, by the way).

The lifestyle movement of minimalism has been picked up in a Netflix documentary called Minimalism: A Documentary about Important Things. The popular minimalist and productivity YouTuber Matt D’Avella has accumulated over 220 million views.

Some spouses may recall when they came home to an unexpected mountain of clothes on the bedroom floor, which may have required mountaineering equipment to get up and down the other side. Marie Kondo was probably the person responsible for that fateful clothing apocalypse.

The Japanese lifestyle guru became wildly popular for her decluttering method a few years ago. She was named one of TIME’s top 100 most influential people in 2015 and has sold over 4 million copies of her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up in the US.

“Does it spark joy?”

Why are people hopping onto this train of decluttering their walk-in closets (Marie Kondo), wearing only one pair of pants (hardcore minimalist), or buying from simplistic brands (Millennials)?

Sometimes, it’s to save money. For others, buying from these simplistic brands is about the environment and sustainability. Many simply want to reduce stress and not be tied down to material possessions. And of course, most are probably just following the trends.

Marie Kondo stands out in her success. According to her, the “method” isn’t minimalism because she focuses on “cherishing” what you want to keep. One fascinating aspect of Marie Kondo is her famous mantra about whether an object “sparks joy.” Her method may have been trendy, but it hasn’t yet lost steam. Her reality TV show, Sparking Joy, airs on Netflix at the end of this month.

So, after all this, should believers “simplify, simplify?”

And more specifically, is Marie Kondo’s philosophy biblical?

God’s view of material possessions

Instead of focusing on the objects themselves or how they bring us happiness, a biblical understanding of our possessions is about following a kingdom economy and submitting everything to Christ. Here are some principles and topics taught in the Bible:

What does the Bible say about wealth?

The Bible does not disparage the wealthy themselves. However, when the rich young ruler approached Jesus and wanted to follow him, Jesus saw his heart was captivated by money. This prompted Jesus to say, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24) Wealth can give us a false sense of security and easily becomes a perilous idol (Luke 12:13–21).

Consider that the worldwide individual median income is about $3,000. Most people living in a first-world country should consider themselves wealthy. At the end of the day, whether wealthy or poor, Jesus cares most about our hearts (Luke 21:1–4).

What does the Bible say about generosity?

I’ve received a great deal of generosity in my life. My grandparents, who worked hard and saved frugally, helped pay for my college education. I am immensely grateful for that, and it’s encouraged me to live open-handedly (2 Corinthians 9:6–7).

What does the Bible say about anxiety?

Jesus teaches us not to be anxious about tomorrow because we can rest, knowing he will take care of our needs (Matthew 6:25–34; Philippians 4:6; James 4:13–15).

What does the Bible say about stewardship?

As believers, everything we own is God’s creation. Therefore we are stewards of it. We’re not only stewards of material possessions, but of our time, skills, and spiritual gifts (1 Peter 4:10; Luke 16:11).

What does the Bible say about thankfulness?

If we want to follow minimalist living, use Marie Kondo’s method, or buy from millennial brands, remember to thank God. To be in a place to choose minimal living instead of being forced into it because of poverty is a blessing (1 Timothy 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:18).

True joy is like a fire, not a spark

Getting rid of enough clothes so that we can walk in our “walk-in closets” probably sparks joy. Receiving Amazon packages of new clothes may spark joy. Remembering a memory attached to a sentimental item likely sparks joy. Marie Kondo’s method may spark joy. There’s nothing wrong with any of these sparks of joy, but they’re just that: sparks.

None of these will lead us to everlasting joy or true fulfillment. In contrast to the temporary “spark” that these fleeting moments lend, true joy is an everlasting fire because it rests in God, who does not change.

Philippians 4:4 says to rejoice in the Lord always.

James 1:2 says to count trials as joy.

Romans 12:12 says to rejoice in hope.

Psalm 16:11 says that in God’s presence is fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forevermore.

When we become weighed down by things of this world, let us pray Psalm 94:19: “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.”

Enjoy the spark of joy, but let it lead you to the true joy only God offers.

NOTE: Today’s Daily Article is by Mark Legg, staff writer for Denison Forum. He is a recent graduate of Dallas Baptist University and holds a degree in philosophy and biblical studies.

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When Christians fight among themselves, they’re neglecting an often-overlooked biblical truth: Christ has called us to model unity to a watching world. 

With the church in this country divided by race, politics, the pandemic, and a host of other issues, Stronger Together, Weaker Apart: Powerful Prayers to Unite Us in Lovehas a message we desperately need today. 

In the introduction, author Dr. Tony Evans quotes from John 17, often called Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer.” It offers a rare glimpse of private interaction between Christ and the heavenly Father, on the night before Jesus died. 

In verses 20–23, he asks for “complete unity” among his disciples and those who heed their message. “Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me,” he prays. 

“An alternative to the ways of the world”

Stronger Together, Weaker Apart is part prayer book/part Bible study about the importance of unity among believers in spreading the gospel. But too often, the church is just as divided as the outside world. 

“As kingdom followers of Jesus Christ, we have been chosen to model unity, love, and peace as an alternative to the ways of a world that stands divided,” Evans writes. “Yet it seems that division often slithers its way into our churches and Christian organizations as well. Satan’s overall strategies rarely change — whatever he can divide, he can conquer (Mark 3:24). He accomplishes this division through lies, deception, and destruction (John 10:10).” 

Unity is not uniformity, but we shouldn’t let our differences divide us, preventing the church from playing its unique role in our culture.  

“The church is the only authentic cross-racial, cross-cultural, and cross-generational basis for oneness in existence,” Evans writes. 

We are all one

If you model Christlike qualities such as empathy, forgiveness, and humility in service to others, you encourage unity. On the other hand, “Every time you disparage a politician, preacher, neighbor, teacher, coworker, or family member, you are erecting walls with your words,” Evans writes. “We all must learn how to change our thoughts and words if we want to close the gaps that separate us.” 

The book has an appendix with a list of Scriptures about unity, including Galatians 3:28: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

In other words, there should be neither Black nor White, rich nor poor, Republican nor Democrat, for we are all one in Christ. If we truly model that, the world will know that we are his disciples.

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The Disney children’s series Muppet Babies chronicles the lives of the legendary Muppets during their toddler years. In a recent episode, Gonzo decided to cross-dress, going to a royal ball dressed as a girl. When he explained his decision later to his friends, one of them assured him, “You’re our friend, and we love you any way you are.”

In other news, a Russian woman is reportedly suing McDonald’s after claiming that seeing one of its cheeseburger commercials made her break her fast for Lent. She accused the fast-food chain of breaking consumer protection laws and insulting her religious feelings.

Right now, you might be thinking, “Surely there are more important stories in the news to discuss than these.” And you’re right.

For example, on this day in 1974, Richard M. Nixon became the first president in American history to resign. In other political news, Melissa DeRosa, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top aide, resigned from her role last night, a week after a state attorney general report found the governor had sexually harassed eleven women.

Why, then, did I begin today’s Daily Article as I did? Because I have been in ministry long enough to learn something about human nature: we are most interested in that which most affects us.

If we were discussing the resignation of the current president rather than an event that occurred nearly fifty years ago, that would obviously be different. If this Daily Article were written only for those in New York State, the order of news discussed would have changed.

The axiom on which “the whole philosophy of Hell rests”

In The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis explains that “the whole philosophy of Hell rests on recognition of the axiom that one thing is not another thing, and, specially, that one self is not another self. My good is my good and your good is yours. What one gains another loses.”

Socrates (470–399 BC) taught us that the way to wisdom is to “know yourself.” Not “know God” or “know God’s word,” not “know your community” or “know your family.” From his day to ours, Western culture has focused on the individual as the centerpiece of reality.

The “philosophy of Hell” takes advantage of this existentialist worldview in two ways.

For non-Christians, the constant drumbeat of secular culture is that you don’t need Christ. Personal authenticity is the path to flourishing, we’re told. Whether the subject is abortion or euthanasia, sexual orientation or gender identity, the message is the same: your body is yours to do with as you wish. So long as you’re not harming others (an assertion tragically overlooked by abortion advocates), you’re free to do what makes you happy.

Why, then, would anyone want to hear a message that insists we are sinners in need of salvation and calls us to repentance, contrition, and submission to God? Why dress up to go sing hymns and hear sermons at church? Since hell appears nowhere on our list of top fears, why not live and let live?

Or so our enemy would have us believe, right up to the day when it is too late to believe.

Satan’s strategy for Christians

For Christians, however, the devil’s strategy is somewhat different. If he cannot persuade us to reject Jesus, he’ll entice us to serve our Savior on our terms. It’s still all about us, it’s just that the “all” includes God, at least as a means to our end.

Go to church to “get something out of it.” Start your day with prayer and Bible study so God will bless you day. Give money to God so God will bless your money. This is how the “philosophy of Hell” wants us to serve Jesus to serve ourselves.

By contrast, the New Testament repeatedly and adamantly insists that the true Christian life is one Christ lives through us. We are his body (1 Corinthians 12:27), the temple of his Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The “riches of the glory” of the gospel mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

This is why we are to be “crucified with Christ” (Galatians 2:20), to begin every day by yielding that day to the leading and empowering of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Jesus literally wants to continue his earthly ministry through you and me. We are the visible extensions of his abiding presence in our world (Matthew 28:20).

Christians being empowered, led, and used by Christ is obviously the last thing the enemy wants. That’s why he works so hard to convince us that it’s all about us when it’s actually all about Jesus.

A brother willing to die for his sister

Why should we submit our lives to Christ that he might continue his ministry through us? Let’s close with two answers.

One: Jesus can do more in the world than we can. Every person you know needs a Great Physician, a Good Shepherd, an omnipotent Lord and King. When he works through us, everyone we serve benefits, in this life and the next.

Two: Jesus can do more with our lives than we can. He knows us better than we know ourselves and knows the very best way our lives can fulfill their eternal purpose with true significance. Submitting to Jesus doesn’t make us robots—it makes us partners with God. In an incarnationally mysterious yet very real way, he makes us more than we could otherwise be while using us for greater purposes than we could ever serve without him.

Here’s how you can know you can trust him with your life: he gave his life for you (Romans 5:8).

Last year, a then-six-year-old named Bridger Walker saw a German Shepherd charging at his younger sister, so he stood between her and the dog. He saved her but suffered extensive injuries to his face and head. A year later, Bridger is still recovering. He has a simple explanation for his bravery: “If someone had to die, I thought it should be me.”

Jesus died so you could live eternally. He would do it all over again, just for you.

How will you respond to such love today?

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