#politics

Are You Prepared For a New Batch of Conspiracy Theories?

We are just weeks away from another contentious American election, which means we are just weeks away from roughly half of the American population savoring a great victory and the other half suffering a great loss. This being the case, we are, in all likelihood, just weeks away from the birth of new conspiracy theories. Why? Because conspiracy theories are for losers. I suppose I’d better explain that. I’ll do so by way of a few building blocks. First, conspiracy …

Marijuana and the US elections: Is it Really Legal?

One of the reasons Christians don’t use marijuana is because doing so is against the law, in the United States at least. But what about when the law changes and suddenly, overnight, it’s (supposedly) legal? For some of you, that’s your reality. For others, it will likely be your reality in the not too distant future. You probably noticed that word supposedly in the previous paragraph. Because, although medicinal and recreational use of marijuana is still prohibited by federal law …

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Put Not Your Trust in Presidents

Tomorrow is sure to be quite the day. The whole world will be watching as Americans head to the polls to elect a new president, finally bringing an end to what has been one of the longest, nastiest, and most divisive election seasons ever. Whoever wins tomorrow will face an especially difficult challenge as he or she tries to prove worthy of the challenge ahead. No matter which of the candidates wins, a great number of people will be left …

Free Stuff Fridays

This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by first-time sponsor Hendrickson Publishers. Hendrickson focuses on publishing Bibles and academic materials and they’ve got just the thing to interest you: The ESV Looseleaf Bible. They are offering five of them which means there will be five winners today. The English Standard Version’s rigorous fidelity to the original languages of the Scriptures has quickly made it a widely used translation—now it’s available from Hendrickson in a loose-leaf edition that will be a …

The Beauty in the Words

I have always loved language, and the English language in particular. In fact, part of the reason I love to read is not to learn new things, but to learn how other people use words. When I read an author like Malcolm Gladwell, a very gifted writer, I learn more about language than about the topic of his book. While I have always enjoyed using words and studying language, my love of English grew during my college years when I …

Why So Critical?

Today’s guest post comes to us from Stephen McGarvey. Stephen is editorial director of Salem Web Network (i.e. christianity.com, crosswalk.com, and so on). He tackles a subject that is near and dear to me–using discernment in real life. ***** Is there ever a time man can judge another man? I can’t find it in the Bible but my friend says it’s ok to judge false teachers.  The question above arrived in my inbox a few days ago from one the …

Inequality of Possessions

The American presidential election is almost upon us (even those of us who do not live in the United States). One of the fundamental issues in this election regards distribution of wealth. Many people have become alarmed at Obama’s statements about the redistribution of wealth. I think it is useful to provide a Christian perspective on inequality of wealth. To that end, I am posting the seventh chapter of Wayne Grudem’s book Business for the Glory of God (Used with …

Good Saint Sarah

For sheer entertainment value, I think American politics in general, and Presidential campaigns in particular, are about the best bang for my buck, even as a non-American. For little more than the cost of an internet connection I can spend endless hours being amused. This 2008 campaign may be the most entertaining yet. While I rarely use this blog to discuss politics (and especially when I’m as ignorant of a topic as I am with U.S. politics), today I’ll make …

Confirmation Bias

“The moment a person forms a theory his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory.” (Thomas Jefferson) Last night a reader of this site took the time to send me a link to an article I had somehow missed reading last week. It was written by Dr. Albert Mohler and discussed the subject of “confirmation bias.” Dr. Mohler traces an article written by Michael Shermer of Scientific American as he discusses a study based on …

The Proper Use of Scripture in Books

As you may well know if you spend much time around these parts, I read a lot. A whole lot. In my reading I have noticed a disturbing trend in the way authors use the Bible to prooftext their books. This concern has led me to write this article in which I will suggest some guidelines for the proper use of Scripture in Christian books. Before we go any further, let’s establish the purpose of using the Bible in a …