WASHINGTON (Breakpoint.org) – In the 2016 election, only about 61 percent of voting-age Americans cast a ballot. The percentage of self-identifying Christians who voted, both evangelical and non-evangelical, was pretty similar. In other words, though faith does seem to greatly influence the voting decisions of American Christians who vote, it doesn’t seem to make much of a difference in whether or not American Christians vote. Of course, if our faith should make a difference in every … [Read more...]
What we’re missing about mass-shootings: Young men are in crisis
The state of our national discourse is, to put it mildly, discouraging and unhelpful, and the reaction to the recent shootings only amplified how bad it is. Once again, everyone took their place along partisan battle lines to pound the same old drums, but it’s past time we admit that there’s something deeper going on in America than too many guns, or too few guns, or violent video games, or the President’s rhetoric, or even the evil of white supremacy. That’s not to say there are no good … [Read more...]
As Notre Dame burned, what exactly were we mourning?
I’ve learned a lot from Glenn Sunshine, the longest-serving faculty member of the Colson Fellows Program, and a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University. Glenn not only gets history, he also really gets worldview and, even better, how worldview and history are related. On Monday night, as I was trying to make sense of the tragedy of the burning of the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, I learned again from Dr. Sunshine. Part of my sadness was that I’ve never visited this … [Read more...]
Chicago Statement on biblical inerrancy an evangelical milestone
Forty years ago, a group of evangelical leaders and scholars took a clear and unapologetic stand on a fundamental tenet of the faith. Last October marked the fortieth anniversary of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, which was signed in 1978 by more than 200 evangelical leaders, including R.C. Sproul, J.I. Packer, and Francis Schaeffer. The Chicago Statement was not only a landmark document in evangelical history, it played an important role in the work of the late Chuck … [Read more...]
Philadelphia’s faith-filled football champions
There were plenty of intriguing storylines behind Philadelphia’s amazing Super Bowl win. One of them was the Christian faith of so many of those Eagles. In the days leading up to Sunday, Amazon Echo owners that asked Alexa who was going to win the Super Bowl received an unusual response: Alexa acknowledged, after much coughing and clearing of “her” virtual throat, that the Patriots were the favorites. But she quickly added she was rooting for the Eagles for reasons having to do with … [Read more...]
Eugene Peterson and ‘same sex’ marriage
Last week, the well-known evangelical author Eugene Peterson appeared to embrace so-called same-sex “marriage,” and then, he backtracked. There’s a lot to talk about. Last week Eugene Peterson, the author of “The Message” as well as several other pastoral books, said in an interview with Jonathan Merritt of Religion News Service that he didn’t consider homosexuality wrong and would, if asked, officiate a same-sex “marriage.” “I know a lot of people who are gay and lesbian,” Peterson … [Read more...]
Title VII and government by the judiciary
Who needs Congress to make laws when the judiciary just does whatever it wants? Well, at least that’s what the Seventh Circuit seems to think. On Tuesday, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which bars discrimination in employment on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, or national origin,” now covers alleged discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The unprecedented ruling came in response to a complaint filed by Kimberly … [Read more...]
Washington state punishes Stutzman
OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington State Supreme Court has punished a florist for running her business according to her faith. Yesterday, the Supreme Court of Washington State issued its much-anticipated opinion in State of Washington v. Arlene’s Flowers and Ingersoll v. Arlene’s Flowers. The only way to see this decision is as a major setback for religious freedom. The case involved an anti-discrimination complaint brought against Barronelle Stutzman, the 71-year-old owner of Arlene’s … [Read more...]
Our republic protects against man’s depravity
Will we make it as a nation? That depends on where we put our trust. And lately, it’s been pointed in the wrong direction. Like many of you, I watched the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. And like many of you, there was much I appreciated in the ceremonies and also things that concerned me. But what really caught my attention were the remarks of new Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. After painting a very grim picture of the state of the nation, … [Read more...]
The freedom two-fer
Is the writing on the wall for religious freedom in this country? Just ask two Arizona calligraphers. Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski met at a Starbucks café in north Phoenix in January 2015. Both were Christians, and both were artists. They decided to go into business together, combining their love for Jesus with their love for making beautiful things. Soon they launched Brush & Nib Studio, a for-profit art business that sells hand-drawn invitations and paintings. According to the … [Read more...]
Man and Michelangelo’s ‘David’
Perhaps the greatest statue of all time has a tiny flaw. And it’s a flaw that could bring it crashing down. There’s a lesson in this. Throughout history, there’s been no shortage of superlatives showered on Michelangelo’s stunning statue of David, sling in hand, ready to take on Goliath. Giorgio Vasari, a 16th century artist and historian said this: “It cannot be denied that this work has carried off the palm from all other statues, modern or ancient, Greek or Latin; no other artwork is … [Read more...]
America’s demographic winter
Is America heading for a demographic cold snap? The fertility forecast is gloomy these days. We’ve talked before on BreakPoint about the fertility crisis facing China, Japan, and much of Europe—all of which face what has been called a “demographic winter.” Until recently, the United States has been an exception to this distressing trend, but this seems no longer the case. To understand why, here’s a primer. Demographers use two numbers to measure fertility rates: the average number of … [Read more...]