Many people treat gender identity conflicts and sexual orientation as if they are the same. If a sexual orientation is something you are born with and is thus immutable (a claim I would contest as a Christian), then gender identity must work the same way. It’s something you’re born with and can’t be changed. If therefore a child embraces a gender identity at odds with his/her biological sex, then it would be harmful and wrong to try and change that gender identity to align with the child’s biological sex. It would be harmful and wrong in the same way that trying to change sexual orientation is harmful and wrong. Because…
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Another chance to catch a glimpse of what is coming true
As we begin 2016, it is good to think about what has been and what is to come. There were many people who started 2015 not knowing that it would be their last. I’ve known them. And so have you. We are not so different from them, are we? When I look in the rearview mirror, I see the years gathering up behind me, and I can hardly believe how quickly they’ve piled up. As life rattles forward, it seems the earth makes its annual journey a little quicker than the year before. Where have the years gone?
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Top Ten Posts of 2015
I want to thank all of you who have read and interacted with this site over the last year. I am grateful for every one of you. For those of you who are interested, I give you the top 10 blog posts from 2015. This blog is a combination of content creation and content curation, which means that I sometimes write original material and that at other times I pass on to you items that I find interesting from elsewhere on the interwebs. Both kinds of posts appear on this list, but the vast majority are original pieces. Drum roll, please. 10. Bruce or Caitlyn? He or she? Should Christians…
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A new phase of transgender revolution reaches New York
The Wall Street Journal reports that “New York City’s Human Rights Commission is establishing what advocates called some of the most powerful guidelines in the nation on gender-identity discrimination.” The guidelines define what the city means by gender “discrimination,” which can lead to fines as much as $250,000. The guidelines apply to many businesses, landlords, and employers. Among other things, the guidelines stipulate that… Individuals must use the transgender person’s pronoun of choice. Gyms cannot tell clients which locker room to use. It must be left to the discretion of the patron. Objections from other patrons about bathroom/locker room use are not lawful reasons to deny access. Businesses/employers cannot enforce…
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A Plan To Read the Greek New Testament in a Year
Several years ago, I created a plan to read through the Greek New Testament in a year. For the most part, it tracks pretty closely with Lee Irons’ excellent schedule for reading the Greek New Testament in a year. My plan, however, varies a little bit. Because John’s writing is simpler Greek, my schedule goes through John’s Gospel at a faster pace than Irons’. As a result, there are no readings scheduled at the end of the year from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. These open dates at the end can be used as catch-up days. The schedule is given in two formats below. DOC – Read the Greek…
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A Plan To Read through the Bible in 2016
In years past, my customary mode for reading the Bible through every year involved starting in Genesis and reading right through to Revelation. I estimated that about four chapters per day would get me through in under a year’s time. The method worked reasonably well, but it wasn’t without its problems. Sometimes I would miss a day (or days) and get behind, and I had no way to keep up with my progress. I needed a schedule so that I could keep myself accountable for finishing in a year.
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Top 10 YouTubes of 2015
It’s time for my annual posting of the Top 10 YouTube Videos of the Year (see last year’s list here). This ranking is totally unscientific. Only one person was polled to compile this list—yours truly. This year’s slate of videos is mainly humorous, with a dash of overrepresentation from Star Wars: The Force Awakens. If you think I’ve left something out, let me know. I’ll think about adding it to the “Honorable Mention” category at the bottom. If you’re interested, here are links to lists from previous years: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008
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Let every heart prepare him room!
How could there possibly be anything more mysterious and wonderful than the incarnation of Jesus Christ? God became a man. God took on mortal human flesh and became subject to all the things that every other mortal is subject to. He sneezed. He coughed. He got headaches and an upset stomach. Every morning he got up, shook the dust out of His hair, and put his hand to the plow in his Father’s field. Jesus Christ was not only subject to sickness, but also to death. The eternal Son of God was die-able. In fact, he did die. And three days later, what was mortal became swallowed up by immortality…
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Pastor Tommy Nelson interviewed about bomb threat
By now, you have likely seen Pastor Tommy Nelson’s letter to his congregation in the wake of a bomb threat the church received against its Christmas Eve service. It is gritty, Christian stuff. Last night, Tommy was interviewed by NBC News’s local affiliate. Watch it above. Read the letter below. It’s vintage Tommy. Y’all, Take a knee. You’ve probably heard by this time if you watch the news that we have had our first gen-u-ine bomb threat. It came in the mail Monday afternoon from a gen-u-ine super villian. Wouldn’t you know, it came 24 hours after I had boasted of our fair city’s apathy versus Dallas’s tirades. Anyway, though…
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Seven reflections on “The Force Awakens”
I think just about all the angles on The Force Awakens have been covered. From penetrating think-pieces explaining our obsession to frowny-face predictions to satisfied first-viewings. So I’m going to leave the proper movie-reviewing to others. There really isn’t much else to say. Rather than analyze the aesthetic qualities of the The Force Awakens, let me simply say that I loved it. Yes, it was an homage to the earlier movies, but that’s okay with me. As a life-long fan, that was the itch that needed scratching, and this movie delivered. So that’s the long and short of my review. With that out of the way, please allow me to…