Last week, more than 80 organizations—including the Colson Center, Alliance Defending Freedom, and Focus on the Family—sent a letter to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The purpose was "to denounce . . . the so-called 'Respect for Marriage Act, 'in the strongest possible terms." The letter outlined three problems with this legislation. First, the act would require recognition of any state definition of marriage, making possible options such as polygamous or open marriages. This would sacr...
Aug 04, 2022•1 min
One of the iron laws of popcorn cinema, especially to score the coveted (but ever-more elusive) summer blockbuster status is that there must be sufficient shock value. And one of the iron laws of shock value is that it must always increase. Each new film must outdo the last one. Take the Jurassic Park series. In the first movie back in 1993, a mere five people were eaten by dinosaurs, all of whom were confined to a tiny island. Fast-forward a few inferior sequels, and a score or more people are ...
Aug 04, 2022•5 min
Philosopher Blaise Pascal was best known for his so-called "wager" that believing in God is the smartest decision, even if you're not sure God exists. What many don't know is that Pascal was a pioneer in the psychology of persuasion . Heated disagreements are common in social media, writes Olivia Goldhill at Quartz . But Pascal suggested centuries ago that if you want to convince someone of your position, you don't begin by telling them they're wrong. You understand where they're coming from, ad...
Aug 03, 2022•1 min
In 1973, evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky wrote that "nothing in biology makes sense except in light of evolution." Almost 50 years later, an increasing number of scientists are asking whether evolution makes any sense in light of what we now know from biology. A recent long-form essay in The Guardian signals just how urgent the problem has become for the most dominant theory in the history of the sciences. In it, author Stephen Buranyi, gives voice to a growing number of scientists ...
Aug 03, 2022•5 min
In a recent article at The Gospel Coalition , writer Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra tells the story of a Christian family with a teen who once identified as transgender. "I started to associate womanhood with being sexualized," says Grace, now age 16. Peers, teachers, counselors, and—above all—social media circles guided Grace towards a strong case of rapid onset gender dysphoria. She stopped wearing feminine clothing and asked her parents to refer to her as "they/them." This is the moment that many pare...
Aug 02, 2022•1 min
In early March 2021, the U.S. Senate's Caucus on International Narcotics Control released a report on the increasing potency of marijuana products available on the market. At the time, America was just a year into the pandemic and related lockdowns, so marijuana policy was not front and center on everyone's mind. It should have been. In fact, the findings contained in the report can be described as shocking. A more creative, but just as accurate, title for this 58-page report would be "This Isn'...
Aug 02, 2022•5 min
Earlier in July, an Ohio Democratic state senator thought she was taking a courageous stand against the Supreme Court's overruling of Roe v. Wade. She introduced a bill that would allow pregnant women to file civil lawsuits against the men who got them pregnant. Those men could then be on the hook for up to $5,000 in damages . The senator, an outspoken abortion supporter, said she wrote the bill to counteract Ohio's "draconian" abortion restrictions. However, instead of making a statement for ab...
Aug 01, 2022•1 min
It is not normal or healthy for a culture to talk about sex this much . From Pride month to education to companies telegraphing their commitments to inclusion and diversity, to just about every commercial, movie, or TV show produced today, sexual identity is treated as if it is central to human identity, human purpose, and human happiness. And this vision of life and the world is especially force-fed to children, who are essentially subjects of our social experimentations. If the energy spent ta...
Aug 01, 2022•6 min
John and Maria share about a coalition of organizations that sent a letter to the Senate Minority Leader with concerns about the so-called "Respect for Marriage Act." Afterward, they discuss whether government and businesses should provide subsidies for birth and childcare. They finish with the harm in our society's quest for infinite options.
Jul 30, 2022•1 hr 5 min
Some abortion proponents claim that by overturning Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court elevated evangelical and Catholic morality, and violated what's known as the establishment clause found in the First Amendment. The establishment clause, however, was never meant to exclude citizens from voting their consciences or seeking their vision of the common good. It was never intended to keep morality out of our lawmaking. In fact, every law reflects some moral vision, whether or not the vision is lab...
Jul 29, 2022•1 min
So many of the cultural debates that rage around us and captivate our attentions result from dueling definitions of truth. All ideas have consequences, especially our ideas about truth. It matters greatly whether truth even exists, whether truth can be known, and how we should think about those who reject truth. Fifty years ago, in his landmark discussion of the flow of Western history , Francis Schaeffer offered what he called "a simple but profound rule" about truth: "If there are no absolutes...
Jul 29, 2022•5 min
Today marks the death of Johann Sebastian Bach (1665-1750), an ardent student of music and diligent student of theology. Raised in a family of north German musicians, he lost both his parents by age 10. He sang in a boys' choir and played the violin early on, and later moved to the organ where he quickly was recognized for his unique talents. And of course, today he's known for his compositions, where his deep knowledge of theology is so evident. Although music historians may point out the varie...
Jul 28, 2022•1 min
The most common response from pro-abortion advocates since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court is misinformation. One of the most common pieces of misinformation that's been floated by media outlets, politicians, and cultural commentators alike is that certain pro-life laws triggered by the Dobbs decision place the lives of pregnant women at risk, especially those facing an ectopic pregnancy or miscarriage. These pro-life laws are not clear, the argument goes, so doctors could face l...
Jul 28, 2022•5 min
France is pretty mad at the United States. In fact, the entire European Union is mad, so mad in fact, they wrote a strongly worded letter. Earlier this month the EU passed a resolution condemning the United States Supreme Court's ruling in the Dobbs abortion case , which overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the matter of abortion restrictions back to individual state legislatures. Parliamentarians said the Dobbs ruling showed that "women's and girls' rights" are under attack. The strange part is that...
Jul 27, 2022•1 min
"Christians should stop seeking political control and power and just focus on winning the lost." "Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world' so Christians should stay out of government." "Neither Jesus nor the early Christians tried to take over Rome. He built His kingdom in people's hearts and minds." Many variations of this argument can be found in Christian Twitterverse, usually, in response to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. The idea seems to be that real Christian spirituality...
Jul 27, 2022•5 min
There's a virtual army of faith-based adoption, foster care, and family support organizations in existence today, all of whom strive to care for vulnerable families.
Jul 26, 2022•1 min
In the 2015 majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges , a decision that overruled laws in dozens of states and imposed same sex "marriage" on the United States, Justice Anthony Kennedy rightly described marriage as an institution that is fundamental to society, that protects and ensures the well-being of children, and that is essential for a flourishing society. To withhold this institution from same-sex couples, Kennedy then wrongly concluded , would be to violate their dignity and disrespect th...
Jul 26, 2022•6 min
A recent NPR article lamented that "the end of Roe v. Wade has huge economic implications for male partners, too." According to a study quoted in the piece, "men involved with a pregnancy and whose partners had an abortion were nearly four times more likely to graduate college" than those whose partners gave birth. And males under the age of 20 were more likely to earn more money if their partner had an abortion instead of carrying the child to term. I guess we should thank the reporter for prov...
Jul 25, 2022•1 min
If this bill could find the support of 10 Republicans in the Senate who share this fuzzy view of marriage, it will pass, securing the federal government's claim on marriage and creating even less room in public life for people who object to redefined marriage.
Jul 25, 2022•6 min
John and Maria discuss the Respect for Marriage bill before the Senate, which undermines traditional marriage, a bedrock of society. They link the importance of family to new data on the need for fathers and also recent news about the possibility of virtual babies in augmented reality.
Jul 23, 2022•44 min
If we never speak up, we'll never find out what could happen... After nearly 10 years of hosting its annual "Wilberforce week," an Oxford college abruptly disinvited British group Christian Concern this March. Apparently, a handful of students accused the group of "hateful and invalidating" language. In response, Christian Concern approached Worcester College and asked them to substantiate those accusations. The college was unable to do so and was instead reminded of a prior statement issued by ...
Jul 22, 2022•1 min
One of the more helpful analogies to explain the personal and cultural damage wrought by the sexual revolution is that sex is like fire. When a fire is in the fireplace, it brings light, warmth, and ambience. It can even preserve life. When, however, a fire jumps out of the fireplace onto the curtains, it brings destruction, even death. A similar analogy compares sex to water. Our bodies need water to live, but we need water in the right place. When water gets in the lungs, it can be deadly. One...
Jul 22, 2022•5 min
On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed what is known as the Respect for Marriage Act . Despite its traditional-sounding name, this bill is anything but. It's an attempt to make legislatively secure what was decreed by the Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges that redefined marriage for the entire nation. It's not surprising the bill passed the progressive-controlled House, but 47 Republicans joined all the Democrats in the vote. And it seems at least possible that Dems could f...
Jul 21, 2022•1 min
In 2016, psychologist Dr. Peter Langman compiled biographical data on 56 American school shooters. He found that 82% had grown up in dysfunctional family situations, usually without two biological parents at home. The trend has sadly continued. The shooter in Uvalde, Texas, hadn't lived with his father in years. The Sandy Hook shooter hadn't seen his father in the two years leading up to that massacre. Last month, new research from the Institute for Family Studies demonstrated, once again, how i...
Jul 21, 2022•5 min
According to a recent article in The Guardian , the theory of evolution may be in trouble. For the first time in a long time, scientists are bucking the so-called " Neo-Darwinian synthesis, " which has dominated the sciences since the early 20th century. This doesn't mean "evolution" is finished as a theory, but it could mean the end of thinking of it as the only theory. There's a lesson here for Christians. Every new fad, whether in science, the arts, government, or social issues, comes with th...
Jul 20, 2022•59 sec
Nineties kids (and their parents) may remember the Tamagotchi craze, a tiny egg-shaped video game that dominated toy markets for a time. Kids would raise a virtual pet that could hang from their backpack like a keychain. I've been told it was a great toy—the trauma of forgetting it somewhere and then finding it had passed on to greener digital pastures notwithstanding. Now, in the age of the Metaverse, something else is here … and it is even creepier. "Augmented reality babies" offer users the v...
Jul 20, 2022•4 min
Post- Roe rhetoric continues to reach new levels of rumor, scare tactics, and red herrings. Take a recent headline from Scientific American , " Abortion Restrictions Could Cause an Ob-Gyn Brain Drain. " The implication is most doctors want to offer abortion so badly, they'll leave medicine if they can't. The truth, however, seems to be the opposite. T he LA Time s reported, from a 2019 survey of American OB-GYNs, that "while nearly 3 out of 4 had a patient who wanted to end a pregnancy in the pa...
Jul 19, 2022•1 min
Today, July 19, marks a dark day in Christian history. On this date in A.D. 64, the Great Fire of Rome left two-thirds of the Eternal City in ashes. According to the Roman historian Tacitus, the fire was sparked in a part of town concentrated with flammable goods, quickly spread by high winds, and burned over the course of the next week and a half. This was the stuff of nightmares. According to Tacitus : "The blaze in its fury ran first through the level portions of the city, then rising to the ...
Jul 19, 2022•5 min
The day that Roe v. Wade died, reactions were mixed. Those who long supported Roe's legal death work mourned the victory for life. For many, it provoked fear, sadness, outrage, and hyperbole. "I thought I was writing fiction in The Handmaid's Tale ," Canadian author Margaret Atwood wrote . "The Supreme Court is making it real." On the other hand, many pro-lifers celebrated. "For nearly fifty years, America has enforced an unjust law that has permitted some to decide whether others can live or di...
Jul 18, 2022•6 min
A gay couple is suing a fertility business in California because they had a daughter instead of a son. The lawsuit is full of loaded terms we shouldn't miss. Gay couples "must" pay surrogate mothers if they want to have kids, the suit says. The men paid the clinic to create "their" embryos and to implant only male embryos into "their" gestational carrier. Must two men, who've chosen a biologically sterile union, demand children at will? Who exactly owns a young embryo or a gestational carrier—wh...
Jul 18, 2022•1 min
