There is a pandemic that has lasted far longer than COVID. It's also been more deadly. It's more difficult to treat, and there's no vaccine for it. Masks are ineffective in stopping it and may actually make it worse. America's pandemic of despair shows up most obviously in the mounting number of suicide and suicide attempts. According to the Centers for Disease Control , suicide rates are higher today than at any other time since the Great Depression. Unless one takes into account just how diffe...
Sep 07, 2021•5 min
One of Christianity's greatest strengths is its explanatory power. Christianity can explain the human experience and the human condition far better than any other worldview. This is true when it comes to humanity's created goodness, as made in the image of God. It's also true of its explanation of what's wrong with the world and the human heart. It's especially true when it comes to explaining human activity and ability, such as artistry, athleticism, and work. Today, on a special Labor Day edit...
Sep 06, 2021•5 min
John and Maria start the show discussing the disillusionment of millennial evangelicals. They ask if the way we've done church has led to the rise in Evangelical evacuation in young people. John asks if this is because we have a bigotry in low expectations. Maria then asks John for further explanation in his recent commentary on Isaiah 6. The commentary was sparked from President Biden's speech last week where he took Isaiah 6 out of context. John then offers an explanation on the new heartbeat ...
Sep 04, 2021•59 min
From the beginning, proponents of the sexual revolution have wrapped themselves in the mantle of science, especially social science. For example, in the 1950s, the "Kinsey Reports" helped normalize a range of sexual behaviors. They were also the source of the still-often-quoted "statistic" that 10 percent of people are same-sex oriented. Both that figure and the methodology behind Kinsey's "research" has long ago been discredited. Still, that 10 percent number has stuck in many people's heads. A...
Sep 03, 2021•5 min
Though Gen Z-ers have all but replaced Millennials as the dazzling object of scrutiny and cultural analysis, it's not because Millennials are no longer struggling. Rates of addiction, depression, burnout, and loneliness are all disproportionately high among the demographic born between 1981 and 1996. Since 2013, in fact, Millennials have seen a 47 percent increase in major depression diagnoses. For their part, evangelical Millennials are in a season of deconstruction and deconversion, or reeling...
Sep 02, 2021•5 min
John and Shane answer questions from listeners ranging from how Christians should define persecution in a desire to fulfill a Biblical call to encourage the saints to how a public counselor can represent Jesus while honoring her call as healthcare provider. Shane also asks John to comment on the history of the United States of America and how it bodes for those who have been mistreated during it's history.
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr
President Biden isn't the first president to misquote Scripture, only the most recent. He did it by quoting Isaiah 6:8 , when the prophet answered the Lord's call with, "Here am I. Send me!" This reference was made in a speech responding to last week's terrorist attack at the Kabul airport. It was odd. It was out of place. It was inappropriate. In doing so, the President not only blurred the line between America and the Kingdom of God, he deflected his own responsibility for this disaster onto "...
Sep 01, 2021•6 min
Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is a small village in south-central France. Back in 1940, the total population of this area, including the surrounding villages, was only about 5,000. Still, under the leadership of their Protestant pastor André Trocmé and his wife, Magda, the residents of these villages were responsible for saving up to 5,000 Jews from deportation to Nazi concentration camps during World War II. In late January, Holocaust survivor Eric Schwam passed away at age 90. According to a BBC artic...
Aug 31, 2021•5 min
The theory of intelligent design is often dismissed as religion pretending to be science. Critics argue that the theory doesn't make any predictions or contribute to our knowledge of the natural world, and plus, it's not taken seriously in any peer-reviewed scientific journals. However, a new paper published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Theoretical Biology makes a strong case for the need for intelligent design. The paper is called "On the waiting time until coordinated mutations get fixed in...
Aug 30, 2021•5 min
-- Story Resources -- Suicide Bomber Attacks Citizens at Kabul Airport At least two explosions took place near the Kabul airport on Thursday as the US and other countries try to evacuate their citizens and Afghans at risk from the Taliban. Three US officials and a source familiar with the situation said that, according to initial reports, there were some US personnel among the casualties. CNN>> The Crisis in Afghanistan And Humanity's Capacity for Evil The desperate scenes at the Kabul air...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 8 min
Yesterday a suicide bomber from an ISIS-related group attacked crowds outside the Kabul airport. How will the U.S. respond? Given how poorly President Biden has handled the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan up to this point, it's impossible to predict just how the U.S. will respond to an attack by an ISIS-related suicide bomber. The tragedy resulted in the killing of at least 12 U.S. service members and more than 60 others hoping to flee the country. If yesterday's press conference by t...
Aug 27, 2021•7 min
The next edition of Webster's Dictionary will probably include a new definition for "zoom." For most people, life during the pandemic included Zoom meetings, Zoom classes, Zoom calls, Zoom church services, etc. Nearly everything now consists of a virtual option. The shift has been culture-wide, especially in the area of work. Earlier this month, the Institute for Family Studies released findings from a new survey of 2500 American adults. More than 50 percent of working moms and dads said that th...
Aug 26, 2021•4 min
John and Shane help a listener understand the difference between an evangelical, a protestant, and evangelical. They use the Bebbington quadrilateral to provide context and give a full explanation on the unique worldview understanding in evangelical, protestant, and evangelical approaches. -- Resources -- Religion and American Culture: A Brief History George Marsden | Eerdmans | September 6, 2018 God in the Wasteland David F. Wells | Eerdma ns | July 1, 1994...
Aug 25, 2021•55 min
The American withdrawal from Afghanistan is forcing us to look, again, into the face of humanity's capacity for evil. President Biden's rationalizations aside, painful questions remain about Afghanistan: what will Taliban rule mean for Afghan women and children, for Christians, dissidents, and journalists? What will happen to those Afghan citizens who served and stood with the U.S. for the last two decades? Has this extremist regime really evolved as they claim and as many hope? The desperate sc...
Aug 25, 2021•5 min
Last week, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change panicked. Or, at least, they officially announced to the world they were panicking. In its new official Assessment Report , the panel concluded we won't be able to stop the earth from warming at least 1.5 degrees. That change, scientists said, will melt arctic ice, cause a rise in sea levels and an increase in dangerous weather, and send millions into poverty. And if industrialized nations don't dramatically cut their carbo...
Aug 24, 2021•6 min
A friend wrote to me and reminded me of a commentary from Chuck Colson on Breakpoint from all the way back in 2005. It has aged well. That's because, despite how much things have changed, despite how much more chaotic the headlines might be today, the core truth is the same. A posture of gratitude is one that recognizes whose world it actually is, and where we fit in to God's overarching plan to make all things new. Here is the transcript from Chuck Colson's commentary from 2005, talking about g...
Aug 23, 2021•5 min
John and Maria unpack the recent happenings surrounding Afghanistan. They discuss the history of the situation in Afghanistan and President Biden's responses to the U.S. force pull-out. They also discuss the worldview of the Taliban and the concerns for women and Christians. Maria then asks John for insight on responding to claims that actions around the vaccine show morality. She asks for clarity in how to respond to intentions whether a person does or doesn't vaccinate. To close, John gives Ma...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 18 min
Today, historically horrific diseases like polio and leprosy have been all but eradicated. Most people consider past moral failures, such as slavery, despicable. Famines are increasingly few and far between, and abject poverty around the world has been dramatically reduced. Among the reasons that our normal is so different from much of history is the work of Christians who saw their lives as a means by which God could accomplish restoration. In living out a Christian worldview within their own t...
Aug 20, 2021•5 min
The Supreme Court had declined to pick up the case of Barronelle Stutzman in the Arlene's Flowers lawsuit. As a result, she now faces the full consequences of the decisions of the lower court in the State of Washington. It has been an eight year legal battle for Barronelle since she took a stance against gay marriage as a business owner. She stood for what she believed about marriage and was not vindicated by the courts. The case, now in its latest development, has shown a significant nuance in ...
Aug 19, 2021•4 min
John is joined by Colson Fellows Director Michael Craven in this week's BreakPoint Q&A. Michael asks John a question about vaccines, where a listener is likely facing a mandate for a vaccine by her employer. She asks John if there is a "theology of being vaccinated". She inquires about a possible habit being formed in going against a mandate for compliance.
Aug 18, 2021•48 min
After seeing the images out of Kabul in recent days, Maajid Nawaz , a former radical Muslim , said, "Barefoot Taliban conquered a palace. They believed in something and fought for nothing. I have lived with men like this in prison. It is difficult to describe just how seriously they take their cause. There is a lesson here for us in the West, if we are humble enough to see it." We hear the terror from Afghan women who now wonder what the lives of their daughters will be like, worried that 20 yea...
Aug 18, 2021•6 min
As the world watches the disaster unfold in Afghanistan, there's another chapter of the story we're not hearing nearly as much about. The Afghan church, a growing body of believers that's experienced incredible growth, now faces life under the Taliban. Early indications are not encouraging. Almost as quickly as the Islamic fundamentalists is taking control of cities, Christians are being notified that they are being watched. Yesterday, I spoke at length with World Magazine Senior Editor Mindy Be...
Aug 17, 2021•5 min
Mindy Belz provides some insight and perspective on how we got to this place, what past administrations have done, and how the current administration is doing that isn't adding up. Mindy also gives perspective on the state of the Church in Afghanistan and what Christians were doing prior to the recent unrest. She bemoans the progress that was made in the country in a variety of rights and privileges that are now likely lost under Sharia law.
Aug 16, 2021•40 min
At the Colson Center we're always trying to point you to resources, not only from us but from our friends who offer a Christian worldview perspective and hope for living in our cultural moment. There's a reason that a lot of these resources are written by my friend Os Guinness. Os is a gift to the Christian community. He helps us think deeply about things that matter and presents them in a way that is understandable. Os's latest book, "The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai's Revolutionary Faith and...
Aug 16, 2021•5 min
John and Maria revisit a host of BreakPoint commentaries that highlight bright spots from the Olympics. They also explore how Christians can live well in a confusing world. The main story of the week is a new IPCC report on climate change that is raising the alarm. John provides a way to think well and live with responsibility in light of these types of reports.
Aug 13, 2021•55 min
We live in a confused and confusing age. Things once considered obviously true are now rejected. Things once considered unthinkable are now thought to be unquestionable. How should a Christian think? In the state of Oregon, high school graduates will now no longer have to demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, or arithmetic . The logic behind the suspension of the state standards, according to the governor, has to do with equity. Somehow, she missed that "helping" racial minorities by not ...
Aug 13, 2021•6 min
The Olympics ended Sunday night, though many of us hardly noticed they were on. It's hard to cheer for athletes representing our country who don't seem to actually like our country. That, plus the insufferable push to sexualize these games have turned many of us off. This is a shame, because there were a number of inspiring athletes competing in Tokyo this year whose performances and stories are worth knowing and celebrating. Sydney McLaughlin is certainly one of them. After winning the gold med...
Aug 12, 2021•4 min
John and Shane discuss challenges to the faith and when a Christian should do battle with culture. They then discuss a critique on a recent BreakPoint that outlined demisexuality. Another listener says their friend's child now identifies as bisexual. The listener is looking for ways to support the family, knowing the suicide rates for gender dysphoria are high. To close, John fields a question from a listener considering the best way forward when culture calls her to apologize for sins in histor...
Aug 11, 2021•51 min
Earlier this year, France's President Emmanuel Macron announced that his government would give 300 euros to every 18-year-old in the country to spend on "the arts." Officials call it the "Culture Pass" and said the purpose is to revive museums, the ballet, and other cultural institutions that struggled during the pandemic shutdowns. The other purpose of the pass is to expose more young people to the arts. Of course handing someone — particularly a teenager — a large sum of money doesn't guarante...
Aug 10, 2021•6 min
Faithful watchers of the Olympics experience a letdown after the games are over. This year, with viewership in a freefall, there was likely not enough enthusiasm for there even to be a letdown on Monday morning. Many have tired of the politicization of this year's games , which started before the opening ceremonies. Patriotism, courage, and even "historic performance" were redefined in Tokyo, and for the worse. However, there is one protest, a quiet one, that demands our respect from the 2021 Ol...
Aug 10, 2021•5 min
