On June 20, 2008, I watched a fascinating interview on the Fox News program “The O’Reilly Factor.” The guest was the author of a book charging that American public schools were systematically feminizing boys. She explained that the literature in textbooks, for instance, was free of the stories boys like to read. Teen students get…

In her 1860 novel Say and Seal, Susan Warner included a story about a sick child named Johnny Fax. John Linden, a Sunday school teacher, is rocking the boy in his arms. When the little guy asks to hear a song, John sings something new: “Jesus loves me! This I know, For the Bible tells…

Moby-Dick, the 1851 classic adventure novel written by Herman Melville, is a story told from the first-person perspective of Ishmael, a sailor. At one point in the book, Ishmael is invited to worship a small idol honored by Queequeg, a pagan friend. The following paragraph records Ishmael’s acceptance of the invitation: I was a good…

Churches with a cult mentality keep some of their doctrines secret. Representatives knock on our door and share some of their group’s beliefs, but they’re trained to answer certain questions evasively. If pressed for an explanation of this practice, a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness may point to the example of Jesus. When Christ told the…

In one of his letters, Paul says that we have been saved “by grace” (Eph. 2:8). But what is grace? On the one hand, some church-goers see grace as a sort of sin license. This is why so many ministers preach funeral sermons aimed at sending godless people right into heaven. This viewpoint dominates in…

One Saturday morning the doorbell rang. I guessed it was a mail carrier delivering some expected books. But the visitors on the front stoop were a young woman and her 12-year-old son. She said that they were going through the neighborhood and asking people how an angel became Satan. Carolyn invited them in, and we…

Several years ago my good friend Eric Welch forwarded me a funny list of reasons why it’s good to be a man: 10 You know stuff about tanks. 9 You can go to the restroom without a support group. 8 If someone forgets to invite you, he can still be your friend. 7 You can…

Introduction In American culture February 14 is associated with happy and sweet things – chocolates, cards, roses, good meals at special restaurants, gifts of jewelry, marriage proposals. “Happy Valentine’s Day” is our greeting. But for the host of people bereaved, injured, or traumatized by the shooting in Parkland, Florida, it’s going to be very difficult…

Dearest Baby, In 2015 (the most recent year for which statistics are available), 7,277 people were put to death in Dallas County. I know. The local TV stations counted only 136 – the number of homicides committed on Dallas city streets. Your death didn’t matter. You and the other 7,276 babies had no legal recognition…

The first thing Andrew did after becoming a disciple was to find his brother Simon and tell him about the Messiah, and the first thing Philip did after becoming a disciple was to invite his friend Nathanael to meet Jesus (John 1:40-46). We know that we’re supposed to do the same thing, to bring people…