23 and Me (and You): Let the Buyer Beware

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“Curious about genetic testing and what the results will tell you?” asks Chris Woodward of LifeZette. “Be sure you’re comfortable with privacy issues (or lack thereof).” Woodward writes:

Let the buyer beware! That is the message for people thinking about using home kits promising personal genetic information and details in exchange for something as simple as a saliva sample. The firm 23andMe is the latest company looking to become a household name — and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently granted it authorization to market genetic reports on personal risk for certain diseases.

The authorization includes reports on genetic risk for 10 conditions, including late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and harmful blood clots, among others.

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No Substitute For Marriage: Co-Habiting Parents More Likely to Break Up, Hurt Kids

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

Tyler O’Neil over at PJ Media fills us in on the study — that will come as no surprise to Bible believing Christians:

Children’s well-being depends on family stability, researchers agree. But some say marriage is not a critical factor in that stability — that cohabiting parents are just as likely to stay together long-term and provide the love and support children need. According to a new study from the Brookings Institution, that just isn’t the case: There’s no substitute for marriage.

“It is easy to see why some conclude marriage per se does not matter. But here’s the thing: marriage itself is strongly associated with family stability,” wrote Bradford Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, and Laurie DeRose, sociology professor at Georgetown University.

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Profane ‘Pastor’ Welcomes Open Homosexuals, Admits He ‘Doesn’t Care’ What Bible Says

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , ,

Christian News has the story. They’ve posted a video at the end of the piece where you will hear the so-called pastor using profanity and saying some pretty provocative things, such as “I don’t care if the Bible says gay people suck…I have lots of things I disagree with about the Bible.” Yes, Bible believing Christians are few and far between these days.

A profanity-laced preacher who has lost hundreds in his congregation over his decision to allow open homosexuals to serve in leadership positions, and who says he “doesn’t care” what the Bible has to say on the issue, is featured in a new online video that has received over a million views in less than a week.

Ryan Meeks is the founder of EastLake Community Church in Bothell, Washington, which identifies itself as “an inclusive Christian community where faith is less about a story to be believed as it is a life to be lived.”

In 2015, Meeks announced that he believed a “move of the Spirit” caused him to rethink how he had handled the issue of homosexuality. In the April 8th video released by Upworthy, Meeks—amid clips of profanity usage—noted that he used to shy away from the topic.

“When it came to the conversation around the LGBT community and church policy, or what does the Bible say about homosexuality, I always felt awkward about it. I didn’t want to bring it up,” he explained.

“I felt like I needed to scare people into believing the right thing because the God who loves them is going to send most of human history to Hell,” Meeks said. “That’s the Good News? Sounds pretty [expletive]!”

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The Cross of Christ separates those in Him from those who are not

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

19 After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. John 14:19 (NASB) 

When our Lord spoke of the “world” in John 14:19, He was talking about those in this temporal existence who are not in Him. They are not true Christians even though some in that group may profess to be so. In this context He was also referring to the Jewish religious leaders of His own day who so opposed Him and His ministry and who would continue to oppose the early church as is seen all through the book of Acts for example. What is it that separates those alive in Christ in this world from those who are not? Those in Christ are the ones who truly see Jesus for who He really is, believe and are saved from those who refuse to do so, reject the gospel, and remain in their sins, even if they may develop a form of Christianity that suits them, but is absent of the real Jesus. View article →

App Delivers Birth Control Without Doctor’s Visit, Ages 12 and Up

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , ,

According to Leah Jessen of LifeZette, a “San Francisco-based firm says it ‘won’t tell parents or anyone else’ if a young woman has ordered this medication.”  She writes:

Teenage girls and women can order birth control from an app that will deliver the medication straight to their home, all without the “hassle” of a doctor’s visit. The app, deemed the “uber of birth control,” is called Nurx and is sure to create a wave of controversy.

If you have health insurance, Nurx is free in most cases.

“Our country’s medical system doesn’t always work very well for patients,” Dr. Jessica Knox, Nurx’s medical director, told the Daily Dot. “We sort of hold women hostage.”

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Hank Hanegraaff, Greek Orthodoxy, and Patterns in the Cults

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Over at Pulpit & Pen, Seth Dunn examines the claim that the man who took over the leadership of the Christian Research Institute (CRI) following the death of its founder Dr. Walter Martin has left the biblical Christian faith to become Eastern Orthodox which, ironically, is considered a cult. Since CRI is a counter-cult ministry it should come as no surprise that this has become a huge story.  Dunn writes:

With the recent defection of Hank Hanegraaff, the Bible Answer Man, to the Greek Orthodox religion, an examination of the compatibility of this religion with Biblical Christianity is in order. Unfortunately, such an examination is a difficult task where the Orthodox religion is concerned. According to an article published by the Christian Research Institute (CRI), “Orthodoxy is not a monolithic bloc that shares a unified tradition and church life.” Despite this, a discerning examination of Greek Orthodoxy is not impossible. Using a variety of available sources, it can be concluded that Greek Orthodoxy falls outside the bounds of Biblical Christianity and exhibits patterns common to other sub-Christian cults. The Watchman Fellowship, an evangelical discernment ministry, has identified four patterns which are common to cults. Greek Orthodoxy exhibits three of them.

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CRN posted Hank Hanegraaff’s response

Trump: Hillary Was ‘Guilty of Every Charge’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙ , ,

Newsmax reports:

Hillary Clinton was “guilty of every charge,” and FBI Director James Comey “saved her life” with his revelation that he would not pursue charges against her for her use of a private email server and the handling of classified information, President Donald Trump said in an interview airing Wednesday.

“When he was reading those charges, she was guilty of every charge,” Trump told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo about Comey’s 2016 press conference.  “When he was reading those charges, she was guilty of every charge, and then he said she was essentially OK.”

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A little leaven

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He replied to them, “ When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away. 5 And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? 10 Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? 11 How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Matthew 16:1-12 (NASB) 

The Church in our time did not descend suddenly into the level of apostasy we see all around us now. No, it actually began many generations ago when Christian leaders who compromised God’s Truth were tolerated or not dealt with through Church discipline as instructed in God’s Word. With each compromise comes a bit more heart hardening and a dullness of Spirit in their churches so that eventually true Biblical discernment becomes rare. Those who have not compromised are the minority while those who are walking in spiritual darkness view them as divisive, self-righteous, and judgmental. Why? These with discernment stand firm and rebuke those who teach what is not Biblical as if it is the truth while teaching against Biblical truth as if it is false. View article →

Bible Answer Man Hank Hanegraaff Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy

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Hank Hanegraaff addressed his conversion to the Orthodox faith on his radio show The Bible Answer Man in response to a caller who expressed concern that in becoming Eastern Orthodox, Hank had left the Christian faith. Following is his response:

I am now a member of an Orthodox Church, but nothing has changed in my faith. I have been attending an Orthodox church for a long time—for over two years, really, as a result of what happened when I went to China, many years ago. I saw Chinese Christians who were deeply in love with the Lord, and I learned that while they may not have had as much intellectual acumen or knowledge as I did, they had life. And so I learned that while truth matters, life matters more, and I remember flying back from China after spending time with just common people who had a deep, intense love for the Lord, and wondering, “Was I even a Christian?”

I was comparing my ability to communicate truth with their deep and abiding love for the Lord Jesus Christ… One man, by the way, said to me, truth matters but life matters more. In other words, it is not just knowing about Jesus Christ, it is experiencing the Resurrected Christ. As a result of that I started studying what was communicated by the progeny of Watchman Nee with respect to theosis and that drove me back to the early Christian Church.

And I suppose over that period of time I have fallen ever more in love with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s sort of like my wife—I have never been more in love with my wife than I am today, and I’ve never been more in love with my Lord Jesus Christ than I am today. I’ve been impacted by the whole idea of knowing Jesus Christ, experiencing Jesus Christ, and partaking of the graces of Jesus Christ through the Eucharist or the Lord’s Table. And that has become so central in my life, but as far as the statement that you mentioned, that I’ve left the Christian faith—nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact I believe what I have always believed, as codified in the Nicene Creed, and as championed by mere Christianity.

Hanegraaff recited the Nicene Creed and then concluded:

In other words, I am as deeply committed to championing mere Christianity and the essentials of the historic Christian faith, as I have ever been.

Articles that come from different perspectives:

Evangelical Apologist Hank Hanegraaff Converts to Eastern Orthodoxy

“Bible Answer Man” Hank Hanegraaff Joins Orthodox Church

The Bible Answer Man, Hank Hanegraaff, Leaves the Christian Faith?

Research:

Why Write About the Orthodox Church?

“We need to write about the Orthodox Church because it has a membership of over 200 million people worldwide and because it claims to be the only true Church on earth. When any such claim is made involving so many people, it is necessary to  research and write about such a group and compare it to scripture.”

What is the Eastern Orthodox Church and what are the beliefs of Orthodox Christians

“The Orthodox Church claims to be the one true church of Christ, and seeks to trace its origin back to the original apostles through an unbroken chain of apostolic succession. Orthodox thinkers debate the spiritual status of Roman Catholics and Protestants, and a few still consider them heretics. Like Catholics and Protestants, however, Orthodox believers affirm the Trinity, the Bible as the Word of God, Jesus as God the Son, and many other biblical doctrines. However, in doctrine, they have much more in common with Roman Catholics than they do with Protestant Christians.”

Video:

Hank Hanagraaff expresses his view of Eastern Orthodoxy and Theosis

Is the Eastern Orthodox Church the Only True Church?

Gender Expert: Teens Are Trying to Be Transgender Because It’s Trendy

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According to Heatstreet:

One of Australia’s top experts on gender has raised concerns that children and teens are overdiagnosed as transgender.

Adolescents are “trying out being transgender” to stand out or gain attention from their peers, psychiatrist Stephen Stathis told the Courier Mail last week. “One said to me, ‘Dr. Steve … I want to be transgender, it’s the new black,” he recalled.

Stathis, who runs Brisbane’s Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, said a gender dysphoria diagnosis will be given to only a tiny minority of the 180 minors who seek treatment at his clinic this year.

A gender dysphoria diagnosis is the first step for a transgender person to begin transitioning. Though children under 18 cannot get gender-reassignment surgery in Australia, they can receive hormonal therapy or treatment to suppress puberty.

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Did God Forbid us to Critique or Criticize Church Leaders?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

High profile Church leaders who teach doctrines of demons actually have the temerity to warn their critics to back off or face danger of divine judgment. Well, Cameron Buettel’s not backing off. In a blog post he wrote for Grace to You, Buettel names names and includes a video of one wolf in sheep’s clothing you won’t want to miss. The man’s heretical teaching is breathtaking!  Even so, he has a gazillion adoring fans who financially support his sham of a ministry and they’ve made him a wealthy man. Why would any serious Christian support mangy wolves? Because many believers simply are unable to discern a wolf from a terrier, the reason being that they don’t have a firm grasp of Church doctrine — what they believe and why they believe it.

Someone once said that the Church is a mile wide and an inch deep. In other words, when it comes to understanding the things of God, His people have very little understanding. As a result of their shallowness, spiritual discernment is pretty much non-existent in the visible Church.  And therein lies the problem.

So with all of this in mind, here’s Cameron Buettel’s excellent post:

False teaching thrives in environments where it is unlikely to be questioned. Charlatans and heretics prey on uncritical minds, and work tirelessly to protect and preserve that gullibility. Their success depends on dismantling every challenge to their authority and accuracy.

John MacArthur describes why that problem is rampant in the modern church:

In a time like this of tolerance, listen, false teaching will always cry intolerance; it will always say you’re being divisive, you’re being unloving, you’re being ungracious, because it can only survive when it doesn’t get scrutinized. And so it cries against any intolerance. It cries against any examination, any scrutiny.

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The fruit of proper Christian ministry devotion

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

13 ἕως ἔρχομαι πρόσεχε τῇ ἀναγνώσει, τῇ παρακλήσει, τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ. 1 Timothy 4:13 (NA28)

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 1 Timothy 4:13 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

As the passage above (1 Timothy 4:13) makes clear, to the Apostle Paul the centrality of preaching in Christian ministry was critical. He knew that the fruit of that was the working of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ producing godliness. However, its neglect produces its own fruit. I am not exaggerating when I state that most ministries today are built on entertainment, personality, crowd-gathering events, gimmicks, programs, and anything entrepreneurs can come up with to draw people together that simply appeals to the flesh. However, that was not nor has it ever been the Biblical model of a Christian ministry. View article →

‘I Have Deep Regrets’: Graphic Artist Who Designed ‘Shack’ Novel Renounces Book

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According to Christian News, the artist lamented: “I look back and see how little discernment I had. And I regret and apologize also for waiting this long to publicly share this.” Heather Clark has the story.  She writes:

The graphic artist who helped design the controversial best-selling novel “The Shack” has come forward to express his regret for being a part of the project out of his concern that it contains false doctrine.

“[O]ver 10 years ago, I was captivated by the story and felt honored to be part of the graphic creation of the book. I was so drawn into it, wanting to know the God it portrayed,” Dave Aldrich of Aldrich Design posted to social media on Tuesday. “The Shack’s story wonderfully painted this picture to me of an incredibly knowable and loving God, one full of forgiveness, but without being judgmental.”

He said that the novel led him into reading other authors such as Rob Bell and Brian McLaren, and he found himself at the edge of accepting universalist beliefs before he came to realize the danger.

“I thank the Lord that He pulled me back from that edge,” Aldrich wrote.

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Why Should I Believe that Jesus Rose from the Dead?

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙

The following is adapted from Michael Horton, “Risen Indeed.”

In answering this question, it’s helpful for us to return to the “facts of the case.” Here, speculation is useless. It does not matter what we thought reality was like: whether we believed in thirty gods or none. It doesn’t matter what we find helpful, meaningful, or fulfilling. This is not about spirituality or moral uplift. Something has happened in history and we cannot wish it away. It either happened or it did not happen, but the claim itself is hardly meaningless or beyond investigation. Let’s look at the facts of the case.

The earliest Christians testified to the following elements of the resurrection claim, even to the point of martyrdom:

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Transgender Texas Boy Gets New Birth Certificate

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

Breitbart reports that the nine year old child’s parents are going to have a “do-over” baby shower to celebrate the revised paperwork:

Born Mary Grace, a nine-year-old North Texas child is now officially named Max. His parents petitioned a court to change all of his legal documents, including his name, birth certificate, and Social Security card to reflect his male name and identity.

Max Briggle’s mother Amber told WFAA: “He’s always going to be transgender, but having that piece of paper, my hope is that it’s going to make it a little easier for him.”

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Trump Nominates Former Army Officer Mark Green For Army Secretary

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According to Jonah Bennett of The Daily Caller, Mark Green calls himself a “conservative Christian, veteran, father, husband and businessman.” Bennett writes:

President Donald Trump has tapped Mark Green for the position of secretary of the Army.

The White House announced Friday that Trump has picked Green, a former Army officer from West Point, for the position, USA Today reports.

Green is a favorite among many Tea Party Republicans and currently serves as a state senator in Tennessee. He’s also filed paperwork for the gubernatorial race in 2018 in that state, but should he be confirmed to secretary of the Army by the Senate, he’ll have to abandon those plans.

As a former Army lieutenant colonel, Green has seen a lot of action, having served as a special operations flight surgeon. He was the first to interrogate Saddam Hussein after his capture in 2003.

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Faith does not determine salvation; grace determines salvation

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ Luke 18:13 (NASB) 

In our day it is not unusual to hear a man-centered version of the Gospel message that has everything turned around backward and is presented in such a way that is meant to appeal emotionally to unbelievers with a statement such as, “Christ’s crucifixion is proof of our worth to God!” The appeal is meant to show that if Christ was willing to go to the Cross to save sinners like us then that proves we are of value to God. I have even heard one version of this that says that Jesus would have gone to that Cross even if it was for just one unrepentant sinner. Is that found anywhere in God’s Word? I have never found it. Instead, what I see clearly presented there is that all of us are undeserving sinners and even dead (Ephesians 2:1-3). Until God regenerates us, we are spiritual corpses, that is, without spiritual life. Therefore, grace that is not all grace is no grace. Grace that saves means that God has done everything; if He does not do everything, then it is not grace. View article →

Sanctification and the Law of the Spirit

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NASB) 

In this post we will look at Paul’s “therefore” he placed in the passage above. In other words, in Romans 8:1 Paul begins an important summary and conclusion which is related to his preceding arguments. We normally find that argument in the passages directly preceding the “therefore.” However, this “therefore” introduces the staggering results of all Paul’s teachings in the first seven chapters of Romans, which would include justification by faith alone on the basis of God’s overwhelming grace. View article →

Rick Warren: Thinking Like A Pagan And A Theology-dissing Jesus

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

From Berean Research:

Before you get started on Bud Ahlheim’s blog post, head over to our White Paper on Rick Warren, quickly browse our list of concerns, then return to Bud’s piece because you’ll want to know what this man is currently up to.

Because Rick Warren has been dubbed “America’s Pastor” and is held in high esteem by the clueless media as well as pastors who have bought into the purpose-driven model of doing church, it’s important to follow his career path. Since Berean Research makes an effort to closely monitor his comings and goings, we can report without reservation that “America’s Pastor” is not only a wolf in sheep’s clothing; he’s a leader of the pack.  Too harsh, you say?  Again, take a glimpse at our research, and then come back to Bud Ahlheim’s must read report….

 

Remember how Jesus, when He came to earth as the Incarnate Son Of God, actually became a vile, depraved sinner so that He could adequately reach sinners in a relevant way with His Truth? Or that time the thrice-denying Peter answered Jesus’ thrice-offered query, “Do you love me?” in the negative, but only so he could do effective ministry among Jews who didn’t love Jesus either?  Or how about that story of the post-Damascus Road Paul who decided to forsake his apostolic calling and return to living as a self-righteous pagan so that he could reach pagans with the Gospel?

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GOP Calls on Trump to Honor Promise to Defend Religious Liberty

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

In a piece over at Townhall, Todd Starnes says he has “exclusively obtained a letter signed by more than 52 House Republicans urging the president to sign an executive order on religious liberty.”

In February President Trump made a promise to people of faith across the fruited plain.

“My administration will do everything in its power to defend and protect religious liberty in our land,” the president said at the National Prayer Breakfast.

When he campaigned for the White House he stated that the “first priority of my administration will be to preserve and protect our religiously liberty.”

“The First Amendment guarantees our right to practice our faith as we see fit…all the time, always, wherever,” he went on to say.

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Target Stock Continues to Tumble Year After Company Went Public With Restroom Policy

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Christian News reports:

The national retail chain Target continues to watch its stock prices tumble a year after the company went public with its restroom and changing room policy, which allows customers to use the facility that corresponds with their “gender identity.”

As of press time, the stock price is $53.24 a share, compared to $81.57 a share a year ago on this day. While the company saw an uptick in November and December, by mid-January, stock prices began falling again. Just a month ago, the price was $63.57 and has now sunk another $10. View Target’s stock chart here.

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Jesus Christ is the ONLY Savior

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. – John 21:24-25

Jesus Christ is Savior, the Giver of Eternal Life to those who Believe:

Jesus Christ is Life (1:4) and it is only through Him that man can be saved. The way (John 14:6) is exclusive, that is, there is no other name under heaven by which man can be saved from sin and death (Acts 4:12). This salvation from sin and from death was the very purpose for which Jesus came, the very reason that the Father sent Jesus (3:16-19, 36) was because He loved the world so much. John identified Jesus as the ‘Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world” (1:36) which is a description of the prophetic fulfillment of the Passover- one of the Jewish festivals that foreshadowed God’s promise of salvation to the world. Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, was sent to take away our sins, and to save us from death. Indeed, Jesus Christ was slain from the foundation of the world, showing that God’s eternal purpose was to save His people from their sins.

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Senate Confirms Gorsuch to Supreme Court

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NewsMax reports:

President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, was confirmed as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court by the Senate Friday morning, after Republicans tore up the Senate’s voting rules to allow him to ascend to the high court over furious Democratic objections.

While the votes were still being tallied, Gorsuch by 11:45 a.m. had reached the 51-vote threshhold required for confirmation under the “nuclear” rules change.

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Young Americans Are Killing Marriage

Posted by ∙ ∙ In News ∙

Millennials are delaying marriage, having kids, and buying homes, but at least they’re educated.  Bloomberg has the story:

There’s no shortage of theories as to how and why today’s young people differ from their parents.

As marketing consultants never cease to point out, baby boomers and millennials appear to have starkly different attitudes about pretty much everything, from money and sports to breakfast and lunch.

New research tries to ground those observations in solid data. The National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University set out to compare 25- to 34-year-olds in 1980—baby boomers—with the same age group today. Researcher Lydia Anderson compared U.S. Census data from 1980 with the most recent American Community Survey 1  data in 2015.

The results reveal some stark differences in how young Americans are living today, compared with three or four decades ago.

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Ten thoughts about the ‘Billy Graham Rule’

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , , ,

News recently broke that Vice President Mike Pence has a policy of never dining alone with a woman nor attending an event where alcohol is served unless his wife, Karen, is with him. (We reported the story here.)  Not surprisingly the liberal media ridiculed the VP for adopting the “Billy Graham Rule” to protect his marriage. So on the heels of this “scandal” Denny Burk, Professor of Biblical Studies at Boyce College, has come up with ten brief reflections on this particular discipline.  Here are Burk’s thoughts, which he says are “by no means everything that can or should be said about the so-called ‘Billy Graham Rule’:

1. We must take sexual holiness seriously because God takes sexual holiness seriously. To reject God’s purpose of holiness in our lives is to reject God altogether. For this reason, we must be blood-earnest about holiness.

  • “Without holiness, no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).
  • “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality… Consequently, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you” (1 Thess. 4:3).
  • “But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints… For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God” (Eph. 5:3-5).

2. The Bible commands us not only to avoid sexual immorality but to avoid situations in which we know that we are vulnerable to temptation.

  • “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13)
  • “Flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22).
  • “Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

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