Four principles of manhood that our society is attacking vigorously: #1: Men are to take dominion over the earth (Gen. 1:28). This was included in God's first set of commands to Adam and still remains a central imperative for men today. On the contrary, our culture provides little support for men who are serious about exercising dominion over what God has placed under their control, and instead provides many escapes from a man's true obligations.

In late June of this year, the Brown University newspaper published a startling statistic: the percentage of LGBTQ+ students at this Ivy-League school has doubled since 2010. While the numbers from the fall of 2010 showed the student population at 86% heterosexual and 14% homosexual/bisexual, the most recent data from last spring reveals that the school is now only 60% heterosexual. The last 40% is a veritable miscellany of designations, including homosexual, bisexual, queer, questioning, pansexual, asexual, and "other."

In this recent dialogue local Chicagoland area Pastors Calvin Lindstrom, James Pittman and Brandon Myers give an update on The Orchard Evangelical Free Church (EFC).

Two weeks ago, Governor Pritzker signed a bill, Public Act 103-0518, allowing any multiple-occupancy restroom to be identified as an all-gender multiple-occupancy restroom at the discretion of the building owner or leaseholder. Anyone of any “gender” could use it. Why was this law introduced, why did it pass?

Last week we embarked on a study in Ephesians 1, which so clearly and powerfully shows us how God as a Trinity works out our salvation. God the Father planned and predestined his redeemed for adoption as sons! What a grand and glorious truth that is! And his plan entailed sending his Son, Jesus to carry out the work of redemption.

President Joe Biden signed a proclamation at Red Butte, Arizona, on Tuesday creating the fifth national monument established during his presidency. Titled Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon—it expands the conserved Grand Canyon region by 1 million acres.

It was a Lifeway Research report earlier this spring that “triggered” my interest on church security. Most of us in the faith community seem to go about our weekly church business not too concerned about safety at our house of worship. Fortunately, others take this quite seriously. Church security is a broader topic than one might think. I recall my membership in a Dallas megachurch in the 1980s where building and parking garage security was a must. Occasional visits from relatively non-threatening types often needed to be escorted from the premises. Even the pastor had a personal security detail present before and after services. Times have changed.

I recently had a speaking tour through three South American countries. As I talked with many Christians in these nations, I heard a lot of discouragement. They feel they simply don’t have the influence they need to see positive change occur. In some of the countries, Marxism has taken root and has a stranglehold on politics and economics. Many Protestant Christians I talked to there are hoping to start Christian schools and desire to legalize homeschooling. This seems daunting as Protestants make up only 10-20% of the population.

What exactly is a financial abortion? Think about it this way: if a medical abortion is a woman's way to escape the burden of motherhood, then a financial abortion is a man's way to escape the burden of fatherhood. Advocates for financial abortion argue that a father should be able to decide whether or not to assume the legal rights and responsibilities to care for the child he fathered if the woman gives birth. And, if the father decides to decline the opportunity in a timely manner, he is off the hook for paying child support.

A sign along the highway in Wisconsin states, “Lies are destroying America.” It is ironically true. Truth matters, and so do lies. How did we get to the point where virtually everything we hear must be analyzed to determine whether it is true or not? How did so many Americans come to accept lying as normal? And worse, how have so many bought into “Wokism,” which is all out war against Truth!

A powerful story of forgiveness is found in John 8, involving Jesus and the woman caught in adultery, wherein He famously said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” Her accusers quietly leave, one after another. Jesus then tells her that neither does He accuse her, “But go and sin no more”—a part often ignored today by our “tolerant” society.

But now, if the Chinese Communists have their way, the whole story of Jesus and the adulterous woman will be completely turned on its head.

A couple of weeks ago, I was scrolling through Not The Bee when I came across an article entitled “They Want Narnia Without Aslan.” My heart skipped a beat, and I hastily clicked the link to discover a ScreenRant article titled “Netflix’s Chronicles of Narnia Using the Original Books’ Ending Would be a Huge Mistake.”

Going back to my great grandparents my family was involved in the Evangelical Free Church of America. Personally, I was born, dedicated, baptized, and even pastored in the Free Church until I started at Eureka Baptist over six years ago. This history makes it difficult for me to see where the EFCA is today. The decline of the Free Church was displayed this past month at the EFCA National Conference in California.

Can you name the famed characters of Looney Tunes? Elmer Fudd, Daffy Duck, Barnyard Dawg, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, etc. And a personal favorite…Bugs Bunny. Their antics were crazy. Even…looney. The word “looney” has an ample number of synonyms. Silly. Stupid. Crazy. Even the softer "strange.” Our world is rampant today with looney-ness.

If you keep wondering how bad laws get made in Illinois, SB 1909 is a very good example. Yes, pundits have always compared law-making to sausage-making – a messy and unsavory process. But lawmaking in Illinois has reached a whole new level of butchery as a way to disguise or mask the quality of their work – it is so different from your “normal” backroom deals (which still happen, by the way).