The first two commandments God gave Israel are theologically very significant. Yahweh alone, the Triune God, was to be recognized and worshipped by Israel. And the only true God was not to be captured by human imagination and expressed through man’s ingenuity and creativity. All idols or images of the true God and all false gods were and are totally abhorrent.

We are expecting our third child, due to join us in about a month. Life is full, a little stressful, often mundane, and infinitely more purposeful and joyful than it would be without our kids. I’m tired a lot of the time, but that’s a small price to pay in exchange for my daughter’s unbelievable sense of humor, the weight of my son on my chest when he snuggles after his nap, and the rolls and kicks I feel in my abdomen as I write.

Jesus forgave the sinner. He didn’t accommodate the sin. We read about this in John, Chapter 8 — often referred to as the “Woman caught in the act of adultery.” (John 8:2-11) Any of us who have read or heard this story about the adulterous woman should be asking why the Pharisees were not so hot on the idea of dealing with the sin of the adulterous man. And we should clearly see that Jesus is a God of mercy and forgiveness. Does He then excuse adultery? Hardly.

Online sports gambling has been around for a while, but it has really put the pedal to the floor over the last few years. This is partly because the activity enjoys much more legal leeway now than it has in the past. Only just a few years ago, states were forbidden by federal law from operating or sponsoring sports lotteries, but the Supreme Court struck down that law in the case Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (2018).

One of my favorite Bluegrass Gospel renditions is sung by a group known as Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. The song is titled, “He’s In Control” and the beginning reminds us: "There are days that darkness seems to gather in from every side. But my Lord is in control."

Would you like a government that reflects your Christian beliefs? If so then congratulations, you’re a threat to democracy! Or so says Rob Reiner, who produced a movie meant to alarm you about Christian nationalism, He even tweeted that Christian nationalism is “a danger to Christianity itself.” His message, and his movie, joins an already noisy crowd just dying to tell you that applying Christianity to politics is wrong.

“Amazing grace! how sweet the sound-that saved a wretch like me!  I once was lost but now am found. . . .” These opening words from John Newton’s famous gospel song acknowledge the reality of our lost condition without Jesus Christ.

Every school has to know at least a little bit about the students it is teaching, and every school has to provide at least something of value to its students. But there's a flipside—in pursuit of these goals, schools should not pry into areas of family life beyond their proper purview. While every family will have slightly different standards about what is appropriate for schools to inquire about or provide for their kids, I think that concerned parents and observers of the education system may soon sound the alarm that schools are becoming too intrusive.

In a recent American Reformer article detailing the decay of doctrine among Evangelicals, the point that generated the most attention by far concerned popular pastor Alistair Begg’s counsel from September of last year in which he advised a woman to attend her grandchild’s transgender “wedding.”

February has some interesting distinctives. Back in the olden days (when I was growing up), we celebrated TWO presidential birthdays this month: Abraham Lincoln’s and George Washington’s. Now we celebrate only one—a generic President’s Day for our Monday holiday benefit. 

Does it ever seem if the cultural left's calls to action are often aimed at problems that seem—at least somewhat—manufactured? Does it seem almost as if, in a world that isn't run their way, we wouldn't have to face the kinds of issues that they’re trying to fix?

A recent news story by Chicago’s WGN9 is titled “Illinois is Failing Children of Color.” It examines  “Race for Results” –a report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation which found that children of color face several “inequities” in Illinois.

Why are local elections so uninteresting to voters? Local elections in Illinois generally draw about 16% of registered voters. This is compared to the average turnout over the last 20 years for presidential elections in Illinois of 63% and the average turnout in the off-year elections of 44%.

Being the Speaker of the House of Representatives puts you into the credibility circle. This important role, as with any political leader, gives rise to all sorts of questions exceeding the focus of the job at hand. Often, such questions come with an agenda.

Much of Generation Z is heading into adulthood, and we’re realizing that being an adult is hard, a bit scary, and often unenjoyable. Anxiety and fear are incredibly high among Gen Z-ers, also known as Zoomers. I saw an article last month reporting that 86% of Generation Z has “menu anxiety,” or overwhelming anxiety about eating out. Another article published in November reports that Gen Z is having difficulty adjusting to the demands of a 9-5 work week.