“More and more, it appears that life is well-designed—perhaps even optimally designed. And this is strong support for the idea that living things are the work of a Designer. But what is ‘optimal design,’ and how can we tell?” - Breakpoint

“Jordan Petersen is doing a series on the Gospels on the Daily Wire. The discussion panel consists of Jordan Peterson (a Canadian psychologist and social philosopher who admittedly is not a born-again believer), Dennis Prager (a religious Jew, founder of Prager U)” and others. - P&D

“Harold Lee Lindsey died on Nov. 25, just a couple of days after his 95th birthday. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, according to an obituary on his ministry’s website.” - WORLD

Also:

This is a series of brief devotional articles on The Orthodox Catechism (“OC”), a Particular Baptist document written by Baptist pastor Hercules Collins in 1680. Read Part 1.

If the only comfort we have in this life is that we belong—both body and soul, in life and death—to our most faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Q1), then …

Question 2: What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?

“The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Dec. 4 in United States v. Skrmetti, a case which will determine the constitutionality of a Tennessee law banning gender transition procedures or so-called ‘gender affirming care’ for minors.” - Baptist Press

Related:

“Their thoughts about the brain, or anything else, would be products of material causes and [have] no more significance than steam wafting from a bowl of oatmeal.” - CPost

“ ‘Well, you have to hand it to James Lindsey — he got us,’ Josh Abbotoy, co-founder of American Reformer, wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, referring to Lindsay’s hoax.” - RNS

Planting a Spanish-speaking church … in small town Wisconsin - GARBC

Reason 1: “The search for stability. People are hungry for tradition and rootedness and groundedness. People want something that isn’t changing.” - Gavin Ortlund

Read Part 1.

As the darkness gives way to the daylight, we notice long shadows—perhaps moving directly upon us.

Shadows have the capacity to unnerve—even frighten us. Sometimes the shadows may be mistaken for something real. At other times, something real may be hiding in the shadows.

Shadows make us uncomfortable. They represent incompleteness and uncertainty—”variation or shadow of turning” (Js. 1:17).

Shadows create a sense of darkness. In reality, however, the shadows prove the existence of the light—although it is hidden from view.

“On Tuesday, the PCUSA released its annual statistics report, which found that the United States’ largest Presbyterian denomination had approximately 1.094 million members in 2023.” - CPost

“Wesley said we ought to be people of one book, but students of many. With Scripture being our Book of books, we’d do well to learn from those Christian writings that have seemed to rise to the top of Christians’ favourite lists, and have withstood the winnowing of time.” - Churches Without Chests

“Part of Christian parlance is to speak of ‘the ministry’ or ‘the minister’ to refer to a set of professional religious activities….That’s a rather unfortunate happenstance of how religious terms develop, because ministry refers to everything Christians do to build up the body of Christ” - P&D

“That ancient desire to be like God is so clearly replicated in today’s artificial intelligence technology that lots of Scripture readers have drawn the link. ‘How Artificial Super-Intelligence Is Today’s Tower of Babel,’ read a headline at Christianity Today. At World, David Bahnsen wrote ‘AI and the Tower of Babel.’” - TGC

“Most of those attending church at Christmastime say they do so primarily because of their faith. Three in 5 (60%) of those who typically attend church during this season say they do so to honor Jesus. Fewer say their church attendance comes from a desire to observe tradition (16%), to be with family and friends (15%)” - The Baptist Paper

The elderly prophet Daniel confessed to the angel before him that he was utterly spent. He had no strength to receive the vision the angel came to give him in answer to his prayers. He was in pain, overwhelmed, maybe very troubled in his spirit. And he was strengthened. We read of this account in Daniel 10:15-19.

The angel restored Daniel’s strength, encouraging him by reminding him that he was greatly loved. He called upon Daniel to not fear, but trust in the Lord and allow His peace to reign over him once more. He did so and was strengthened, allowing him to receive the vision of the latter days. You can read the article on this HERE.

“Patel elaborated on his upbringing and background in his 2023 book, Government Gangsters: The Deep State, the Truth, and the Battle for Our Democracy.” - CPost

“The House of Commons approved the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in a 330 to 275 vote among the MPs. However, it has not been enacted yet. The bill will face additionally scrutiny in parliamentary committees and future amendments may also be proposed” - Daily Citizen

Related: UK Christians Lament Landmark Vote to Legalize Assisted Dying - CToday

“My plan was to mindlessly gather berries into my bucket, but it was far more valuable than that. During the time I had to myself, I reflected on the many blessings of being a co-worker with God, as I worked in his presence to harvest what others had cultivated from what he had created.” - IFWE

“Scripture nowhere references the use of trees to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Nevertheless, on several occasions the OT prophetic books anticipate certain aspects of the Messiah’s ministry with a metaphor that’s related to a tree.” - BJU Seminary

“Peter’s argument here implies this: If refining fire is necessary for perishable gold, how much more is it necessary for imperishable faith? The gold perishes, but the faith—proven genuine in the fires of testing—does not.” - P&D

How is a person justified before God? That was the question that ignited the Reformation. Beyond that foundational question, theologians have debated additional questions, such as “What is the importance of justification in relation to the other benefits of salvation?” and “Where does justification fit logically in relation to saving faith?”

To answer these questions about justification, we must first explore the exact nature of justification. Theologians have held two main positions: infusion and imputation.

Roman Catholic Position: Infusion

At the time of the Reformation, Catholics and Protestants differed greatly in their understanding of justification and grace. The Catholic position defined justification to include all of the benefits of salvation, making it a process. Grace was understood as a God-given ability to do good works which was infused into the person. This Catholic view is sometimes described by the words, “Christ IN us.”

“The underlying story in this case depicts a carefully planned effort by a convicted criminal, and those acting in concert with him… to publicly smear a renowned and eminently respected religious leader [for lots of money]” - CPost

“Typically, the miracle of Hanukkah is celebrated in early to mid-December, though the date varies each year depending on how the Hebrew calendar aligns with the solar calendar.” - Religion Unplugged

“They are now discovering what has always been true, that the Western ideas of human rights, political equality, and science and art are products of Christianity. These things do not occur in most civilizations, and there is no reason to expect that they will endure in the West if Christianity fades.” - Breakpoint

“A study by Article 14, a watchdog group, revealed that in the first year after the original 2021 statute passed, half of the 101 reported violations came from third parties. Most of the third parties were Hindu nationalist outfits that were using the law to harass Christians.” - Baptist Press

“One of the more frequent names for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, with the translation simply being ‘God.’ But what exactly does the name Elohim tell us about who God is?” - Ligonier

“Paul affirms the significance of our topic when he prays for the saints in Philippi. ‘And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment [the ability to perceive and discern]; that ye may approve [a testing process] things that are excellent’ ” - P&D

“It should not be about imposing faith. It could be about encouraging knowledge.” - RNS