“Natural Law seems helpful at first blush, but then the question turns to the identification of the authorized definers of what is ‘natural,’ to which no answer is satisfactory other than the Bible.” - DBTS Blog

“Canada is considering a bill that would allow individuals to sign a waiver that would remove ‘final consent’ for assisted suicide … in which a physician or nurse practitioner carries out the death by chemical injection.” - CPost

“Though a Zo translation of the Bible was completed in 2019, it hasn’t been printed in Myanmar yet, and many of the Zo are unable to read. This translation of JESUS provides a way for Zo speakers to have access to the story of Jesus in their language in a format they can understand.” - RNS

“Although we did not reach a moment in Anaheim where the messengers were able to vote on these questions, as far as it lies within our authority to do so, we are committed to letting these questions come before the messengers at our 2023 Annual Meeting” - BPNews

As election day approaches this year, the prospect of voting looks different to me than it has in the past. Whether I look to the left or to the right, my thoughts echo the prophet Jeremiah: “…Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?” (Jer 12:1).

Hopefully the situation improves by 2024.

Some may wonder what principles would normally make a Christian feel obligated to vote. They include these:

“For evangelicals, the 2022 election has become, in part, a contest over what Christian nationalism is—whether just a slur used against conservative Christians voting their values or something new and malevolent.” - CToday

From FB:

“Dockery told trustees at the October meeting about plans to reduce the operational and personnel budget by around $3.6 million, with Dockery saying that some of their financial challenges ‘reflect multi-faceted matters covering a number of years.’” - CPost

“… still today, we’re trying to reach people who might know even less than I did at the time. We need to keep that reality in mind as we evangelize and disciple.” - Chuck Lawless

“Bruce oversees a state-of-the-art monument to the preservation of that history: a 30,000-square-foot, $12 million archive. It will open on November 7, Graham’s birthday” - CToday

“Half of U.S. Protestant churchgoers (50%) say they’d prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, and 55% believe that to be the case at their congregation already….Around 1 in 5 (19%) now strongly agree they prefer to attend a church where people share their political views, up from 12% in 2017.” - Lifeway

“Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, welcomed more than 130,000 students for the first time this fall through its residential and online programs. The campus had a record-breaking 15,800 students” - CPost

“What I am asking is if the concept of ‘separation from the world’ … has meaning anymore—among doctrinally conservative, spiritually evangelical Protestant Christians. Are there really no boundaries of behavior? If so, why do I almost never hear about them?” - Roger Olson

“Annual government surveys from the Bureau of Justice Statistics show no recent increase in the U.S. violent crime rate” - Pew

Signing an open letter from Pastor Mike Law of Arlington (VA) Baptist Church, “[m]ore than 700 Southern Baptist pastors are calling on the Southern Baptist Convention to prohibit women from serving “as a pastor of any kind” at SBC-affiliated churches.” - CPost

“I suspect that the reason the ‘Greek is super-precise’ myth hangs around is that in some quarters it is embraced as part of the doctrine of Scripture.” - Word by Word

Read Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Today, “the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the most important case of this term, a case which is arguably among the most important of this new century. It will decide whether schools can continue to discriminate on the basis of race in college admissions.” - David French

“What we have here is a very interesting feature from the ‘Maps and Graphs About Religion in America (That You Need to See)’ video channel, which is hosted by … ‘Drew | Atheist, activist, science advocate, youtuber at Genetically Modified Skeptic.’” - GetReligion

“It is generally known that Baptists in Georgia enslaved people. In fact, the Georgia Baptist Convention has acknowledged and repented of racism and slavery with resolutions in…. not so well known is how actively and extensively Georgia Baptists were involved in slavery and convict leasing.” - BPNews

“It’s easy to see who puts more effort into their Halloween candy, and Christians can be intentional in creating memorable tables and gift bags with Scripture, gospel tracts, or invites to church interspersed among Twix bars and Starbursts.” - World

Related:

“Voters in Kentucky and Montana will cast ballots on pro-life measures, while citizens of California, Michigan and Vermont will determine the fate of proposed constitutional amendments that would protect abortion rights” - BPNews

Related: Five States to Vote on Abortion Rights This Election Day - CToday

Reposted from Rooted Thinking. This post originally appeared at GFA’s blog Commissioned, where you can find more missions-related content.

Billions of people in today’s world worship idols, angels, spirits of the dead/ancestors, and other spiritual powers.¹ People have been worshiping demons and idols since the Fall. God’s people ever since have had to learn how to honor the One True and Living God in a pagan world.

“This verse should be our guidebook not just to what we consume on social media but to what things we post and how we interact with others’ posts.” - TGC

“Non-Christians can and do have genuine and good contributions to make to our discourse and overall flourishing. Of course, Christians do as well. But we are all susceptible to muddled thinking, wrong choices, and inordinate feelings” - Ken Brown

“Calvin occupies a more center-left position among evangelical colleges. While it forbids premarital sex and defines marriage as between a man and a woman, it allows a support group for LGBTQ students on campus” - RNS

“In comments given to the Baptist Press, which serves as the official news service for the SBC, Wood explained that ‘we are committed to stay in fellowship and unified with other SBC churches even when we disagree.’” - C.Post

Related: Saddleback pastor says he’ll encourage women to preach but ‘doesn’t want to engage in denominational battles’ - BPNews

October 31st is one of my favorite days of the year! The reason I take joy in it is not because I love visiting haunted houses, corn mazes or costume parties.

When I see a reference to the evil and horror that our culture celebrates on that day, I have to admit—it does draw me in. But not for the reasons one might expect. I do not relish the “fear of death,” or the “bondage” that accompanies it (Heb. 2:15).

“(77%) say that churches and other houses of worship should not endorse candidates for political offices. Two-thirds (67%) say that religious institutions should keep out of political matters rather than expressing their views on day-to-day social or political questions” - Pew

“Starting with next year’s statistics, the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States will add a nonbinary/genderqueer category, alongside the traditional men and women categories.” - C.Post