“Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, which is the third Sunday in January on the SBC calendar, was first observed by the convention in 1986.” - BPNews

“It’s an accelerant. We see an opportunity right now—with the new Pew data about declining rates of religious identification, with a generation lost, with I think 4,500 churches closing their doors every year” - CToday

“While I agree that the prospect of every American coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ would be a miracle of biblical proportions that would benefit the world in ways we can’t even imagine, restricting religious liberty isn’t the way to get there.” - Dale Chamberlain

Related: Are Some Evangelicals Taking John MacArthur’s Religious Liberty Comments out of Context?

“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, [that] the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? Is 40:28 - Olinger

How is the Great Tribulation Shortened? The GT is said to last 42 months, 1260 days or time, times and half a time. The perspective below is premillennial and futuristic.

Encountering a New Rapture View

When I first encountered the prewrath rapture view (PW), what struck me was its claim that the “Great Tribulation” would last less than 3.5 years. This was the initial reason why I didn’t buy into the system. The phrase “after the tribulation has been cut short” is pivotal. Other tenets hinge on this unique interpretation of Matt 24:22.

“The source of the problem, ultimately, is a general sense, born out of sentiments endemic in broader culture, and perpetuated at times in Christian homes and churches, that cultivating discipline and developing a work ethic are somehow dangerous, legalistic, or antithetical to the Christian Gospel. This is patently false.” - Snoeberger

“Boyer told Religion News Service that although courts are usually reluctant to involve themselves in church disputes, Virginia law requires churches to follow the rules in the constitutions they put forth. ‘The heart of the complaint really comes down to truth, transparency, and a free, open, and uncoerced process,’” - C.Leaders

“Of the 44 needs identified by pastors and included in the study, 17 were selected by a majority as an issue they need to address.Developing leaders and volunteers: 77% Fostering connections with unchurched people: 76% People’s apathy or lack of commitment: 75%…” - Lifeway

“The lack of science behind this law is staggering…. there’s not a single study showing harm from so-called ‘transgender conversion therapy.’ It could, in fact, be desperately needed, since up to 80 percent of minors with gender dysphoria will desist at puberty.” - Breakpoint

“My regional manager has tasked me with identifying employees who can be replaced by our new digital kiosks. Should I object? … Should I seek out some other alternatives? How can I think about this as a Christian?” - TGC

“Some conservatives want to ban the teaching of CRT. That’s not a good idea. Government shouldn’t be banning ideas ….A better solution is legalizing school choice. Let parents take our tax money to a school we choose.” - John Stossel

“According to the report…only 7% of respondents want sermons to be shorter, while 85% believe the sermon lengths are acceptable as they are. About 8% percent said they wanted sermons to be longer.” - CPost

Many Americans have welcomed 2022 by making New Year’s Resolutions. “A new year resolution,” according to one dictionary, “is a commitment that an individual makes to one or more personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. This lifestyle change is generally interpreted as advantageous, and it’s done to improve [a person’s] wellbeing.”¹ According to a recent study by Statista,² the 10 most popular New Year’s resolutions are as follows (which I’ll list in reverse order):

“the CBN announced Monday, Jan. 10. Baucham, the author of “Fault Lines: The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe,” is an outspoken opponent of critical race theory (CRT).” - C.Leaders

“Like merchants lobbying for customers, we say ‘Come to our church. We have choices now! One of them is cool, and the other one is for old people and old souls.’” - Jonathan Aigner

“8. Paying attention to the news will challenge you to keep learning. Consider into how many areas reading the news will take you, including politics, sports, arts, health, etc. God has given us a brain to use as we do ministry, and reading the news will stretch that brain every day.” - Chuck Lawless

“Evangelical Protestants have been debating for years over the definition and usefulness of the ‘evangelical’ label. Now, it appears ‘Protestant’ may be losing its place too.” - C.Today

“…while 90% of adults say that talking to their loved ones about their end-of-life wishes is important, only 27% have actually had these conversations.” - The Conversation

“Smith’s big idea was that in the context of competitive markets, the pursuit of self-interest not only could but would lead to benefits for everybody else … . Friedman argues that Smith’s insight and the public reception were possible because of society’s move away from ‘predestinarian orthodox Calvinism.’” - TGC

“The departure of the theologically conservative congregations to the new group, the Alliance of Reformed Churches, leaves some who remain in the RCA concerned for the denomination’s survival. Before the split, the nearly 400-year-old denomination had fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches.” - RNS

“More than 38 percent of churchgoers wouldn’t change a thing among the 14 categories studied, according to ‘The Congregational Scorecard: What Evangelicals Want in a Church’ released Thursday and jointly conducted by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research.” - BPNews

“It isn’t money, success, fame, or following your passion” - Medium

“In a Wednesday panel discussion hosted by the Religious Freedom Institute titled ‘Institutional Religious Freedom: Exploring Contemporary Policy Challenges,’ scholars Stanley Carlson-Thies and David Trimble debated the merits and pitfalls of the Fairness for All Act.” - CPost

“…the Pharisees thought they knew everything, had learned everything, had mastered everything. It’s that arrogance that cut them off from experiencing the presence of God and caused them to spit in the face of the Messiah they had been waiting for when he was in their midst.” - C.Leaders

“While I see some precedent in the Scripture for exercising individual legal rights (Paul under arrest by the Romans, for example), I find no precedent for church involvement in any attempt to influence government in any way. The New Testament, as far as I know, gives no mandate for political activism.” - Don Johnson

Read Part 1.

Our pastor recently asked for a show of hands: “How many of you are aware of someone you knew personally who died in the last three months?” A lot of hands went up. Our pastor is keen on helping believers process these experiences through a biblical grid.

I am, too, starting with myself—hence, this review/meditation.

The Bible gives us plenty of space to be unsure about a lot of things, but it also communicates the truths we need most with a clarity that leaves us with no excuse for floundering. If we focus on what we don’t know rather than what we do know, that’s on us.

“This idea is based in atheistic, naturalistic beliefs about the origin of the universe, not on the eyewitness account of history God has given us in his Word.” - C.Leaders

“There are three flagpoles outside Boston City Hall. One flies the United States flag. Another flies the Massachusetts state flag. What can – and can’t – fly from the third is an issue being taken up by the Supreme Court.” - The Conversation

“The UK Supreme Court engaged at length with the human rights arguments in this case and upheld the McArthurs’ rights to freedom of expression and religion. It was disappointing to see another attempt to undermine those rights, so it is a relief that the attempt has failed” - CPost

“In explaining the reason for Pray’s Mill Baptist Church’s departure from the SBC, Buice cited a ‘devious deconstruction plan’ that some leaders have been working behind the scenes to accomplish. Recent scandals, controversies, and divisions led to the decision to break away from the 176-year-old denomination.” - C.Leaders