“Evidence of Herod’s green thumb, Roman crucifixion methods, and Philistine bananas add to our understanding of the world of the Bible.” - CToday

“A new report by the Census Bureau finds that the population of the United States grew at the lowest rate since the nation’s founding. How will that affect the church in America?” - TGC

“… a federal judge ruled this week that the city of Anchorage, Alaska’s nondiscrimination ordinance barring LGBT discrimination does not force a Christian battered women’s shelter to admit trans-identified biological males.” - CPost

“Trump Jr. spoke to a room full of young conservatives, calling Jesus’ command to “turn the other cheek” into question and implying that an overabundance of civility on the part of conservatives has kept them from winning the culture.” - C.Leaders

“Not only can people reveal boredom ‘with the same message,’ but preachers can fall prey to having a desire to say something unique or different…. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. You can rest in the power of the message that you get to declare.” - Eric Geiger

“Together for the Gospel (T4G) directors have announced that they will be meeting for the final time in 2022, triggering a wide-ranging discussion on parachurch organizations. Todd waxes nostalgic as he recalls the many years he attended T4G and how those conferences influenced his life and ministry.” - Ref21

Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said, “We are praying for his success and we are eager to work with him. Religious freedom is under assault around the globe and his position is vital to confronting those who would undermine this fundamental right.” - BPnews

“Barr’s book is riddled with serious deficiencies. While there are areas Barr has identified as problematic that are problematic, she does not fairly explain or resolve them…. the faults in the book are grievous enough that they ought to lead both complementarians and egalitarians to find the book deeply dissatisfying.” - Jordan Steffaniak

“The First Liberty Institute, a legal nonprofit specializing in religious liberty cases, filed an emergency application for stay with the nation’s high court over the weekend on behalf of multiple faith-based organizations, arguing that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration vaccine mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.” - CPost

“Despite showing in only 1,700 theaters, the special finished in the top five in the box office during the weekend of Dec. 3 – 5, and had the highest per-screen average of any movie during the weekend.” - BPNews

“Overall, about half of U.S. adults (48%) say that most things in society can be clearly divided into good and evil, while the other half (50%) say that most things in society are too complicated to be categorized this way.” - Pew

“…thinking deeply on God’s Word is easier to accomplish if you have it in your head—and your heart. The obvious way to accomplish that is by memorizing it.” - Olinger

“Does science favor unbelief? And must Christians reject science? Is science another religion that believers must separate from in order to stay true to God?” - Ref21

“The first reason is the overwhelming disparity in resources for those in the United States versus those in unreached, or under-reached, areas.” - TGC

“Christian Aid Ministries shares new details on how the remaining 12 hostage missionaries, including young children, ended up free from the 400 Mawozo gang” - CToday

Related: (RNS) Church agency: Captive missionaries made daring escape

“…in his greeting to parishioners at First Baptist Dallas on Sunday, Trump claimed he helped save Christianity during his time in office, but “very dark clouds” are now hanging over the country.” - CPost

“Join hosts Collin Hansen and Melissa Kruger as they discuss their favorite recent reads and the top 10 theology stories of 2021. They also preview the year ahead in 2022” - TGC

“Visitors are welcomed by quotations from French artist Lucile Olympe Haut’s ‘Cyberwitches Manifesto,’ which urges readers to, among other things, ‘use smartphones and tarot cards to connect to spirits’ and ‘manufacture D.I.Y. devices to listen to invisible worlds.’” - Breakpoint

(Originally posted in 2015.)

The prophet Isaiah was surely the greatest “Christmas Prophet” of the Old Testament. Let us briefly consider two of his most famous Christmas sermons.

Isaiah Chapter 7

One of the great marvels surrounding Jesus’ birth was the fact of His virgin conception.

But how could a virgin be with child and bear a son? Luke explains: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you [Mary], and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35, NKJV). Was this impossible? No, “For with God nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37).

“Here is my question: What does it mean to state that ‘homosexuality is sinful’? Is this a discussion of homosexual orientation or of sexual behavior?” - Terry Mattingly

“The success of ‘Mary Did You Know?’ is a miracle to the songwriter, three decades later.” - CToday

Related (RNS): ‘Mary Did You Know’ writer Mark Lowry good-natured over song’s controversy

“The nail, which sticks out a few centimeters on each side of the heel bone, was initially noticed shortly after the discovery [2017], but media reports say the association with crucifixion was not determined until recently.” - BPNews

“Gorsuch’s argument boils down to claiming that the mandates are not generally applicable….That means, according to the court’s latest interpretation, that such laws can’t treat ‘any comparable secular activity more favorably than religious exercise.’” - RNS

“When cutting church staff, I’ve heard of cases in which people were pushed out because of their age. Additionally, when hiring, many churches are overt in their search for ministry candidates. ‘We want someone young!’” - CPost

“…though a declining share of Americans say they want to live in cities, fewer people moved out of them last year than in the period before the COVID-19 pandemic began.” - Pew

This is from the first draft of my book The Words of the Covenant: New Testament Continuity. Read the series.

In the halftime show at the Faith Christmas Classic basketball tournament on December 11, the FBBC announcer interviewed Mr. Mark Davis, Vice-President of Enrollment and Student Life at Faith Baptist Bible College. The announcer asked Mr. Davis to tell the audience about the remarkable growth Faith has experienced recently, and to talk about the institution’s future, should he desire.

“Haitian police said the hostages were safe, but details of their condition were not revealed. The violent 400 Mawozo gang had demanded $1 million per hostage, but it is not clear whether any ransom was paid for their release.” - BPNews

Related: Free at Last: All 17 Missionaries Kidnapped in Haiti Have Been Released

“In the public spat between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, who would American evangelicals support? A new survey suggests it might be the Israeli.” - CToday

“… Endgame: The Church’s Strategic Move to Save Faith and Family in America, a new book by John Van Epp and J.P. De Gance… they point out that most ‘churches currently allocate almost no capital or energy either to marriage ministry or to ministry for relationship health.’” - IFS