joel's thoughts

Just came across a list of ground rules some guy came up with (I’m guessing the result of direct experience) for anyone on either side of a debate on Christianity. This should be required reading for anyone considering stepping in the ring… (H/T: ThinkChristian)

Greg Kouki of Stand to Reason writes a pretty compelling response both to James Cameron’s Discovery Channel piece about the “Lost Tomb of Jesus” and to believers who immediately got their teeth a-gnashing at the very suggestion: Look, if the Bible says it and you believe it, that might settle it for you, but it […]

Fascinating review over at Implications (from the Trinity Forum) of a book suggesting that before the influences of Buddhism, Christianity, or Islam, ancient China had an understanding of (and respect for) a monotheistic, sustaining creator God with moral attributes strikingly similar to Israel’s Yahweh, in direct contradiction to the general assumption that Christianity is solely […]

If you’ve been wondering what’s been happening with Vedat, the Serbian boy we brought over for surgery on his back, check here for the latest. God is faithful, and there is no doubt in my mind he has plans for this boy!

For disappearing acts, it’s hard to beat what happens to the eight hours supposedly left after eight of sleep and eight of work.-Doug Larson, Olympic Gold Medalist (1902-1981)

You’ve probably seen the web ads around Christmas time from orgs like World Vision asking you to “buy a goat” or some such for your loved ones. Of course it’s in name only, as you’re donating the appropriate amount in your loved one’s name to enable the organization to provide a goat for a poor […]

On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Diana Butler Bass takes a look at where the politics of abortion stand today (hint: not very far from where they stood thirty years ago), why the church bears some responsibility for that, and what in her view needs to change. A thought-provoking, challenging piece, and well worth […]

Ever since Lawrence v. Texas, in which the Supreme Court essentially told the government to stay out of the bedroom, there has been speculation that other…shall we say, “non-mainstream” lifestyles would start lining up at the “Be Accepted Now!” window. As the Washington Post reports this morning, polygamists are piping up right on cue. And […]

The UK Telegraph has Part 2 of Christopher Monckton’s take on global warming, in which he addresses proposed and potential responses (i.e., “so what do we do now?”). George Monbiot over at The Guardian has provided an attempted debunking. “Debunking” because he raises several valid points and provides enough information to bring the certainty in […]

I know this is two posts in one day (am I allowed?), but I just came across this site and I had to pass it on. Family Life, Focus on the Family, Shaohannah’s Hope, and some fifty other organizations are partnering together this month to launch the Voice of the Orphan campaign to raise awareness […]