Applied Theology
As a child, I believed in Santa. As my age rose into the higher single digits, I began to realize that something wasn’t adding up with the Santa Claus story. I don’t remember my age, but it was definitely before age 10, when I realized that Santa had some parental help. Here is how it... Continue Reading →
I went to bed late but arose early, hoping against all hope that my waking would prove the nightmare of President Obama’s reelection to have been just a bad dream. But it was not a bad dream; it was a bad reality, a sad statement about the soul of our once great nation. I am... Continue Reading →
The targeted killing of Christians continues in Nigeria. As we have seen before, Boko Haram is well financed and likely well connected. They are continuing to carry out attacks on a routine basis. This past week, they attacked St. Rita Church in Kaduna state by driving an SUV loaded with explosives through a wall of... Continue Reading →
Are there any pro-life Democrats left in America? After the Democrat cave-in which came during the passage of Obamacare, and after the concomitant HHS mandate requiring contraception and abortifacient drugs be covered by all health insurance programs, the answer would seem to be an emphatic, “No!” The national platform of the Democrat party calls more... Continue Reading →
As adults, we are in the proper habit of assuming that our role is to teach kids rather than to learn from them. This habit is indeed proper because kindergarten would be chaos if the kids ruled the classroom. High school kids would produce only slightly less chaos (or maybe even more). No doubt, children... Continue Reading →
Christians in Egypt are glorious. Or, more precisely, Christ is being glorified through the lives of Christians in Egypt. Since the so-called “Arab spring,” which toppled Hosni Mubarak and other leaders throughout the Middle East, Egypt has become increasingly more hostile to freedom and more open to Islamic rule. As a result, Christians... Continue Reading →
Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review Online has recently conducted an interview with Samuel "Dub" Oliver concerning the recent court filing by East Texas Baptist University against the Health and Human Services mandate in Obamacare. I have listed just a snippet from the interview so you can get a feel for the motive behind this... Continue Reading →
For more than a century, Christians have been stretched by the tension of a fundamentalist strand on one side and the evangelical strand on the other, each pulling backwards against the other like a rubber band being pulled apart by two opposing hands. The result has indeed been tension. On the one hand, the fundamentalists... Continue Reading →
The Family Research Council is calling on Christians to pray for those who are filing lawsuits against the Health and Human Services mandate. The mandate—which is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)--states that all employers must provide “preventative” care to all women. The word “preventative” must be put in quotes because... Continue Reading →
Usually, I love debating theology and the finer points of Christian doctrine. I am a pastor and a professor; I am supposed to love such things. But there is one aspect of doctrine that tends to provoke my inner Mike Tyson. I go nuts whenever I see or hear some modern day prophet spewing... Continue Reading →
Steve Jobs died one year ago. The value of his life and the effects of his ideas will remain with us for decades. Steve Jobs was one of the most creative guys who ever lived. But he is not the only techno-creator of our lifetime. I thought it might be encouraging for us to... Continue Reading →
Last week, I asked if preachers ought to pick a fight with the IRS. Today, I want to revisit the issue and ask for more feedback. I have linked here an article from Baptist Press, which explains why an overwhelming majority of pastors support the IRS code forbidding pastors from endorsing candidates for political office.... Continue Reading →
My posts recently have shown a growing concern for the loss of religious freedom in America. Unfortunately, the trend away from liberty is global. Since 2008, the number of countries with severe restrictions on religious liberty has increased by 23 percent, according to the extensive new study recently released by the Pew Forum on... Continue Reading →
Just this week, Christians—including women and children—have been killed in Nigeria on account of Christ. In all, more than 600 Christians have been killed this year. Perhaps nowhere on earth is more dangerous for Christians right now than northern Nigeria. Christianity is not safe in Nigeria Emboldened by a Muslim plurality in the north,... Continue Reading →
There are two major stories whose trajectories are coalescing toward a permanent loss of religious liberty in the United States. The first story is the on-going saga known affectionately as Obamacare. The second story is more subtle, under the radar, but perhaps more damaging in its scope. It is the story of code enforcement. Let... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 