Applied Theology
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 →
One of the great advantages of reading news online is the benefit of immediate feedback. The comment section is like an instant collection of letters to the editor. While reading through such comments recently, I came across an all-too-common refrain: “Stop killing in the name of god. If religious zealots could just learn tolerance, we’d... 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 →
A recent editorial is making news in Malaysia. According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), the Umno government in Malaysia is making scapegoats of Christians in order to turn attention away from their own failures. The original scapegoat (Azazel of Leviticus 16) was an innocent goat who had the sins of Israel put upon its head... 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 three years now, I have had an unsettling fear that religious liberty in America is on the wane. Turns out, I am not alone. A movement is afoot among state legislatures across the country. According to Baptist Press, there is a plan in place to have caucuses for religious freedom in every... 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 →
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has just released a new study concerning the increase of "Nones." What they mean by that is that there is a rise in the number of people not affiliating with any religion at all. Overall, the study shows that we are still (at least nominally) a Judeo-Christian... 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 →
Are human beings exceptional? Is there something about humans which makes them intrinsically superior to dogs or ants or even poisonous stinkweed? If you saw my post yesterday, then you will already know the answer is, “Yes!” Human beings are intrinsically of greater value than weeds and wildlife. Jesus once told His followers, “Do not... 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 →
In his recent U.N. address, President Barack Obama boldly prophesied that the future would belong to those who do not insult the prophet Muhamad. I both hope and suspect his is a false prophecy. The problem with his approach is that it is impossible. Exploring the question of what insults the prophet Mohammed yields answers... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 