Youth Pastor Bae, one of the two men killed by the Muslim kidnappers in Afghanistan, died a martyr. Recent revelations have confirmed that the reason Bae was killed (and the other Christian men beaten) was that they refused to convert to Islam or to partake in the Muslim prayers. We can give thanks to God... Continue Reading →
Certainty the Problem
There is a bit of a ruffle now over the status of Mother Teresa. Just at the time her canonization to sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church seemed certain, out comes this book of her letters confessing her deep doubts about God [The book may not be in print just yet]. The authors of the... Continue Reading →
If I Were a Muslim
They have been called naïve. Their plan was labeled both reckless and ill-conceived. Their work incited deep anger and resentment from their fellow citizens. Their government is considering forcing them to pay $20 million in recuperation costs. Yet, they were the victims of kidnapping, held hostage for more than 6 weeks, and forced to watch... Continue Reading →
Service Yes, Church No
According to the story below, many young aspiring ministers are—like the rest of the culture—opting out of “institutional” churches and finding other ways of ministering, whether it be as chaplains or para-church leaders, etc. They are disillusioned by the conflicts, hypocrisy, and turmoil abundant in local, American churches. Sadly, many [mis]guidance counselors are pointing them... Continue Reading →
To Pray or Not to Pray?
OK, let’s say you are the local prayer team coordinator at your church. You find out about a community-wide prayer service for the youth in your area. Local religious leaders are asking you and your church to join with other churches and other faiths to have an open prayer service, meaning all faiths are being... Continue Reading →
SoCal Pastor Unleashes the Psalms
What are we to make of this SoCal Southern Baptist pastor? Earlier this month, this pastor endorsed Mike Huckabee (who I think is a great candidate, too, by the way), and the Americans United for Separation of Church and State went immediately running to the IRS bulldogs, seeking an investigation into possible violations of tax-exempt... Continue Reading →
Is This Good News?
The Muslims who have been holding 19 Christian volunteers as hostages have agreed to release them after coming to an agreement with the government of South Korea. That, in a sense, is good news. Of course, we are all elated that the Christians may be free to return to their families. But something about these... Continue Reading →
Gays and Greens
Jim Naugle has himself in a bind. He is the mayor of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and he has taken a stand against promoting the homosexual lifestyle. He believes the prevalence of homosexual interaction on the beaches is hurting the community and its image. The local visitors and tourism department disagrees. They have levied their own... Continue Reading →
No Fear in Love
What would you do if you were the leader of a missions agency and your government asked you to take all of your missionaries out of a certain country for safety purposes? This is the situation the Korean Baptist Mission Board is facing, as the government has requested they pull all workers from Afghanistan in light... Continue Reading →
All Nations? Really?
According to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18-20), Christians, as they are going, are to make disciples of all nations. This command is rooted in the sovereign authority of Christ: All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Christ. So, in faithfulness to the Great Commission, Christians in Korea are sending out missionaries... Continue Reading →
Man of Mercy Intolerable
According to Gospel for Asia, four of their missionaries in India were severely beaten last week by anti-Christian activists. In this case, the violence is believed to have come from Hindu fundamentalists. The missionaries were showing an Indian made film on the life of Christ called Man of Mercy. Sadly, but not surprisingly (2 Tim 3:12;... Continue Reading →
To Lie or Not to Lie
Blackberries and PDA’s of all sorts have reportedly made it easier for Americans to lie. One PDA manufacturer has made this ease-of-lying component a “staple” of its advertising. Perhaps, you have seen the ads where the boss is asking where a report is, and the person replies, “finishing up right now,” then proceeds to text... Continue Reading →
God Out, Kevlar In
Since the ‘60’s, God has routinely been taken out of the public schoolroom. As obedience to a higher authority has been drained from the classrooms, the search for order has filled administrators days with one attempt after another to get control: tolerance instruction, diversity training, school uniforms, school counselors, stricter “gun-free” laws. Now, the ultimate... Continue Reading →
Should Christians Call God “Allah”?
A certain bishop in the Netherlands believes that we should. I have two comments to make before you read the article below. First, there are Christians in the Middle East who refer to God as “Allah,” just because it happens to be general word for “God” in the native language they are speaking. We would... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 