Applied Theology
I was minding my own business, just making the regular afternoon pilgrimage to the men’s room. Out of nowhere, a colleague popped in and asked me a most unexpected question: “Are you upset with how the world is responding to our new president? I bet you’re unnerved by the way the world thinks he’s a... Continue Reading →
According to Jesus, discipleship begins with complete allegiance to Him as Lord. Even the bond of familial love must yield to the eternal relationship of divine love accomplished for us in Christ! Shockingly, Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers... Continue Reading →
A good and thoughtful friend of mine recently asked whether I thought journalist James Foley should be called a martyr. In general, the question would be whether American journalists who profess to be Christians are martyrs when they are killed in Muslim lands. I am actually uncomfortable asking and answering such questions while the matter... Continue Reading →
Thank you all so much for your willingness to stand with our brothers and sisters in Iraq. Many of you have been using the Arabic “N” symbol below on your Facebook or Twitter profile to show your concern for Christians being targeted for extortion and/or extinction by soldiers of the Islamic State of Iraq and... Continue Reading →
Since my friend Don Whitney posted a Tweet about this incident in Somalia, I have been unable to stop thinking about the sober reality of Christian faith. The world hated Jesus Christ when He ministered among men. And the world hates him still. There is a robust theological heritage in Christianity which asserts that humans... Continue Reading →
As the founder of a ministry to the persecuted church, I am well aware of the serious degree to which Christians are suffering from North Korea around the globe and back to Malaysia. In Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, Christians are routinely beaten, imprisoned, or killed because their faith in Jesus Christ cannot stay... Continue Reading →
I just read this devastating account of a couple in Lahore, Pakistan, who killed their 16 year old daughter because she was talking to a young man. In many Shariah-compliant Muslim communities, parents are driven to kill their children (almost always their daughters) in order supposedly to preserve the honor of the Muslim family. As... 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 →
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 →
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 →
The Apostle Paul once lamented the fact that he was guilty of throwing women into prison (Acts 22:4). Though it is politically incorrect to say, it is also patently obvious to see that women are, according to the Scriptures, the “weaker vessel.” As the typically more physically dominant of the two sexes, the man (again,... Continue Reading →
Earlier in the week, I noted how the largest American mosque is equivocating on free speech. Now, two more stories have erupted which keep the issue on the table of concern for anyone who cares about basic human rights. First, the U. N. Secretary General (Ban ki-moon) asserted that stringent limits should be placed on... Continue Reading →
Well it is good to hear the largest mosque in America speaking out against the violence Muslims are perpetrating around the globe. Al Qazwini, imam at the Dearborn mosque, has even stated that Muslims cannot tolerate killing. Yet, even with this ostensible condemnation of Muslim violence, Al Qazwini offers three very troubling remarks for those... Continue Reading →
Chris Stevens and three other U.S. Embassy officials are dead. Murdered. Who did it? According to most journalists, a movie did it. I’ve watched a great many “Who Done It” movies, but I think this is the first time the movie “done it.” How can a movie kill? In the twisted logic of news outlets... Continue Reading →
Are Muslims in Denver taking us back to the Reconstruction days of Plessy v. Ferguson? Americans instinctively recoil nowadays at the thought of “separate but equal” laws. How can we possibly single out a group of Americans based on their skin color, ethnic background, or religious preference? Such separation denies basic freedoms inherent in... Continue Reading →
Gregory C. Cochran 