Culture

I invite you for just a moment to step with me into one of the great iconic movie scenes ever: “The Battle of Thermopylae.” I’m specifically talking about the fight scene in the movie “300” in which a handful of Spartans defend a small piece of territory for three days against the formidable Persian army. This scene is when the great King Leonidas inspires his men for the inevitable battle to the death they will soon engage. “This is where we hold! This is where we fight!” K

Whenever there is disagreement on an important topic, one often played strategy is to claim the moral high ground. Morality is like the trump card of debates and so every side is eager to show why their position is more moral than the other’s. Whether it is in philosophy, politics, or even whose turn it is to go next on the playground, morality plays a big part in the decisions we make. A common response to a moral argument, instead of addressing the moral grounds of a given

Note: Originally, I wrote this as a sister article to a piece I put out on MLK last year entitled, “Dr. King: Freedom & Free Thinking” ; however, it ended up not being released at that time. So, I figured I would dust this article off and put it out there. Enjoy! When I was a kid my parents were very serious about us being grounded in God’s Word and knowledgeable of black history. I remember being around 11 years old and hearing my dad lecture me about how no matter what th

Every year I resolve to have the best Christmas ever, and every year I’m disappointed. It’s my own fault, though, because I set my expectations so high. I just love the season so much - the lights, the music, everything. I can’t ever get enough. So I think that more of everything  is going to make this Christmas the best one ever. And I’m not the only one. It’s truly the season of More . Kids want to receive more toys than last year. Businesses want to make more money. Peopl

Question Dear Tim, My heart hurts with this whole Ford vs Kavanaugh deal. Something I can’t wrap my mind around is how 99% of people are 100% sure they know what happened. It’s a scary thing for me to consider either possibility and the precedent each sets: 1) an innocent man’s life/family/career is destroyed because of a false accusation 2) a victim of sexual assault gets no justice and is called a liar because she can’t produce evidence I watched both testimonies. Both

It is amazing how movies and comics often shed light on philosophical and theological issues. One specific topic regularly addressed in pop culture is known as the "free will debate." Some philosophers and theologians affirm a view called determinism and state that we never have genuine freedom (an ability) to choose between a range of options compatible with human nature. When a person believes that things other than the person causally determine all things about the person,

The Marvel Movie franchise is arguably the most epic enterprise in movie history. The series has a number of stand-out characters, however, two stand out more than the others. In fact, their differences stand in such firm relief so as to culminate in a film where they were driven toe-to-toe whilst still harboring a slight underlying sense of respect for one to another. These characters are, of course, Iron Man and Captain America. When an actor takes the stage, the first qu

Critical theory is an ideology that is rapidly growing in influence: in the social justice movement, in academia, and in the culture at large. If you’ve ever been told that men cannot make statements about the morality of abortion, or that you should never challenge someone’s ‘lived experience,’ or that you are suffering from ‘internalized oppression,’ then you’ve encountered ideas that are rooted in critical theory.  In this brief essay, I’ll outline the basic tenets of crit

Protestors. Death threats. Misleading newspaper articles. In the days leading up to a talk I was doing on campus at North Carolina State University last year, the environment consistently became increasingly hostile. I was simply speaking about my story of struggling with sexuality issues, and how God’s overwhelming grace had rescued my soul. Why the hostility from the LGBT community on campus? It was because my very existence is a threat to the foundation on which they have

There’s a critical gender gap problem in America: Christianity’s gender gap . Men attend church far less than women. Why? There are many reasons, from weak, whiny worship to emotions-based sermons. Church isn’t masculine, so men don’t go. So what’s the solution? Churches create “manly” ministries and boot camps, involving sports and YELLING and other macho stuff. Now, as great as these can be to help form relationships with other Christian men, many men’s ministries are onl

2017 was a good year for apologetics. Here's a recap of all of the resources that we have reviewed throughout the year: The Story of Reality by Gregory Koukl - The year began with a fantastic book by Greg Koukl, head of Stand to Reason. Greg outlines how the Christian story is the view of reality that best matches things the way they really are. Highly recommended for both committed Christian and seeker alike. A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Ku

Today I signed the  Nashville Statement , which was written by the  Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood . Through fourteen articles, the Nashville Statement clarifies the biblical standard for marriage and gender.  It seeks to contradict where our culture stands verses the biblical truth which has long been part of orthodoxy tradition for God’s creation. It brings clarity and sets boundaries.  The statement was initially signed by dozens of Christian pastors, leaders,

This past October 31st marked the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation sparked by Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door at the Church in Wittenberg. Luther realized that the church had completely "gone off the rails" and was not in line with the original teaching of Christ found in the New Testament. He demanded a reformation back to the teachings of Jesus Christ. This past October 31st was also marred by an Islamic terror attack in New York City. The 2

Okay, we covered quite a bit of ground in the first two parts of this mini-series and now we’re sliding into home plate. In the first article, I presented the idea that the biblical worldview provides a more substantive foundation for identity than the race-centric view of identity which appeared to be at the root of the riots in Charlottesville a few weeks ago. Our first step toward engaging my central claim was to review how the concept of race in our society does not align

In the first article of this mini-series, Charlottesville (Pt. 1): Of Blood and Soil, we explored the relationship between race and identity. I introduced the idea that the biblical worldview provides a more solid foundation for identity than one’s race. Our main premise was that the race-centric identity concept which in many ways define our society is ultimately grounded in subjective claims we make about ourselves and one another rather than objective truth’s about the wor

Not even a month ago America’s attention was seized by the violent and racially charged events that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia. Reportedly, the citizens of Charlottesville voted to have a statue of Confederate icon, Gen. Robert E. Lee, removed from a public park. In response to this decision, an angry band of neo-Nazis, Klansmen, other assorted hate groups, along with more garden variety white supremacists descended upon the Charlottesville courthouse with tiki t

Continuing with the final subject in my series on the most influential of America's founders (see Washington , Jefferson , Franklin , and Madison ), consider some quotes from John Adams either from our founding period (1776-1789) or referring back to it. Here is a letter from Adams to Thomas Jefferson, 28 June, 1813: The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence, were ... the general principles of Christianity, in which all those sects were united, and th

James Madison, like several other founding fathers, wrote some things that didn't sound very Christian later in his life, but during the founding was solidly Christian. As any good judge will tell you, the meaning of civil agreements like constitutions depends on what the writers intended at the time they wrote it; not on what they wrote thirty years later. Just as it would be fallacious to say "Ronald Reagan was a Republican movie star" (he was actually a Democrat during tha

It seems commonplace today for entire groups of people to be painted with a broad brushstroke and labeled as being afraid or fearful. The word "phobia" or "phobic" is often attached to the end of another word which is supposed to represent a group who is scared of other people. So, what does it mean to be "phobic"? Consider Merriam Webster's  definition of phobia: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation Ox

Christ Church Burial Ground is the final resting place of Benjamin Franklin and his wife. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here. Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin considered himself as a Christian during the founding of the United States, but experimented with other religions (such as Deism) during other times of his life. His writings at these other times have apparently confused people like Richard Dawkins and Mitch Kahle into assuming this