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News

Saturday Selections – Feb. 14, 2026

Reformed and Dangerous's Mortification of Sin

Reformer John Owen returns... with reverb. (And you can get the shirt here.)

The mysterious power of male sexuality

Tim Challies on how male sexuality – often portrayed as purely problem by the world and even Christians – was originally made good by God, and does indeed have a powerful good purpose.

The truth about Tumbler Ridge

When a killer murdered 8 people, injured 25 more, and then murdered himself in the small northern BC town of Tumbler Ridge this past week, the media was quick to make points about guns, but not about the elephant in the room – that the killer was a man who claimed to be a woman. We can call it mentally ill, but we shouldn't lose sight of it simply being wicked, and it is a wicked society that reinforces this. As Samuel Sey noted, "A society that encourages trans people to not value the bodies that God gave them shouldn’t expect them to value the bodies that God gave to others." There is something going on here with trans-identifying shooters becoming increasingly common, and again, Samuel Sey says what few others are willing to notice:

“A 2022 Quebec study reveals that transgender youth are the most likely group to support violent radicalization. When we encourage people to identify as victims, vengeance and violence are inevitable.”

Rev. Jim Witteveen is another who is noticing. He has noticed that the evolution of transvestism from pathology to a lifestyle that must be always honored (even when you've murdered 9) shows "the entire worldview of modern psychiatry is built on shifting sand. There is no stability to it. It has no foundation in reality."

The necessary gift of dependence

The author writes as someone who is wheelchair bound, struggling with his dependence on others, but realizing that all of us are, always and forever, entirely dependent on God. And we are, even in our dependence, still used by Him to help others.

How to guide your children through the Digital Age

The algorithm is shaping your kids. You can help them resist by:

teaching them to ask "what message is this digital media trying to communicate?" Help them spot the worldview being pushed.
reclaiming the silence in your own life and showing them how it can be done. We don't need constant distraction.
helping them see through the online identity trap. You are not how many followers you have.

Parents need to model it, if we're going to pass it on.

Making complementarianism work...

This gent offers up quite a good quick overview of headship in marriage.

History

Carried

Listen to me, you descendants of Jacob, all the remnant of the people of Israel, you whom I have upheld since your birth, and have carried since yo...

Assorted

The definition of patience

Patience. It’s a word we would never bother looking up in the dictionary because we already understand its meaning. But sometimes a well-known word ...

News

Saturday Selections – Feb. 7, 2026

Is the Church the true Israel? It's R.C. Sproul vs. John MacArthur in the epic rap battle that they surely must have had at one of those Ligonier con...

Theology

Proverbs: a different sort of devotional

“Do you have a devotional that you would recommend?” I get asked this question in various forms from time to time, and I think my answer someti...

Book Reviews, Children’s fiction

Britfield & the Lost Crown

by C.R Stewart 2019 / 383 pages Rating: GOOD Tom is a 12-year-old orphan living in Oliver Twist kind of conditions, though this story is set in modern-day. In his workhouse/orphanage kids aren't known by their names, just by numbers, and every one of them is expected to build furniture for the greedy owners to sell. The adventure begins when Tom's friend Sarah – one of the most trouble-free of the children – is sent to solitude for 30 days. Tom doesn't think she can manage it, so he starts planning her escape. All the kids are in on it; they can't all escape, but if they can just get Sarah, and Tom with her, out of this place, then the two of them can go for help! But when the escape is a success the chase starts. For some reason Tom and Sarah don't understand it seems like all of Britain is after them, and it isn't just the police. There seems to be some kind of killer on their trail too! So this is a jailbreak, cross-country chase, mystery with Tom and Sarah always, always on the run. Cautions The only caution I can think of is that Tom and Sarah do things we wouldn't want our kids doing – stealing a hot air balloon, running from the police, and lying to train conductors to name just a few – but Tom and Sarah are also in a situation our kids aren't in. This pair doesn't know who they can trust, and to this point, everyone they've known who was supposed to be protecting them wasn't. Both the police and a stone-cold killer are after them, and they have reason to believe that former may even be in league with the latter. So a little sneakiness to save their lives is appropriate. I'll also note that an Anglican archbishop is given a positive portrayal here. That's how it is put – an archbishop, but he turns out to be the Archbishop of Canterbury, the closest thing the Anglicans have to a pope and for the last many years he, and now she, has been a leading liberal figure. However, the one in the book is portrayed as a wise old man who has a brief role in helping the children and that stands in sharp contrast to the last three in office, who have been neither wise nor all that old, so I don't think the author is trying to promote liberalism here. Conclusion Britfield & the Lost Crown is the first of what's currently a 4-book series, with plans for another 3. I've only read the first at this point, and it's good with enough action to keep kids entertained. But I will note, this wasn't a favorite for me – my kids definitely liked it more than I did. That's okay, as I'm not the target audience. But for any dads thinking about using this for a read-aloud, I'll share my frustration with the book's many "Tom Swifties" – unnecessary dialogue tags the author insisted on adding in everywhere. "...said Tom with pride" "...Sarah said optimistically..." "...said Tom worriedly" "...said Sarah transfixed." "...said Tom optimistically" It's the sort of thing you'd just breeze over as a reader but it does get annoying if you're reading it out loud. Add to that, the book is sometimes choppy and what you have is something on the Hardy Boys level. So, not great literature, but a solid adventure that many kids will just rip through and ask for more. The marketing for this book is downright amazing – the front pages are filled with all sorts of book club recommendations and readers' choice awards. And I spotted a Christian writer giving it a nod too, which had me do a little digging on the spiritual background of the author. I think he's Christian. The book is very clean language-wise so that's another reason to suspect. And Tom and Sarah are both brave and resourceful kids. So, lots to appreciate. But my kids will have to read the rest of it on their own - their dad is not interest in picking up book #2. Check out the book trailer below. ...

Christian education - Sports, Theology

God and the 2014-15 Seattle Seahawks

All about God’s sovereignty, Man’s free will, and American football ***** When the editor suggested I write a piece about American Football, I was a little taken aback. Firstly, this did seem like an odd subject for a magazine like Reformed Perspective. “But still,” I thought, “I suppose we can hardly claim on the one hand that Christ is Lord over all of life, then on the other hand rule American Football as being off-limits.” The second reason was even more fundamental. I’m a Brit. And not a Brit that has any love, let alone knowledge of American Football. In fact, I’ll put my cards on the table right now: the game has about as much fascination for me as the game of cricket probably has to the average US Football fan – that is to say none whatsoever. So I was relieved as I read through the editor’s request to find that the American Football bit was somewhat incidental, and I was not being asked to spend hours watching old Giants vs. 49ers games on YouTube. Rather, the request was to try and make some sort of sense of comments made by Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks quarterback, after his side’s victory over the Green Bay Packers in January (2015), which sent Seattle to the Superbowl. The most improbable of comebacks For those not familiar with what happened, with less than four minutes left in the game and trailing 19-7, the Seahawks staged a dramatic recovery, tying the game to take it into overtime, before going on to win 28-22. What was especially amazing was that the Seahawks’ quarterback, Russell Wilson, went from playing one of the worst games of his life, throwing four interceptions, to scoring three touchdowns in the game’s final 6 minutes. Wilson then caused a stir with his post-match comments when he was asked to explain how his team has gone from being down and out without any hope to being victorious a few minutes later: "That's God setting it up, to make it so dramatic, so rewarding, so special." Of course, this set the whole Twittersphere afluttering with many ridiculing his claim. It also set off a series of articles on the web with titles like, “Does God play a role in picking the winning team?” What are our options? So what should we make of Wilson’s comments? I think we have to break our answer into two parts, one of which deals with the general question of God’s relationship with His creation, and the other which deals with the more specific question of whether He intervened in this particular instance. The first and more general question is basically a question about the nature of God’s sovereignty, and I think the best way to look at this is to examine all the other possible answers that could have been given as to whether God really did intervene to make the match so dramatic. These positions are: God has nothing to do with Seattle Seahawks games because there is no God. God has nothing to do with Seattle Seahawks games because He does not deal directly with the created order. Although God is sovereign, He has nothing to do with Seattle Seahawks games because He could care less about US Football. God has everything to do with Seattle Seahawks games, foreordaining their results, and so when Wilson threw his interceptions, that was because of God’s direct “interception.” God has everything to do with Seattle Seahawks games, foreordaining their results, yet he does so in such a way that does not involve the kind of direct intervention Wilson suggests We can further categorize these positions as follows: God is in control of nothing because he is not there (Atheistic). God created the universe, winding it up like a watch, and then left it to its own devices (Deistic) God has created the universe, but He is only interested in “spiritual things” (Pietistic) God is sovereign and controls everything that happens, to the extent that no-one has free will (Ultra Sovereignty) God is sovereign and is involved in everything, yet in such a way that man has liberty to act and to make choices (Sovereignty) Narrowing it down I trust that readers of Reformed Perspective can see that both the first two positions are highly illogical, not to mention unbiblical. It is highly illogical to believe that something came from nothing – and by that I really mean nothing: no time, no space, no matter – not to mention also believing that the something was then capable of organizing and sustaining itself into an amazingly complex order. It is also highly irrational to believe that a creator would go to the trouble of creating an amazingly complex order, only to walk away with total disinterest, leaving it to itself. What of position three? It actually turns out to be quite odd, since it refutes the very claim it makes. Those who hold to this position tend to be loud about the “sovereignty of God,” yet they then extend this sovereignty to include about 0.000000001% of the universe that God created. Well, if God is sovereign, He is sovereign over all creation and so the idea that He cares nothing for certain parts of His creation – especially “physical things” – is a denial of His sovereignty. What of positions four and five? They actually share many things in common. Both agree that God is sovereign over all things, including Seattle Seahawks games. Both agree that God foreordains the results of Seahawks games. Both agree that God upholds all the players involved and without this the game could not have been played, let alone played out so dramatically. Yet the difference is that whilst the fourth point understands this to mean that God controls everything, down to the last interception, and so basically micromanages His creation, which seems to me to be closer to Greek fatalism than biblical Christianity, the fifth view understands this in a way that retains God’s sovereignty, but also insists on man’s “free will.” Personally I take the fifth view to be the correct one. Free will?!? I realize that this might spook some readers. “We don’t have free will,” some might say, “as we lost it in the Fall.” My response is as follows. What we lost when Adam sinned was communion with God, righteousness, holiness and spiritual life, so that we need to be saved, and have no free will to choose salvation. We are by nature dead in trespasses and sins – as dead spiritually as Lazarus in the grave was physically – and as you know, dead people can’t bring themselves to life. However, this is not the same as saying that we lost our ability to make choices in all other areas of life, though of course those choices will be dictated by our sinful hearts. So as I sit here typing, did God foreordain it? Yes. Am I doing it out of free will? Yes. This seems impossible and counter-intuitive, but then He is an "impossible and counter-intuitive" God. Here is how chapter three of the Westminster Confession puts it: "God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass; yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established." This is a grand and frankly amazing statement. The God it presents is infinitely bigger than our imaginations can grasp. Look at it like this. Can you imagine a God who sets up the world and then gives perfect free will to his creatures so that He doesn’t know what is going to happen next and can’t control it? Yes, I can easily imagine Him. What about a God who unchangeably ordains whatsoever comes to pass, and does so by micro-managing every single detail to the nth degree? Yep, I can get my head around Him too. But what about a God who unchangeably ordains whatsoever comes to pass, yet does so without infringing on the liberty of His creatures to make choices of their own “free will”? I must confess that I am unable to comprehend such a God, or to understand how this is possible, but then again I have no understanding of how a universe can be spoken into existence either, or how the eternal Son of God can become a baby. Such things are too high for me, and I accept them by faith. What I am suggesting is that God is neither a deist God who is uninvolved in His creation, nor a pietistic God who is sovereign over a tiny portion of His creation, nor is He a micromanager who manages every aspect of it in the kind of minute details we understand by micromanaging. Rather, He is in sovereign control, upholds everything by the Word of His mouth, foreordains all things, yet does so in such a way that He is not in the business of micromanaging Russell Wilson’s passes. Conclusion But moving on to the second question, couldn’t He do that if He wanted? Doesn’t God intervene in His creation? Of course He does, and the Bible is full of instances of His interventions in human affairs. But the question is not whether He can intervene, but rather did He intervene in this specific instance? The question here hinges to a large extent on just how much priority God puts on the results of American Football games. Now as someone who upholds the sovereignty of God in everything, and the Lordship of Christ over everything, I understand that God cares about all of His creation and this includes American Football. But is this the same as saying that He cares about it to the extent that He is prepared to intervene to “change the result” and give the watching audience a good time? Emphatically no. Pietists (number three in the positions mentioned above) often want to reduce the things God cares about to “spiritual things” such as salvation, worship, prayer and Bible-reading, with everything else reduced to nought. Then over in the other ditch, there are others who want to flatten everything to make out that God cares for all things equally. This is not so. Just as we hierarchies of importance in our lives, it is fairly clear from the Bible that God has hierarchies of interest and importance. Yes, He is interested in American Football, in that He created the players, gave them the ability to play what is essentially a perfectly okay game (well cricket is better of course), and in that He calls on man to do things with all their might and for the glory of God. However, this is not the same as saying that He is interested enough in it to intervene in a game to make the game more exciting and give everyone a good time (except of course for Green Bay fans). In conclusion, though God cares about His entire creation, and though He ordained the surprising events and the result in the match between the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, I think Russell Wilson would have a hard time making a Scriptural case that God intervenes directly in such matters. This was originally published in the March 2015 issue under the title "God and the Seahawks."...

RP is looking for a Managing Editor!

Are you looking for a meaningful and long-term career where you can devote your time to equipping Christians to think, speak, and act like Christ? With thankfulness to God, the Reformed Perspective Foundation is looking to expand our team and mission with a significant new role: MANAGING EDITOR (FULL TIME) This new role will serve as the operational backbone of the team. He or she will keep all of RP’s content moving seamlessly from start to finish. A key function will be to ensure content is published in a timely way and blesses as many people as possible through a variety of mediums. Depending on qualifications and experience, we also welcome assistance with creating content (e.g. journalism or video production). The goal for the successful candidate is to work towards serving as the “integrator” for the RP team, as modeled in the Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS). He or she will help enable RP to achieve our long-term goal of expanding our reach to the USA, Australia, and the broader Christian community in Canada. We are looking for someone who is: Excited about devoting their life to advance our core purpose (helping Christians to think, speak, and act in Christ); Is fully committed to furthering our core values: Biblical: faithful to God’s Word and the Reformed confessions; Inspiring: a catalyst for action and a connecting to hearts Real: applying God’s Word to the nitty gritty of life Celebratory: Christ is LORD and has already won! Very organized and efficient; Excellent with utilizing technology; Comfortable with managing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS); A great communicator, including with people who work remotely; Friendly and kind while being able to ensure things get done; Self-motivated; Humble; Looking to serve long-term (ideally a minimum of 5 years). The position will report to the Executive Editor, Mark Penninga. Duties will include: Work towards managing the RP team processes/systems, including running meetings and ensuring goals are being tracked and met; Ensure content submissions are received, thanked, and followed-up; Schedule content deadlines; Assigns tasks and deadlines to writers, editors, designers, and fact-checkers and ensure they are kept; Develops creative ways to make content go further through new technology and other mediums (electronic, audio, video, etc.); Oversee roll-out of contests/presentations/conferences (to fit with organizational schedule); Tracks analytics of all content; As much as possible, proactively guard the organization from censorship and similar challenges; Depending on qualifications, assist with content production (writing, podcasting, video production, etc.). Salary/wage: Open to negotiation and in-keeping with industry standards. Location: Our office in Smithers, BC. Deadline for applications: August 15 (We will keep the position open till it is filled. We reserve the right to not fill the position or to extend the deadline). Requirements: Must be a member in good standing of a confessional Reformed church in Canada or the US (a church that upholds the Three Forms of Unity or Westminster Standards). Six month trial period required. Interested? To apply, please send an application to RP’s Executive Director Mark Penninga ([email protected]). Please include a resume, at least two references (including an elder or pastor), and a letter introducing yourself and explaining your qualifications for the position....

History

Our heroes have feet of clay

You find them everywhere. They’re the people we look up to. They sing, they dance, they play hockey, they win battles and they found nations. They’re our heroes. You know the people: George Washington, Wayne Gretzky, Winston Churchill, or Ginger Rogers. They’re larger than life figures that do larger than life things flawlessly. We want to be like them. Unless you’re Canadian. When an Internet poll asked Canadians who their heroes were some of the results were predictable, like Terry Fox, but there were also a few less likely individuals. Don’t misunderstand: these people did some incredible things and were certainly larger than life. However, they were also hopelessly flawed. John A. One man who topped the list was Canada’s first prime minister, Sir John A Macdonald. It is to Sir John A. that much of the credit goes for the founding of the Dominion of Canada in 1867. He helped pull together a disparate bunch of English Canadian Reformers and Tories and united them with French Canadian Bleus. Then he got the British to bully Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into a grand confederation of colonies that formed the nucleus of the present day Canada. While that’s impressive, Canadians know Sir John A. in a more intimate way than that. You see, as most Canadians are aware, Sir John was bounced from office in 1873 for the Pacific Railway Scandal that involved suggestions of bribes, patronage, and all kinds of corruption. Additionally, the prime minister was a habitual drunkard. It was no secret for he bragged about his drinking, yet Canadians forgave him, returning him and his party to office in 1878. There are other unusual Canadians as well. William Lyon Mackenzie King made the list of heroes for his impressive job of shepherding Canada through the Second World War. If that doesn’t sound impressive, keep in mind that when Prime Minister Borden tried to guide the country during the previous world war, he succeeded in alienating French speaking Quebec, and much of the farming population, as well as accidentally splitting the opposition Liberal party in two. King kept peace and tranquillity, while Borden created a political crisis that threatened to undo Canada. Though a master politician, Canadians were aware of King’s oddities, including consulting with mediums, and talking to his dead dog – stuffed and sitting on the mantle. Rebel Riel Louis Riel was also on the list of heroes. While the man who initiated the only rebellions Canada has ever had may seem an odd choice as a hero, to many Western Canadians Riel is exactly that. With his rebellions at Red River and then in the North West Territories, Riel was probably the first Westerner that ever made “the East” sit up and take notice, and to perpetually alienated Westerners, that makes Riel a hero. However, Riel was a religious fanatic, believing himself a prophet and in communication with God. He had spent time in a mental asylum, and at the time of the 1885 Rebellion may have actually been mentally unbalanced. E is for equal rights...and also eugenics In its heroes, Canada is an equal opportunity employer. One of the most significant women to make the list was Emily Murphy. A successful writer under the pen name Janey Canuck, a Member of the Canadian Parliament, the first female police magistrate in the British Empire, and a participant in the landmark “Persons Case” that gave Canadian women legal status as people, Murphy has had her reputation tarnished in recent years. The United Farmers government of the province of Alberta enacted the Sexual Sterilization Act in 1928 that allowed for the sterilization of the mentally incompetent and others unfit to parent. This version of eugenics, repugnant to most modern Canadians, was strongly backed by the otherwise progressive and reform-minded Murphy. Conclusion Canadians choices for heroes have been odd. The less savory facts behind the lives of most of Canada’s heroes are well known and thoroughly documented, but Canadians picked these people anyway. Someone once told me that you can’t tell an American something bad about their heroes. They don’t want to know about George Washington’s dismal military record as a British lieutenant, and they won’t listen if you tell them that Thomas Jefferson had slaves on his plantation. They certainly don’t want to hear any suggestions that Martin Luther King cheated on his wife, or may have plagiarized his dissertation. But Canadians are different. They know the weaknesses of their heroes and accept them for that. The Bible also contains some unusual heroes, “heroes of faith” like Noah, Abraham, and Rahab. Noah got drunk, Abraham denied that Sarah was actually his wife, and Rahab was a prostitute. These were flawed people, but by God’s strength, they were allowed incredible moments and even years to do deeds that we still remember today. We look back at them, and we look up to them for those deeds. Heroes are not flawless people. They make mistakes, but that doesn’t negate the good that they’ve been allowed to do. That doesn’t mean we can’t look up to them, but it does mean we can’t idolize them. It’s healthy to know that even great women and men have feet of clay, for it reminds us who is ultimately in control. James Dykstra is both a student and teacher of Canadian history. This article was first published in June 2017....

News

Court rules that Emergencies Act against “Freedom Convoy” was unlawful

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 31, 2026

Reformed and Dangerous's Christ is King A little harder rocking than some of us might be used to, but the fire in the music is a match for the power ...

Entertainment

You might relate to Mary Bennet, but you’re not supposed to imitate her

Christian education

Where has all the creativity gone?

Education needs to be about great books and great ideas... **** "Is This the Worst-Ever Era of American Pop Culture?" That was the question asked by...

Family, Movie Reviews

The InBESTigators

Children's show / TV 2019-2020 / 15 minutes x 40 episodes RATING: 9/10 Ava, Maudie, Ezra, and Kyle are four fifth graders with a knack for solving crimes. Or, rather, the brilliant and hyper-observant Maudie, has a real knack for solving crimes... and she couldn't do it without help. Maudie is smart, but her weakness is social awareness – she'll sometimes blurt out something that is certainly true, but might not be appropriate or polite. The other girl on the team, Ava, is the more emotionally-aware one, and the most compassionate and bubbly, always raising money for this charitable project or that. The two boys could be summed up as geek and dumb jock, and while that's a bit simplistic, it isn't far off. Ezra is very smart, particularly with computers, but smart like you or me can be – he's still not the Sherlock Holmes-kind of smart that Maudie is. His best friend is the energetic, athletic, and easily distracted Kyle. who likes every sport and is the best at all of them. He's the biggest comedic factor, but he's not really dumb. He's probably the most age-accurate of the bunch – he doesn't get things that the watching kids wouldn't get either, so when he asks questions to clear away his confusion, that helps the elementary-aged viewers too. After coming together to solve a mystery in the first episode, the four friends decide to start a detective agency to help solve cases around their school and neighborhood. They call themselves The InBESTigators, and after each crime is solved they record their thoughts on a vlog which turns into the episode we watch. It's a little bit like a faux reality-show, though we get to see much more than what their video camera records. There's loads of humor here, and all of it the good clean goofy sort. Cautions Language concerns in the six episodes I watched were limited to one instance of "oh my goodness." To clarify, I didn't watch the whole series. I just sat down to watch the first half dozen, five of which were easy to recommend without reservation. While they are tackling "crimes" they are of a pretty kid-appropriate sort – someone claims someone else's homework as their own, for example. The one episode I had issue with was the fifth, called "The Case of the Sleepover Secret," which had a classmate's parental divorce as a subtext. Divorce is common, so I understand why the writers might have thought it no big deal to have as an element in the story. But as divorce is also one of the most worrisome things that could happen to a child, it's not something I want to introduce as concern for my own kids. But, quizzing my family on the other 34 episodes, they can't recall any other material that, like this, is too heavy for this otherwise lightweight carefree show. I'll also take issue with how some of the "criminals" do their wrong-doing for reasons that are made a bit too understandable. The InBESTigators don't quite go as far as excusing the crime, but they can veer in that direction, so parents may need to emphasize that wrong is still wrong, even when someone else has been mean first. Conclusion The InBESTigators is the kind of show that could get big laughs from kids 8 to 12, and smiles from everyone else – mom and dad really won't mind checking out an episode or three. My kids have watched them on repeat, seeing each episode probably three or four times. Part of the appeal for me is that each episode is just 15 minutes long, which makes this easy to watch for just a short time – you don't have to commit to the 90 minutes a movie would take. It seems to move around on the various streaming services, but as of writing is available on Netflix and BYUtv.org. Check out the trailer below. ...

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 24, 2026

Why does Denmark own Greenland? (3 min) Lots of talk going on about Greenland as of late. Here's a quick primer on how Greenland came to be Danish... Samuel Sey: Is my "interracial" marriage against God's design? Some are trying to find truth by reacting off liars on the Left. So, for example, when the woke Left says headship is a wrong that must be righted, the response from some is, not to go to God's Word, but to fall off the other side of the horse committing an equal and opposite sin – they become domineering husbands who pretend their wives are children. And this interracial question seems to be a weird response to the Left's elevation of blacks as victims who must always be deferred to. In reaction, some are turning into whites-only racists, and worse yet, doing so while calling themselves Christians. The lesson, then, is to go to God, rather than react. And anyone who went to God's Word would find that there is no such thing as different races. We are all children of the same parents, Adam and Eve. So "interracial" marriage isn't wrong because it isn't even possible. Does Tylenol cause autism? Trump made that claim some months back and while some seem to think the surest source of truth is simply to run with the very opposite of what the US president has tweeted, no one is that reliably wrong. But a new study does conclude he was indeed wrong this time. Court rules Trudeau was wrong to use the Emergency Measures Act against the truckers This is the second legal loss in a row for the former PM. Canada's killing-as-care regime finally got this mother's son A young man who was previously saved from his approved euthanasia plans 4 years ago wasn't as fortunate this time. An abortionist who will kill adults too put him to death in December... legally it seems, even before Parliament has approved killing the mentally ill. If murder is medicine, then what argument can be had for withholding this medicine? The only counter to such thinking is telling the Christian truth that our lives are not our own. No other hedge or restriction or speed bump will work. We need the full Gospel truth delivered to people who are dying for want of it. Choice42 with a brutal reality we've all forgotten WARNING: This is animated, so some of the brutality is muted. But the sheer horror of what it recounts might be too much for some, so viewers beware... and don't watch this with your younger kids around. In the lead up to the March for Life, the Trump administration announced they'd stop using the remains of aborted children for medical research. Many vaccines have been developed using the remains of fetuses, so this is a welcome move. But is it really all that problematic if we use vaccines so developed? Many of the remains used were from children murdered decades ago, as this video below highlights. So should we still be concerned? There are medical procedures in use today that were developed via torturous Nazi experimentation but does the unethical means by which they were discovered mean we can't use them? One example is treatments for hypothermia, derived by Nazis deliberately freezing their victims before testing out various ways of treating them. Can we today not use the best means of treating hypothermia just because a Nazi discovered it via immoral means? Many and maybe most would say, yes we can still make use of the Nazi research, even with how wickedly it was produced. But the difference between using vaccines derived from butchered unborn children and using research derived from Nazi torture is that no one today is trying to justify further Nazi torture. No one is saying, "The Nazi research methods worked, so we should do more of it." But medical experimentation on embryos is ongoing, and used as a means of appeasing parents who would otherwise have to go to the expense of freezing their "extra" embryos or the guilt of "disposing" of them. Instead they can "donate" them to scientific research. The Nazi Holocaust is over and recognized for the evil it was. The unborn holocaust continues, and medical research on the unborn is just one more justification for it. So how do we address the moral dilemma parents face when it comes time to vaccinate our children? I don't have a great answer. I can share the unsatisfactory approach we used – we sought out vaccines that weren't derived from fetal remains. And when that wasn't possible – there isn't much demand, so there isn't much supply – we did use the tainted vaccines, but then also sought to advance the production of fetal-free vaccines by making a donation to a group doing that work. ...

Theology

#3 - The unknown Commandment

“You shall not take the Name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His Name in vain.” – Exodus 20:7 ***** It takes just a quick flip through the TV channels to find someone using God’s name in vain. CLICK! An old Friends rerun, and there’s Phoebe using it as a synonym for “okay!” CLICK! A few channels further one of Doctor Who's companions is using God’s name instead of exclaiming “oh no!” CLICK! On the sports channel a commentator decides that “Wow!” just doesn’t suffice. Yes, it’s easy to find people using God’s name in vain, but it’s hard to figure out why they do it. It doesn’t make sense. While TV writers and producers regularly offend viewers, they rarely do so without reason. In a show like Game of Thrones, for example, the producers show a steady diet of sex and violence, knowing it will offend some viewers. But even as Christians are turning off the program, countless others are tuning in for the sex and sleaze. So TV producers are willing to offend, as long as it get them more viewers than it loses. That’s why it’s hard to understand why anyone swears on TV. Using God’s name in vain is sure to offend some viewers, but it’s doubtful anyone out there really watches a show for the swearing. So why do they do it? The same question could be asked in a number of other settings as well. Why is God’s name misused in newspapers, at the office, and in casual conversations? In many of these same settings the dialogue will be remarkably free from crudities – the f-word and others are strictly off limits. But God’s name is still open to abuse. Why? Ignorance isn’t bliss I’m convinced the answer is ignorance. God’s name is abused because Christians don’t object, and because we don’t object, TV scriptwriters, newspaper columnists and even our friends don’t realize that using God’s name in vain is offensive. They’re totally clueless. How clueless? Some years back, when I screwed up the courage to ask a teammate on my rec-league basketball team to stop swearing he was quite willing to oblige. So the next time he missed a shot, instead of stringing God’s name together with the word d--n (as was his usual habit) he restricted himself to just misusing God’s name. He knew d--n was a swear, so he stopped using it, but he continued using God’s name in vain because no one had ever told him it was offensive. Not everyone is this clueless, but it is surprising how many are. It is even more surprising how willing people are to accommodate a request not to swear. When our basketball team’s manager called an impromptu meeting about swearing everyone agreed to try and curtail it. (One player noted that a similar request had been made when he played college ball. Interestingly enough, on that team it wasn’t a Christian who had made the request, but a Mormon.) The non-Christians even had a bunch of questions about which words were more and less offensive. Many of them still swore afterwards, but it was a habit they were trying to break. And all we had to do was ask. How do you ask? The toughest part is the asking. How do you bring it up without sounding holier than thou? The manager on our basketball team took the straightforward approach. He announced that since there were a number of Christians on the team, we would appreciate it if people didn’t swear using God’s name. He said it, everyone agreed, and it was done with. He made it look so very simple. And it should be simple. Not easy, mind you; as simple as it looked, he was the only Christian on the team to actually get up and say what needed to be said. It still takes courage. One of my aunts uses a rather different technique. When someone misuses God’s name while talking with her, she interrupts and asks, “Are you praying?” This generally prompts a very puzzled reply, something to the effect of, “What? Why would you think I was praying?” “Because you just mentioned God’s name, and since we weren’t talking about God, well, why else would you be mentioning God? Or were you just using God’s name for emphasis? Maybe you don’t know, but using God’s name like that is very offensive to Christians, and to God Himself. Please don’t do that.” A friend has written to a popular newspaper columnist who blasphemed. He alerted her to the offensive part of her column and then continued: …many people don't know this, but the way you used God's name there would actually be a violation of the third commandment - You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain. Obviously it would be fine to use God's name if you actually were addressing Him, but in this instance you used it more like an expletive, or as a way to emphasize your point. I know that columnists don't seek to offend without purpose (sometimes they do so with purpose, but that is part of the job) so I thought I would make you aware of this, and ask you to please be careful about it in the future. Thank-you. The columnist never replied but, in the days and weeks that followed, did not abuse God's name again. Conclusion Not everyone is going to honor a request to stop swearing. Some will swear just to tick us off. But our friends and neighbors will care. Employees will listen, if only to cozy up to the boss. Waiters will want nice tips. TV scriptwriters want us to watch their shows. All these people have reasons to listen to what we like and don’t like. We don’t like it when they use God’s name in vain, so let’s let them know. This article was first published in July 2018....

Adult fiction, Book Reviews

Sincerely, Stoneheart

by Emily Wilson Hussem 2025 / 240 pages Rating: GOOD/Great/Gift I can’t find my car keys! Can you relate to this panicked searching? If you don’t find your keys, you’ll be late for your appointment. Your kids are screaming at the door and you feel your self-control slipping as you flip pockets inside out and tear cushions off the couch. All the while, your keys are in your back pocket. In her book, Sincerely, Stoneheart, Emily Wilson Hussem relates this missing key experience to how many Christian women live: frantically searching for their identity, forgetting that God calls them his beloved. Hussem writes in the same flavour as CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters – letters written fictitiously from a senior demon, named Stoneheart, to his apprentice Belphegora (a demon of sloth, distraction and false promises of wealth). The letters are about how best to lure a female subject living in today’s world away from the Enemy. Reading from this angle takes some mental alertness. For believers, “the Enemy” is their Heavenly Father. This and other positive vocabulary need to be flipped, as the believing reader digests the temptations communicated by the demon. However, this mental exercise helps one examine one’s heart. These letters illuminate where you may be giving the Devil a foothold. As the book’s subtitle reads, Sincerely, Stoneheart helps readers “unmask the enemy’s lies,” and, “find the truth that sets you free.” Hussem covers over 40 topics including: appearances, possessions, accomplishments and titles. One I found convicting was her noting that a woman scrolling through social media on her phone was in a remarkably similar posture to a child of God praying. How many times have I turned to my phone to answer a question or fill a heart longing, instead of sincerely praying to my Creator with folded hands? The topics covered best relate to an educated Christian wife and mother of young children but would apply in part to Christian women at large. The author’s heart is for women to embrace God’s unique gift of femininity and to have hearts at rest in their identity of being God’s beloved. By abiding in this relationship with God, through prayer and scripture reading, women can find healing for their past hurts, live abundantly in the present, and entrust their future to Him. This book is easy to read in small chunks and even out of order, making it approachable to moms familiar with interruptions. A study guide is also available. It could be used for personal reflection or a group study. It would also be helpful to husbands, fathers, pastors and elders who desire to understand the spiritual warfare many young woman face. Use this book to help you pray Ezekiel 36:26: “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”...

Assorted

In Christ

The antidote to works righteousness and the anxiety, exhaustion, and resentment that comes with it. ***** I used to enjoy rock climbing. At least, I...

News

Saturday Selections – Jan. 17, 2026

Studio C's Stu Stews Sue's Soup This is just so fun :) The Bible encourages seeking out a spouse Two facts: In God's providence, not all o...

News

Two Covid convictions against Pastor Koopman vacated

Parenting

The part about parenting I didn't find in any parenting book

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Saturday Selections – Jan. 10, 2026

The Mutation Myth: what Evolution doesn't want you to know (8 minutes) We’re told random mutations drive evolution– mutations are supposed to be "the engine behind every new trait and species on Earth." Turns out, though, that what the science shows again and again is mutations don't build life, they break it down! Interestingly, breaking things down can sometimes help an organism, in much the way that stripping the seats out of your car can make it more fuel-efficient. But this kind of breaking things down doesn't show how new molecular machines could be built. This is from Discovery Science, an Intelligent Design think tank. They aren't creationist, or even specifically Christian. So all they are showing here are the scientific shortcomings of Evolution, and if you want more of that, be sure to check out their Science Uprising series. There are good and bad reasons to leave a church ....and it might just be the reason you are thinking you should leave is an indication of why God wants you to stay. The case for sexfulness in marriage This is a longer article on an seldom-discussed topic, because it is PG-rated (but only to the same degree as the Song of Songs is). How many dominos do we go back in Indigenous land claims? John Carpay offers a basically secular take in the linked article about Indigenous land claims, so I'll offer up a biblical passage that has some application (and there are certainly others). Matthew 7:1-2 says it is justice to have the measure by which we judge others applied to ourselves. In the land acknowledgments stated before university classes and municipal meetings, there's sometimes a reference to tribes who have been here "from time immemorial" or some such phrase. The point of that claim is that the European settlers took it relatively recently from Indigenous tribes who had been there previously forever. But Indigenous tribes moved, and caused other tribes to move on. So the Indigenous group that might have had land taken from them by the settlers, did the same to whoever lived there before them – the dominoes go back way more than just the one block. So, if the last must be returned, then why just to the most recent tribe who themselves were takers too? And if that standard is thought unreasonable because of how hard it would be to work out, then let's apply this new "workability standard" to the situation today too. US abortions rose more than 20% after Roe vs. Wade In 2022 the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, which had legalized abortion the US for the past previous 50 years, was overturned. But the overturned decision didn't actually protect the unborn – it just made it legal for the individual states to start doing so. Some started. But the Trump administration has allowed Joe Biden-era "abortion by mail" prescriptions to continue, and this kind of abortion has exploded since 2022. The end result? Abortions have risen from an average of 80,000/month in 2022, to 98,000/month in 2025. This highlights how it isn't just a legal ruling we need to save the unborn, and not even a somewhat sympathetic government, as the American pro-life movement has in the Trump administration. What's been largely missing from the abortion debate is an explicitly Christian witness that explains why we need to protect unborn children everywhere, not simply in some states. We need to challenge our culture, teaching them that while they have no explanation for anyone's worth God has given us value by making us in His Image (Gen. 9:6). Like in every aspect of life, what we need here is the Gospel. And without it, even an inconceivable legal win will do very little all on its own. California shows what a minimum wage hike can do to the poorest Governments across the Western world have implemented laws requiring a certain minimum hourly wage that employers must pay. The notion behind these laws is to prevent business owners from exploiting their workers. But what these laws presume is that the government knows what's best for everyone. What this video shows is, when the government pretends to know far more than they ever could, they cause all sorts of harms. And it just doesn't matter if that's not at all what they intended. ...

News

Explicit books being pulled from government school libraries in Alberta

In the wake of a government order that made waves around the world in 2025, the two largest school divisions in Alberta reported in early 2026 that they have started pulling books with sexually explicit images. According to CTV, the Edmonton Public School Board reported that they have removed 34 titles while the Calgary Board of Education said that 44 titles have been removed from shelves in their schools. Sadly, even the Edmonton Catholic School Division reported that they had to remove six books. Last summer, a Ministerial Order was introduced, requiring school boards to develop standards around what materials are deemed suitable for school libraries. This was the result of a consultation with the public, including 77,395 responses to an online survey. As a result of the order, the Edmonton Public School Board identified over 200 titles as having to be pulled because of the government’s sexually explicit content policy, and their list included well-known, often-discussed classics like 1984 and Brave New World. This resulted in a public outcry that was covered by media outlets around the world. Premier Danielle Smith turned to X and Facebook to respond: “I’m going to be more explicit than usual so there is no misunderstanding this policy: 1. Get graphic pornographic images out of school libraries. 2. Leave the classics on the shelves. 3. We all know the difference between the items in 1 and 2. Let’s not play any more games in implementing this policy for our kids.” The provincial government did then amend its order to target only visual depictions of explicit sexual activity. It has been known for many years now that graphic sexual content is being pushed in public school libraries, along with children’s sections of public libraries, in towns and cities across the country. This has been going on even while our secular culture is grappling with the consequences of hypersexualization of youth. Even the Quebec government, known for pushing a radical secular worldview, recently published a report about “hypersexualization” that noted: “the huge amount of sexual content that is publicly available generates a distorted understanding of gender relationships, beginning at a very early age.” They added: “hypersexualization can lead to precocious sexual behaviour among young people. Fascinated by the images they see on television and the Internet, they sometimes adopt behaviours borrowed from adult sexuality without having the maturity required to deal with the situations that may result.” In spite of the obvious harm, Alberta is the only government in Canada that has had the courage to take action, and even their decision continues to allow sexually explicit content in the reach of the province’s vulnerable youth. God is being loving to us in giving us the gift of sexuality, while placing safeguards around sex: a committed lifelong relationship of marriage between a man and a woman. As a fence around a swimming pool allows a family to enjoy the pool safely, so God’s safeguards around sex allow sex to be a blessing, first for married couples, but indirectly for the flourishing of children and all society. Top photo supplied by the Alberta Government and used with permission. ...

Movie lists, Movie Reviews

250+ movies Christians can love

Great minds think alike, and the same month I was first compiling this article two of those great minds belonged to a missionary in Brazil and an evangelist in California. The evangelist, Ray Comfort, passed along a story, first told by Jeremy Archer, about a man who invited all sorts of folks into his house to meet his family. Often the visitors would talk crudely and angrily with each other, teaching his children words he'd rather they not know. But these visitors could also get his whole family laughing so the man decided to focus on the good they did, rather than the bad. Over time, the man could see the visitors were having an impact on his family, and it wasn't a good one. He found that his own children were now using crude language and making coarse jokes. What was worse, the visitors were behaving outrageously, even taking their clothes off right there in front of his family! That's hard to believe, isn't it? Why didn't the man just kick them out? Why didn't he protect his family from their influence? Well, it turns out this man had some sense, and as the visitors started getting naked, the man acted. Together with his family, the man finally "turned off the television." That same month the missionary, Rev. Ken Wieske, expressed the same concern, titling a Facebook post "David vows to get rid of his TV." Underneath he included the text of Psalm 101 which reads (in part): I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. The pastor's point was clear: most of what's on TV is worthless and if King David were here on earth today, he might well pitch his TV right out of the palace. Of course, it isn't quite as easy as that. Today we also have computers, and smartphones, so getting rid of the TV isn't going to restrict our access to fluff and filth that's so readily available. So let's take this a step further. Yes, much of what's on TV (and on YouTube, Facebook, etc.) is worthless. But some of it isn't. Some of it is quite good. Excellent even! So if we were to make the same promise King David makes in Psalm 101 – to put away all that is worthless – what sorts of films and videos might we still watch? I've got some suggestions below. My hope is that this list can help families find something worth watching. With nearly 250 suggestions, I'm also hoping there will be something for everyone. There's just one documentary included here, but you can find a whole bunch more in our list of "Faith and film: 100+ documentaries worth your time." RATING SYSTEM I've also included an entertainment rating. This is out of 10, and in my books, a 7 is a solid mark, 8 is something special, and 6 is still watchable but there is some notable flaw (maybe some corny writing, or a bad bit of acting, that sort of thing). The only reason I've included a few films that rate as low as 6 is because they have something about them that makes them valuable viewing – oftentimes their educational value. A 7 for a children's film means that this target audience will think it a 7, not adults. The same is true of a black-and-white classic. If you hate anything B&W, then you probably won't like one with a solid 7 rating (though maybe you'd be swayed by one with an 8, 9, or 10). GOD'S NAME HONORED One other note: none of these films and videos take God's name in vain. That's important. While a degree of violence and even sexual content of some sort can be appropriate on screen, the way God's name is abused on film just isn't. More than 40 of the films below have the tag "FREE ONLINE" and can be viewed for free by clicking on the link provided. ANIMATED VIDEOS (27 videos) Shorter videos can be ideal when mom wants to take a nap but doesn't want the kids sitting in front of the TV forever. THE GRUFFALO – 2009, 27 minutes – 8/10 HORTON HEARS A WHO – 1970, 30 minutes – 7/10 LIFE AT THE POND – 2004-2009, 30 min x 5 episodes – 8/10 LOST AND FOUND – 2013, 24 minutes – 8/10 VEGGIETALES (15) – only some are recommended – 7-8/10 WALLACE AND GROMIT: 4 SHORT FILMS – 1989-2008, 114 minutes – 8/10 ANIMATED "TORCHLIGHTERS" SERIES (10 videos) There are 20+ videos in the Torchlighter series, and the ten below are all great. While I haven't seen the whole series yet, there are a couple I haven't included for two different reasons. The first was on St. Patrick. While legends abound, little firsthand material on Patrick's life exists, making it hard to separate fact from fiction. That difficulty should have been acknowledged. Then, in the one on Augustine, an animated Jesus makes an appearance, and while I'm not wholly sure of the wrongness of visually depicting Christ, I am also not sure of its rightness (based on the second commandment), so I haven't recommended it. There are three more, I haven't yet watched, which I suspect might be good: The Robert Jermain Thomas Story, The Gladys Aylward Story, and The Richard Allen Story. THE CORRIE TEN BOOM STORY – 2013, 34 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE ERIC LIDDELL STORY – 2007, 31 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE GEORGE MÜLLER STORY – 2019, 30 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE THE HARRIET TUBMAN STORY – 2018, 30 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE JIM ELLIOT STORY – 2005, 30 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE JOHN BUNYAN STORY – 2006, 30 minutes – 8/10 –FREE ONLINE THE JOHN NEWTON STORY – 2021, 30 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE MARTIN LUTHER STORY – 2016, 34 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE RICHARD WURMBRAND STORY – 2008, 30 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE WILLIAM TYNDALE STORY – 2005, 32 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE ANIMATED (29 films) It seems like cartoons used to be safe for kids, though boring for adults. Today, with the appearance of obscene animated fare like South Park and Family Guy, many cartoons are unsuitable for children, and for that matter, adults. But there has been a change for the better too – movies like Curious George and Meet the Robinsons show that some animated fare can keep the kids happy, and entertain their parents as well. AN AMERICAN TAIL – 1986, 87 minutes – 9/10 BALTO – 1995, 78 minutes – 7/10 CHICKEN RUN – 2000, 84 minutes – 8/10 CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET – 2023, 101 minutes – 8/10 CURIOUS GEORGE – 2006, 88 minutes – 8/10 CURIOUS GEORGE 3: BACK TO THE JUNGLE – 2015, 81 minutes – 7/10 CURIOUS GEORGE: ROYAL MONKEY – 2019, 86 minutes – 7/10 Finding Dory – 2016, 97 minutes – 8/10 Finding Nemo – 2003, 100 minutes – 8/10 FOX AND THE HOUND – 1981, 83 minutes – 8/10 THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE THE POOH – 1977, 74 minutes – 9/10 Meet the Robinsons – 2007, 95 minutes – 8/10 MINISCULE - 2014, 89 minutes – 7/10 Monsters Inc. – 2001, 93 minutes – 9/10 Monsters University – 2013, 104 minutes – 8/10 PAW PATROL: THE MOVIE – 2021, 86 minutes – 8/10 PAW PATROL: THE MIGHTY MOVIE – 2023, 87 minutes – 8/10 THE PEANUTS MOVIE – 2015, 88 minutes – 8/10 SGT. STUBBY: AN UNLIKELY HERO - 2018, 84 minutes – 8/10 THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE – 2023, 92 minutes – 7/10 TANGLED – 2010, 100 minutes – 9/10 TOY STORY 1, 2, 3, and 4 – 1995-2019, 81-103 minutes – 8/10 Up – 2009, 96 minutes – 9/10 WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL – 2024, 79 minutes – 8/10 Wall-E – 2008, 98 minutes – 9/10 WINNIE THE POOH – 2011, 63 minutes – 8/10 See also "Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa," "Long Way North," and "The Secret World of Arrietty" (Foreign Films), and "Animal Farm," "Boxcar Children," "Boxcar Children: Surprise Island," and "The Hobbit," "Lord of the Rings," and "The Phantom Tollbooth" (Based on a Book). BASED ON A BOOK (23 films) It's always hard to live up to the book, but some of these get awfully close! 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA – 1954, 127 minutes – 7/10 THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD – 1938, 101 minutes – 8/10 ANIMAL FARM – 1954, 72 minutes – 7/10 THE BOXCAR CHILDREN – 2013, 81 minutes – 7/10 THE BOXCAR CHILDREN: SURPRISE ISLAND - 2018, 82 minutes – 6/10 THE GIVER – 2014, 97 minutes – 8/10 THE GOSPEL BLIMP - 1967, 38 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE Ivanhoe – 1952, 107 minutes – 7/10 THE HOBBIT – 1977, 77 minutes – 7/10 THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE – 1979, 95 minutes – 7/10 THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE – 2005, 125 minutes – 8/10 Little Women – 1949, 121 minutes – 8/10 LITTLE WOMEN – 1994, 118 minutes – 9/10 THE LORD OF THE RINGS (ANIMATED) – 1978, 133 minutes – 7/10 THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK – 1939, 113 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH – 1970, 89 minutes – 7/10 POLLYANNA – 2003, 99 minutes – 8/10 PRIDE AND PREJUDICE – 2003, 104 minutes – 8/10 THE PRINCE AND THE PAUPER – 1937, 118 minutes – 8/10 Prince Caspian – 2008, 154 minutes – 8/10 Rascal – 1969, 85 minutes – 7/10 SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS – 2016, 96 minutes – 7/10 SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON – 1960, 126 minutes – 8/10 See also "The 3 Worlds Of Gulliver" and "Lassie Come Home" (Children), "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (Black and White Classics), and "The Hobbit Trilogy," and the "Lord of the Rings Trilogy" (For Mom and Dad). BLACK & WHITE CLASSICS (33 films) These have all stood the test of time and are still being watched again and again. 12 ANGRY MEN – 1957, 96 minutes – 9/10 THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (14) – 1939-1946, – 5-8/10 THE AMAZING ADVENTURE – 1936, 62 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE ABSENT-MINDED PROFESSOR – 1961, 96 minutes – 8/10 ADAM'S RIB – 1949, 101 minutes – 8/10 CASABLANCA – 1943, 103 minutes – 10/10 Citizen Kane – 1941, 119 minutes – 7/10 HIGH NOON – 1952, 85 minutes – 9/10 I Remember Mama – 1948, 134 minutes – 7/10 It Should Happen to You – 1954, 87 minutes – 7/10 THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT – 1951, 85 minutes – 8/10 THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE – 1962, 123 minutes – 8/10 MEET JOHN DOE – 1941, 122 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE Mr. Deed Goes to Town – 1936, 115 minutes – 7/10 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington – 1939, 129 minutes – 8/10 Ninotchka – 1939, 110 minutes – 8/10 SEA HAWK – 1940, 127 minutes – 8/10 THE SIGN OF ZORRO – 1958, 90 minutes – 8/10 THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER – 1949, 99 minutes – 9/10 The Tin Star – 1957, 92 minutes – 7/10 See also "Roman Holiday" (For Mom and Dad). BLACK & WHITE SILENT CLASSICS (6 films) As a subcategory to the above are a half dozen silent film selections. If you've never gotten into silent films, be sure to start with the comedies – there the overwrought acting just adds to the funny. And Buster Keaton is the best! THE GENERAL – 1927, 80 minutes – 8/10 THE GOLD RUSH – 1925, 96 minutes – 7/10 GRANDMA'S BOY – 1922, 56 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SEVEN CHANCES – 1925, 56 minutes – 8/10 SHERLOCK JR. – 1924, 44 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE Steamboat Bill, Jr. – 1928, 70 min – 7/10 BIOGRAPHICAL (20 films) Most of these are Christian biographies, and being true gives them a leg up on fictional Christian fare that too often concludes with “happily ever after” endings, more fairytales than our one true faith. It’s simply a fact that here on earth bad things often happen to good, faithful Christians. I will also note that while many of these are great, others are merely okay (ranking only a 6), but are still included here because of their educational value. THE CASE FOR CHRIST – 2017, 113 minutes – 7/10 C.S. LEWIS ONSTAGE – 2018, 76 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE C.S. LEWIS: THE MOST RELUCTANT CONVERT – 2021, 93 minutes – 9/10 END OF THE SPEAR – 2006, 108 minutes – 7/10 FINAL SOLUTION – 2001, 102 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE GOD'S OUTLAW: THE STORY OF WILLIAM TYNDALE – 1988, 93 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE GOSNELL: THE TRIAL OF AMERICA'S BIGGEST SERIAL KILLER – 2018, 93 minutes – 8/10 I CAN ONLY IMAGINE - 2018, 110 minutes - 8/10 THE JACKIE ROBINSON STORY – 1950, 77 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE JOHN HUS: A JOURNEY OF NO RETURN – 2015, 55 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE MARTIN LUTHER – 1953, 105 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE MIRACLE WORKER – 1962, 106 minutes – 9/10 SABINA: TORTURED FOR CHRIST, THE NAZI YEARS – 2022, 115 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SIGHT – 2024, 103 minutes – 8/10 THE SPIRIT OF ST. LOUIS – 1957, 135 minutes – 7/10 TORTURED FOR CHRIST - 2018, 77 minutes - 8/10 – FREE ONLINE UNBROKEN: PATH TO REDEMPTION – 2018, 98 minutes – 8/10 UNSUNG HERO – 2024, 112 minutes – 8/10 A VOW TO CHERISH – 1999, 84 minutes - 8/10 – FREE ONLINE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS – 1996, 27 minutes – 7/10 CHILDREN (16 films) This is fare for younger children – not a lot of tension here. And that means, while the kids will probably like it, mom and dad might not. Because children often watch their favorite videos repeatedly, even dozens of times, it’s all the more important to make sure what they do watch is the good stuff. THE 3 WORLD'S OF GULLIVER – 1960, 99 minutes – 7/10 BUDDY DAVIS' AMAZING ADVENTURES – 2011-2021, 6 episodes of 25-58 min – 7/10 THE CREATION ADVENTURE TEAM – 2001-2002, 40 min x 2 episodes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE DEFENSE OF NEW HAVEN – 2016, 82 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE DUDE PERFECT: BACKSTAGE PASS – 2020, 84 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE INCREDIBLE CREATURES THAT DEFY EVOLUTION I, II, & III – 2006, 47 minutes – 7/10 LASSIE COME HOME – 1943, 90 minutes – 8/10 A LEGO BRICKUMENTARY – 2015, 93 minutes – 7/10 MISTY – 1961, 91 minutes – 7/10 THE NEWTONS' WORKSHOP – 1997, 226 minutes – 7/10 ODD SQUAD: THE MOVIE – 2016, 67 minutes – 7/10 PATTERNS OF EVIDENCE: YOUNG EXPLORERS – 2020, 190 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE RUNNER FROM RAVENSHEAD – 2010, 81 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE SPARKY CHRONICLES – 2003, 28 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SPACE BUDDIES – 2009, 84 minutes – 7/10 THE WILD BROTHERS (8 episodes) – 2015-2020, 28-30 minutes each – 7/10 FAMILY FUN (29 films) These are films that mom and dad can also look forward to watching. But that does mean that some of them have action or drama that may be too intense for your youngest children. So be sure to research age-appropriateness. BABES IN TOYLAND – 1961, 105 minutes – 7/10 A BEAR CALLED WINNIE – 2004, 90 minutes – 7/10 BEYOND THE MASK – 2015, 103 minutes – 8/10 BORN FREE - 1966, 95 minutes – 8/10 CITY OF EMBER – 2008, 95 minutes – 7/10 CONDORMAN – 1981, 90 minutes – 7/10 THE COURT JESTER – 1956, 101 minutes – 8/10 Emil and the Detectives – 1964, 98 minutes – 7/10 THE FIGHTING PRINCE OF DONEGAL – 1966, 110 minutes – 7/10 GRACE UNPLUGGED – 2013, 102 minutes – 7/10 Greyfriars Bobby – 1961, 92 minutes – 8/10 HANGMAN'S CURSE – 2003, 106 minutes – 7/10 THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY – 1963, 89 minutes – 8/10 JACK AND THE BEANSTALK – 1952, 83 minutes – 7/10 THE JENSEN PROJECT – 2010, 95 minutes – 8/10 JOHNNY TREMAIN – 1957, 80 minutes – 7/10 The Last Chance Detectives – 1994, 50 min x 3 episodes – 7/10 THE LEGEND OF 5 MILE CAVE – 2019, 90 minutes – 7/10 MY FRIEND FLICKA – 1942, 89 minutes – 7/10 Old Yeller – 1957, 84 minutes – 9/10 THE SECRETS OF JONATHAN SPERRY – 2008, 96 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE Shark Boy and Lava Girl 3D – 2005, 93 minutes – 7/10 STORM: LUTHER'S FORBIDDEN LETTER – 2017, 105 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SWITCHED – 2020, 104 minutes – 6/10 THE SWORD AND THE ROSE – 1953, 92 minutes – 7/10 THE THREE INVESTIGATORS IN THE SECRET OF SKELETON ISLAND – 2007, 91 minutes – 7/10 TIME CHANGER – 2002, 99 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE UNITARDS – 2010, 107 minutes – 8/10 A WEEK AWAY – 2021, 97 minutes – 9/10 See also "The Absent-minded Professor" (Black & White Classics). FOREIGN (10 films) Part of the pleasure of watching films set in foreign locales is that they provide a peek into unfamiliar cultures. Most of us will never be able to visit Mongolia or Iran but we can get an insight into the cultural life of those communities by watching their films. ANTBOY - DENMARK – 2013, 77 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE BELLE AND SEBASTIAN – FRANCE – 2013, 99 minutes – 8/10 CHILDREN OF HEAVEN – IRAN – 1997, 87 minutes – 7/10 Godzilla – JAPAN – 1954, 96 minutes – 7/10 LEO DA VINCI: MISSION MONA LISA – ITALY – 2020, 82 minutes – 8/10 LONG WAY NORTH – DENMARK – 2015, 81 minutes – 7/10 NOT ONE LESS – CHINA – 2000, 106 minutes – 7/10 THE RED BALLOON – FRANCE – 1956, 34 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY – JAPAN – 2010, 95 minutes – 8/10 THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL – MONGOLIA – 2003, 87 minutes – 7/10 "HALLMARK-Y" (11 films) Before they got woke, Hallmark made a lot of films appreciated for being safe and good, and though they were rarely great there were a few of those too. Sometimes they'd even be based on Christian books. Not all of these are from Hallmark, but they are all of that sort. AN AMERICAN IN AUSTEN – 2024, 84 minutes – 7/10 BEYOND THE BLACKBOARD – 2011, 95 minutes – 8/10 EXTRAORDINARY – 2017, 86 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE GOOD SAM – 2019, 90 minutes – 8/10 HIDDEN PLACES – 2005, 86 minutes – 6/10 LOVE ON A LIMB – 2016, 84 minutes – 7/10 LOVE'S LONG JOURNEY – 2005, 88 minutes – 7/10 A ROYAL CHRISTMAS – 2014, 87 minutes – 7/10 SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL – 1990, 98 minutes – 8/10 THE ULTIMATE GIFT – 2006, 114 minutes – 7/10 UNLEASHING MR. DARCY – 2016, 84 minutes – 7/10 See also "Roman Holiday" (For Mom and Dad). FOR MOM AND DAD (21 films) These are films intended for an adult audience, movies and videos to enjoy with your better half...and sometimes with the older kids too. 2081 – 2009, 25 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE ALLEGED – 2011, 93 minutes – 8/10 Anastasia – 1956, 105 minutes – 7/10 AUDACITY: LOVE CAN'T STAY SILENT – 2015, 50 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE The Caine Mutiny - 1954, 124 minutes – 7/10 COURAGEOUS – 2011, 129 minutes – 8/10 FREEDOM – 2014, 94 minutes – 7/10 HIDDEN BLESSINGS – 2024, 107 minutes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE THE HOBBIT (3) – 2012-2014 – 7-8/10 The Lord of the Rings (3) – 2001-2003 – 10/10 LIKE DANDELION DUST – 2009, 104 minutes – 8/10 ROBERTA – 1935, 106 minutes – 7/10 ROMAN HOLIDAY – 1953, 118 minutes – 8/10 The Second Chance – 2006, 102 minutes – 7/10 THE SONG – 2014, 116 minutes – 9/10 SOUND OF FREEDOM – 2023, 131 minutes – 8/10 TO SAVE A LIFE – 2010, 120 minutes – 8/10 See also "Using Hero," "I Can Only Imagine" and "A Vow to Cherish" (Biographical). SPORTS (11 films) These are a mixed lot, with Woodlawn definitely for older audiences and Going to the Mat something for a younger age group. BACK OF THE NET – 2019, 86 minutes – 7/10 FACING THE GIANTS – 2006, 111 minutes – 7/10 FOREVER STRONG – 2008, 109 minutes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE GOING TO THE MAT – 2004, 82 minutes – 8/10 THE HORSE IN THE GRAY FLANNEL SUIT – 1968, 113 minutes – 7/10 HANS BRINKER OR THE SILVER SKATES – 1962, 90 minutes – 8/10 MERCY RULE – 2014, 119 minutes – 7/10 NEVER GIVE UP – 2023, 79 minutes – 6/10 – FREE ONLINE OVERCOMER – 2019, 119 minutes – 7/10 TWELVE – 2019, 92 minutes – 7/10 WOODLAWN - 2015, 123 minutes - 9/10 See also "The Jackie Robinson Story" (Biographical), and "Extraordinary" (Hallmark-y), and the documentary "Long Short: the Kevin Laue Story." WAR FILMS (20 films) The Second World War might have been the first major conflict in which film could play a role, presenting stories intended to encourage those on the frontlines and at home. The most inspiring World War II films show ordinary, average people doing extraordinary, heroic things (many of whom were our parents, grandparents or great grandparents, hiding Jews or otherwise putting themselves at risk simply because they knew it had to be done). Many of the best World War II films were made during the war – they have a completely different feel, because no one at the time knew what the war’s outcome would be! BATAAN – 1943, 114 minutes – 8/10 Decision Before Dawn – 1951, 119 minutes – 7/10 DESPERATE JOURNEY – 1942, 107 minutes – 8/10 Destination Tokyo – 1944, 135 minutes – 8/10 Edge of Darkness – 1943, 119 minutes – 7/10 The Fighting Seabees - 1944, 99 minutes – 7/10 FLYING TIGERS – 1942, 104 minutes - 7/10 THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT – 1940, 120 minutes – 7/10 THE GREAT DICTATOR – 1940, 125 minutes – 8/10 Hail the Conquering Hero – 1944, 101 minutes – 7/10 Objective Burma! – 1945, 142 minutes – 7/10 RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP – 1958, 93 minutes – 8/10 SABOTEUR – 1942, 109 minutes – 7/10 SAHARA – 1943, 98 minutes – 8/10 Sands of Iwo Jima – 1949, 100 minutes – 7/10 THE SILVER FLEET – 1943, 88 minutes – 7/10 They Were Expendable – 1945, 135 minutes – 7/10 To Be Or Not To Be – 1942, 99 minutes – 8/10 TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH – 1949, 132 minutes – 8/10 Why We Fight – 1942-45, 417 minutes – 7/10 See also "Sgt. Stubby" (Animated Films), "Belle and Sebastian" (Foreign Films), "Sea Hawk", and "Casablanca" (Black & White Classics). BONUS #1 - TV SERIES FOR KIDS (6 shows) An episode of a TV show can make for a nice short break without blowing the whole evening. While these series have been vetted, it isn't possible to evaluate the whole run, so some of these have only been rated on the basis of the first three episodes. ANNE OF GREEN GABLES: THE ANIMATED SERIES – 2003, 25 min x 26 episodes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE ADVENTURES IN ODYSSEY – 1991-2003, 27 min x 17 episodes – 7/10 CURIOUS GEORGE – 2006-2022, 24 min x 198 episodes – 8/10 THE INBESTIGATORS – 2019-2020, 15 min x 40 episodes – 9/10 JUNGLE BEAT – 537 minutes – 10/10 – FREE ONLINE A SHOW ABOUT ANTHEM LIGHTS – 2022-, 12 min x 20 episodes – 7/10 BONUS #2 - TV SERIES FOR ADULTS (3 shows) With TV series, it isn't possible to evaluate the whole run, so some of these will be rated by season, and others just by the first episode or three. Danger Man (Season 1) – 1960-62, 25 min x 39 episodes – 8/10 DRAGNET (SEASON 1) – 1951, 26 min x 4 episodes – 7/10 – FREE ONLINE SUE THOMAS F.B.EYE – 2002, 41 min x 57 episodes – 8/10 – FREE ONLINE BONUS #3- OBSCURE BUT IMPRESSIVE (7 films) These ones aren't easy to find, but for some, might be worth the hunt. LORD JEFF – 1938, 85 minutes – 8/10 Minuscule 2: Mandibles from Far Away – 2019. 92 minutes – 8/10 The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend – 1991, 104 minutes – 7/10 Seasons of the Heart – 2003, 99 minutes – 8/10 Snuf de Hond in Oorlogstijd – 2008, 95 min – 8/10 THE WAY THINGS WORK – 2001, 300+ minutes – 8/10 Who is Simon Miller? – 2011, 85 minutes – 7/10 A version of this article first appeared on www.ReelConservative.com. This article was part of a magazine issue on movies (which you can find here) and was originally titled "200 Movies King David Might Watch."...

Apologetics 101, Politics, Transgenderism

"Am I A Chinese Woman?" How questions can defend the Truth

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfO1veFs6Ho&feature=youtu.be It was a political science class in my first year in university, with a hundred-some students spread out around the large auditorium. When the professor asked us, by show of hands, to indicate who was pro-life I popped my arm up quickly. It was only then I realized, mine was the lone hand up. The prof scanned the room, and when he saw me tucked up against the back wall, 20 rows away, this 50-something-year-old came sprinting down the aisle, then scampering up and over the last few rows of seats, until we were face to face. “Why,” he asked, “are you pro-life?” He waited, and I could see my classmates twisting in their seats to get a good look. This was no debate between equals. He was a world-renown lawyer, a drafter of United Nations agreements, and he’d been teaching this class for years. I was an 18-year-old student, who had never had to defend the unborn before. I don’t recall the exact answer I gave, but I do remember how easily the prof slapped it aside. He made me feel foolish. More importantly, he made the pro-life position seem foolish. Let the teacher teach It used to be that this sort of on-the-spot inquisition would only happen if you signed up for something like a political science class. Nowadays we can expect hostile questioners in settings from the coffee shop to the workplace. Whether you proudly walk around wearing a pro-life shirt, or quietly decline having a rainbow flag decorate your cubicle, the world is going to want some answers. What we should offer are some good questions. The key here is to realize what the world is up to. They think we’re wrong and want to correct. They want to show us the error of our ways. They want to re-educate us. So we should let them try. The mistake I made with my university professor was when I let him swap his role for mine. He wanted me to teach the pro-life position to the class – he wanted me to take on the role of teacher. Now he’d had a few decades of experience, and maybe some hours of preparation to get ready for his lecture, but he expected me, on a moment’s notice, to be able to teach the class. How fair was that? And yet I accepted the role-reversal, gave it my best go, and failed miserably. But what if I had refused his job offer? What if, instead of trying to mount an on-the-spot defense of the unborn, I had simply asked the teacher to teach? “I’m just a student – I’m paying the big bucks to hear your thoughts. So what I’d like to know is why are you so sure the unborn aren’t precious human beings?” You want me to teach? I decline. This is a great strategic move, but also a humble one. It’s strategic because asking questions is a lot easier than answering them. That’s why our kids – back when they could barely string a sentence together – could still stump us by simply asking one “But why?” question after another. It’s humble because in adopting this approach we’re not setting ourselves up as the ones with all the answers. As I recall it, my professor believed there was some gradual increase in the fetus’s worth as it grew bigger and became able to do more things. If he’d offered that as his explanation – the unborn isn’t worth as much as an adult because it can’t do as much – my follow-up would have been easy: “But why?” The Columbo Tactic Christian apologist Greg Koukl calls this the Columbo Tactic, naming it after the famous TV detective. Lieutenant Columbo, as he was played by actor Peter Falk, was a slow-talking, slow-walking, middle-aged man, perpetually unshaven, and as Koukl put it, who looked like he slept in his trench coat. His unassuming manner was the key to the detective’s success. He wasn’t aggressive. He wasn’t pointed. He only asked questions. "Just one more thing…" "There's something that bothers me…" "One more question…" “What I don’t understand is… As he followed up his quiet question with another and then another, the murderer’s story would fall to pieces, bit by bit. Columbo’s approach was meek, but also merciless. And the killers never saw it coming. Question the re-education This quiet questioning was put to masterful use by the director of the Family Policy Institute of Washington. Joseph Backholm headed down to the University of Washington campus to talk to students about gender identity. His position? Men are men and women are women. But rather than begin by sharing his own thought he asked others for theirs. His first question had to do with whether men should be able to use women’s washrooms, and the students agreed with one another that “whether you identify as a male or female and whether your sex at birth is matching to that, you should be able to utilize” whichever locker room you like. That when things got very interesting. Space doesn’t permit sharing all the students’ answers (and they were all quite similar) so we’ll focus on just one. Joseph Backholm: “If I told you that I was a woman what would your response be?” Enthusiastic girl: “Good for you. Okay! Like, yeah!” JB: “If I told you that I was Chinese what would your response be?” EG: “I mean I might be a little surprised, but I’d say, good for you! Yeah, be who you are!” The next question made our energetic girl pause. She wasn’t ready with a quick answer but after thinking it through she tried to maintain consistency. JB: “If I told you that I was seven years old, what would your response be?” EG: “If you feel seven at heart then, so be it, good for you!” JB: “If I wanted to enroll in a first-grade class, do you think I should be allowed to?” EG: “If that's where you feel mentally you should be…then I feel like there are communities that would accept you for that.” This final question stymied several other students…for a few moments. Then they too headed into the ridiculous, just to maintain consistency. JB: “If I told you I'm 6 feet 5 inches what would you say?” EG: “I feel like that's not my place, as another human, to say someone is wrong or to draw lines or boundaries.” As Backholm concluded: It shouldn't be hard to tell us 5’9” white guy that he's not a six foot five Chinese woman. But clearly it is. Why? What does that say about our culture? And what does that say about our ability to answer the questions that actually are difficult? The video was effective, funny, and popular – it’s been viewed well over a million and a half times already. (A Swedish version, in which a petite blond girls asks students whether she could be a two-meter tall seven-year-old Japanese male, has been viewed by another half million.) Backhom took the students’ stand – that identity is whatever a person says it is – and exposed it as ridiculous by asking half dozen simple questions. But did the questions do anything to convince the students? After all, none of them seemed to change their mind. Well, most of them were giggling by the end – they couldn’t help but laugh at the bizarre stand they found themselves defending. Few of us are able to change our minds in a moment, even when all the facts are against us, so it’s no surprise these students didn’t do an on-camera about-face. However we have reason to hope that once they had time to reflect, they too may well have realized the enormous problem with their thinking. Beyond self-preservation How might this questioning approach work in our day to day? Let’s try it in an office setting. Imagine that your company has sponsored the local gay pride parade and the boss has handed out little pride flags so employees can decorate their cubicles. You decline. Shortly afterwards you find yourself summoned to the boss’s office. How can quiet questions be a help here? First, it’s important we first understand the goal we should have for this interchange. Unprepared we might conclude our objective is self-preservation – we want to save our job. That’s a good goal, but it shouldn’t be the goal – our primary goal, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.” As our country takes a perverse turn, we are going to start losing our jobs because of our beliefs and it won’t matter what we say or how we say it. When we’re called to explain ourselves, we need to realize there may be no God-glorifying way of preserving our job – the only options maybe to profess or deny. So we need to prepare ourselves to profess…regardless of what happens afterwards. Do you really believe what you say you believe? Still, saving our job can be a goal and questions can help here too. Your boss wants to know why you aren’t waving the rainbow flag? Ask him whether the company really believes what it says it believes. If they want to celebrate tolerance and diversity how about they do so starting with you? Boss: “Why don’t you have your flag out? You know we’re an inclusive company.” You: “Hey boss, as a Christian, and I have some views that differ with the company’s. I knew that might cause some problems but I also know that we’re a super inclusive company, so I was confident we could work something out. Sir, how can the company’s inclusiveness be applied to me? How is your non-judgmental, life-style-affirming, politically correct boss going to be able to answer this one without his head exploding? That’s for him to figure out. Conclusion A question isn’t the best response in every setting. Questions are very helpful in poking holes in other people’s incoherent worldviews – they’re good tools for demolishing lies – but when it comes to teaching people the truth, we need to do more than ask questions. We’ll need to share God’s Word, let our listener question us, and offer explanations. That’s how we should talk to anyone interested in an honest dialogue. But for all those shaking their fist at God, a good question may be the best response. We live in a time where every one of God’s standards is being attacked and it’s about time we were asking why. Picture is a screenshot from the Family Policy Institute of Washington’s video “College kids say the darndest things: On identity” posted to YouTube.com on April 13, 2016. This article first appeared in the June 2016 issue. If you want to know more about the Columbo Tactic you should pick up a copy of Greg Koukl's "Tactics" which we review here....

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