Breakpoint

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has officially appointed Putin the country's "Chief Exorcist" and claims that Ukraine is full of hundreds of sects of the Church of Satan.

The tradition in the West for tolerating dissent and demanding free speech came from the hard realization that none of us is fit to hold absolute power... even on Twitter.

Recently, music icon, multi-millionaire, and U2 lead singer Bono said that the key to beating extreme poverty is "entrepreneurial capitalism."

In a sense, we've loaded politics with all the expectations of a worldview. But politics cannot bring salvation, determine morality, provide ultimate meaning, or secure our relationships.

China's repression of Hong Kong has led to an explosion of growth for Chinese churches in the U.K.

Parents have the right to protect their children from harm, such as being inducted or indoctrinated against their will into a harmful ideology. The state has no business interfering with parents protecting their children from an ideology younger than smartphones.

Recently the Women's March organization tweeted, "We're not just pro-choice. We are proudly, unapologetically, pro-abortion." It's a shocking stance but not surprising, given that just days after that first Women's March, organizers announced that pro-life women were unwelcome at all future events.

75% of young adults don't know their purpose in life and that's why almost half feel hopeless. Dr. Jeff Myers reminds us that truth exists and can be known because Jesus is truth and he has revealed himself to us.

This is what our "Cruciform witness" will look like today: faithful devotion to Christ leading to a loving engagement with a watching world. Recently, Glen Scrivener was a guest on the Upstream podcast. You can listen to his interview with my colleague Shane Morris wherever you get your podcasts. And please, go vote today.

Technology that infringes on a child's rights to life, to be protected in body and mind, and to his or her own mother and father should not be pursued at all.

A tragic trend of the past few years is the explosion in the number of young people who identify as "transgender" or "non-binary." Filmmaker Donald J. Johnson's latest production, Dysconnected, examines the ways transgender ideology pulls young people apart from their bodies, families, and reality itself.

John and Maria discuss the role of identity politics in the reaction to the attack on Paul Pelosi and how should Christians respond to a call for forgiveness after Covid lockdowns?

The Vatican has renewed its 2018 arrangement with Beijing. Critics continue to warn that it's a recipe for disaster.

Salvation won't arrive on Air Force One, and a perfect world won't come through the ballot box. But a better world is possible if all our actions, political and otherwise, flow downstream from our Christian convictions, and not the other way around.

Beneath all of this is a worldview that sees reproduction as primarily about "production." Missing is not only the word, but the framework that comes with seeing the making of human life as "procreation," or as the word implies, that human life is created.

Many Christians bravely fought against changing the legal definition of marriage. Today, 10 years later, we must not stop fighting for children, who have a God-given right to their mother and their father.

Just like an ideology that affirms everything, a flag that affirms everyone's ideas about gender and the body ends in self-parody and as a source of headaches.

Morality, and its absence, is contagious, especially from one generation to the next. After all, families are the place we first learn to trust and to be trustworthy.

Amazon doesn't sell what kids need most: our love, our time, and our commitment to raising them in the Lord and teaching them what's true. Give these gifts, and it won't matter how much you spend on a stroller.

In Truth Changes Everything, Jeff Myers' skill to teach through stories is on full display. Ultimately, he demonstrates that these amazing stories happened because of what is true about the world and how followers of Christ oriented their lives to that truth.

Stories of the faithful who have gone before offer a perspective for our own life and faith that we cannot get anywhere else.

Sure, go ahead and let the kids dress up like Batman and hit up your neighbors for candy. But when the hoopla of modern Halloween is over, encourage your kids to imitate some real heroes—not in what they put on, but in how they live their lives. That was Chuck Colson, from October 31, 2007, describing the rich history behind All Saints' Day.

John and Maria talk about prioritizing issues for voting in the midterm elections. Afterward, they discuss the factors leading to a decline in reading and math skills for K-12. They end on the moralistic mysticism affecting the hard sciences and medicine.

As youth struggle with an unprecedented loss of satisfaction and sense of meaning, God's Word is the best way to draw them closer to the One they're already keen to know.

No matter what day it is, Paul's instructions in Philippians 4 should guide our celebrations. Christians should think on "whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable." (This commentary is an updated version of one that first aired on Oct. 31, 2014).

As the intentional handiwork of a Creator, we have a foundation to discover the meaning our culture has lost.

Though we love the idea that God is not "safe," we often live as if our safety or comfort marks the boundaries of our relationship with Him. Many Christians cannot conceive that God's will for our lives could involve anything unpleasant or uncomfortable. (This Breakpoint is re-published from 11.4.21)

Critical theories cannot offer the beauty of constraints or hope in suffering.

Suggesting we should kill unborn children for economic reasons is an atrocity, but those who link childrearing to economic realities are actually right. Just not in the way they realize.

Science is being made subservient to religious values and immaterial claims because every worldview is a kind of faith. As the epistle of James warns, demons, too, believe, which is why we should all tremble when we consider where this "woke" religion is taking us.

Watching Dahmer won't make every viewer a serial killer, but it won't help us love our neighbors either. As Marshall McLuhan observed, we become what we behold.

Marriage isn't about self-fulfillment, or even about companionship (as important as that is). It's about "fruitfulness," or taking care of the creation, something that required additional image bearers. To receive a copy of The Story of the Family, along with access to a series of exclusive teaching videos by Dale Ahlquist, who compiled the essays for the book, go to colsoncenter.org/October.

Defenders of marriage and the family are often accused of "idolizing" marriage and family. This month, with a gift of any amount to the Colson Center, receive The Story of the Family, a book of essays by G.K. Chesterton compiled by the scholar Dale Ahlquist. You'll also receive access to a video series on the book by Ahlquist. Go to colsoncenter.org/October.

Whether married or single, the call of Christ for His people is to reject a life focused on individual self-fulfillment and instead embrace a life focused on Christ and His Kingdom. That's why we are making available an amazing new book featuring G.K. Chesterton's best writing about the family. The Story of the Family is compiled by the Chesterton scholar Dale Ahlquist. Receive a copy—and access to exclusive videos Ahlquist created for the Colson Center—with a gift of any amount this month. Go to colsoncenter.org/October.

John asks Alexandra questions about abortion, ranging from the error inherent in the language "removing the right to abortion," the radical nature of Michigan's Proposal 3 on the ballot, the case for the child in the womb, and building a pro-life culture.

It may not have been said by Albert Einstein, but it's true. "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." I think about this every time I read another article about "why young people are leaving the Church." So many of these articles are written by progressives or ex-evangelicals proclaiming that churches must adopt liberal theology, LGBT ideology, and focus on social justice rather than sin and salvation if they hope to survive. But churches and denominations have already tried this for years, and the ones who have are overwhelmingly old, white, and dying. The churches losing members at a dizzying rate still are the ones that have ordained gay clergy and are preaching a social gospel. On the other hand, their conservative counterparts are growing still. Look, young people don't need another institution to make them feel good. They need one that will tell them the truth about sin, and the Savior who calls them to be transformed in the world, not conformed to it. (Republished from 8.29.17)

Christian, stay in your lane: Do the good works which God has ordained for us to do from the foundations of the world. Just know that they encompass every conceivable aspect of human existence. This Breakpoint is republished from 8.2.21.

In a recent study, of the 114 women who claimed to have chemically aborted their babies, "six out of ten" said that chemical abortion "is a traumatic experience that can include physical pain, emotional distress, and lasting feelings of isolation for which they desire help, but most don't know where to turn." If you know a woman who's experienced a chemical abortion, the Abortion Pill Reversal Network or Support After Abortion may be able to help.

According to the numbers, some of the happiest people in America are married moms.

While 66 clinics are no longer providing abortion, pregnancy resource centers continue to do their important care.

As platforms like Twitter facilitate nastier and hotter debates than ever, Christians who take part would do well to examine our principles and consider how it's possible to laugh at our enemies and love them.

According to NPR, Planned Parenthood will soon be sending out "mobile abortion clinics," buses outfitted to provide abortion services on wheels.

Fathers are more than just sperm donors. They have a connection with their children beyond contributing DNA. This supports the claim that there's really no such thing as parenting: There's only mothering and fathering.

You may have heard that Eastern story about the six blind men who encounter an elephant. Who was right about their view of the elephant? Everyone, we're told. Just like everyone is right in their own view about God. But in reality, none of the men were right about the elephant.

Detransitioners are considered either non-existent or an embarrassment by the cultural powers that be. Yet, they make clear that people struggling with dysphoria are not the enemy. Rather, the dogmas of trans ideology are.

John and Maria consider the latest cheating scandals in competitions, recognizing people's capacity for self-rationalization. After a discussion about government-funded suicide of young people in Canada, they conclude with a recent survey in the U.S. showing that conservative women are happier.

Instead of letting social media notifications, games, and texts control your schedule, keep those activities to pre-allotted time slots. Be physically present with people.

His words may at times offend our post-Holocaust sensibilities, but taken in context, Chesterton emerges mostly as a friend and defender of the Jews. This month, the Colson Center has teamed up with Chesterton scholar Dale Ahlquist to create an exclusive set of videos on Chesterton's understanding of the purpose of family. Ahlquist has recently compiled a new book of Chesterton's essays, titled The Story of the Family. For a gift of any amount, you may receive this book and access to the video series at colsoncenter.org/October.

From its earliest days, wherever abortion was practiced, the Church condemned it and must continue to do so today.

The data is overwhelming. Contrary to what is consistently filling our newsfeeds, there is a disturbing lack of evidence that intervening in a child's gender development produces beneficial results of any kind. More than that, many studies are showing a strong potential for lasting harm. Love must speak the truth. As gentle as we must be with those who struggle with whom God created them to be, or even those who profess to be our enemies in this cultural tug-of-war, the Church has to stand for what is true about humanity, including God's good creation of the human body and the inherent value each person has since they bear His image.