I recently watched a minister online. He gave a scathing critique of those who dare call out purveyors of false doctrine. He said we should love our fellow Christians. Paradoxically, he criticized those who criticize others. In one sense, the attack seemed pious. Don’t criticize. Be loving. Be sweet. But Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple.

Yes, Christianity has emphasized the biblical message of grace for two thousand years, and the spread of the Church has been extraordinary. But that message is ours because it was passed down from the Jewish people. The Gospel was born in Israel. It was nursed and cradled by the Hebrew nation in the land promised to their ancestors. It was Jewish apostles who carried the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The first churches were established by Jewish missionaries. Our faith—from beginning to end—flows through Israel.

The story is so common that it almost seems inevitable: A college or university is founded as an expressly Biblical institution, but at some point it changes. Some might become completely secular; others may introduce liberal theology or progressive social policies. Harvard, Yale and Princeton are well-known examples; in fact, seven of the eight Ivy League schools in the U.S. were founded to train pastors but left behind that mission long ago. In the 1970s, Harold Lindsell sounded an alarm in his book The Battle for the Bible, in which he called out seemingly evangelical institutions that had abandoned the infallibility of Scripture. That abandonment, Lindsell argued, “always and ever opens the door to further departures from the faith.”

What about the timing of the rapture? That’s another hotly debated subject in the church. While most acknowledge the day and hour is unknowable, is that day and hour before the tribulation, during the tribulation, or at the end of the tribulation? (These are the pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation rapture views). Does not knowing the day or hour mean we can’t know anything about the timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation? That depends on which timing view you hold to. If you believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, then seeing things develop that will be fulfilled during the tribulation should stir up a sense of expectation and excitement because it could happen at any time. But if you are mid- or post-trib, then you know that because the tribulation has not yet begun, there is no expectation that the rapture could occur within the next three-and-a-half or seven years.

Under the banner of “ethnic studies” and the new buzzword “adultism,” teacher training programs and classroom curricula across more than 22 states are systematically teaching that parental authority is a form of oppression—tyranny, fascism, even.

President Donald Trump celebrated the move in a post announcing that Medicaid would no longer fund gender-transition surgeries or hormones for minors. “We are not going to pay for our innocent children to undergo these barbaric surgeries and practices,” Trump wrote, arguing that the procedures can cause irreversible harm. Trump also stated that pressure from his administration had already prompted dozens of hospitals across the country to discontinue such procedures and predicted that additional institutions would follow.

This fall, Arizona State University is offering eight courses with words like witchcraft, magic, or the occult in the title. Meanwhile, one course will cover the bedrock faith of Western Civilization. “Think about that for a moment,” writes Owen Anderson, who teaches philosophy and religion at the university. “At one of the largest public universities in the country, students can choose from a small festival of courses on witchcraft, while Christianity receives [only] a single titled course.” A quick web search reveals other major universities across the country are offering similar classes.

I reached out to the school district for an explanation on why a book that is supposed to commemorate the highlights of a school year looked like a propaganda campaign from Antifa. Is it possible that the yearbook advisors were hired from The New York Times or Washington Post? Well, it turns out the school district is defending the anti-Trump, anti-conservative yearbook. A district spokesperson confirmed that the controversial images were not only published, but were also approved by the club’s advisor.

The aim of the Turks is to encroach toward the border with Israel, starting from the north and pushing further and further toward the center of Syria. Without intervention, before you know it, they will be on the border next to the Golan Heights. With a shared border with Israel, Turkey hopes to eventually fulfill its dreams of walking into Jerusalem to “liberate” it—a goal they discuss openly.

Iran's nuclear weapons program has been mostly obliterated by the U.S. and Israeli militaries over the past 14 months. Pakistan, however, currently possesses approximately 170 nuclear warheads. It's the only Islamic nation that has the bomb, and over the weekend, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif made some very disturbing comments about the world's one and only Jewish state. Asif called Israel an “illegitimate state” and “a threat to the entire Muslim world.” He demanded all Islamic nations unite militarily against Israel.

The cost in terms of lives and suffering included over 100 innocent people who were murdered to prove a theory that turned out to be not only wrong but based on an erroneous secular philosophy, namely Darwinism. This display was one result of the rejection of the Genesis account that teaches all men are descendants of our first parents, Adam and Eve; thus all humans are of one race (the human race) and one kind (mankind).

The mayor’s continuing tirades against Israel causes one to wonder if he is running the city or has future political aspirations. Mamdani isn’t a “one-off” candidate. Instead, it is best to realize that he is a potential trendsetter. He represents a changing dynamic within the world of future Islamic political ambitions. Part of this is his ongoing excoriations of Israel and its prime minister. Although pretty much everyone knew Mamdani’s threats to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once he stepped foot in New York were empty, it didn’t stop the young mayor’s blustering promise to do just that. President Trump countered with a strongly worded statement the very next day denying Mamdani’s threats.

The technological world begins to look considerably different. Infrastructure is becoming increasingly global, distributed, autonomous, and difficult to confine within traditional national boundaries. That is where the Bible-prophecy discussion becomes especially interesting.

Every evening the news seems to remind us that the world is moving closer to another major conflict. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints. Iran continues to threaten international shipping. Russia's war in Ukraine grinds on with no clear end in sight. China openly pressures Taiwan. North Korea expands its missile program while the Middle East remains a powder keg waiting for another spark. Military analysts debate troop movements, missile ranges, economic sanctions, and political alliances. Energy experts warn about oil prices. Economists worry about inflation and supply chains. But Christians should ask a different question.

A series of recent Spanish government decisions effectively rolled out the welcome mat to illegal immigration. The border swarm should not have been a surprise. Ceuta normally has a population of around 80,000 people. In short order, 60,000 Moroccans, 99% Muslim, mostly military-age males, crashed their way through the barriers and into the town. They carried no luggage or supplies, just hope for prosperity in Spain. They came with nothing, expecting everything. Ceuta raises a question Americans need to consider. Many in our country now oppose the agency known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They march with signs saying, “Abolish ICE!” and “Defund ICE!” Reform ICE wherever reform is needed. But abandoning immigration enforcement is not reform. It is surrender. It is giving up national sovereignty, and that is madness. Last week, Ceuta, Spain proved it.

Younger Christians today have been told that early Christians practiced socialism. This is false; the charity practiced by first-century believers was voluntary. It was based on the love of God, whereas socialist/Marxist regimes are inherently godless and generally suppress religious freedom. It is imperative that such indoctrination be answered, and our publishing and broadcasting efforts critique socialism factually and effectively.

When the waters grow rougher than we imagined, these truths remain: (1) our Guide is in the same boat with us, (2) He knows everything about the way ahead, (3) He is worthy of our trust, and (4) He has already defeated these waves. Even death is now survivable because Jesus is the victor.

Consider the love of parents, many of whom would jump in front of a car to save their disobedient children. It helps us understand God’s selfless love. This is the Good News: For those who trust in Jesus the Messiah, the punishment for all our sin was paid for on the cross—past, present, and future (Hebrews 10:14). “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Sex within the context of marriage is like drinking pure water from a clear well. But sexual sin is like drinking polluted water from a sewer. One will delight you and the other will destroy you. One is a river and the other is a swamp.

If God is important, then why do we give Him our leftovers? God certainly doesn’t want our leftovers. He makes that quite clear in Scripture. God said to Israel, “Cursed is the cheat who promises to give a fine ram from his flock but then sacrifices a defective one to the Lord. For I am a great king . . . and my name is feared among the nations!” (Malachi 1:14).

Abram’s integrity was strengthened as he chose to rely upon the “Possessor of heaven and earth” rather than men. He believed God was faithful and had no need to take what Sodom offered, not even a thread of a sandal strap!