Here's a Christian response to the Millennium Development Goals.
In 2000, global leaders met for a United Nations summit and
agreed to "spare no effort" to rid the world of the scourge of extreme poverty,
which has kept more than 1 billion people in degrading and inhuman
Ten years later, 190 world leaders returned to the U.N.
building in New York to assess our progress on those promises to the world's
poor, and it was hard to escape a sense of significance, but outright
expectations were muted by the "outcomes" document that had already been agreed
upon by governments before they even met.
By common agreement it was little more than diplomatic
speech for, "We're doing OK, but we still have a long way to go." read more
Worldwide, more than 5 million Christian missionaries are connecting with people to share Christ's love with their neighbors. Of these, according to Todd M. Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, roughly 30,000 are in the parts of the world where little is known about Christ. Each day these people put their lives on the line to share the gospel with those who may otherwise never know Him.
Evangelism is built on relationships, which take years to establish. With the freedoms we enjoy as Americans, sometimes it's hard to imagine that in some parts of the globe people are beaten, jailed and killed for their faith. The danger of Christians taking an extreme approach to other belief systems is that it could bring about a tsunami of disaster for the missionaries and other humanitarian groups around the world. read more
last few weeks have provided a fascinating insight into U.S.-Israel relations
and how the leaders of both countries see the Iran nuclear threat. Monday’s Oval Office meeting was important,
but it needs to be put in context with recent statements by CIA Director Leon
Panetta and Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Let me
this was the first meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu,
it would have been great. The President was warm and friendly. He reaffirmed the
“special relationship” and “unbreakable bond” between the U.S. and Israel. He
said he trusted the Prime Minister and appreciated the steps Mr. Netanyahu is
taking towards peace and security. Netanyahu publicly invited Obama to come to
Israel and meet there, and Obama smiled and said, “I’m ready.” read more
It is a decision that is both disappointing and
troubling. By a vote of 5-4, the
Supreme Court dealt a damaging blow to First Amendment law for religious
organizations in the case of Christian Legal Society v. Martinez.
The Supreme Court was presented with the
following question: "May a public law school condition its official
recognition of a student group-and the attendant use of school funds and
facilities-on the organization's agreement to open eligibility for membership
and leadership to all students?" read more
Christianity has always had its controversies and robust debates. The charismatic movement alone has been riddled with arguments over flamboyant ministers, the so-called prosperity gospel and modern-day apostles and prophets.
The same types of debates also have rattled atheism. The most recent major controversy was the defection of the late Anthony Flew—once called the most famous atheist in the world—who in 2004 said evidence and science led him to conclude there was a God. read more
Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's strategy is now clear.
the worst week in U.S.-Israel relations in 35 years, Israeli prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu came to Washington Monday and gave a powerful
and effective speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee
(AIPAC) gala dinner at the Washington Convention Center, warning the world to
stop Iran - or Israel will - and respectfully but directly challenging the
Obama administration on Jerusalem and the peace process.
Netanyahu received scores of standing ovations from the 7,800 guests in
attendance, the biggest event in the history of AIPAC. More than half of the
members of the U.S. House and Senate were there, as were ambassadors from more
than 50 countries and many top Israeli officials, including defense
minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Tzipi Livni. The longest and most
sustained came when the prime minister firmly resisted the policy of President
Obama, who seeks to divide Jerusalem and stop Israel from building
"settlements" in East Jerusalem. read more
Two people have been overlooked in the
middle of the Tiger Woods scandal. The consequences of his actions upon their
lives will only be seen years down the road. Of course, I am referring to his
Family breakdown is not limited to
celebrities or the rich and famous. I know this all too well. read more
you ever wondered why pornography seems to hypnotize the male brain, or
why it can override all logic, sometimes to the point of ruining a
guy's life? William Struthers has the answers. A neuroscientist and
professor at Wheaton College, Struthers has researched what goes on in
the mind of a man when he looks at pornography. His findings are
enlightening. Our conversation with him hit on a variety of topics,
such as why porn seems to be worse for Christians than non-Christians
and how single men can find hope. Don't miss this interview from New Man E-magazine.
New Man: What goes on in a man's brain when he's looking at pornography?
think even before you answer that question you have to know a little
bit about how a man's brain is built. Obviously it starts developing in
the womb. The critical part in making a masculine brain is
testosterone. It causes the brain to develop along a certain pathway.
That's what makes little boys different from little girls. You'll
notice that a baby boy likes to look at things, but a baby girl likes
to look at faces more.
The next big chemical changes
take place during puberty, when the brain becomes cued in to sexual
maturity. Every brain has certain parts that are more masculine or
feminine. What you find during this time is that the masculine parts of
the brain are really triggered by visual stimuli. This goes back even
to the example of babies—the boys are more interested in looking at
things. This visual preference shows up very clearly with pornography.
tests, when men are placed in brain scanning devices and look at stills
of naked women or video of couples engaged in intercourse, the visual
parts of a man's brain light up more than a woman's. The example I use
in the book is that, to a man, pornography is like a high definition
television. For whatever reason, it tends to draw in men reflexively
and maintain hold over them. Just like when you're looking at TVs in
Best Buy, the HDTV is going to grab your attention more than the
standard definition. To a woman's brain, it's all standard definition.
So pornography lends itself to a man's brain.
critical thing for a man's brain when looking at pornography is that
many men will use pornography to masturbate. Once again, when you look
at what goes on in the brain around an orgasm, it is the parts of the
brain that are involved in reinforcement. They are the same parts that
activate when a person eats or drinks or takes addictive drugs.
when you start pairing the visual image of pornography, which men see
incredibly well and are almost hypnotized by, and if you combine that
with the reinforcement of masturbating or acting out sexually, you're
laying down a powerful neurological habit where the orgasm reinforces
the response to pornography.
Within our larger
Christian worldview, the purpose of the brain reinforcing the response
to an orgasm is to bind a man to his wife. This response ties you to
whatever is sanctioned with it. In the context of marriage between a
husband and a wife, this binding is a good thing. If, however, this
sexual response is bound to something else, like a pornographic image,
you are bound to it and you develop an attachment to it. This is a
neurological process as much as a spiritual one.
New Man: Does
this process only happen when looking at extreme pornographic
images—such as naked pictures or video—or does it apply to anything we
are sexually drawn to?
lot of that is culturally defined. All men are drawn to look for nudity
and the female form, but how much depends on the culture you grow up
in. If you are in a conservative culture where the female form is
taboo, a little female skin may get you sexually aroused. If you are in
a culture where there is a lot of sexual imagery, you may need even
more than a naked body in order to elicit a sexual response. To
continue the metaphor, if you've been watching HDTV for a while, you
want a bigger screen. You've gotten used to it.
our culture, which is hypersexual, many men will need to escalate their
pornography usage. Some men will develop fetishes and go to specific
Web sites or look at particular types of women. They are training their
brains to only respond to that one thing. Other men will view multiple
Web sites with multiple different models and types of pornography,
training themselves to only be aroused by lots of women doing lots of
different things. Then, when they go to their one wife whose appearance
doesn't change and generally keeps to the same sexual script, it
doesn't arouse the man anymore.
New Man: That's
fascinating. Why does it seem sometimes like Christian men can have a
greater struggle with pornography than non-Christians?
you don't see sexually acting out as a spiritual matter, then you don't
have the same issues as a Christian, who sees it as sin or a moral
failing. Christians will have emotions like guilt and shame related to
their pornographic use, and that can make it worse. They feel a
self-loathing because of their issue, and they try to soothe that
loathing by acting out sexually. That momentary orgasm response of
relief and pleasure gets rid of the shame for a moment. It's a cycle
that gets worse over time, even more so for men of faith.
important thing to understand is that viewing pornography and sexually
acting out is not just done because it causes pleasure. It can be done
as a way of relieving stress, dealing with depression, or done just out
of a compulsion. Some men see it as a reward. They've been good all
week and they deserve it.
Some men are narcissists.
Actually, that's a personality type that attracts a lot of pastors. We
have to be careful when dealing with pastors in recovery because
sometimes they'll talk too openly about it so that they can be admired,
but they will draw others unnecessarily into the issue.
point is that you wouldn't treat a heroin addict the same way you would
someone who is depressed or someone who has a compulsive disorder. So
when we rightly understand the particular reason why men are viewing
pornography, we have a better chance of helping them. Rather than just
saying, "It's an addiction," we have to find the reason why men are
acting out and develop behavioral patterns to deal with the issue.
New Man: Is there hope for men who are stuck in this habit to rewire their brains?
as you are creating neurological habits out of your sexual immorality,
so too can you also create neurological habits out of sexual purity.
The same rules that govern how you got to this point can also be used
to get you out.
Imagine that you were addicted to
purity and compassion. You would feel the same lack of freedom to
control yourself, but you wouldn't be able to stop yourself from doing
good things. That process of being neurologically unable to fall prey
to temptation is called sanctification. As I make small decisions, they
have long-lasting neurological consequences for me. That can be good or
The other important part is having a right
understanding of what our sexuality is for. It is not primarily about
reproducing. If that were the case, every man should get married, no
man should have sex with his wife after menopause, and there would be
no place for single men and women.
Also, you hear all
kinds of crazy things about men being wired to spread our seed [or our]
being biologically promiscuous and women being more selective. That's
just rubbish. When you look at the statistics, women are just as
promiscuous as men. It's just that men tend to over-report their
experiences and women tend to under-report them.
other thing is, it's not just about pleasure. If that were the case,
men should just sit around masturbating all day. Neither reproducing
nor pleasure is the primary purpose for sexuality.
primary nature of our sexuality is tied to the fact that we are made in
the relational nature of the image of God and that sex is about knowing
and being known. It is about speaking goodness into someone else and
having them speak goodness to you. That takes place in a unique way in
the context of marriage between a man and a woman, and it models God's
exclusive love for His people or Jesus' exclusive love for His church.
we also need to move away from understanding sexuality as solely
between mates. Sexuality affects every relationship we have. I can be a
father figure to many young men on my college campus, but I'm a father
to my son in a different way. I'm a son to my parents, but I can be a
spiritual son to older men and women. I can be a spiritual brother to
women who aren't my wife, but I have a unique relationship with my wife
that is exclusive. All these relationships are affected by our
sexuality. It's about intimacy that is being made into a relational
image of God.
New Man: Single guys have a unique situation. Any advice for them?
our culture, and this is exacerbated in the church, single men feel
trapped because they don't have an outlet for their sexuality. This is
because they only see their sexuality as genital. When they can see
their sexuality in a relational context, like I was talking about a
minute ago, then they can be freed up of feeling the weight of having a
sexual outlet. They need to understand that sexuality isn't just about
pleasure and that they can channel that energy into their relationships
and service. Combine that with the fact that the sexual drive will die
down with age, and there's hope for them.
important for the rest of the church. When we understand they can be
ministers for good in a way that a married man can't be, then we give
them greater esteem and a higher place in the church. Just because
married is the norm, it doesn't mean it is the ideal. The church
doesn't value chastity as a lifelong decision anymore, it only sees it
as a holding pattern until marriage. That's not biblical. The church
desperately needs the service that single men can give. Without it, the
church cannot become what it is supposed to be.
Concerned Americans have been shaken by sobering images from ubiquitous news footage of rubble and rescue in Haiti after a magnitude 7 earthquake rocked the tiny poor Caribbean nation earlier this month, prompting many to ask, "Where is God and why would He allow such extensive suffering?"
Whether it is an earthquake or some other adversity that turns our lives upside down, Christians grapple with trying to reconcile God's sovereignty and His role in human suffering, including our own personal afflictions. I believe there are important truths about God and suffering that we need to keep in mind. read more
In the aftermath of what the Red Cross, United Nations and other agencies now consider the greatest tragedy in the history of our Western Hemisphere—the massive 7.0 earthquake that struck Port-au-Prince, the capital city of Haiti—the reaction by leaders and the common man were predictable.
The immediate response to this incomparable human tragedy by governments, world relief agencies and religious organizations is the only bright spot in this dark episode of human drama. An event like this “natural” disaster could happen anywhere at anytime and reduces us all to simply being human. Tragedies like this graphically remind us of the fragility of our existence on this unstable planet we call Earth. read more