7 Things I Learned About Dealing with Officials
I was fully prepared to breeze over a July 14 article in theguardian.com headlined “Ghostbusters in line for China ban due to supernatural theme.” But I read it, and I’m glad I did…
Craig Parshall
Government in the Sunshine
In despotisms and tyrannies, people have no rights to be informed about the conduct of their leaders. That is not surprising, as neither their input nor their influence is wanted…
Faith, Facts, and Grocery Lists
Christianity rests on facts. And because the record of Christianity relies on the accounts of facts set forth in the Bible, that Book is continually at the heart of debates and arguments over the…
The Late Justice Scalia: Judgment Affirmed
Author Carl Sandburg popularized an old lumberman’s saying when he wrote, regarding the death of President Abraham Lincoln, “A tree is best measured when it is down.” The news that U.S. Supreme Court Justice…
Dancing with the Devil
The reality of demonic attack and Jesus’ victory over it is woven throughout the Gospels, and there are 82 references to the word demon or demons in the New King James Bible…
The Iran Deal: Wheel of Misfortune
The Constitution of the United States sets limitations regarding international treaties. It is a hallmark of the bizarre state of politics in Washington that…
How to Walk and When to Stand
Since June 26, when five Supreme Court justices issued their majority opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, the millennia-old idea of religious freedom in America has…
A Word to the Church in Captivity
In June the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, in which gay rights activists won the constitutional right for same-sex marriage. Five of the nine justices granted that right, inventing it out of whole cloth…
Three Myths About Jihad
As the adage goes, “Ideas have consequences.” However, in these dangerous times of savage jihadism, bad ideas can have disastrous consequences. If they woo our Washington policy makers or…
What Terrorists Want
In November, four Israelis—three of them Americans—were slaughtered in a synagogue in Jerusalem when Palestinians armed with guns, knives, and axes burst in during prayer and…
Bad Magic: Newsweek vs. the Bible
The first time I viewed the GEICO insurance ad on television, I chuckled. It flashes back to medieval times, where an elderly mentor peers into a big book of tricks then…
The Hero Invasion
The city of Houston ignited a Bill of Rights uproar a few months ago, and the controversy is not likely to die down anytime soon. It started when the Houston City Council, at the urging of…
The Tax Man Cometh
A recent deal between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and an anti-faith activist group promises to threaten the religious free-speech rights of churches around the nation.
Highway to Nowhere
When the hot days of summer began to descend, two significant legal issues were heating up in Washington. One was the well-known case involving Christian-run Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc….
Free Speech and the Well-Traveled Road
This year the White House has promoted two disconcerting proposals that would cede more power over the Internet to the international community. The result would undoubtedly…
Dark Innovation: The Role of Technology in Revelation 13
Imagine a world of the future. It is a desperate world where human beings are controlled by a single, tyrannical power. If we look behind the curtain to see what energizes…
Telling Tales
Everyone loves a good story. Today, perhaps the most powerful storytelling takes place on the silver screen. And 2014 looks as if Hollywood is casting its attention…
Crimes of the Mind
Years ago I traveled to the Netherlands on a book tour for my novels. A well-known cartoonist had recently been arrested there and his computer seized by Dutch police…
Why We Believe
Last fall author Joseph Atwill made a splash in London when he claimed the Gospels were faked by the Romans to quell a possible Jewish uprising. The theory, preposterous as it is, goes like this…
The Biblical Bottom Line
I was watching a television talk show one evening that centered on a discussion between the host, a well-known skeptic, and a spokesman for the “evangelical” left. Political and social issues…
Watching Out for the Watchers
Earlier this year a former intelligence defense contractor named Edward Snowden made some stunning disclosures. His revelations pertained to federal government surveillance via two…
The UN Arms Treaty and the U.S. Constitution
Times have changed. In ancient days, the poet Virgil began the Aeneid—his famous ode to national duty and military exploit—with the celebratory words, “I sing of arms.” In April, the UN…
Providing for the Common Defense
To provide for the common defense is an artful, 18th-century phrase that some have tried to modernize to mean to “defend our country from other…
What Are We Searching For?
For several years Google has displayed on YouTube, its Internet video platform, an end-of-the-year review in images, photographs, and news…
The Big Convergence
Powerful evidence is mounting that we are in the middle of worldwide convergences—stunning unifications taking place across the planet on at least four fronts…
Diary of a Wimpy Church?
Now that national elections are over, I have taken the time to reflect on a consistent theme in American politics of late: the presence (or absence) of civility in campaign…
Rushing to the Future
Years ago, as a young Christian attending a large Midwestern university, I slipped into the meeting of a radical group on campus to check it out. A speaker talked about the leftist…
Ministry Freedom in the Balance
When I read the e-mail in May from a legal webcasting group that regularly advises lawyers on current, but usually mundane, employment issues, I knew it was one more bit…
Camels, Gnats, and the Importance of Doctrine
Did you know a high percentage of Christians really don’t know what they believe? This excellent article takes a look at what’s important and what’s not.
The Death of Reason, the Burial of Faith
Radical New Testament critic John Dominic Crossan, touted by his publisher as being “widely regarded as the foremost historical Jesus scholar of our time,” has written a new book called The Power…
The Nails and Streams of Liberty
The familiar words of the U.S. Declaration of Independence remind us we are endowed by God “with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of…
Dear Court: Clean Up Your Mess!
Do you remember as a child being told to pick up your room? Most of us do. There are advantages to orderliness. And when it comes to our most fundamental liberties…
Dangerous Absolutes
Although they knew God, they did not glorify [honor] Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise…
Show Me the Law and I’ll Show You the Lawgiver
Law students used to be taught the importance of the Ten Commandments in American jurisprudence. Not today. But truth is truth, as you’ll see here.
Be Careful Whom You Follow
A common thread in John Bunyan’s 17th-century Christian classic, The Pilgrim’s Progress, involves his hero’s wisdom (or lack thereof) in choosing companions as he travels on his long road through life…
Being Right in a Rough World
When the news first broke that Osama bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan, television captured images of college students celebrating in Washington, DC, and National Public Radio gave unenlightened coverage…
Fortress of Faith, Castles of Sand
Christianity in America is under attack as never before. The press is particularly hostile. But the source of other threats may surprise you.
Beware the New Barbarians
An ultra-liberal movement is ripping its way through American culture. I call its purveyors the “new barbarians.” When we think of barbarian, we often picture Neolithic-looking creatures in animal skins, wielding giant clubs.
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
The timing was striking. The article appeared in the December 5, 2010, issue of The New York Times. Harvard philosophy professor Sean D. Kelly wrote about what makes a “life worthy of…admiration.”
The Invisible Revolution
When I read the comment in Wired magazine last fall, I was so astonished I had to read it again. It reaffirmed my suspicion that there is a quiet, almost…
A More Perfect Union Nov/Dec 2010
Julea Ward was getting A’s in her classes. She had completed all of her required work for a master’s degree in counseling at Eastern Michigan University, but problems arose during…
Tampering With Freedom of Religion
President Ronald Reagan often called the White House a “bully pulpit,” meaning its power and prestige gave the president of the United States the ability to speak out on issues and influence…
A More Perfect Union Sep/Oct 2010
Now that the hotly contested Senate confirmation hearing of Elena Kagan is over and President Barack Obama’s nominee has become the 112th justice to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court…
A More Perfect Union Jul/Aug 2010
It all started when the Christian Legal Society (CLS), a fellowship group of Christian law students and lawyers, sought official recognition at the Hastings Law School, a part of the California…
A More Perfect Union May/Jun 2010
In January the U.S. Supreme Court decided the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Although the 5–4 decision narrowly upheld freedom of speech, it also made obvious the two…
A More Perfect Union Mar/Apr 2010
Even the quickest glance at the text of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution makes one thing exceedingly clear: each of the rights guaranteed therein—religion, speech, assembly, and freedom…
The Bible vs. The Classroom:
A Practical Look at an Uneasy Truce
It has been almost five decades since the U.S. Supreme Court banned Bible reading in public schools. In 1963, one year after it struck down state-sponsored prayers in School District…
A More Perfect Union Jan/Feb 2010
On October 22 in Washington, DC, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) convened a hearing process that may determine who will rule the Internet. What happens could affect the freedom of Christians…
Racing Toward the New World Order
The future dreamed of by the globalists of the 1980s has arrived. And it spells nothing good for Christians or loyal, devoted Americans.
Nimrod and Globalism at Shinar
In a way, the revolt that occurred after the ancient biblical flood seems very contemporary. God instructed Noah’s descendants, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Gen. 9:1). But…
A More Perfect Union Nov/Dec 2009
Now that Sonia Sotomayor has been sworn in as the newest associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, some reflections are in order. How much do we really know about…
A More Perfect Union Sep/Oct 2009
As part of my work with National Religious Broadcasters, I was involved in a small meeting in the Capitol Hill office of a congressional representative not long ago. Known in political circles…
A More Perfect Union Jul/Aug 2009
Thomas Jefferson once famously said, “Almighty God hath created the mind free….All attempts to influence it by temporal punishments or burthens [burdens]…are a departure from the plan of the Holy…
Facing the Goliath of the Liberal Media Part Two
The news media has called Christians everything from demented to stupid to downright evil. If you aren’t aware of what’s happening, it’s time to read this and smell the slander.
Facing the Goliath of the Liberal Media Part One
Unhappy with the news media’s 2008 election coverage? Well, get ready to become unhappier after you read this!
The Ghost of America Yet to Come
The Netherlands is a small country with a big problem. And by the looks of things, America is heading in the same direction.
In the Shadow of a Praying Nation
This summer marks the 45th anniversary of the ruling that outlawed reading the Bible and reciting the Lord’s Prayer in America’s public schools. But there’s more. Read on.
Christ: The Hope of Nations
America’s Founding Fathers placed their hope for this nation on the truth of Christianity. But as important as the American historical record is, something else is even more important.
America’s Historical Amnesia
From 1776 until 1947, there was little argument that Christianity was the primary worldview that shaped America’s values and national vision. Not all Americans were Christians, of course. But the truths…
Pulling the Plug on Christian TV in Israel
When Israelis turn on their televisions, they can choose from a sophisticated array of programming: educational, live political debate, ESPN and FOX sports, the History Channel, home shopping, and much more. But if one…
Prince of Heresy: The Mystery of Simon of Samaria
A false spirituality has grabbed hold of modern culture. Liberal theology accepts almost anything these days, including some surprising heresies.
When Israel Sins
It was one of those truly soul-rattling moments (metaphorically speaking). In the heart of Jerusalem, the Israeli Supreme Court rendered a ruling that seems to betray one of God’s clearest…
Great Cities of Jesus’ Day
With Christmas around the corner, we invite you to tour four cities in firstcentury Israel that testify to the Savior’s power. Two of them are still there today.
Dancing with the Devil
Like it or not, Hamas now controls the Palestinian Authority. Does this mean Israel must negotiate with terrorists? This lawyer says no.
Scrolls, Souls, and the ‘Da Vinci Effect’
Dan Brown’s novel has been on The New York Times Best Seller list for two years now, contradicting Scripture. Is it accurate? See for yourself.
A Lawyer Looks at God’s ‘Contract’ With Israel
What do words like inheritance, descendants, and forever mean to you? They mean a great deal to God. More, in fact, than most people realize.
Red Skies Over the Temple Mount
The most hotly contested piece of real estate in the world is the Temple Mount. Today three ominous trends threaten the area.
Finding Eden
Long ago, in the misty echoes of ancient time, there was a first man and a first woman. They walked in the cool, green shade, surrounded by lush, fruitful trees and benevolent beasts. The region…
On the Way to Canaan Land
George W. Bush had just won the presidential election for a second term. The confetti was still lying on the floor of GOP headquarters when Britain’s prime minister Tony Blair jumped forward…
Perfect Injustice: Jesus’ Trial Before Pilate
It was early in the day. Yet Governor Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect, was already facing a busy docket. He really didn’t want to be bothered with the political intrigues of the Jewish high priest…
Jerusalem: The Missing Link
When the pundits look back on 2004 and the attempts at an Israeli-Palestinian solution, the word disengagement will probably top…