All Things

These are unprecedented days. As we navigate the global coronavirus crisis it’s easy to give way to fear and misinformation. In this episode of All Things we look at two major issues: how should Christians think about the pandemic from a Biblical worldview, and how should Christians respond to the pandemic from a Biblical worldview? As Christians we must have faith over fear and we must seek to love our neighbors. This episode explores the practicalities of what that might actually look like today and in the weeks and months ahead.

The following articles were helpful in the formation of this episode:

The Korean clusters - Reuters

Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve” - The Washington Post

Infected people without symptoms might be driving the spread of coronavirus more than we realized - CNN

‘It’s Like a War’ - The Daily, The New York Times

US, UK coronavirus strategies shifted following UK epidemiologists' ominous report - CNN

Samaritan’s Purse Airlifts Field Hospital to Italy - Samaritan’s Purse

NIH Director: ‘We’re on an Exponential Curve’ - The Atlantic

Love in the Time of Coronavirus - Andy Crouch, The Praxis Journal

COVID-19, or coronavirus infectious disease 2019, has been wreaking havoc on the other side of the globe for the last couple months, but it is inching closer to the US and the CDC says that it’s no longer a question of if it will spread here, but when. Whole cities in China have been quarantined, communities in Italy and Iran are staying inside, and Japan has closed their schools. How should we respond? On this episode of All Things we explore some Biblical ways to view and prepare for COVID-19.

The following resources helped shape this episode:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/world/coronavirus-news.html

https://albertmohler.com/2020/02/27/briefing-2-27-20

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/27/podcasts/the-daily/coronavirus.html?showTranscript=1

Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church was sentenced to nine years in prison last month during a secret hearing held by the Communist Party in China. Yi and his church are just part of a much larger crackdown taking place in China, whereby the government is seeking to intimidate and control Christians, Muslims, and Tibetan Buddhists. Pastor Yi prepared an inspiring “Declaration of Faithful Disobedience” sharing his determination to share the gospel even in the face of persecution at the hands of his government. Persecution of Christians is not only increasingly normal in China, it’s normal around the world. Currently 245 million Christians suffer intense persecution for their faith in Jesus. This is far from the norm in the west—we here in the US almost never worry about our well-being because of our faith. But as our society moves further away from Biblical truths, we are going to be increasingly obvious. In my opinion that’s good news because we will be even brighter lights in a darker place. But are we ready? As the apostle Peter admonishes, are we ready for the certain fiery trials that come to all Christians? If not, what can we do to prepare?

The following links were helpful in preparing this episode:

https://time.com/5757591/wang-yi-prison-sentence-china-christianity/

https://world.wng.org/2020/01/long_expected_sentence

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/30/world/asia/china-wang-yi-christian-sentence.html

https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/december/chinese-pastor-wang-yi-early-rain-house-church-sentence-pri.html

https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/an-eerie-unacceptable-silence

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/

https://www.christianpost.com/news/nigerian-pastor-who-praised-god-in-ransom-video-beheaded-after-refusing-to-deny-christ.html

This past weekend many Americans tuned in to the Golden Globes and heard actress Michelle Williams proclaim her gratitude for being able to “employ choice” so that she could attain success in her career as an actress in Hollywood. On this episode we look at her speech, the reality that choice has become a god of our age, the lie that abortion liberates women when it actually exploits them, and the better desire for a world that prizes and protects females and what their bodies can do. All humans have immeasurable worth, earned not by what they can do, but endowed to them by the God who made them.

The following articles contributed to the making of this episode:

MICHELLE WILLIAMS; THE CONNECTION BETWEEN MALE DOMINATION AND ABORTION - Guiding Star Project

Read Michelle Williams' powerful speech about choice - CNN

The ‘Right to Choose’ What, Michelle Williams? - National Review

The Briefing 1-7-2020 - Albert Mohler

US Abortion Statistics - Abort 73

In this episode of All Things we take a look back at the top five headlines of the year, as well as think about how to navigate the heaviness of our 24-hour news cycle. In this technological age, all of us have access all the time to all the news stories from all over the world. It can feel discouraging and even hopeless. How should we handle the disparity between our knowledge of what’s going on and our inability to make a real difference?

The following articles contributed to this episode:

Breakpoint this Week: A Look Back at 2019 - Breakpoint

Impeachment of Trump voted top 2019 news story in AP poll - AP News

Northern Syria under assault - World News Group

Gains in Abortion Access - The New York Times

With Abortion Rights On The Line, Planned Parenthood Announces 2020 Push - NPR

Last weekend Alex Bozarjian, a young news reporter, was smacked on the backside by a man running in a local race. The incident was caught on camera and led to a great outcry across the nation. Women everywhere say they can relate. Also this past week, in a seemingly unrelated story, Christianity Today made their 2020 Book Awards, bestowing the highest honor in the CT Women category to Rachel Denhollander for her book What is a Girl Worth? Bozarjian’s strength and response in the face of one incident, as well as Rachel Denhollander’s strength and response in the face of repeated abuse, have me asking three questions: how is sexual abuse harmful to victims well beyond the initial incident(s), why do survivors remain silent, and how can we in the church help survivors?

Alex Bozarjian on Twitter

Inside Edition Interview of the Runner

What Is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth about Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics

Christianity Today’s 2020 Book Awards

The Christmas season is packed full of traditions, expectations, and frenzy. We’ve got trees and nativities and gingerbread houses and lights and movies. How did we get here? Where did all of these traditions come from? And how should we handle all of them? Christmas can be a season of heightened discouragement, disillusionment, and anxiety. But it’s possible as Christians to slow down and savor the season. We can fix our minds and hearts on Immanuel, God with us. Both his first coming and second coming are the true source of our hope and joy.

Resources used for this episode:

Why Putting Christ Back in Christmas Is Not Enough and Why Do We Have Christmas Trees? - Christianity Today

9 Things You Should Know About Christmas Traditions - TGC

Want to Get Into the Christmas Spirit? Face the Darkness - NYT

Grief, the Holidays, and a Biblical Christmas - TGC

5 Popular Misconceptions About the Christmas Story - TGC

Christmas - Britannica.com

Our family has been pretty focused on our two pet Labrador Retrievers lately. One recently had a litter of puppies and the other one has been very sick. We’ve been asking ourselves, what does the Bible say about animals and pets? What guidelines do we see in Scripture for caring for them? We live in a society that often elevates the value of animals above the value of humans—it’s illegal to harm the egg of an eagle, but a human baby can be killed in the womb at any stage of development. This episode of All Things explores a Biblical worldview of pets and we also ponder whether all dogs really go to heaven.

The following resources helped in the creation of this episode:

Why Do They Care More About Dogs than People? - The Gospel Coalition

Do You Care More About a Dog than a Refugee? - New York Times

What Happens to Our Pets When They Die? - The Gospel Coalition

Do Pets Go to Heaven? - Desiring God

10 biblical truths about animals - ERLC

Do Pets Distract the Christian Life? - Desiring God

Americans Spend More Money on Pet Halloween Costumes Than Reaching Lost: Missions Expert - The Christian Post

Having Pets Instead of Kids Should Be Considered a Psychiatric Disorder - The Federalist

Millennials are picking pets over people - The Washington Post

Why Are So Many Millennials Opting For Pets, Not Parenthood? - Forbes

These Birds Have More Legal Rights Than Unborn Children in America - Save the Storks

Reports coming out of Iran say that the world’s fastest growing underground church movement is happening there. This, in spite of Iran being ranked the ninth worst place in the world for Christians to live because of religious violence and persecution. Women in Iran are especially driving the growth of the church there. God is on the move and it’s striking to hear about. Meanwhile, here in the West, Christianity is shrinking. People are leaving the church and our faith is increasingly out of fashion. Rather than viewing this change in the religious landscape as a threat, though, we believers in the US should view this as an opportunity. As our culture turns increasingly inward on itself, we have the chance to demonstrate the love of Christ as we lift our eyes up and out on those around us. You and I who are in Christ have the greatest story, we have the antidote for the growing despair and loneliness around us. Let’s be emboldened by our Iranian siblings in the Lord and share the love of Christ with those in our communities. The people may no longer be going to church, but we—the church—can go to the people.

The following resources helped to create this episode of All Things:

Iran Is Witnessing 'One of Fastest Growing Church Movements,' but Christians Face Intense Persecution - Christian Post

Iran - OpenDoors

This 19 year old is the future of the church in Iran - OpenDoors

Iranian regime's repression of Christians ‘shocks the conscience’ - Fox News

Intelligence Minister: Christianity Is Spreading in “Parts” Of Iran - Iran Wire

Iran has world’s ‘fastest-growing church,’ despite no buildings - and it's mostly led by women: documentary - Fox News

Sheep Among Wolves Film

Iran's war on Christianity - Washington Times

Women at the Heart of Church Growth in Iran - Sat 7

U.S. Church Membership Down Sharply in Past Two Decades - Gallup

Religion declining in importance for many Americans, especially for Millennials - Religion News

The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door

Saturate: Being Disciples of Jesus in the Everyday Stuff of Life

Everyday Church: Gospel Communities on Mission

Reappearing Church: The Hope for Renewal in the Rise of Our Post-Christian Culture

As we observe a week of youth climate strikes around the world, plus the United Nations Climate Summit, the environment is in all the headlines. Children, youth, and leaders are calling on governments to make some drastic changes or face global collapse. Interestingly, both the strikes and the summit feature Greta Thunberg, a 16 year old girl from Sweden who has recently been thrust to the forefront of the climate change movement. But who’s supporting her and why? On this episode of All Things we look at not just the headlines, but we also think about why Christians ought to be the best caretakers of creation.

The following sources helped in the creation of this episode.

The Briefing, Monday, September 23, 2019 - Albert Mohler

Protesting Climate Change, Young People Take to Streets in a Global Strike - The New York Times

Greta’s very corporate children’s crusade - Standpoint

U.N. Climate Summit Sets Stage For New National Emissions Promises - NPR

Trump drops by United Nations climate summit - CBS News

Highly touted UN climate summit failed to deliver — and Scott Morrison failed to show up - ABC News

GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE → SEP. 20–27 - organizational website

Christians and the Environment: How Should Christians Think about the Environment? - Christian Research Institute