Breakpoint

A little more than a week after the storming of the Capitol, five Americans have died, the House of Representatives has impeached the President for a second time, Twitter and other social platforms have permanently banned the sitting President of the United States, Amazon Web Services shut down alternative social media site Parler, and National Guard forces are being deployed, with 15,000 troops scheduled to surround the Capitol because, according to the FBI, armed groups are planning to protest the Inauguration, not only in Washington, D.C., but in all fifty states.

There are immediate causes, of course, for the chaos that unfolded last Wednesday. Over 70 million Americans are unhappy with and deeply worried about the implications of the presidential election and, no less important, the Georgia Senate runoffs. Among that number, a sizeable group believes the election was stolen, and just-as-deeply disbelieve all media personalities, investigators, elected officials of either party, or judges who say otherwise. Among that group, agitators, after making their violent intentions clear on social media, successfully incited Trump supporters to mob the Capitol.

Still, even the most-crafty agitator can only agitate a crowd that is agitate-able. One of the main headlines, not just of Wednesday but all of 2020, is just how dangerously on-edge Americans are. Only an analysis that looks beyond the rage of this day or that day, one that takes seriously the "pre-existing conditions" of our national tinderbox, will ultimately be helpful in pulling us back from the precipice.

For decades, sociologists have warned just how thin American civil society has become, replaced by a growing individualism that isolates Americans from the relationships and loyalties that once nurtured a thick social fabric. This is an unsustainable path. The collapse of the family, declining church attendance, institutions losing their integrity and our trust, and the various technological vortices keeping us from our neighbors are all catalytic factors in what's been rightly called "deaths from despair" (increasing suicide rates, loneliness, addictions) and could be called "acts of desperation" (mass violence, rioting, and self-mutilation).

As civil society thins and as Americans become less connected to the pre-political aspects of life, the cultural weight lands on politics. To put it bluntly, our politics cannot handle the amount of weight we currently expect of it. As a result, we are experiencing two unsustainable consequences.

First, a culture that lacks the necessary resources to produce good citizens and cultivate self-control. Family, Church, community life, and volunteer groups play many roles in a society, but none more important than in providing a vision of what it means to live together, advancing things like civility and the common good.

Now this point should be obvious, but the state cannot function for long without good citizens. After all, it has no resources of its own, other than power. And yet, just as the state needs a moral citizenry to keep it from abusing its power, citizens need a properly functioning state to secure rights and liberty. The state, in and of itself, is wholly inadequate to produce the citizens it needs in order to function well. That must be done elsewhere, and herein lies an essential ingredient of our current crisis.

Second, when too much weight of a culture is placed on politics, when people turn exclusively (or even primarily) to politics to define and solve their problems or secure their hope, the stakes become too high. A zero-sum, winner-take-all, win-or-die kind of politics that places too much weight on the next election, the next bill, the next scandal, the next "breaking story from Washington. The anxiety level too much for people to bear.

On the opposite extreme from those who want to remove Christians from politics, are those Christians who think political levers should be used as power plays. But that's merely Christianizing a secular methodology; it will never work. If we hope to be part of a solution and not add kindling to this explosive environment, we'll need clear and compelling teaching on what politics is ultimately for, what it's not for, and how it fits in the larger economy of pre-political realities and institutions.

To be clear, difficult days lie ahead for anyone committed to the sanctity of human life, sexual restraint, or religious freedom. In our political and pre-political efforts, then, what the world needs most, as Chuck Colson said, is for the Church to be the Church. The thinning of civil society is our nation's greatest challenge. It is also among the Church's greatest opportunities.

We've been appointed to this time and this place (Acts 17:26), but others have gone before us, and we must learn from them. We need not re-invent the wheel (or, as one of my colleagues likes to say, the flat tire). Like those whose remarkable faith is now sight, we must roll-up our sleeves and double down on loving God and neighbor, proclaiming what is true and elevating what is good, fighting for what matters but never placing our hope horses, chariots, or elections.

Only in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come.

A little more than a week after the storming of the Capitol, five Americans have died, the House of Representatives has impeached the President for a second time, Twitter and other social platforms have permanently banned the sitting President of the United States, Amazon Web Services shut down alternative social media site Parler, and National Guard forces are being deployed, with 15,000 troops scheduled to surround the Capitol because, according to the FBI, armed groups are planning to protest the Inauguration, not only in Washington, D.C., but in all fifty states.

There are immediate causes, of course, for the chaos that unfolded last Wednesday. Over 70 million Americans are unhappy with and deeply worried about the implications of the presidential election and, no less important, the Georgia Senate runoffs. Among that number, a sizeable group believes the election was stolen, and just-as-deeply disbelieve all media personalities, investigators, elected officials of either party, or judges who say otherwise. Among that group, agitators, after making their violent intentions clear on social media, successfully incited Trump supporters to mob the Capitol.

Still, even the most-crafty agitator can only agitate a crowd that is agitate-able. One of the main headlines, not just of Wednesday but all of 2020, is just how dangerously on-edge Americans are. Only an analysis that looks beyond the rage of this day or that day, one that takes seriously the "pre-existing conditions" of our national tinderbox, will ultimately be helpful in pulling us back from the precipice.

For decades, sociologists have warned just how thin American civil society has become, replaced by a growing individualism that isolates Americans from the relationships and loyalties that once nurtured a thick social fabric. This is an unsustainable path. The collapse of the family, declining church attendance, institutions losing their integrity and our trust, and the various technological vortices keeping us from our neighbors are all catalytic factors in what's been rightly called "deaths from despair" (increasing suicide rates, loneliness, addictions) and could be called "acts of desperation" (mass violence, rioting, and self-mutilation).

As civil society thins and as Americans become less connected to the pre-political aspects of life, the cultural weight lands on politics. To put it bluntly, our politics cannot handle the amount of weight we currently expect of it. As a result, we are experiencing two unsustainable consequences.

First, a culture that lacks the necessary resources to produce good citizens and cultivate self-control. Family, Church, community life, and volunteer groups play many roles in a society, but none more important than in providing a vision of what it means to live together, advancing things like civility and the common good.

Now this point should be obvious, but the state cannot function for long without good citizens. After all, it has no resources of its own, other than power. And yet, just as the state needs a moral citizenry to keep it from abusing its power, citizens need a properly functioning state to secure rights and liberty. The state, in and of itself, is wholly inadequate to produce the citizens it needs in order to function well. That must be done elsewhere, and herein lies an essential ingredient of our current crisis.

Second, when too much weight of a culture is placed on politics, when people turn exclusively (or even primarily) to politics to define and solve their problems or secure their hope, the stakes become too high. A zero-sum, winner-take-all, win-or-die kind of politics that places too much weight on the next election, the next bill, the next scandal, the next "breaking story from Washington. The anxiety level too much for people to bear.

On the opposite extreme from those who want to remove Christians from politics, are those Christians who think political levers should be used as power plays. But that's merely Christianizing a secular methodology; it will never work. If we hope to be part of a solution and not add kindling to this explosive environment, we'll need clear and compelling teaching on what politics is ultimately for, what it's not for, and how it fits in the larger economy of pre-political realities and institutions.

To be clear, difficult days lie ahead for anyone committed to the sanctity of human life, sexual restraint, or religious freedom. In our political and pre-political efforts, then, what the world needs most, as Chuck Colson said, is for the Church to be the Church. The thinning of civil society is our nation's greatest challenge. It is also among the Church's greatest opportunities.

We've been appointed to this time and this place (Acts 17:26), but others have gone before us, and we must learn from them. We need not re-invent the wheel (or, as one of my colleagues likes to say, the flat tire). Like those whose remarkable faith is now sight, we must roll-up our sleeves and double down on loving God and neighbor, proclaiming what is true and elevating what is good, fighting for what matters but never placing our hope horses, chariots, or elections.

Only in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who was and is and is to come.

A recent headline that isn't exactly news announced the findings of a recent Gallup study: "Americans Remain Distrustful of Mass Media." Six out of ten Americans trust the media either "not very much" or "not at all" when it comes to reporting the news fairly and accurately.

Truth be told, I'm among those six. I'm tired of bias, of opinion pieces masquerading as reporting, of buried leads and hysterical fearmongering. Apparently, many Americans are tired of these things, too. Last year, a major news network flashed this caption, "Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting," as its reporter stood in front of buildings that were burning to the ground. Last week, America's paper of record ran a glowing piece on freedom in China, where people may not have freedom of religion, speech, or assembly but enjoy going to nightclubs thanks to their dictator's handling of COVID. And don't get even get me started on the news coverage of the events this week.

Watching or reading different news sources today is like watching and reading about completely different worlds. If aliens landed in America tomorrow, they'd have no idea what the truth is about this country. They wouldn't even be able to report back to their leaders about whether or not actress Tanya Roberts had died or not!

That last little anecdote brings up another challenge we all face: the sheer volume of noise we are forced to navigate. The Washington Post alone publishes an average of 500 news stories every single day. Add to that The New York Times, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, FoxNews, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, not to mention the ever-present and sometimes-tempting clickbait everywhere, and the noise is simply overwhelming.

More and more, Americans have turned to social media and news aggregators out of sheer desperation. These tools do offer help navigating the volume, but they don't offer wisdom. Increasingly, these tools become echo chambers. Recently, Pew Research found that nearly half of Americans are unable to determine whether their news sources do their own original reporting.

We must bear in mind what Paul said in his speech to the Athenians in Acts 17: God intentionally places us all in particular times and particular places in history. Engaged, thoughtful Christians must not only stay informed about those trends, issues, and stories that truly matter, they must discern between those that matter and those that don't. And that's not all. We also somehow have to navigate the constant worldview spins we are subjected to by media sources.

Chuck Colson first founded BreakPoint to illustrate that this sort of worldview analysis of contemporary events was not only possible but necessary and incredibly helpful. Let me be clear: We cannot do this work, which we love, without the help of faithful partners. One of the most critical partners we have in this task is the WORLD News Group and WORLD magazine. WORLD is a critical source of news and thoughtful analysis. The BreakPoint team relies on it.

WORLD does journalism from a Christian worldview without the click-bait and without the hype. Their print magazine, online articles, and daily podcast, "The World and Everything in It" (which I join weekly as a guest commentator) features clear reporting, news coverage of stories that matter, and a recognition of the central role of faith and religion in contemporary society.

This month, any gift of $19 or more to BreakPoint and the Colson Center, provides a one-year subscription to WORLD magazine that you can keep for yourself or gift to a friend or family member. So, if you already subscribe to WORLD, and I hope you do, you can bless someone else with a resource you know they will enjoy and can rely on.

Come to BreakPoint.org/January2021 to get a one-year subscription to WORLD with your next gift to BreakPoint and the Colson Center.

This commentary originally aired on January 8, 2021

A recent headline that isn't exactly news announced the findings of a recent Gallup study: "Americans Remain Distrustful of Mass Media." Six out of ten Americans trust the media either "not very much" or "not at all" when it comes to reporting the news fairly and accurately.

Truth be told, I'm among those six. I'm tired of bias, of opinion pieces masquerading as reporting, of buried leads and hysterical fearmongering. Apparently, many Americans are tired of these things, too. Last year, a major news network flashed this caption, "Fiery but mostly peaceful protests after police shooting," as its reporter stood in front of buildings that were burning to the ground. Last week, America's paper of record ran a glowing piece on freedom in China, where people may not have freedom of religion, speech, or assembly but enjoy going to nightclubs thanks to their dictator's handling of COVID. And don't get even get me started on the news coverage of the events this week.

Watching or reading different news sources today is like watching and reading about completely different worlds. If aliens landed in America tomorrow, they'd have no idea what the truth is about this country. They wouldn't even be able to report back to their leaders about whether or not actress Tanya Roberts had died or not!

That last little anecdote brings up another challenge we all face: the sheer volume of noise we are forced to navigate. The Washington Post alone publishes an average of 500 news stories every single day. Add to that The New York Times, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, FoxNews, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, not to mention the ever-present and sometimes-tempting clickbait everywhere, and the noise is simply overwhelming.

More and more, Americans have turned to social media and news aggregators out of sheer desperation. These tools do offer help navigating the volume, but they don't offer wisdom. Increasingly, these tools become echo chambers. Recently, Pew Research found that nearly half of Americans are unable to determine whether their news sources do their own original reporting.

We must bear in mind what Paul said in his speech to the Athenians in Acts 17: God intentionally places us all in particular times and particular places in history. Engaged, thoughtful Christians must not only stay informed about those trends, issues, and stories that truly matter, they must discern between those that matter and those that don't. And that's not all. We also somehow have to navigate the constant worldview spins we are subjected to by media sources.

Chuck Colson first founded BreakPoint to illustrate that this sort of worldview analysis of contemporary events was not only possible but necessary and incredibly helpful. Let me be clear: We cannot do this work, which we love, without the help of faithful partners. One of the most critical partners we have in this task is the WORLD News Group and WORLD magazine. WORLD is a critical source of news and thoughtful analysis. The BreakPoint team relies on it.

WORLD does journalism from a Christian worldview without the click-bait and without the hype. Their print magazine, online articles, and daily podcast, "The World and Everything in It" (which I join weekly as a guest commentator) features clear reporting, news coverage of stories that matter, and a recognition of the central role of faith and religion in contemporary society.

This month, any gift of $19 or more to BreakPoint and the Colson Center, provides a one-year subscription to WORLD magazine that you can keep for yourself or gift to a friend or family member. So, if you already subscribe to WORLD, and I hope you do, you can bless someone else with a resource you know they will enjoy and can rely on.

Come to BreakPoint.org/January2021 to get a one-year subscription to WORLD with your next gift to BreakPoint and the Colson Center.

This commentary originally aired on January 8, 2021

John and Shane address a main question about whether or not the constitution is actually functioning? They identify how the Constitution reflects the design by God. John highlights that a consistent theme from the founding fathers and founding documents is that it is made for a type of person.

John and Shane then spend time fielding a listener question on the design of men and women. The two spend time explaining what men and women are designed to do and then highlight how they are equipped to live according to their design. They address the brokenness of the world, noting that humanity was created before it was fallen, but fallen is the state we're living in and our cultural realities illuminate that reality. They end in hope in Christ, reflecting on other times in history that times were bleak and cultures wholly broken, but God made His name known, evident, and provides salvation for humanity.

Recently, a Wisconsin pharmacist was arrested for attempting to destroy hundreds of vials of the COVID-19 vaccine. He feared the vaccine could change the DNA of anyone who received it.

Fears and rumors and worries about the safety and the ethics of the various COVID-19 vaccines are understandable. After all, no vaccine has ever moved into distribution this quickly, and much has been made about the new approach to vaccination take by the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. And, of course, elected officials aren't always trusted in our culture.

Just before Christmas, I asked friend, former teacher, and trusted bioethicist Dr. C. Ben Mitchell to walk through the ethics of the COVID-19 vaccines on the BreakPoint Podcast. I've known Dr. Mitchell for years. I know him to be careful and measured, while also theologically faithful. I know him to seek out the best sources for his information while also being wary of what is the Achilles heel of modern medical technologies: unexpected consequences. Our conversation went for over an hour, but that's what I was hoping for: a careful, measured, informed and thorough look at the various ethical questions that have arisen because of the COVID-19 vaccines.

For example, the unprecedented speed at which the various vaccines were developed, reducing a process that often takes years to mere months, is an extraordinary accomplishment. Still, it's perfectly reasonable to wonder if ethical and safety corners were cut to bring the vaccine to market so fast. That's one of the things we talked about that.

At the top of the list for most Christians, me included, is whether or not cells from aborted fetuses were used in the development of the vaccines. Citing the extensive research on the issue by the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, Mitchell agrees that the vaccines produced by Pfizer and Moderna are "ethically uncontroversial," a position affirmed by the U.S. Catholic Bishops. In our interview, Dr. Mitchell not only walks through the data, but offers a mini-course in unraveling these sorts of ethical complexities.

We also spent extended time discussing the new mRNA approach used by some of the vaccines. Until now, vaccines have worked by introducing a weakened or inactivated version of the virus to trigger an immune response, which then creates an immunity to the illness in our bodies. These COVID vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) to teach our cells how to make proteins that, in turn, trigger an immune response and subsequently create immunity. This approach, while new to vaccines, has been used for years in other treatments, including cancer treatments. The novelty of using this approach in vaccines has caused confusion and concern. Dr. Mitchell walks through it with in clear and understandable terms.

Concern has also been raised about the possible effect the vaccines could have on pregnant women. According to the CDC, "only limited data are available on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines . . . administered during pregnancy." According to Dr. Mitchell, this is also because of the unprecedented speed at which the vaccine was developed and approved, not because of any known problems such as long-term infertility. And that is one of the outstanding questions about the COVID-19 vaccines. Whereas the safety protocols for short-term and mid-term results are pretty clear, the long-term results cannot be.

A final topic we discussed is whether or not COVID vaccinations would be mandated, either directly by the state or indirectly by schools, colleges, airlines, and corporations. This introduces yet another ethical issue surrounding the vaccine, one made more acute by the medical community's overall embrace of vaccines as a preventative strategy.

In the end, concerns over the COVID vaccines are understandable. Ends do not justify immoral or unethical means, and ethical consideration is absolutely necessary, but it must be informed by truth rather than overtaken by fears or conspiracy theories.

You may not agree with Dr. Mitchell's conclusion that Christians, unless doctors indicate otherwise, should get the vaccine, especially out of concern and love for their neighbor. Even so, I think anyone who takes the time to listen will find the ground covered by this interview very helpful in understanding the issues. Please come to BreakPoint.org to hear my entire conversation with bioethicist Dr. Ben Mitchell.

It remains to be seen which of the COVID-caused disruptions to our previous way of life will permanently change things. For example, while parents of small children don't miss the popcorn prices, it still feels a bit strange for a brand-new movie to go straight to the living room instead of the theatre. Still, Disney-Pixar's latest release, Soul, is easily worth breaking out the Orville Redenbacher.

Pixar has a reputation (and a knack) for telling great stories. In fact, let's play name that film … a toy dealing with a midlife crisis? A fish with short-term memory loss? An unlikely pair on an unusual flight to South America in a house? Or a rat who becomes an award-winning chef? Though these storylines may seem unlikely fits for children movies, Pixar consistently produces creative and touching animation. Some of the best in our culture, in fact.

Their films are also, frequently, countercultural. A dominant theme running through Pixar's canon is the journey to find one's life purpose. The deafening message across most of pop culture, especially in films and music aimed at kids, is to "look inside," "follow your dreams" and "trust your heart." In contrast, Pixar's most memorable characters face disappointment, frustration, and even the death of their dreams.

In fact, death is a recurring theme in Pixar features. I don't want to give away too much, but Soul is no exception. The main character in this urban jazz-scene-themed story dies almost out of the gate, just as he is on the cusp of his big break as a musician. Right when it seems like his life is about to start, it ends. The rest of this heartwarming and surprisingly hilarious movie is spent wrestling with the question, "Do our lives have meaning if we never achieve our 'purpose'?"

Director and Pixar veteran Pete Docter's answers by giving a heavenly perspective on what a life well-lived means. Instead of Clarence earning his wings by showing George Bailey what life would look like without him, Soul shows a musician the wonder of his life by letting him see someone else live it.

In the end, just like in Frank Capra's classic, meaning is not found by acquiring fame or financial success. Rather, meaning is found in learning to see life's inherent but overlooked wonders, and by learning to love the life he's actually been given (which, in his case, includes bad middle school music, New York Pizza, a dingy apartment, a loving and opinionated mother, among other things).

To be clear, as a few Christian reviewers have pointed out, Soul's excellent lesson comes wrapped in New Age mysticism like "chakras" and "astral planes," and the idea of pre-existing souls in some vast "Great Before." Even though Soul presents these ideas with a good bit of goofiness, parents will want to talk through the movie's theological errors.

As a point of reference, evangelicals have long quibbled with C.S. Lewis over The Great Divorce because of its portrayal of Purgatory. Yet those who get stuck in the setting and never take the rest of his story seriously means miss out on one of his best works, not to mention lessons as relevant for this life as for the next.

In one scene in Soul, some so-called "lost souls" coated in their obsessions and insecurities wander through a spiritual dimension, oblivious to all around them. We get more than a hint that this is a kind of "hell," the fate of those who "follow their dreams" or succumb to their fears at the expense of everything and everyone else.

The whole scene is a profound and subtle rebuke of one of our culture's central and mistaken assumptions, that meaning can be measured by paychecks and popularity. In the end, the film echoes one of Christianity's central insights: that all of life, when lived for a higher purpose, is sacred. As William Tyndale said, "… to wash dishes and to preach is all one, as touching the deed, to please God."

After a year of disappointments, cancelled plans, and dashed hopes, this redemptive message is one many need to hear. The zany cartoon metaphysics of Disney-Pixar's latest film by seem a bit odd, but trust me, this one has a Christian soul.

In this cultural moment John called for a re-air of an interview with Ross Douthat. Douthat identifies that we live in a decadent society. But when you think of the word "decadent," you probably are thinking, lavish, immoral, wasteful, etc.

But that's not exactly what Douthat means. What he means is a society that is prosperous, powerful, and stuck. Stuck in an economic rut, a creative rut, a political rut; a society that is running out of spiritual and intellectual energy.

Today on the BreakPoint Podcast, John Stonestreet talks with Douthat about his new book, "The Decadent Society: How We Became Victims of Our Own Success."

In this cultural moment John called for a re-air of an interview with Ross Douthat. Douthat identifies that we live in a decadent society. But when you think of the word "decadent," you probably are thinking, lavish, immoral, wasteful, etc.

But that's not exactly what Douthat means. What he means is a society that is prosperous, powerful, and stuck. Stuck in an economic rut, a creative rut, a political rut; a society that is running out of spiritual and intellectual energy.

Today on the BreakPoint Podcast, John Stonestreet talks with Douthat about his new book, "The Decadent Society: How We Became Victims of Our Own Success."

Two days before Christmas, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries confirmed that its founder had engaged in sexual misconduct over the course of many years. Ravi, a highly regarded speaker, author, and apologist, died a few months ago. In its initial "interim" report RZIM leadership not only confirmed the allegations but promised a full and thorough final report.

Like so many others, I'm devastated. Ravi was not only a significant personal influence for me, he was a great friend of this ministry for years. In fact, he was a guest on one of the last radio broadcasts I co-hosted with Chuck Colson. I remember beginning the interview apologizing for all the times I inadvertently plagiarized him over the years.

When Ravi died, the Colson Center honored him in a number of ways. At the time, there were initial allegations that had been investigated and dismissed. We trusted the information provided to us. We were wrong. I believed and shared excuses for Robby's behavior, and in doing that, I misled others.

There is no sugar-coating, excusing, or explaining away Ravi's behavior. It was sinful. It was wicked. And, it was folly, which is one of words Proverbs uses to describe sin. Simply put, our sin makes us foolish. Buried in sin, we actually think that, for the first time in human history, we will be the ones to get away with it.

And, Ravi's sin left victims. The most harm was done directly to those women he abused, human beings made in the image of God and for whom Christ died. Other victims include family, friends, and the disillusioned around the world who benefitted from Ravi's teaching.

Last week, a BreakPoint listener emailed us asking how we should respond to cases like this, when a Christian leader or teacher is caught in sexual misconduct. Is it possible to separate the good that they've done and the truth they've taught from the person and their sin? And, what about in cases such as this, when the perpetrator is gone and has no further opportunity to acknowledge his sins, repent, and seek forgiveness?

Last week on the BreakPoint Podcast, Shane Morris and I attempted to offer an answer. You can listen at BreakPoint.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

We need not deny that Ravi's teaching helped many Christians make sense of the faith, deal with their doubts, and engage other people with the Gospel, while we also acknowledge the truths revealed by this tragedy, including the truth about who we are as fallen human beings. Pastors and Christian leaders, as Shane pointed out, are not "made of finer clay" than anyone else. So, any sort of righteous indignation or superiority we're tempted to feel toward the fallen should be quickly overwhelmed by an important and humbling admission: There, but for the Grace of God, go any of us.

Another point to consider, on a Christian worldview analysis level, is that, to borrow a phrase popularized by Christian educator Arthur Holmes, "all truth is God's truth." In other words, if Ravi Zacharias ever said anything true in his life, and of course he did, he was not its source but only its medium. Any truth, all truth comes ultimately from God, outside of time or place or context.

A postmodern worldview, in contrast, relativizes truth to cultural settings or individuals. In other words, truth is not absolute. And, if truth is dependent on the shifting sands of attitudes, beliefs, perceptions of a culture or an individual, anything we build on it must collapse when any of those things do.

The Christian view is that Truth, even when delivered by sinful creatures, is as eternal and unchanging as God Himself. Of course, that truth about truth doesn't make what has happened any less painful, disorienting, or consequential. Just because the truth that has been spoken remains true does not mean the privilege of speaking the truth as a ministry or church leader (and it is an incredible privilege) should continue for anyone. And speaking the truth is an enormous responsibility.

Finally, let's be reminded again, especially those among us granted some degree of leadership, that we must be accountable to others. We must not trust ourselves, but only God and His Spirit. Pray for your pastor, church leaders, spouse, and whomever else God has placed in your life, that He would protect them from the real and ever-present temptations that could harm them, others, and their witness for Christ.

And, please, pray for Ravi's victims, for his family, and RZIM.