Breakpoint

God has a long history of working inside prisons. The very first book of the Bible describes how God granted Joseph favor with a prison warden, something that eventually led to the saving of his family, the saving of Egypt, and the preservation of God's promises to establish the nation of Israel. The book of Acts gives several accounts of God working in prisons. For example, after Paul and Silas were miraculously released from jail in Philippi, the jailor and his whole household converted. And, Jesus Himself said that those who visit and care for prisoners are actually visiting and caring for Him.

Of course, the founder of the Colson Center knew firsthand how God worked behind bars. Chuck Colson devoted much of his life to working with inmates, wardens, and justice systems, as well as with policymakers and family members of those incarcerated. Today, Prison Fellowship is the largest and among the most effective and well-respected prison ministries in the world.

God is still working in prisons, as a recent news story from Religion News Service demonstrates. What Rodrigo Abd and German De Los Santos describe as taking place in an Argentinian prison, most of us would identify as a revival: evangelical Christians taking over entire cell blocks in one of that country's most crime-ridden cities.

Rosario in Santa Fe Province is the birthplace of Communist revolutionary Che Guevara. Drug dealing and murder are common career choices there. Many young men end up as assassins, serving drug lords who, according to one prosecutor, often run their networks from within overcrowded prisons.

These drug kingpins now face competition from, believe it or not, evangelical preachers. In addition to witnessing and making converts, these preachers are effectively starting their own prison units run by the inmates. Unsurprisingly, their units tend to be safer and calmer, with their own rules against fighting, smoking, alcohol, and drugs. Offenders are dismissed. Reportedly, there's not been a single riot in units where the evangelicals are in charge, and residents block the frequent attempts by prison gangs to infiltrate them.

"We bring peace to the prisons," said one minister who helped establish these units. "And that is better for the authorities." (Not to mention, it's better for the inmates, too!). Another pastor explained, "We don't use knives, but the Bible, to take over a cell block."

And, since prisons are often prime recruiting grounds for gangs, a revival behind bars will likely bring positive, long-term change to the broader community.

Incredibly, 40% of Santa Fe Province's inmates now live in these Christian communities that exist "behind bars." Not only are residents finding greater peace, many are also granted greater freedom. One former hitman and convicted murderer, Jorge Anguilante, is allowed to leave prison every Saturday for 24 hours to minister back home at a church that he started. No one seems afraid he will escape. As he told reporters, his life as a contract killer is "buried," and Jesus has made him "a new man."

In the late 18th century, American founding father Benjamin Rush started the world's first prison reform organization. He saw it as a noble and enlightened experiment that would improve both the lives of inmates and society as a whole. Chuck Colson was clearly motivated by the thousands and thousands of individual lives that the Gospel changed through the work of Prison Fellowship, as well as his conviction that "the church being the church" could be a redeeming force across society. For Chuck, that included the church behind bars.

At the heart of a Christian worldview is Christ's work of redemption and renewal, an invitation not only to the respectable and law-abiding but to the outcast and criminal, and to those Paul called the "weak" and "foolish." It's available to anyone who, like the thief on the cross, will look to the Lord Jesus and say, "Lord, remember me."

Clearly, Christ is remembering those calling on Him from a prison in the Santa Fe province in Argentina.

Kevin Kelly, co-founder of WIRED magazine recently argued that there are two problems emerging in technology.

Class 1 problems are when tech doesn't work perfectly. Think of code glitches, the wheels are falling off, expensive repairs, and the like. Market forces typically solve these kinds of problems over the course of a few years.

Class 2 problems, however, are more insidious. They arise when technology works too well.

A good example is facial recognition software. "What if the system was infallible in recognizing a person from just their face?" Kelly asks. "There would be no escaping it, no way to duck out in public. You could be perfectly tracked …. not only by the public but by advertisers and governments. 'Being in public' would come to have a different meaning than it does now."

To be clear, Kelly is no Luddite. But he does realize how limited our will and our abilities are to think through the implications of technology. Christians who understand the fall, not to mention human history, should join Kelly in this realization.

Our only real grounding for ethics, which grounds our ability to determine the implications of technology, is if God made the world, and us in His Image.

Today could be the most significant Christian holiday that most Americans know about the least. Epiphany is set aside in the church calendar to remember the visitation of the Magi to the infant Jesus. The day's name comes from a Greek word that means "manifestation." Through these strange visitors, God's gift of Himself to the world was first made manifest to the wider world.

Until recently, in much of the Christian world, gifts were exchanged on Epiphany, not Christmas day. A former BreakPoint colleague, who grew up in Puerto Rico, recalls neighborhood children leaving straw out for the Magi's camels on the night before Epiphany.

Though most Christmas-time gift-giving today has largely shifted to December 25, what Epiphany commemorates is central to the Christian faith. Thus, it remains worthy of the Church's attention.

Among those who understood this was Lew Wallace, who lived about as eventful a life as possible. Civil War buffs will tell you that he may have saved the Union at the Battle of Monocacy in 1864, when his forces delayed Confederate General Jubal Early long enough to prevent the possible capture of Washington, D.C. Later, as territorial governor of New Mexico, Wallace dealt with the likes of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid.

Still, it was a reunion of Civil War veterans that led to that for which Wallace is best known today. A few years ago, this story was told on the FoxNews website by John Murray, head of Brookstone Schools in Charlotte and a commissioned Colson Fellow.

On the train ride to an 1876 reunion in Indianapolis, Wallace was reunited with Colonel Robert Ingersoll, a man known as the "great agnostic." Ingersoll traveled across the country deriding and challenging people of faith. This time, he aimed his fire at his old comrade-in-arms, even though Wallace was mostly indifferent to his own Christian faith. Wallace would later describe their conversation this way,

"To lift me out of my indifference, one would think only strong affirmations of things regarded holiest would do. Yet here was I now moved as never before, and by what? The most outright denials of all human knowledge of God, Christ, Heaven, and the Hereafter which figures so in the hope and faith of the believing everywhere. Was the Colonel right?"

Determined to prove Ingersoll wrong, Wallace returned to a short story that he had written during the Civil War about the Magi, "who had captured his attention as a young boy — taking a 'lasting hold on his imagination." The conversation prompted Wallace to wonder again, "Who were they? Whence did they come?" Above all, "what led them to Jerusalem asking of all they met the strange question, 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews?"

Starting with this meditation on the Epiphany, Wallace expanded his story, adding more meditations on the life of Christ. Eventually, in 1880, he published the finished work, about a fictitious Jewish prince named Judah Ben-Hur who discovered "the necessity of a Savior." You probably know it as Ben Hur: The Tale of the Christ.

Ben Hur remained the best-selling American novel until Gone with the Wind, published in 1936. And, of course, it was the basis of the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston, which won eleven Academy Awards.

When Wallace died in 1905, he believed he had met Ingersoll's challenge. Millions of Americans agreed. And, like the Magi before him and John Murray after him, Wallace's reflection took the light of Christ to the world around him.

The rhythm of our society largely distracts us from "the true light, which gives light to everyone, (who had come) into the world." It's hard enough to see the Light in such a culture, even harder to fulfill our calling to take the light to others. A great way to start is by celebrating Epiphany. We've compiled a number of resources at BreakPoint.org to help you do just that.

God has called the Colson Center to help Christians take the light of Christ into the world, specifically this one. So, take a minute to learn more about our podcast, the Colson Fellows program, and the upcoming Wilberforce Weekend.

Shane welcomes Michael Craven to answer listener questions. Michael and Shane respond to how a young listener can encourage the seniors in his church who seem worried by this cultural moment. They also answer if beauty is objective and what makes Critical Race Theory a worldview.

A horrifying new survey found the number of pre-adolescent children in the U.S. who admit to sharing nude images of themselves more than doubled last year.

Fourteen percent of kids aged 9-12 say they have shared inappropriate pictures of themselves. This is up from just six percent in 2019. Of that number, over a third said they shared those images with someone they believed to be 18 or older.

As WORLD notes, this spike in dangerous behavior coincides with the pandemic, which meant increased screen time for many folks. An obvious takeaway is that preteens are not mature enough to handle all that comes with unsupervised smartphone use. The more time they spend alone with their devices, the more opportunity for pornography and predators.

At the very least, we must take active roles in our kids' tech use. Quarantining with screens is more dangerous for kids than COVID ever was. It may keep the virus at bay, but for children especially, it lets in things far worse

The 2019 fire in Notre Dame reminded the world of the importance, the history, and the beauty of this magnificent structure. As we mourned the damage, many hoped the building would be repaired to remind the world of its original purpose. Recently, the cathedral's reconstruction plans were announced and, unfortunately, the news isn't good.

Notre Dame is rightly considered one of the most fantastic examples of French Gothic architecture. It took nearly 100 years to build, from 1153 to 1260, and incorporated several architectural innovations. For example, rib vaults and flying buttresses enabled the walls to be opened up for stained glass windows, including three beautiful, enormous rose windows.

The only way to fully understand Gothic architecture is by experiencing it. Despite its dark-sounding name, Gothic cathedrals were built for light. This was to symbolize divine illumination. Vertical lines and soaring ceilings were intended to point thoughts and imaginations upward to God. In fact, as Dr. Glenn Sunshine has pointed out, nearly every aspect of Gothic cathedrals symbolically point to the truths of the Christian faith. And, in the case of Notre Dame, the result is simply jaw-dropping.

For over 500 years, until the French Revolution, Notre Dame stood at the center of French Catholicism. The revolutionaries desecrated the church and destroyed much of the religious art. They beheaded the statues of biblical kings in the mistaken belief that they represented the kings of France. After a brief period in which Notre Dame was reconsecrated as the Temple of Reason, it was used as a storehouse for grain.

Napoleon Bonaparte had the cathedral rededicated and redecorated in the then-popular Neo-Classical style as part of his efforts to restore the Church in France. After the Napoleonic Wars, the cathedral fell into such a state of disrepair, the French considered demolishing it. It was Victor Hugo's book Notre Dame de Paris (better known by its English title, The Hunchback of Notre Dame), which, more than anything else, spurred the French to renovate and restore it.

Sculptors, glassmakers, and other craftsmen worked to reconstruct the cathedral using illustrations of it from before the Revolution. Whenever critical information was missing, the work was completed after the spirit and style of the thirteenth century. A taller and more ornate spire replaced the original, which had been removed in 1786.

Historically, the French have demonstrated a commitment to preserve and, when necessary, restore the cathedral in its original spirit and style, with the desecration of the French Revolution and Napoleon's neo-classical decorative style as the most notable exceptions. (There was also the incident when, after being damaged by gunfire during World War II, some of the medieval glass was replaced by abstract art in the colors of the French flag.)

The spire, the roof, and a considerable part of the interior were destroyed by the fire of 2019. Even before the structure had been stabilized, proposals for restoring the cathedral began pouring in, with many of them offering a modernist vision utterly incompatible with the medieval building. Many breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that the roof and spire would be rebuilt as they had been.

More recently, however, plans for the interior were released to the public. One Paris architect referred to what was planned as "a politically correct Disneyland." Mood lighting at head level would obscure the impact of the stained glass. Added light and sound effects would create "emotional spaces," and "themed chapels" as part of a "discovery trail" that would feature Africa and Asia and end in a chapel entitled "reconciled creation." An environmental focus, merged with Bible verses in various languages, would be projected on the walls. Modern art murals would be added, the confessionals would be removed, and the altars rearranged so that visitors could more easily experience the newly imagined cathedral.

To say this is a travesty is an understatement. After all, nothing goes out of date faster than the latest taste and fashion. The previously timeless beauty of the cathedral would soon go the way of parachute pants and brutalist architecture. Even worse, the new design would undermine the message of the cathedral itself, which has long proclaimed an integrated set of eternal truths in a way that demonstrated how "the faith given once and for all" remains true and vibrant.

Of course, it remains to be seen whether or not a culture like ours could make much progress in fully restoring a structure like that, given how different the dominant worldviews of the eras are. It would be a real shame if the eternal truths long attested to by and in this 13th-century cathedral were obliterated, especially if replaced by modern tastes and political correctness. Even more than a real shame, it would be a real loss.

A vlogger recently asked 100 different people to say their age on camera, starting with 1-year-old babies and ending with 98, 99, and 100-year-olds. It's kind of like watching 100 years pass in the course of 3 minutes.

The common phrase used in ancient times was momento mori: remember that you will die. Respect for the elderly came not just from their wisdom, but because they had lived long enough to earn it. In our modern world, our relationship with age is complicated.

Today, we tend to focus on youth. Americans spend billions annually to try and keep it. Scripture helps us live with both the certainty of death and the value of life by bringing in an additional dynamic.

This is how the Psalmist put it:

The godly will flourish like palm trees

and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.

For they are transplanted to the Lord's own house.

They flourish in the courts of our God.

Even in old age, they will still produce fruit;

they will remain vital and green.

In his new book, A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles: Instruction and Inspiration for Living Supernaturally in Christ, renowned Christian philosopher J.P. Moreland makes a provocative claim. Ninety-five percent of what the average evangelical church accomplishes in a given year, suggests Moreland, could be explained even if God didn't exist.

In other words, too much of our sermons, programs, and worship could be explained away (and perhaps dismissed by outsiders) as due to skillful leadership, public speaking, and production quality. No work of God required.

While I would suggest that Christians should strive to see God at work anywhere, including in the mundane and ordinary, Moreland's claim is provocative. His book, as we've come to expect from the professor at Biola's Talbot School of Theology, is carefully reasoned and worthy of consideration. In it, Moreland explores what miracles are, investigates whether they are still happening today, and offers guidance to Christians for identifying and experiencing them.

True to his profession, Dr. Moreland begins by defining his terms. A miracle is a "supernatural intervention" into the course of natural events, either by God or an angelic being. Included in Moreland's definition would be those answers to prayer that come through what theologians often call "providence," in which God works events together toward specific ends.

In fact, Moreland provides over forty accounts of supernatural intervention: from miraculous healings, to stunning answers to prayer, to near-death experiences, to spiritual warfare. He even includes stories in which God provided what we might consider being small requests: a pool table, a hot water bottle, even a parakeet. Dr. Moreland not only stands by the accounts included in his book, he stakes his reputation on the reliability of the eyewitnesses he interviewed. And, he includes accounts of miracles he personally witnessed and received.

In making his case, Moreland does more than simply rely on stories. He offers a biblical case for why Christians should believe that miracles still happen today, perhaps more regularly than we recognize.

Recently, Dr. Moreland discussed his book with Shane Morris for the Upstream Podcast. It's an inspiring and important conversation, especially in a "disenchanted" culture like ours that tends to dismiss the supernatural without due consideration.

As Shane points out in the Upstream discussion, not every theologian shares this expectant attitude toward modern miracles. Some critics, such as 19th-century Princeton theologian B. B. Warfield, argued that miracles were "part of the credentials of the Apostles as the authoritative agents of God in founding the church." Because that main purpose has already been fulfilled, Warfield believed that miracle-working as a gift "passed away" with the Apostles.

Moreland disagrees with this view, even though his academic training makes him cautious about supernatural claims. Still, he believes that Christians ought to expect miracles as a regular part of the Church's life. He goes so far as to urge readers to "err on the side of belief."

Perhaps the most unique contribution of this book is Moreland's step-by-step guide on how to recognize a miracle and distinguish it from mere coincidence. Borrowing from the sciences, he employs what he calls the "Intelligent Agency Principle."

A true miracle must meet two criteria: First, it must be very improbable—in other words, not something that typically happens by accident. And second, it must be independently meaningful, or have "specificity." It must answer a prayer or fulfill a need that clearly shows God at work. By applying these two principles, Moreland believes it's possible to distinguish miracles from coincidences with almost perfect accuracy and give God the glory He deserves as a result.

There's much more to the book, as well, like the discussion on angels and demons and an exploration of why God doesn't always miraculously answer prayers. It's a must-read for anyone curious about how God works in the world today and how we can experience it. Also, Dr. Moreland's discussion with Shane Morris on Upstream touches on nearly all of these subjects. Come to BreakPoint.org, click on this commentary, and we'll link you to the discussion, as well as how you can get a copy of J. P. Moreland's A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles.

Os Guinness joins John Stonestreet to discuss the cultural landscape in America. The two visit how it is desperately important for Christians to consider their calling in society as a calling to represent Christ in this cultural moment.

Register for the event with John and Os Guinness in Phoenix at www.colsoncenter.org/phoenix

Parents, educators, the church, and the state all play essential roles within a society, but when the state goes bad, it can take down every other sphere with it. For example, according to a recent article in The Economist, "A struggle is underway for the hearts and minds of Hong Kong's children."

In August, the city's pro-democracy teacher's union disbanded, following a government crackdown that had called it "a malignant tumor." Since then, the curriculum now "educates" children solely on the virtues of the Chinese Communist Party. Speaking out against these changes could lead to life in prison.

As a result, some parents have stopped talking about politics at home, fearing their young children will say the wrong thing at school. Others continue to teach their kids democratic ideas, at risk of government retaliation to themselves or relatives. As a result, tens of thousands of residents are leaving the city altogether.

It's good that parents are aware enough to be concerned. Unfortunately, too many parents here fail to take seriously the ideas that threaten the hearts and minds in our schools.