Renowned Christian author Lee Strobel said Americans' interest in a "realm beyond that which we can see and touch" drove him to write his latest book — an exploration of the supernatural.

Strobel, who recently released "Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near-Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World," said data showing the majority of Americans believe in these biblical topics led him to want to go deeper.

'It's not fraud, it's not fakery. There are documented cases.'

"It told me that this is a bridge where we can connect with people who may be far from God and yet have an interest in the supernatural," he told me and actress Jen Lilley on our new "Into the Supernatural" podcast. "It may be an entryway for them to really learn about what the Bible does teach about the world beyond our physical realm."

Strobel continued, "Being an evangelist, that was always my desire."

But the author, who called it an "adventure" to have the chance to dive into these topics over the past few years, said some Christians are hesitant to fully embrace each sentiment.

With that in mind, Strobel was careful to choose cases with a great deal of corroboration to help bring these issues to light. Near-death experiences are just one arena where he was fascinated to see powerful evidence that something supernatural had unfolded.

"You begin to see documented cases of near-death experiences where people see or hear things that would have been impossible for them to see or hear if they hadn't had an authentic out-of-body experience after their clinical death," Strobel said. "It just reinforces what scripture tells us about the supernatural realm, and I think it gives us more courage."

Strobel shared one such story about a woman who was clinically dead in a hospital and who claimed to have had her spirit separate from her body.

She said she traveled to the ceiling during the experience and could see her body being resuscitated.

"When she was ultimately revived, she said, 'Oh, by the way, on the ceiling fan here in the emergency room, on the upper part of the blade ... is a red sticker,'" he recounted. "And she couldn't have seen it. Nobody could see it from the room because it's on the upper part of the blade of the ceiling. So they got a ladder, and they went up, and, sure enough, there's the red sticker that she only could have seen from her perspective of her spirit floating near the ceiling of the emergency room."

Strobel encountered other examples like this, which he included in the book.

Issues like this are getting increasing attention in culture as faith seems to be making a resurgence. And Strobel said he's noticing something else — that for the first time in history, "People are doing scientific inquiries into miracles" in an attempt to prove their existence.

"In other words, they're testing them scientifically and with documentation in a way that I don't think has been done that much in the past," Strobel said. "And we're seeing cases of documented miracles that are really waking up people to the fact that this is not wishful thinking, it's not ... the placebo effect, it's not fraud, it's not fakery. There are documented cases."

He also cited the case of medical healing surrounding a blind woman whose husband prayed for her one night, imploring the Lord to heal her vision.

"He says, 'Lord, I know you can heal blindness. I know you can do it. And Lord, I pray you do it tonight. I pray you do it right now,'" Strobel recounted. "And she opened her eyes to perfect eyesight, and which has remained fine for 47 years so far."

Medically documented stories like this have Strobel convinced "something is going on" — something he believes is truly miraculous.

"And I think this is kind of opening people's eyes to the fact that these aren't just stories that you hear at Sunday school or whatever," he said. "But you dig down into many of these stories and you find substance, and you find people with eyewitnesses who have no motive to deceive. You have medical records and so forth."

This article originally appeared on CBN’s Faithwire.

Globalism betrayed us — God's design reveals the righteous solution

America’s postwar generosity rebuilt shattered nations, only to see those nations build economic empires on the ruins of our own industries. What began as Christian charity — opening our markets after World War II with outstretched hands to both friends and former enemies — has been repaid with decades of calculated exploitation.

President Donald Trump’s April 2025 plan to implement “reciprocal tariffs” marks a necessary return to the biblical principles of stewardship, sovereignty, and justice.

Christians must reject the guilt-shaming rhetoric that demands national self-destruction as the price of global participation.

Christians should support these tariffs because they represent a biblical application of proper stewardship and sovereignty rather than mere economic protectionism. These measures align with three foundational scriptural principles: God’s establishment of nations with boundaries, government’s divine mandate to protect citizens, and the biblical command to pursue economic justice.

The tariffs are not simply political policy but God’s design for ordered societies in action.

God established nations with boundaries and purpose

The globalist vision of borderless governance contradicts God’s design. Scripture teaches that nations are His idea, not man’s invention. Acts 17:26 declares that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place.”

Nations, with their distinct boundaries and responsibilities, reflect divine wisdom. When America reasserts control over its economy through reciprocal tariffs, it exercises biblical stewardship by honoring the Lord’s created order rather than surrendering to economic predators who weaponize “free trade” against American families. These tariffs represent a return to God’s intended design for nations — each with responsibility to govern its affairs justly and protect what has been entrusted to its care.

The April 2, 2025, National Emergency declaration to address trade imbalances is not an act of isolation but of proper stewardship.

President Trump’s implementation of a baseline 10% tariff on all imports — with higher rates for countries exploiting trade relationships — represents a restoration of boundaries that scripture affirms as necessary and good.

Government's God-ordained responsibility to protect citizens

Romans 13:1-4 reminds us that government is “God’s servant for your good” and “an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” This divine mandate establishes government’s responsibility to protect its citizens from economic exploitation — not to enrich foreign nations at the expense of its own people but to safeguard what is good within its borders.

The White House’s own data reveals the cost of abandoning this God-ordained duty: between $225 billion and $600 billion lost annually to counterfeit goods, pirated software, and theft of trade secrets.

Meanwhile, American companies pay over $200 billion yearly in value-added taxes to foreign governments while receiving no reciprocal treatment. When President Trump imposes reciprocal tariffs, he fulfills government’s biblical purpose as protector of those under its authority.

When a persistent $1.2 trillion trade deficit hollows out our manufacturing base and displaces American workers, government has not only the right but the duty to act. Tariffs are a tool to restore order and protect American families from economic exploitation. They fulfill government’s God-ordained mandate to “bear the sword” for the sake of good — protecting the vulnerable from predatory trade practices.

Economic sovereignty as biblical justice

Isaiah 1:17 commands God’s people to “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression.” This biblical mandate for justice forms the third pillar of our thesis: Tariffs represent economic righteousness in action.

For decades, unbalanced trade has operated as systematic oppression against American workers. The statistics are sobering: U.S. manufacturing output has fallen from 28.4% of global output in 2001 to just 17.4% in 2023. Since 1997, America has lost approximately 5 million manufacturing jobs, one of the largest losses in our history.

This is not theoretical — it is personal.

Each statistic represents individuals, families, communities, and churches devastated by the outsourcing of American industry. When foreign nations impose 50% tariffs on American apples while their apples enter our markets duty-free, this is not free trade — it is theft masquerading as commerce.

President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs seek to correct this injustice. By implementing the “golden rule” of trade — treat us as we treat you — these measures restore the dignity of honest labor and uphold the biblical principle that “the worker is worthy of his wages” (1 Timothy 5:18).

Rejecting false guilt in service of true compassion

Modern globalism demands that America relinquish its sovereignty under the banner of compassion. But true biblical compassion never requires surrendering the well-being of those entrusted to our care. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors — not to abandon them to economic ruin in service to abstract ideology, namely globalism.

The facts reveal the truth: America has one of the world’s lowest average tariff rates at 3.3%, while our trading partners impose significantly higher rates.

Brazil: 11.2%
China: 7.5 %
The European Union: 5%
India: 17%
Vietnam: 9.4%

Moreover, many countries ban certain U.S. products from entering their markets at all but encounter no barriers in sending their own products here; other countries put massive tariffs on certain U.S. products to tip the scales in their favor.

We have been practicing unilateral economic disarmament while others wage economic warfare against us.

Defending American industries is not selfish — it is stewardship. When a nation secures the well-being of its citizens, it becomes better positioned to bless others through genuine charity, aid, and moral leadership. Christians must reject the guilt-shaming rhetoric that demands national self-destruction as the price of global participation.

A biblical path forward: strength through sovereignty

President Trump’s “Reciprocal Tariffs” policy echoes Proverbs 31:8-9: “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.” These measures give voice to communities silenced by decades of economic abandonment.

The evidence suggests tariffs work. Studies show that previous tariffs during the first Trump administration strengthened the U.S. economy, led to significant reshoring in manufacturing, and had minimal effects on prices — contrary to the apocalyptic warnings of globalist prophets.

Most importantly, these policies recognize that a strong, sovereign America — one that honors its workers, defends its industries, and respects God’s design for nations — is better positioned to be a beacon of freedom and faith to the world.

Conclusion

In an age when national sovereignty is scorned and biblical wisdom is rejected, Christians must recover the courage to think scripturally about economic stewardship. President Trump’s tariffs are not merely economic policy; they represent a righteous stand against exploitation and a reaffirmation of God’s design for ordered societies.

If we care about justice, if we believe in the protection of families, and if we honor the authority and order that God has established, then we must support efforts that secure America’s economic integrity.

This is the heart of our argument: Tariffs represent proper biblical stewardship, not mere protectionism. They honor God’s establishment of nations with boundaries, they fulfill government’s divine mandate to protect its own citizens, and they execute the biblical command to pursue economic justice.

Proper stewardship requires boundaries. Leadership demands the courage to stand when the world demands submission. The people of God must remain unwavering, committed first to truth, and willing to defend the good of the nation God has entrusted to our care.

The path to true prosperity lies not in surrendering our sovereignty but in exercising it according to biblical principles. That is the heart of these tariffs — not isolation, but righteous independence under God’s sovereignty.

This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center.

Jesus is alive: What happened after the resurrection changed history

So, the tomb is empty. Just as he said he would, Jesus rose from the dead in victory. What happened in the days that followed? The ascension wasn’t immediately after the day of resurrection. Forty days stood between the resurrection and the ascension. And those days mattered for the disciples and for many others.

In 1 Corinthians 15, the apostle Paul gives us a list of bodily appearances: “he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” (1 Corinthians 15:4-7).

There were bodily appearances of Jesus to his disciples on the day of his resurrection. Generally speaking, these appearances countered the fear in the disciples. He said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). The appearances also confirmed his bodily risen state, for he showed them his hands and side (20:20). And his appearances involved instruction for the days to come (20:21-23).

What a unique and precious period of their earthly lives to have such encounters with the risen Christ during that 40-day period.

Some of the instruction Jesus gave during the 40 days was about the Old Testament. He taught his disciples how to interpret this prior revelation in light of what he had accomplished. “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:45-48).

In one of the most profound and memorable post-resurrection scenes, Jesus was in Galilee with his disciples and gave them the Great Commission. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).

More than one of his bodily appearances involved having food with his disciples. In Luke 24:41, Jesus asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?” And he ate some broiled fish in front of them (24:42-43). Eating this fish showed that he was truly present in the flesh. “For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have,” he said (24:39). John 21 reports another scene with fish, this time beside the Sea of Galilee. Hauling in a miraculous catch of fish, the disciples ate with Christ, who said to them, “Come and have breakfast” (John 21:12). He gave bread and fish to them (21:13).

During the episode with the fish by the shore, Jesus restored Simon Peter with three questions — “Do you love me?” — because Peter had denied him three times (John 21:15-17). Peter indeed proclaimed his love for Christ, who then told him, “Feed my sheep” (21:17).

The Gospel accounts do not give us a record of what happened every day between the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus. We only know a small selection of appearances and events and teachings and meals. In Acts 1 we read a summary of what those days involved: “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

Ponder the powerful effect that these proofs and teachings would have had on the disciples. What a unique and precious period of their earthly lives to have such encounters with the risen Christ during that 40-day period. He shared meals with them, built up their faith with instruction and fellowship, and commissioned them to take the good news far and wide.

Jesus’s final words to them, while he was physically with them, are found in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

This essay was originally published at Dr. Mitchell Chase's Substack, Biblical Theology.

Easter changes everything: What the empty tomb means for you today

It's no exaggeration: On Easter morning, the world changed forever. At dawn, a tomb sat empty — evidence that death had been defeated.

Outside that tomb stood stunned women. A messenger of the Lord spoke to them: "He is not here; He has risen, just as He said" (Matthew 28:6). Those words echoed across time and space. They are the bedrock of the Christian faith, just as true today as they were 2,000 years ago. If the cross was the cost of sin, the resurrection and empty tomb are the receipt.

Death conquered. Victory secured.

The resurrection is a royal announcement: The King is alive and He reigns now.

But Easter isn't just a historical event. It's a true and present reality.

Wherever you find yourself on this Easter morning — carrying burdens, lost, confused, and exhausted or joyous and content — Easter meets you right where you are. The empty tomb isn't just a sentimental symbol. It's a defiant declaration: Christ reigns now. Sin is defeated. Death has no power.

The apostle Paul writes, "If Christ hasn’t been raised, then your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17). But Christ is risen — and that changes everything.

The resurrection secures us these four promises.

1. Sins are forgiven

Before Easter comes Jesus' endurance on the cross, a sacrifice that reconciles us to God.

Paul reminds us, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace" (Ephesians 1:7). Because of the cross and resurrection, we don't have to wonder if God accepts us. There's no guilt left to carry and no shame left to hide.

"Now there isn’t any condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

On this Easter day, we celebrate that Jesus is alive. We give thanks for the redemption that he secured for us, rescuing us from the control of darkness and bringing us into the kingdom of God (Colossians 1:13-14).

2. Death is defeated

The resurrection proves the grave is powerless. Death no longer has the final say. For those in Christ, we follow Jesus through death into eternal life.

Paul rejoices, "Death has been swallowed up by a victory. Where is your victory, Death? Where is your sting, Death?" (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Jesus tells Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26).

3. Hope is alive

Our world feels uncertain. But Easter reminds us that our hope is not tied to the doldrums of human leaders, the stock market, or headlines.

Instead, our hope is anchored to the empty tomb and the living Christ.

Hope, in fact, is alive because the tomb is empty, sin is conquered, death is defeated, and Christ is risen — and still reigning. Hope is resurrection reality.

The apostle Peter reminds us, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).

4. Kingdom is coming

Easter, the resurrection of the living Christ, is not the end of the story — it's only the beginning.

Resurrection is not only the declaration of death defeated, but it reminds us that God has launched his kingdom and inaugurated His new creation. Jesus is the firstfruits of what is to come (1 Corinthians 15:20). When Jesus exited the tomb, he was launching a new world order: the kingdom of God, breaking into the here and now.

The resurrection is a royal announcement: The King is alive and He reigns now.

The kingdom is coming, and through Christ's empty tomb, it has already begun. And although we live in the "already but not yet," we know that the King is alive and He will return to finish what he started on Easter morning.

As Jesus our Lord taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done — on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

This Easter, remember the empty tomb isn't something we merely celebrate — it's something we live from and cling to. We are not alone. The victory has been won.

Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah!

Let there be light: The biblical truth driving DOGE's war on waste

Nothing in the second Trump administration has divided Washington more sharply than the Department of Government Efficiency, headed by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. The frenetic effort has featured foibles, but it has also uncovered shocking wastes of taxpayer dollars — discoveries that may have earned the DOGE more detractors than its faults. Whatever the final results may be, it’s worthwhile for Christians to consider a driving impulse behind the DOGE’s work that is deeply consistent with biblical values.

This is the DOGE’s impulse to push for transparency — or, perhaps more precisely, illumination — about government spending and processes. “In a Fox interview, Musk and his team … shined a greater light on the amount of inefficiency and financial waste that’s propagated by our federal government,” said FRC Action President Jody Hice.

'Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.'

In that interview, Musk told “Special Report” host Bret Baier, “We want to reduce spending by eliminating waste and fraud and reduce the spending by 15%. … The government is not efficient, and there’s a lot of waste and fraud. So we feel confident that a 15% reduction can be done without affecting any of the critical government services.”

“Most taxpayers would generally agree, I believe, that government transparency is a good thing,” responded Hice, a former U.S. congressman.

This is especially true of the voters who sent fiscal conservatives like him to Washington, D.C., and who were frustrated by the systematized sloth that prevented a few good men from attacking acreage of bureaucratic kudzu with any tool larger than nail clippers.

“We would often just beat our heads against the wall, because we would be so frustrated with the amount of money that the government is spending,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.) recalled on “Washington Watch.” And so he welcomed “the fact … that President Trump is allowing and asking Elon Musk and the DOGE team to go through the checkbook of the American taxpayer and find waste, fraud, and abuse.”

“We always knew, instinctively, that the government was spending money irresponsibly — not in places that the American people would ever approve,” stated Stutzman. “We used to … think, ‘Oh, it’s probably, you know, maybe 1%, 2%.’ We’ve all known that there’s probably a lot more than that. And that’s what Elon is finding.” As of April 1, the DOGE website claimed an estimated $140 billion in savings, already more than 2% of U.S. federal government expenditures in fiscal year 2024 ($6.75 trillion).

“God always asks us to be light in this world,” argued Stutzman. “When there [are] problems, you need to shine a light on the problem. And that’s what the DOGE team is doing, shining a light on all of the spending. And we’re seeing where our tax dollars are going, and it’s just appalling.”

The primary way in which the Bible calls Christ-followers to be “the light of the world” is as models of righteous living, so that others “may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

But the application of this principle extends far beyond religious observance or spiritual disciplines. The apostle Paul wrote that “the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true” (Ephesians 5:9). Therefore, he urged believers, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. … When anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible” (Ephesians 5:11, 13). Thus, “illumination” is an apter descriptor than “transparency.”

In other words, Stutzman is right to extend the biblical metaphor of “shining a light” to exposing waste, fraud, and abuse in government.

One further extension of the Bible’s “light” metaphor is appropriate. Jesus taught in John 3 that “people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God” (John 3:19-21). The most direct application is that wicked people hide their sin, while the righteous repent of their sin and find forgiveness.

But Jesus draws out a truth about human nature that remains true in lesser contexts as well. Wrongdoers often try to conceal their wrongdoing. If this is true, and if there are wrongdoers benefiting from waste, fraud, and abuse in payments of the federal government, then we would expect significant opposition to any attempt to expose that waste, fraud, and abuse. (It does not follow from this that every DOGE critic wrongly benefits from government largesse; there are other legitimate reasons to criticize the department.)

In fact, some of the DOGE’s findings are consistent with a pattern of attempted concealment. One of the DOGE’s first targets was the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was funding bizarre projects like a transgender comic book in Peru.

“It’s easier to hide money away from us overseas than it is to hide it here in the United States,” Stutzman pointed out, and “the fact that President Trump and Elon Musk decided just to shut down USAID shows you how bad it is … there.” On March 28, the U.S. State Department and USAID “notified Congress on their intent to undertake a reorganization that would involve realigning certain USAID functions to the Department by July 1, 2025, and discontinuing the remaining USAID functions that do not align with Administration priorities.”

Nevertheless, some DOGE detractors are “screaming very loudly” about Musk’s outsider team bringing sunshine to the swamp, added Stutzman.

“I told the Democrats … if this is what you’re proud of — if you feel like these are the priorities of the American people — you should not have a problem with DOGE just telling all of us where our tax dollars are going, whether it’s DEI programs in South America, or whether it’s DEI programs in the Middle East, or a 'Sesame Street' program for $20 million in Iraq,” Stutzman stipulated. “If those are your priorities, why are you upset that the DOGE team is announcing those on … social media, telling us what they’re finding? I mean, if that’s what you want done with federal tax dollars, then you shouldn’t have a problem with it.”

Here, Jesus’ words echo loudly, “Everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed” (John 3:20).

This article is adapted from an essay that was first published at the Washington Stand.

The real reason people quit Jesus — and it's not about truth or logic

Almost every instance I know of in which someone left the Christian faith was a case of self-sabotage. And I’ve seen it plenty of times.

As a pastor of over 15 years, nothing rips my heart out like seeing someone walk away from Christianity. I’m writing this as a Calvinist who believes all true Christians persevere in their faith. No true Christian can lose his or her salvation. However, some who appear to be genuine at first end up walking away from Christ, demonstrating that they were never truly saved to begin with.

Stated reasons and actual reasons

People are complicated. In any big shift in one’s life, there’s often a gap between the stated reason and the actual reason. When someone abandons Christianity, the stated reasons can vary, but the real reason is almost always a love of sin.

Often, they tell a story that makes them look like the hero, as though they are courageous seekers on a noble quest for truth. Some of them wax scientific, saying things like “the claims of Christianity don’t fit the evidence. I must go where the evidence leads.” Some take a more philosophical approach, saying things like “I cannot accept that a good God would allow evil. This makes Christianity untenable.”

Quitting Jesus usually doesn’t happen in sudden, dramatic moments.

The apostate tells himself that he’s bravely casting aside the shackles of tradition in order to embrace free-thinking rationality. It’s all a ruse. Don’t buy it. Regardless of what they say, there’s almost always a deeper reason.

I’ve known many people who rejected Christianity because they wanted to affirm a friend’s LGBTQ sins, or wanted to be LGBTQ themselves, or didn’t want to repent of adultery, or wanted to keep sleeping with their boyfriends.

I used to be friends with Rhett and Link, famous YouTubers who publicly abandoned Christ at the same time. We used to work together on staff with Cru. For several years, they emceed the Cru winter conference where I was the worship leader. I was thrilled when they moved to Los Angeles because I thought they would make a difference reaching California for Christ.

It turns out that California reached them instead.

In a recent interview recounting their initial deconversion, Rhett mentioned how he searched for “respected” voices that would affirm the claims of Christianity. That was a small tell, but it confirmed what I’d always suspected: They were embarrassed by what Christians believe. His faith required secular authentication from respected sources to be believed.

In other words, the stated reason for his deconversion was an intellectual and philosophical pursuit of truth. I sense the real reason is being embarrassed about what Christians believe.

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).

Quitting Jesus

All sin springs from a desire to do what we want and not have anyone telling us what to do. Being a Christian means forsaking our sin and following Christ. It’s a costly decision because we must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. Some don’t want to count the cost. So they quit Jesus.

Quitting Jesus usually doesn’t happen in sudden, dramatic moments. Christians who end up rejecting Jesus usually go slowly. Their commitment dies a slow death of atrophy, like a riverbank worn down by a persistent trickle of water or like slowly sawing off the tree limb you're sitting on.

Maybe you are doing this already. If so, you may not notice at first. You skip a prayer here, miss a Sunday service there, indulge a little “harmless” sin, telling yourself it’s temporary.

“I’ll get back on track,” you think. But the truth is, small compromises add up. Before long, you’ve drifted so far from God you barely recognize how you got there. It just kind of happened.

This slow drift from the Lord is spiritual self-sabotage. No one is forcing you to do anything; you just lose interest. Then, you justify these actions with excuses.

“I’ve been busy.”
“I don’t like the new pastor’s preaching.”
“The Bible is too hard to understand.”
“I’ve tried praying. I didn’t work.”
“I don’t like being around Christians. They’re too judgy.”
“We’re so tired raising these young kids that we don’t have time for church activities”
“This church isn’t feeding me.”

This slow drift is dangerous because it doesn’t feel like a major life decision but more of a complaint to justify small decisions every day. Life is busy. Work is stressful. There are a lot of demands on my time.

Weekends that used to revolve around worship are now dominated by travel sports, family outings, or catching up on rest. What starts as missing church once a month quickly becomes twice a month. Before long, you’re only showing up for Christmas and Easter. And then not at all.

It’s not just about church attendance. Neglecting any spiritual discipline — whether it’s prayer, Bible reading, or fellowship — can have the same effect. Over time, you stop thinking about God as much. Prayer feels awkward, like talking to someone you barely know. The Bible gathers dust on the shelf, and when you do open it, it feels like a chore. What once brought you life and joy now feels distant and irrelevant.

This isn’t a new problem.

Even in Scripture, we see people losing their zeal for God as life presses in on them. In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes seeds that sprout but are choked by thorns — representing the cares and riches of life (Luke 8:14). The plants don’t die overnight. They are slowly suffocated. Isn’t that what happens to so many of us? The distractions of life don’t attack our faith head-on. They simply crowd it out until there’s nothing left.

Stopping the drift

But the good news is this: The drift can be stopped. Hebrews 10:24-25 gives us a clear command: “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” Faith isn’t just a private matter. It’s communal. When you’re tempted to skip church because you’re tired or busy, remember that your presence isn’t just about you. It’s about encouraging others and being encouraged in return. Ultimately, it’s about God. God’s commands are good for us.

Daily spiritual disciplines are just as vital. Think of them like exercise or healthy eating. Missing one workout or indulging in one cheat meal won’t ruin your health, but a pattern of neglect will. Similarly, skipping prayer, time in God’s word, or small group at church won’t destroy your faith, but consistent neglect will starve your soul.

Even if you feel too busy, carve out time — no matter how small — to reconnect with God. It’s not about perfection; it’s about persistence.

Finally, guard your heart against the subtle lies that feed the drift. The enemy will whisper that you’re too busy, that you’ll make up for it later, or that God doesn’t care about these small lapses. Don’t believe it. Every time you prioritize your walk with Christ, you’re taking a stand against the drift.

Faith in Christ is a fight, and it’s worth fighting for. No one accidentally stumbles into faithfulness; it’s an active pursuit — day by day. It’s not something you can afford to take lightly or leave to chance. Life will always be busy. There will always be distractions.

Make a decision now for a few small, essential commitments. Start small, and follow through. Small habits add up to make a big difference.

This essay was adapted from an article published at Michael Clary's Substack.

A Tale of Two Abrahams

Along comes Anthony Julius, offering his own modern midrash on the first Jew in history, Abraham. Julius's Abraham is a literary creation bound by neither fealty to traditional faith nor scholarly convention. The work, the author writes in the preface, presents "neither a historical nor an antihistorical account of Abraham," nor is it an account "written within the rabbinic imagination," i.e., it is not placing itself within the 2,000-year-old traditional Jewish interpretive history of the character. "When it is written [in the Bible] that God speaks to Abraham, I take it to refer to Abraham's inner conviction that he is in communication with God," writes the author. Julius's account is a mash-up of "philosophical argument and storytelling," a reimagining of a Freud-citing patriarch.

The post A Tale of Two Abrahams appeared first on .

Why 'follow your heart' is terrible advice — and God knew it all along

All normal human beings want to be happy. Aristotle observed that happiness is the goal of human life. For us Americans, the pursuit of happiness is even enshrined in the Declaration of Independence as a self-evident, unalienable right. We can all agree that we want to be happy, but it’s much harder to find consensus when we ask what happiness is and how we can achieve it.

Despite disagreement on the finer details, for Americans (and most in the West), happiness is closely connected with being true to oneself, following one’s heart, and personal fulfillment. For example, 84% of Americans "believe that the 'highest goal of life is to enjoy it as much as possible.' Eighty-six percent believe that to be fulfilled requires you to 'pursue the things you desire most.' Ninety-one percent affirm that 'the best way to find yourself is by looking within yourself.'"

'The more you worship your self, the less you become your self. You become a shadow, a specter, an unself.'

These ideals are part of the cultural air we breathe, and we find them embedded throughout popular culture. One song from Disney’s "Mulan" soundtrack advises listeners: “You must be true to your heart / That’s when the heavens will part. ... / Your heart can tell you no lies.” In the 1994 animation "Thumbelina," the narrator Jacquimo sings, “When you follow your heart, if you have to journey far, / Here’s a little trick. You don’t need a guiding star. / Trust your ticker, you’ll get there quicker.”

In her hit song “The Voice Within,” Christina Aguilera counsels listeners to “look inside yourself. ... Just trust the voice within.”

As theologian Thaddeus Williams humorously observes, “There are enough tween-targeted self-worship pop songs to fill a year-long playlist. We hear songs about bucking authority, songs about your wildest dreams all coming true, about being a super girl, or some roaring animal goddess who eats people’s expectations for breakfast.”

Along similar lines, television producer and screenwriter Shonda Rhimes contends, “Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to. Happiness comes from being who you actually are instead of who you think you are supposed to be.”

At a commencement address at Stanford University, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs told graduates, “And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

For Christians, there is an element of truth in this advice based on God’s sovereignty. Our individual personalities, interests, and desires are part of who God has made us to be (see, for example, Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5). These can all be indications (though not necessarily determinative) of the goals and dreams we will pursue in life. As Dallas Willard writes, “Because we are God’s co-laborers, our wants and desires are ... important to God and God’s plan for us (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV).” Frederick Buechner notably observed, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” It would go too far to make this a universal principle, but in God’s sovereignty, many Christians have found this to be the case.

The key difference for Christians is that our desires and goals must be submitted to God’s will and direction, and the ways in which we pursue them must accord with scripture.

As Thomas Tarrants comments, “When our desires are God-centered, they are good and fulfill their intended role. But when they are self-centered, when our desires are captured by the things of the fallen world and the sinful nature (the flesh), they are evil. These have been called disordered loves.”

Even as Christians, we need to regularly evaluate our desires to ensure they aren’t the fruit of disordered loves. Martin Luther observed that due to the Fall, our human nature became “deeply curved in on itself” and thus “not only bends the best gifts of God toward itself” but “wickedly ... seeks all things, even God, for its own sake.”

This is why the self-focused approach to happiness always fails, especially when God is excluded. In our fallen pride, Timothy Keller writes, “We labor under the illusion that we are competent to run our own lives, achieve our own sense of self-worth and find a purpose big enough to give us meaning in life without God.” Further, if we “look to some created thing to give us the meaning, hope, and happiness that only God himself can give, it will eventually fail to deliver and break our hearts.”

As actor Jim Carrey once insightfully remarked in an interview, “I think everybody should get rich and famous and everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that that’s not the answer.”

The way of shalom

If happiness isn’t arrived at by following our hearts and being true to ourselves, how can we obtain it?

The concept of happiness in scripture is best captured by the Hebrew word "shalom," which suggests life in its fullness, well-being, contentment, and completeness. Its New Testament counterpart is "eirēnē." Both are often translated into English as “peace.”

Philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff proposes that a better translation of shalom is “flourishing.” He writes, “To experience shalom is to flourish in all one’s relationships — with God, with one’s fellow human beings, with non-human creation, with oneself.”

Because both we and creation are fallen, we won’t experience happiness to its fullest extent until the new heavens and earth (Revelation 21). But Wolterstorff’s categories encompass the essential elements for experiencing happiness in our everyday lives, and we’ll briefly explore each one below.

Relationship with God

Our relationship with God is foundational and makes flourishing in the other two categories (self and others) possible.

We discover in the early chapters of Genesis that God designed humans to exist in a relationship with Him, and that relationship was severed because of the first couple's rebellion (Genesis 1-3; Romans 5:12). As a result, humans are born into the world “dead in [our] transgressions and sins” (Ephesians 2:1).

However, because the Father sent the Son to rescue humanity, we now “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). Because of this restored relationship, Christians are now “blessed ... in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). We are united to Christ and draw life from Him through the Holy Spirit (John 7:38; 14:16-18; 15:4-5).

Christians can flourish as human beings because we can now attain the ultimate end for which we were created — to know and love God. Blaise Pascal insightfully noted:

There was once in man a true happiness of which there now remains to him only the mark and empty trace, which he in vain tries to fill from all his surroundings. ... But these are all inadequate, because the infinite abyss can only be filled by an infinite and immutable object, that is to say, only by God Himself.

Relationship with ourselves

As mentioned earlier, because of the Fall, our humanity became “deeply curved in on itself.” Romans 1 describes the degeneration that occurred: Our thinking became futile, and our hearts were darkened. We became idolators, and God turned us over to evil, which corrupted us in numerous ways. We became “filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity” (Romans 1:29).

These vices led us in the opposite direction of flourishing. As Cornelius Plantinga Jr. affirms, “God hates sin not just because it violates his law but, more substantively, because it violates shalom, because it breaks the peace, because it interferes with the way things are supposed to be.”

In order to reverse what was lost in the Fall and to bring us back to a place of wholeness, God regenerates us in salvation so that we are new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). This new self is “being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” and we “are being transformed into [God’s] image with ever-increasing glory” by the power of the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18).

This redemption is a continual source of peace and joy for the believer because it reminds us that we are “more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope," writes Keller in "The Meaning of Marriage."

Relationship with others

Just as the Fall fractured our relationship with God and with ourselves, it also ruptured our relationship with others. After Genesis 3, we see how shame and blame distorted the harmony once enjoyed by Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:7, 12). Instead of living in the unity and mutual support God intended, humanity became prone to hostility, division, and violence (Genesis 4:8; 6:11–12).

Scripture testifies that in Christ the “dividing wall of hostility” between peoples has been broken down (Ephesians 2:14). By His death and resurrection, Jesus creates “in himself one new humanity” (Ephesians 2:15) and invites us into a new family where earthly differences do not divide us. Paul reminds us that “there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female” because all are “one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). In this new community, we learn to bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), forgive one another as we have been forgiven (Colossians 3:13), and spur one another on “toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24).

When we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit begins a process of sanctification in order to shape us to be more like Jesus and less focused on our own agendas (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 2:3-4). In the process, we experience more shalom in our relationships with others.

Trevor Hudson’s description of this change is especially apt:

We sense [our heart] becoming more open toward others than ever before. No longer is it curved in on itself. We begin to become aware that the person next to us has an infinite, irreplaceable, and precious value in God’s eyes, just as we have. There is a new gentleness with others, especially in moments of failure and struggle. ... We know intuitively that we are joined with our neighbor, and with the whole creation, in an unbroken connection with God’s heart.

Much more could be said about how God has restored shalom to the three relationships just examined, but the key point is that these are the true sources of our happiness rather than anything we can dream up ourselves based on our individual desires and ambitions, especially when self seeks to occupy God’s throne. Thaddeus Williams thus concludes: “The more you worship your self, the less you become your self. You become a shadow, a specter, an unself. The longer and deeper you stare into the mirror, looking for answers, the more it will feel like looking at Edvard Munch’s 'The Scream.' This is the strange paradox of self-worship.”

This article is adapted from a post that originally appeared on the Worldview Bulletin Substack.

Why borders are biblical — no matter what the left says

There are many far-left (so-called) scholars who distort scripture to argue for open national borders, extrapolating the biblical concept of compassion entirely out of context.

These same pseudo-scholars mistakenly invoke the 50-year Jubilee (Leviticus 25) — a law that forgave debt and returned property to the original covenant-keeping Jewish owners — to promote state largesse and universal grants, including property rights for all, whether people reside in a nation legally or are squatting illegally.

What you wouldn’t risk in the personal space of your own household, you shouldn’t demand of a nation.

What these left-leaning scholars consistently ignore is that Yahweh established the Jubilee and other Mosaic laws in the Torah to protect the inheritance of covenant-keeping (circumcised) Jews who lived within the framework of biblical law — functioning as a nation with divinely appointed boundaries. When people take scripture out of context to prop up their worldview, we must discern their biases and reject their flawed applications to modern public policy.

We also need to distinguish between how the church ministers to people and how the civil government administers justice. As a pastor, I will welcome anyone, documented or not, offering care, food, and material help for their families. But if I were elected as a civic leader, my responsibility would be to secure the borders and uphold the law of the land.

Unfortunately, too many well-meaning but uninformed pastors conflate the role of the church with that of civil government, failing to grasp the biblical concept of separate jurisdictions — personal, family, business, civic, and church.

In this brief article, I will focus on correcting the misuse of scripture to justify open borders in the name of compassion. Here are 10 reasons why open borders are not biblically sound:

1. God established national borders.

“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26).

According to St. Paul, God sovereignly determines nations and their boundaries to preserve various ethnic people groups, showing His design for national distinction and order.

2. The New Heaven and New Earth have guarded boundaries. Only those whose names are in the Book of Life can enter.

I’ve heard people claim, “If Jesus were president, He would support open borders.” But what biblical foundation do they have for such a bold assertion? In reality, scripture gives us clear insight into what Jesus will do when He governs a geographical kingdom — and it’s the opposite of what many assume.

“But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27).

Even in God’s perfect eternal kingdom, there is restricted access. "Only those who are written" in God’s membership book shows that borders and boundaries are part of God’s righteous order.

3. Foreigners in Israel had to respect Mosaic and civic laws in order to stay.

“You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the Lord your God” (Leviticus 24:22).

“The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt” (Leviticus 19:34).

While Israel showed kindness to foreigners, they were expected to respect and live under the laws of the land.

4. Compassion and hospitality do not erase the need for order and boundaries.

“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8).

This principle shows prioritized responsibility — just as families manage their homes with discernment, so too must nations guard their sovereignty and stewardship.

Most people who advocate for open borders would never apply that same logic to their homes. How many would welcome total strangers — unvetted and unknown — into their house, especially if they have small children to protect? If you lock your doors at night, you already believe in secure borders. A home is a microcosm of a nation: families living together under a shared roof, protected by clear boundaries.

What you wouldn’t risk in the personal space of your own household, you shouldn’t demand of a nation.

5. A nation without borders is not a nation but chaos.

“If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25).

No unity or stability can exist without a defined identity, which includes recognized borders and laws that protect them.

Even the United Nations and key international charters — like the Montevideo Convention — recognize that clearly defined borders are essential to a nation’s legitimacy. Without recognized boundaries, there is no nation to govern or protect. The same principle applies when you buy a home: Banks require a survey to establish your property lines, ensuring your legal rights and protecting what belongs to you.

If borders matter at the individual level, how much more at the national level?

6. God condemns lawlessness, and open borders often encourage lawlessness.

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

Lawlessness is tied to the spirit of rebellion. Open borders without lawful vetting and due process laws regarding regulation, contrary to biblical teaching, at times foster disorder, crime, and rebellion against lawful authority.

7. Nations serve a distinct purpose in God’s redemptive plan.

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (Revelation 7:9).

God honors the diversity of nations. Erasing national distinctions through borderless ideologies undermines the divine order He has set for the flourishing of different peoples.

8. Borders protect citizens from harm, which is part of a ruler’s God-given responsibility.

“For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4).

Government leaders are called to protect their people. Failing to enforce borders can expose citizens to danger and injustice, violating their God-given duty.

9. The principle of private property in scripture presumes defensible boundaries.

“You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark, which the ancestors have set” (Deuteronomy 19:14).

The respect for borders and property lines is deeply embedded in biblical law. National borders are an extension of this principle on a larger scale.

10. Babel was a judgment against one-worldism and globalism.

“And the Lord said, ‘Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. ... Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech’” (Genesis 11:6-7).

God divided nations at Babel to prevent global tyranny and man’s rebellion. Open-border ideology often leads toward a one-world government, contrary to God’s intention for separate nations.

This article was originally published on Joseph Mattera's website.

Exhibit A: How liberals hijack the Bible to push their agenda on you

If you ask some Christians, Lent is apparently a season for calibrating your heart toward progressive social activism.

For the 40-day Lenten season, a group of broadly liberal and progressive Christian leaders are urging Christians to embrace a contemporary expression of the season by "returning to Jesus." But that return apparently requires adherence to an agenda that more resembles liberal politics than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Exhibit A: Those leaders recently signed a 1,200-word letter bemoaning a "growing crisis in America."

These claims are designed to manipulate Christians — and they're not even based in truth.

What exactly is that crisis, you ask? You can probably guess. President Donald Trump, basically.

Though it does not name Trump specifically, the letter claims "the political accumulation of wealth, power, and control" is threatening American democracy, offering the Trump administration's policies as evidence of the "brutal abandonment and targeting of the people Jesus commands his followers to serve and protect."

The letter is a prime example of how progressives and liberals contort the Bible to push their agenda. Here is a breakdown:

Who are the 'least of these'?

Democrats — and progressive Christians — love to cite Matthew 25 to defend and promote a social justice agenda.

The letter continues that sordid tradition, asserting that "to better defend the vulnerable," Christians must focus their "political persuasions" on Jesus' teaching in Matthew 25:31-46.

At the conclusion of His famous apocalyptic teaching about sheep and goats, Jesus declares, "Truly I tell you: Whatever you did for the least one of these, you did for me," referring to the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned (Matthew 25:40).

Democrats and progressives use this teaching against conservative Christians, suggesting that obedience to Jesus requires supporting progressive policies on immigration, social welfare, and crime. That interpretation not only weaponizes the Bible to steer Christians toward a specific political agenda, but it makes a significant interpretive assumption about Jesus' teaching.

In other words, that argument fails to ask the question: Who are the "least of these"?

It turns out that most biblical scholars do not think Jesus is referring to anyone and everyone.

In fact, the consensus among New Testament scholars, based on evidence within Matthew's Gospel, is that Jesus was referring to disciples specifically (i.e., Christians). Theologian Kevin DeYoung goes even further and suggests, "'The least of these' refers to other believers in need — specifically, itinerant Christian teachers dependent on other Christians for hospitality and support."

Foreign aid, Jan. 6

The letter then attempts to use Jesus' teachings to compel Christians to oppose the Trump administration's campaign to end waste, fraud, and abuse in government spending. It does this by appealing to Christian empathy and emotions, claiming that cuts in foreign aid are "resulting in deaths."

But the letter does not provide any evidence to prove that claim.

Moreover, the letter characterizes President Trump's decision to pardon Jan. 6 defendants as a "blatant act of political corruption," juxtaposing that decision by claiming there are "millions" of Americans who "remain incarcerated by a broken, unjust, and racialized criminal justice system."

Do you notice the rhetorical sleight of hand? Pardoning Jan. 6 defendants is framed as a moral evil, while fighting for the release of Americans found guilty by a jury of their peers is framed as a moral good.

The letter thus attempts to steer Christians to oppose the Jan. 6 pardons and toward progressive criminal justice reform.

Biblical or political action?

Finally, the letter demands Christians use Lent to take action, giving up their time and resources. But to serve which gospel?

You guessed it: the progressive political agenda.

First, the letter claims that defending foreign aid disbursements is a "gospel issue." Second, it demands Christians "oppose massive spending cuts" to Medicaid and other "welfare programs," while declaring that any deficit reduction must only impact the "wealthy." Third, the letter demands Christians oppose "racial discrimination," including "the disproportionate impact of budget cuts on Black and Brown families, and the end of federal anti-discrimination federal policies and protections by executive orders."

These claims, once again, are designed to manipulate Christians — and they're not even based in truth.

As a matter of fact: Jesus did not require Christians to support the funding of "faith-based organizations" for international aid when he announced the good news about the Kingdom of God (i.e., the gospel).

Meanwhile, it's simply not true, as the letter suggests, that the Trump administration plans to make low-income Americans foot the bill for budgetary reductions. On the other hand, it plans to eliminate income taxes for Americans who earn less than $150,000 per year. Moreover, there is no evidence the Trump administration is planning to impose an agenda of racial discrimination, contrary to what the letter suggests.

Truth at Lent

Contrary to what these Christians advocate, the beauty of Lent is found in the work of Christ — not political activism or a progressive social gospel.

The 40-day Lenten season is a time for repentance, self-discipline, deepening one's relationship with God, remembering the work of Christ, and preparing for Easter, the most significant Christian holiday. Lent is a time for Christians to reflect on their sinfulness, their need for a savior, and the beauty of grace and salvation.

Sadly, what most stands out about this letter is not Christ but partisan politics.

Yes, Christians should care for the vulnerable — it's something the church has always done — and influence their communities, being agents of good that bring order and flourishing where there is chaos. But the Christian calling transcends politics, and one is left wondering if these same Christian leaders would sign a Lenten call to action demanding Christians oppose liberal policies.

Perhaps the lack of such a letter under, say, the Biden administration is the unspoken answer.

As we approach Easter, let us remember the biblical Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world — not the "Jesus" recast by progressive politics.