Why progressives want to destroy Christianity — but spare Islam
In 1939, George Orwell coined the phrase "Judeo-Christian ethic" to include the values that formed the moral foundation of Western civilization.
This ethic influenced the American founders and helped shape their views on liberty, rights, and law. Post-Enlightenment philosophers have criticized the irrational aspects of religion and its role in the politics of state, but most have acknowledged the role that the Judeo-Christian ethic has served in preserving the fabric of society.
The idea that secular humanism is salvific for the individual or for society at large has been repeatedly discredited when Marxist ideology has been put into practice.
"Progressivism," on the other hand, is a political philosophy focused on social progress through systemic reforms. It demands a strong central government dedicated to countering societal inequality and injustice. The progressive movement historically shares roots in Christianity and secular humanism, although in recent decades it has emphasized a reliance on science and technology and antipathy toward any expression of religion in the public square.
Left-leaning since its inception in the 19th century, progressivism has, since the 1960s, adopted misotheistic Marxist ideology. Its proponents have focused primarily on discrediting Christian religious practice.
In the Biden administration, for example, both public and private expressions of Christianity came under attack by federal agencies despite First Amendment guarantees that Americans can practice their religion without government interference. These government transgressions are currently being reversed by the new faith-friendly Trump administration.
The big question
So why does progressivism target Christianity specifically?
The obvious answer is that Christianity has been the dominant religion in America since its founding, and at least until recently, most Americans continued to engage with its practice. But religious affiliation constitutes a challenge to the progressive secular state, as this state insists that there can be no greater authority than itself.
The emphasis on freedom of individual within Christianity also tends to resist the enforced conformity that is central to neo-Marxist ideology and identity politics. Progressivism is best viewed as a secular humanist civic religion that is engaged in a religious war with monotheistic faith.
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As Bertrand Russell opined, Marxism is in many respects an atheistic restatement of Christianity, but unlike the Christian “kingdom of God,” its utopian goals can only be realized through the authority of the state.
For this reason, all Marxist states are openly antagonistic to theistic religion.
Cultural infiltration
Since the 1960s, Marxist ideologues, many having fled Nazi fascism in Europe, recognized that a revolution to install socialist and communist values was unlikely to succeed in America. Instead, they envisioned a less radical evolutionary strategy aimed at infiltrating the institutions that define American culture — including its educational systems, news media, entertainment industry, and corporations — with Marxist ideas.
But for this strategy to succeed, it would first have to transform the values of the Judeo-Christian ethic in the direction of Marxism.
A document in the 1963 "Congressional Record" outlines the plan of Marxists to undermine America by targeting the family unit, promoting deviant sexualities, and fostering criminal behavior. This strategy was aligned with neo-Marxist postmodern philosophies being taught in universities that questioned the possibility of objective truth and viewed virtually all societal transactions through the post-colonial polarized lens of “oppressors” and “oppressed.”
But in order to succeed, this strategy could not break radically with the past. Rather, it was necessary to retain those aspects of the Judeo-Christian ethic that had been established as part of the American “social imaginary.”
To this end, neo-Marxism adopts Judeo-Christian concerns with “social justice” but ignores its focus on law. This has allowed progressivism, in its current neo-Marxist “woke” avatar, to “stand for social justice” while simultaneously attacking white privilege, normative sexuality, law and order, and religion.
Although Christianity has been the primary focus of progressive vitriol, it stands to reason that the other source of the Judeo-Christian ethic would also be a target for hostility.
Following the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel, anti-Israel protests led by progressives erupted on America’s college campuses and streets. Jews represent a small minority of Americans and, as such, do not represent a numerical challenge to progressive goals.
However, loyalty to religion and the state of Israel, as well as Judaism’s focus on law, elicited the age-old criticisms of Jewish particularism by Marxists.
Why not Islam?
Why, then, has Islam, a monotheistic religion, been spared the wrath of progressives? There are several likely reasons.
First, Islam is a newcomer to the American scene and, until recently, had little political influence and did not constitute a noticeable resistance to progressive goals.
Second, “woke” progressives imagine all Muslims as oppressed peoples of color who have suffered at the hands of imperial governments. Moreover, radical Islam, like Marxism, seeks to undermine the Judeo-Christian traditions of the West.
Radical Islam, like Marxism, seeks to undermine the Judeo-Christian traditions of the West.
Jihad against the West with the goal of restoring a theocratic caliphate has been a goal of fundamentalist Islam since its inception. Indeed, nowhere in Islamic countries have Christians or Jews ever enjoyed equitable freedom with Muslims, nor are women or the LGBTQ+ afforded equal freedoms with Muslim men, a fact that progressives assiduously avoid admitting.
Although Marxists and Islamists have banded together to undermine Judeo-Christian values in the West, theirs is an uncomfortable alliance, as the atheistic Marxist state is ultimately incompatible with an Islamic caliphate. Only in Muslim countries governed by secular strongmen has an alliance with Marxism achieved even a modicum of success.
Finally, one must always “follow the money.” And in recent years, Islamic governments have provided substantial financial resources to progressive causes because they share in common the goal of “transforming” America.
Faithful resistance
If the right to practice the Judeo-Christian traditions is to be preserved, it is incumbent upon America’s religious leaders to recognize that the goals of progressivism are antithetical to faith, and they must resist being co-opted by misotheistic ideology out of fear or ignorance.
The idea that secular humanism is salvific for the individual or for society at large has been repeatedly discredited when Marxist ideology has been put into practice.
Marxist ideology, therefore, should be seen in its true light, which is as the product of a destructive impulse within the human psyche that will only be fully extinguished in the messianic future.
Is the rapture actually coming soon? What you need to know
Doomsday date-setting is nothing new. People throughout the ages have perpetually speculated about when they believe the end times will come to fruition.
Since Jesus’ death and resurrection, his promise that he will one day return has left believers waiting in anxious anticipation. Along the way, the concept of the "rapture" became a key piece in this complex, prophetic puzzle. It’s a topic I detailed in my book “The Armageddon Code.”
End-times divide
Merriam-Webster defines the rapture as the “final assumption of Christians into heaven during the end time according to Christian theology.” And while this definition is fine in a general sense, rapture theology has splintered into many forms and fashions.
We certainly see many signs today that point to important reverberations as chaos swirls around the globe.
The concept centers on various biblical teachings, though 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is a central text. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Among Christians, there are a slew of beliefs about when — or even if — the rapture will unfold. Those who believe in a pre-tribulation rapture say Christians will be taken up to heaven by Jesus and protected before a seven-year tribulation period on Earth.
Others take a mid-tribulation stance, believing Christians will be brought up to glory halfway through the seven-year tribulation period. Then there’s the post-tribulation view, which sees the rapture and second coming of Jesus as one event.
There are some other perspectives as well, but the point is: The church is divided over the timing and even the existence of the rapture.
September 23, 2025?
Like many other theological constructs, it has become a lightning rod for debate. Yet there’s one area where there should be absolutely no controversy, debate — or even discussion: Date-setting.
Sadly, over the past two millennia, many people have attempted to set specific predictions about when they believe Jesus will rapture the church.
The latest madness centers on September 23, a date circulating on social media as the time when Christ will purportedly come back to take Christians to heaven.
“Rumors have recently gone viral online that the rapture will take place on September 23,” Charisma explains. “Videos across TikTok and YouTube claim dreams, visions, and even mathematical formulas confirm the return of Christ during this year’s Feast of Trumpets. Some are so convinced that they are selling possessions and preparing for that day as the final moment.”
While it’s hard to tell how widespread these proclamations have become, it’s simply another day, another rapture conspiracy theory.
No dates allowed
But there’s a major biblical problem with date-setting when it comes to the end times: We’re never told in scripture to do it.
Both Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32 proclaim that no one knows when the end will unfold. The former reads, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
In the preceding verses, Jesus does offer powerful words after his disciples asked for the “sign of [Christ’s] coming and of the end of the age.” He encourages followers not to be deceived by fake messiahs and tells them there will be “wars and rumors of wars” and even famines and earthquakes all over the globe.
Jesus explains that these events will be the “birth pains,” and persecution will follow. He also notes that the gospel will be preached around the world before the end comes. There is, of course, debate about how to place these events in the context of future events, as some believe Christ’s warnings in these scriptures pertain — at least in part — to Rome’s destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70; some see his words as being both immediate and long-ranging prophecies.
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Regardless, Jesus makes it clear that we won’t know when the end of days will arrive. This elusive nature would, thus, apply to both a rapture event and Jesus’ second coming. In fact, Christ goes on to say that the conditions surrounding his return will be as in the days of Noah.
People around Noah were living their lives without a care until the flood shockingly took them away. He said his own re-emergence will follow a similar pattern.
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left,” Jesus proclaims in Matthew 24:40, with verse 41 continuing: “Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.”
Now, he does add the following in verse 42: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” So there’s certainly a call to be alert, but never to date-set.
Faith, not forecasts
We certainly see many signs today that point to important reverberations as chaos swirls around the globe — much of it focused on Israel and the Middle East. People are lovers of themselves, and morality is fleeting.
But to claim the rapture is happening on a specific date like Sept. 23 isn’t only biblically incorrect and spiritually illiterate; it’s also dangerous.
Over a decade ago, other viral claims surrounded a man named Harold Camping.
Camping purportedly unsuccessfully predicted the rapture numerous times, with people who believed his proclamations reportedly giving up their money and possessions in anticipation; one man spent his entire life savings.
It was a tragic dynamic that would have been avoidable if people simply stuck to the biblical text.
Ultimately, if we’re concerned that the rapture or second coming (or both simultaneously, depending on your theological proclivities) is upon us, our best action is to reach the lost around us with God’s eternal truth.
Rather than waste time date-setting, we should be spreading the gospel to a watching world, because that’s a calling the Bible actually gives us.
The idols and lies behind the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting
Picture the scene: a mother straightening her child’s collar before drop-off; a father whispering, “Be good, I’ll see you after school”; children filing into the sanctuary where an inscription proclaims it as “the House of God and the gate of Heaven.”
Then, horror. On August 27, an 8-year-old and 10-year-old were shot and killed when 23-year-old “Robin” Westman opened fire through the stained glass windows of Annunciation Catholic Church while children attended Mass. The shooting began just before 8:30 a.m. during a worship service to mark the first week of school.
We’ve discipled a generation to crave applause — even if it comes through destruction.
What should have been the safest place became a scene of carnage.
The suspect — armed with a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol — fired dozens of rounds into the sanctuary as children sat in pews, praying. Westman was later found dead in the back of the church from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the FBI is investigating the shooting as an “act of domestic terrorism and hate crime targeting Catholics” — words that should make every Christian in America sit up and pay attention.
The facts reveal a pattern
Suspect Robin Westman graduated from Annunciation Catholic’s grade school in 2017, and a woman with the same name as Westman’s mother previously worked at the church where the shooting took place.
Westman identified as transgender, and in 2020, when he was 17 years old, his mother signed a consent form for him to legally change his name from Robert to Robin because he “identifies as a female and wants her name to reflect that identification.”
The attack was premeditated. Police say the shooter placed wooden two-by-fours through the door handles of two separate exits of the church, which police say required prior planning. The suspect also posted a manifesto on YouTube (since taken down) filled with angry rantings about, among many other things, a dream to “kill innocent children.”
This wasn’t random violence — it was a calculated assault on a Christian institution during worship.
And it’s eerily similar to a 2023 attack on the Covenant School in Nashville by a transgender killer who was also a former student and who wrote a manifesto revealing a vendetta against white Christian children.
The futility of identity without Christ
Our culture promises freedom in self-expression, but the writings of these shooters tell the truth: Self-made identities don’t set anyone free; they enslave.
When identity becomes idolatry, it demands worship. And when the idol disappoints — when the new name, the new gender, the new pronouns can’t deliver peace — the result is despair, rage, and destruction.
Paul warned us in Romans 1: Exchange the truth of God for a lie, and futility follows. Darkened hearts, disordered passions, and ultimately death — that is exactly what we see in these stories. Young men and women convinced they could reinvent themselves apart from the God who made them, only to discover that the god of self is a cruel master.
The Covenant shooter’s journals revealed a heart consumed by confusion, obsession, and suicidal ideation. The Minneapolis shooter’s life echoed the same pattern — an identity unmoored from truth, a soul collapsing inward. These are not outliers. They are the predictable fruit of a culture that preaches, “You are whoever you say you are.”
The idol of infamy
The Covenant shooter’s journals revealed another obsession — not just with killing but with being known for it. The Minneapolis shooter also fantasized about being made famous in museum exhibits and imagined documentaries, and he dreamed of leaving a mark through blood. That’s not just violence. That’s worship.
This is the modern Tower of Babel: “Let us make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). But the bricks aren’t stacked stones, they’re stacked bodies. The altar isn’t on a desert plain, it’s in a classroom. When identity fails to satisfy, the idol of infamy steps in to whisper, “At least they’ll remember your name.”
Our culture feeds that idol daily. TikTok fame. Instagram clout. The myth that 15 minutes of recognition is worth a lifetime of obscurity. We’ve discipled a generation to crave applause — even if it comes through destruction.
But Scripture reminds us: The only legacy that matters is one hidden with Christ. “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). The names that endure are not the names carved into headlines but the names written in the Book of Life.
Minnesota's gun laws couldn't stop evil
In knee-jerk fashion, almost immediately after the news of the shooting broke, Minnesota’s local, state, and federal politicians began calling for more gun control. But here’s what they won’t tell you: Minnesota maintains some of the nation’s strictest gun control measures. The state requires universal background checks, enforces “red flag” laws, mandates waiting periods for handgun purchases, and prohibits certain firearm accessories. All three weapons used by Westman were purchased legally and recently.
Romans 1 isn’t just theology; it’s predictive sociology.
Yet, two children are dead and 17 were wounded by gun violence in Minnesota’s largest city.
Every law the gun control lobby demands was already in place. Every “common sense” restriction leftists claim will stop mass shootings was on the books. Yet, evil found a way — because evil always does when hearts are darkened and truth is rejected.
The problem isn’t access to firearms — it’s the spiritual disease eating away at young hearts in a culture that worships lies and delusions. When identity becomes idolatry, when self-invention replaces submission to God’s design, when we tell children they can be whoever they want to be apart from their Creator, when truth is exchanged for lies, the result is predictably destructive and death follows. Romans 1 isn’t just theology; it’s predictive sociology.
The church in the crosshairs
Wednesday’s tragedy in Minneapolis marks another targeted attack on a Christian institution, and the pattern is impossible to ignore:
- Nashville, 2023: the Covenant School massacre that targeted Presbyterian children and teachers.
- Minneapolis, 2025: Annunciation Catholic School is attacked during Mass.
- Nationwide since 2022: Dozens of pregnancy centers have been firebombed and hundreds of churches have been vandalized — Christian institutions are under relentless assault across America.
While schools of various affiliations have been targets of violence, since Roe v. Wade was overturned, Family Research Council statistics show a marked increase in attacks specifically targeting Christian institutions. FRC documented 57 pro-abortion acts of hostility against churches in 2022 alone, compared to only five such incidents combined from 2019 to 2021.
The pattern reveals directed hostility that goes beyond random violence.
Notice what we don’t see: Shooters storming mosques, gunmen targeting secular private academies, or attacks on progressive gatherings. The hostility is directed, deliberate, and spiritual in nature.
The massacre at Annunciation Catholic Church wasn’t just another tragedy; it was a revelation of where our culture now stands.
Jesus told us plainly: “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you ... because you are not of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).
This isn’t random violence; it’s targeted hostility against the cross. The spirit of this age is not neutral. It is anti-Christ. And Satan doesn’t waste bullets on secular idols; he wages war against the Bride of Christ.
The response that matters
Not surprisingly, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D) used the tragedy as an opportunity for political posturing. He slammed those who offered their “thoughts and prayers” and tried to shift the conversation about the “real” victims of this tragedy, stating, “Anybody who is using this as an opportunity to villainize our trans community, or any other community out there, has lost their sense of common humanity.”
But asking hard questions about the spiritual and psychological state of mass shooters isn’t “villainizing” — it’s seeking truth about the cultural forces producing these tragedies. The mayor’s deflection reveals how our leaders refuse to confront the deeper issues.
Meanwhile, “within seconds” of the gunfire, Annunciation’s “heroic staff moved students under the pews.” Adults protected children. Older children shielded younger ones. Even in a time of panic and horror, the church demonstrated the sacrificial love of Christ.
The call forward: No more games
The massacre at Annunciation Catholic Church wasn’t just another tragedy; it was a revelation of where our culture now stands. Even in a city with some of the strictest gun laws in America, children died because we’ve created a society that worships lies about identity, celebrates self-invention, and rejects the God who defines us.
The world tells us to “find ourselves.” Jesus tells us to “lose ourselves.” One path ends in headlines of blood. The other ends in eternal life.
Two children went to school on August 27 and never came home. Their blood cries out, not only for our prayers, but for us to confront the spiritual crisis producing such evil, to reject the lies that fuel it, and to stand firm on the truth that transforms hearts.
This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center.
America Needs To Defy A Culture Of Mass Shootings And Death
Last week’s horrific Catholic school shooting is a snapshot of how godless our nation has become due to leftists' policies.Does this new evidence finally debunk the Shroud of Turin once and for all?
A recently discovered medieval document is being hailed as the earliest written mention of the Shroud of Turin. Its author, Nicole Oresme, the learned Bishop of Lisieux, writing around 1370, claims the Shroud is a forgery. Some have rushed to seize on this fragment as if it were a fatal blow to the Shroud’s authenticity.
But is it?
To treat this new discovery as proof that the Shroud is a forgery means ignoring the massive wealth of evidence that indicates its authenticity.
Historian Nicolas Sarzeaud’s recent article uses Oresme’s passage as basis for rejecting the Shroud. However, the facts reveal more fallacy than forgery.
In the ongoing debate about the Shroud’s authenticity, the question is what this discovery actually means. Imagine a set of scales. On one side rests the enormous weight of historical, scientific, and forensic evidence pointing to the Shroud’s authenticity. On the other side, we now place this solitary note from a skeptical medieval bishop.
So does this new discovery tip the balance? The answer is a resounding no — and here's why.
Reason 1: The inexplicable image
Picture yourself in 1370. You live in a pre-scientific, pre-photographic world, and your thoughtful approach to faith makes you skeptical of the mania for relics at that time. You hear reports of a mysterious cloth bearing the image of a crucified man, said to be Jesus.
What would you think? Most likely, your first reaction would be, “Someone must have painted it.” And as a product of his time, that is exactly what Oresme assumed.
But Oresme had no access to modern science — or to the groundbreaking work of the 1978 Shroud of Turin Research Project.
After an exhaustive investigation, STURP concluded that the image was not created by pigment, stain, dye, paint, or any known artistic method. In fact, the image itself isn’t made of any substance that rests on top or is embedded in the weave of the cloth — it is a discoloration of the linen fibers themselves. When the Shroud is backlit, the image disappears, something no painting could replicate. Even more remarkably, the image is not the result of brush strokes; it is a photographic-negative-like image encoded with three-dimensional information.
This means that whatever makes the image was not deposited on the cloth and that the image was not made by contact with a body, statue, or brush.
Oresme had no framework for scientific thought and how to interpret such a phenomenon. In his world, images came only from the hand of an artist. The Shroud has revealed itself as an exception to the rule. In our world, the Shroud has defied every artistic or technological explanation. What seemed “obvious” in the 14th century has proven scientifically untenable today.
And for historian Sarzeaud, the use of Oresme’s comments strikes me as strained, particularly when they are presented as if they were direct references to the Shroud itself. The move from a general critique of relics to the assumption that he meant the Shroud is more conjecture than evidence.
Just as telling is Sarzeaud’s reliance on a modern interpretive framework while failing to engage seriously with the textile, historical, and iconographic data that challenge his conclusions.
Reason 2: Corrupt corroboration
In Sarzeaud’s assertion that the Shroud is a forgery, he relies heavily on the previously oldest known mention of the Shroud, which is known as the d’Arcis Memorandum, written around 1390, in which Pierre d’Arcis, Bishop of Troyes, claimed the Shroud was painted. He includes the entire memo as evidence that the Shroud was considered a forgery as soon as it was first exhibited 35 years earlier. Although this is corroboration, Sarzeaud presents the memo without mentioning the controversy surrounding it.
Sarzeaud fails as a historian and treats this as if it were a straightforward confirmation of Oresme’s skepticism. But the reality is far murkier.
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First, there isn’t just one memo. Calling it “the memo” is misleading, since there are two surviving drafts that differ in tone and detail. The French scholar Ulysse Chevalier, who published the d’Arcis memo in the early 20th century, conflated the two versions into a single document — and then asserted, without proof, that it had been sent to Pope Clement VII. No such record exists in the Vatican archives, and there is no evidence that it was ever sent to the pope.
Second, even within the memorandum, d’Arcis admits that his charge was based on hearsay: His predecessor supposedly knew the name of the forger but never revealed it. Modern scholarship has highlighted these inconsistencies, but Sarzeaud neglects to mention them. In other words, what he presents as solid corroboration rests on fragile ground.
As historians, we must do better and not overreach in presenting the evidence as Sarzeaud has done.
Reason 3: Earlier does not equal better
We share Oresme’s skepticism of relics. I’ve visited the Saxony hometown of Johann Tetzel (1465-1519), the Dominican friar infamous for selling indulgences in the early 16th century. He was commissioned to raise money for the rebuilding of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Tetzel became notorious for a jingle he reportedly used in his preaching to stir people to buy indulgences: “As soon as a coin in the coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”
Orsme was thinking, writing, and standing firm for Christian truth in a time rife with spiritual manipulation, and this influenced his overreaction to the Shroud. By the 14th century, Europe was rife with dubious relics. Skeptical observers like Oresme often dismissed any new devotional object as fraudulent.
But what Oresme lacked — and what we now possess — is the benefit of centuries of scientific progress.
It is true that Oresme’s fragment pushes the written record of the Shroud back to around 1370. And yes, having a mention of the Shroud so close to when it first appeared in Europe is noteworthy. But it doesn’t mean it carries more weight than other evidence.
In fact, given the advent of the age of science and the technological advances since Oresme’s day, there is far more and far better evidence now than there was then.
Think of it this way: Knowledge accumulates like compound interest. Every decade of careful research into the Shroud — microscopy, spectroscopy, blood chemistry, pollen analysis, and digital imaging — adds layers of data. To elevate a lone medieval opinion over the wealth of evidence gathered since 1978 is to confuse proximity with authority. Oresme’s comment is historically interesting, but evidentially it is a footnote, not a verdict.
Sarzeaud does appeal to the 1988 radiocarbon test that dated the Shroud to 1260-1380 to support the claim that the Shroud is medieval. Once again, however, he does not mention the fierce debate surrounding the results or the work done since then that casts serious doubt on its validity.
The very latest state of the evidence is the richest; we only gain more knowledge. To treat this new discovery as proof that the Shroud is a forgery means ignoring the massive wealth of evidence that indicates its authenticity. The new find only has force when isolated from the overwhelming contextual evidence.
Reason 4: The 'forgery' claim falls apart
The fatal flaw in relying on this new document and the d’Arcis Memorandum as proof that the Shroud is a forgery is that the dots don’t connect.
If the Shroud were obviously painted, as Oresme assumed, then why have the best scientists in the world — equipped with electron microscopes, chemical analysis, and cutting-edge imaging technology — failed to detect any paint, pigment, or dye responsible for the image?
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Dr. John Jackson, physicist and leader of the STURP team, cataloged 17 unique characteristics of the image on the Shroud — features that any genuine explanation must account for. Countless attempts to reproduce the image have fallen short. Photographs, paintings, and scorchings may imitate some features, but none replicate them all.
The Shroud’s image remains, scientifically speaking, an unsolved phenomenon.
This is the Achilles’ heel of the forgery theory: What was “obvious” to a 14th-century skeptic has been thoroughly disproven by modern analysis. The image is not a painting. The claim collapses under scrutiny.
Weighing the evidence
Nicole Oresme was right about one thing: Popular religious claims should be subjected to rigorous testing. As Sarzeaud himself quotes, Oresme insisted that such claims be examined through Scripture, credible testimony, and reason.
Sarzeaud concludes, “For Oresme, popular beliefs must be critically examined through methodical analysis, using Scriptural authorities, credible testimonies, and arguments grounded in reason, with significant weight being given to the latter.”
Yet in holding Sarzeaud to his own standard, his argument and conclusion fail. He has failed to critically examine the new Oresme passage with methodical analysis by ignoring the problems with the d’Arcis Memorandum. He has ignored the credible testimony of the scientific evidence and the compelling historical evidence of the Shroud's existence in history prior to appearing in Europe. He has overlooked the historical evidence placing the Shroud well before the 14th century.
When all the evidence is placed on the scales, this newly found fragment does not tip the balance. Instead, it reminds us of an enduring truth: Skepticism is not new.
From the beginning, voices have attempted to dismiss the Shroud as forgery or fabrication. But 2,000 years of history and a century of scientific inquiry testify otherwise. And by appealing only to selective evidence that agrees with his premise, Sarzeaud fails to ground his arguments in reason, but rather commits the fallacy of special pleading.
The one thing Sarzeaud succeeds in is generating headlines by making something from nothing. Sarzeaud’s article may generate headlines, but it does not overturn the evidence.
In the end, the Shroud continues to confront us with the same, unyielding mystery: the image of a crucified man, unlike any other in human history — a discovery that refuses to be explained away.
Christianity's real crisis isn't atheism — but a far more sinister deception
When Baylor University returned a $1.65 million LGBTQ+ grant last month — one tied to DEI efforts and LGBTQ initiatives — it sent a ripple through the Christian world.
On the surface, it looked like a victory: a Christian institution backing down in the face of public pressure from believers. But as Allie Beth Stuckey and others rightly pointed out, this wasn’t a win born from spiritual conviction. It was a calculated retreat, one that exposed a much deeper problem than any single grant.
God’s word doesn’t change. His standards don’t evolve with the culture.
It exposed the growing danger of progressive Christianity.
This movement isn’t just a theological shift. It’s a spiritual counterfeit — one that keeps the language of Christianity but trades the authority of scripture for the approval of culture. And in my heart, I believe it’s more dangerous than atheism. At least an atheist is clear about what he believes. Progressive Christianity, on the other hand, deceives from the inside. It misleads under the banner of Jesus, offering a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:5).
And it’s costing people their salvation.
What is progressive Christianity, really?
Progressive Christianity isn’t just a more “open-minded” version of the faith — it’s a total redefinition of it.
At its core, progressive theology tends to:
- Reject the authority and inerrancy of the Bible.
- Reinterpret sin through the lens of human experience.
- Emphasize love and inclusion over holiness and repentance.
- Downplay the exclusivity of Christ for salvation.
It often affirms the cultural moment over the eternal word. In this view, truth is flexible. God’s commands are negotiable. And Jesus becomes more of a moral teacher than a Savior who calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).
That’s not Christianity. That’s deception.
For anyone unfamiliar with this movement, here’s a biblical breakdown of progressive Christianity that explains how it departs from the true gospel.
Why progressive Christianity is more dangerous than atheism
It might sound extreme, but I truly believe this: Progressive Christianity is a greater threat to the gospel than atheism ever was.
Here’s why: Atheists make no pretense about their disbelief. You know where they stand. But progressive Christians use Christian language, scripture, and emotion to validate teachings that directly contradict the Bible. They redefine sin, affirm lifestyles that scripture calls us to repent from, and reduce salvation to a vague message of self-love.
In doing so, they lead others down a path that feels spiritual — but is ultimately separated from Christ.
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Jesus warned about this kind of deception: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves” (Matthew 7:15).
Progressive Christianity often wears that sheep’s clothing well. But it leaves people spiritually lost, thinking they’re saved while embracing a gospel that has no power to save.
Baylor is a symptom — not the disease
The Baylor grant controversy is just one example of a larger pattern. Christian institutions across America are slowly conforming to culture while keeping the appearance of faith.
Many churches and universities want the brand of Christianity without the cost of obedience.
Whether it’s "The Chosen" seemingly partnering with people that affirm sin, or seminaries quietly shifting their theological standards, the same compromise is at work: Affirming the feelings of man over the commands of God.
This isn’t about one issue. It’s about all of them. Whether it’s sexuality, gender, marriage, abortion, or even the exclusivity of the gospel, progressive Christianity molds faith to fit culture, rather than calling culture to repent and follow Christ.
A personal word on compassion and conviction
Let me say something from the heart: I have many friends who consider themselves Christians and also identify as gay. Some are even politically conservative. They love Jesus — or at least they think they do. But they’ve been taught, as I once believed, that God affirms their same-sex relationships as long as they’re “loving” and “monogamous.”
I understand the desire to reconcile faith and desire. I lived in that space for years, trying to convince myself that God was OK with what I wanted, as long as I was sincere.
But sincerity doesn’t save us. Jesus does. And He doesn’t just meet us where we are — He calls us to repentance, to holiness, to transformation. That’s not cruelty. That’s grace.
God always preserves a remnant. But it’s time to wake up.
So while I’m deeply compassionate toward those who are still working through these things, I cannot affirm a version of Christianity that leaves people where they are instead of leading them to the cross.
That’s what progressive Christianity does — and it’s why it’s so dangerous.
What the Bible really calls us to
True Christianity isn’t comfortable. It never has been.
Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it” (Matthew 7:13).
The road of progressive Christianity is wide. It’s attractive. It’s affirming. But it does not save.
God’s word doesn’t change. His standards don’t evolve with the culture. The call to repentance, faith, and obedience is still the same today as it was 2,000 years ago. And anything less than that isn’t good news at all — it’s a lie with eternal consequences.
A call to courage
If you’re a believer who sees what’s happening in the church and feels discouraged — don’t be. God always preserves a remnant. But it’s time to wake up.
We cannot keep pretending that agreement equals love or that silence equals peace. True love tells the truth. And true peace only comes through Christ — not cultural affirmation.
The danger of progressive Christianity is that it speaks peace where there is no peace. It offers comfort without conviction and affirmation without transformation. That is not the gospel.
And it’s time we say so — with boldness, clarity, and compassion.
This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Arch Kennedy's blog.
The real reason American churches are under attack
The statistics are as sobering as they are predictable.
According to Family Research Council, between 2018 and 2024, there have been 1,384 documented hostile acts against churches in America, including vandalism, arson, fire bombings, bomb threats, and shootings. This represents an eight-fold increase from just five years prior.
The dragon is making war against those who refuse to bow to the spirit of the age.
But for those with eyes to see, this surge was never a matter of if but when.
When a culture systematically abandons the God who gave it birth, when it tears down every sacred institution and mocks every holy thing, the inevitable result is not peaceful co-existence with God’s family but war. And that war has now come, quite literally, to our church doors.
The most recent and egregious example comes from Seattle, where 28-year-old Lebron Givaun — a newlywed who had recently surrendered his life to Christ — was gunned down in broad daylight as he arrived for a young adult service at Pursuit Church. Two masked assailants fired over 30 rounds from illegally modified automatic weapons into a crowd of families gathering for a church barbecue.
Let that sink in: Criminals with a “code of honor” that Pastor Russell Johnson rightly noted wouldn’t “shoot a man in broad daylight while he is at a house of worship, while he is with his wife and kid,” have been replaced by something far more sinister. This was not random gang violence spilling over into a sacred space — this was a targeted assault on the very concept of sanctuary itself.
The symbolism could not be clearer. After the shooting, the attackers abandoned and torched their vehicle at another church’s parking lot to destroy the evidence. The scene sent its own grim message: No church is beyond our reach.
The pattern emerges
This Seattle shooting did not occur in a vacuum. Pursuit Church had already been marked for hostility after hosting a prayer rally defending biblical sexuality and the family. When Christians gathered lawfully to proclaim God’s design for marriage and gender, Seattle’s political establishment and radical activists united in opposition, with Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (D) characterizing the prayer gathering as “far-right” extremism.
Here, we see the progression with crystal clarity.
First, biblical Christianity is redefined as political extremism. Then, those who hold to historic Christian faith are demonized as threats to public safety. And finally, violence against such “threats” becomes not only acceptable but morally justified.
The pattern repeats itself across blue America. In Washington state, Natasha O’Dell traveled from Texas to burn down the Seattle Laestadian Lutheran Church, causing over $3.2 million in damage. She had openly expressed her rage against churches and specifically planned to “burn a nearby church.” The same spirit that drove her to destruction drives the masked gunmen who spray bullets into church gatherings.
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This is not new but is part of a growing pattern. In the fall of 2022, a pro-abortion terrorist group, Jane’s Revenge, threatened to carry out a mass shooting at two churches in Nebraska, explicitly naming the use of “AR-14 rifles” if a local abortion ban passed.
These threats were a part of a wave of over 100 violent attacks on churches and pregnancy centers that have occurred since May 2022, when the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dobbs case overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked.
And since May 2020, there have been at least 518 violent attacks on Catholic churches across 43 states, including arson, smashed statues, satanic graffiti, vandalism, and assault — often with explicitly anti-Catholic and pro-abortion messages.
The spiritual reality behind the statistics
Make no mistake: This is spiritual warfare manifesting in physical violence.
When the apostle Paul warned that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12), he was describing precisely what we witness today.
The enemy’s strategy is both ancient and obvious: If you cannot corrupt the church from within through compromise and false teaching, destroy it from without through intimidation and violence. John’s vision in Revelation 12:17 captures this perfectly: “And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
This scenario is precisely what we see unfolding in Washington state and across America. The dragon is making war against those who refuse to bow to the spirit of the age, who insist on keeping God’s commandments regarding marriage, sexuality, and the sanctity of life and who maintain their testimony of Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation.
These attacks are not random acts of violence. They are manifestations of an ancient hatred directed specifically at those who bear the image of the One who crushed the serpent’s head.
A call to courage
This moment is not a time for the church to retreat into a defensive crouch, hoping that if we just keep our heads down and our convictions quiet, perhaps the storm will pass us by. That storm is not passing — it is intensifying. And our Lord Jesus never called His people to cower in the face of persecution; He called us to count it all joy (James 1:2).
To the pastors reading this: Your congregations need to hear the truth about what is happening, and they need to be prepared — spiritually, mentally, and yes, practically — for what may come. This is not fearmongering; this is biblical wisdom. “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished” (Proverbs 22:3).
To the men in our churches: You have been called to be protectors and defenders, not just of your families but of your congregations. The times demand masculine courage rooted in biblical conviction. Study your scripture, strengthen your bodies, and prepare your minds. The sheep are under attack, and shepherds must be ready to confront the wolves.
These attacks confirm that the light of Christ still shines brightly enough to provoke the rage of those who love darkness rather than light.
To every believer: Understand that in a post-Christian culture, simply being Christian is increasingly viewed as an act of aggression. Your commitment to biblical truth — on marriage, sexuality, the sanctity of life, and the exclusivity of Christ — marks you as an enemy of the prevailing order.
This is not a cause for compromise; it is a call to clarity.
The government’s abdication
What makes this crisis particularly acute is the systematic abdication of civil government from its God-ordained role.
When Seattle’s mayor effectively takes sides with violent protesters against Christians exercising their First Amendment rights, when 75% of homicides in Seattle go unsolved, and when churches must hire private security because public officials will not protect houses of worship, the social contract has been shattered.
Scripture is clear that civil government exists “for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (1 Peter 2:14). When government instead punishes good and praises evil, it has forfeited its divine mandate and revealed itself as an instrument of the very chaos it was ordained to prevent.
This is why the principled Christian must simultaneously pray for governing authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-2) while refusing to grant them the ultimate allegiance that belongs to God alone. We submit to legitimate authority while recognizing that no earthly power can command us to deny our Lord or abandon His truth (Daniel 3:16-28).
Victory through faithfulness
The rise in anti-Christian violence is both a sign of our culture’s spiritual darkness and, paradoxically, evidence of the gospel’s power. The enemy does not waste ammunition on territory he already controls. These attacks confirm that the light of Christ still shines brightly enough to provoke the rage of those who love darkness rather than light.
Our response must be thoroughly biblical: We fear God and fear nothing else. We love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, even as we prepare to defend the innocent and vulnerable. We proclaim the truth in love, knowing that the same gospel, which is “the power of God unto salvation,” is also our only hope for cultural transformation.
As Jesus told us in John 16:33:
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
The church has survived Roman persecution, Islamic conquest, and communist oppression. It will most certainly survive the tantrums of a dying secular culture that has mistaken temporary political power for ultimate authority.
Our King reigns, our victory is certain, and our duty is clear: to stand firm, speak truth, and trust the sovereignty of God, who works all things according to the counsel of His will.
The dragon may rage, but the Lamb has conquered. And in His strength, so shall we.
This article is adapted from an essay originally published at Liberty University's Standing for Freedom Center.
Tim Tebow took the hits — now Christianity is winning big
In 2011, a Detroit Lions linebacker sacked Tim Tebow and chose to celebrate by mocking Tebow’s famed kneeling prayer pose. Later in the game, another Lions player did the same, using his touchdown celebration to make fun of Tebow's prayer pose.
At the time, the media didn’t scold the Lions. Instead, they chided Christians for being "too easily offended." The Lions players pretended that they weren’t making fun of God, despite the fact that they were making jokes intended to humiliate Christians.
Sports have always been about excellence and virtue, values that don't align with DEI and leftist ideologies.
That season was a difficult year for Tebow.
While he scored the coveted role of starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, he also became one of the most ridiculed professional athletes. Jake Plummer, a former Broncos quarterback, said that he would “rather not have to hear” about Tebow’s faith. Broncos chief of football operations John Elway was also icy and unwelcoming toward the young, new quarterback.
At the time, many sports commentators and football fans went out of their way to make fun of Tebow’s faith. It was constantly used against him through memes and disingenuous critiques of his athletic abilities. Even "Saturday Night Live" aired a skit in which Jesus appeared in the Broncos' locker room, making fun of the saying that “Jesus was helping Tebow win games.”
Major media outlets were silent, and any defense of Tebow typically was met with an eye-rolling allegation of "not being able to take a joke."
Tebow effect
In the years after Tebow, there was a quiet uncertainty as to how Christian athletes would be received for openly expressing their faith.
But nearly 15 years after he became ESPN’s favorite joke, it's now clear that Tebow blazed a trail for a new generation of expressive Christian athletes.
Earlier this month, for example, Justin Fields, the new quarterback for the New York Jets, said that he is “low-key addicted to getting into [his] Bible.” New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson said that “God calls me to work as heartily as for Him, not to please men.” And several players for the Arizona State Sun Devils football team were recently baptized and started attending a team Bible study together, openly expressing their faith in interviews.
These are just a few of the countless examples of football players following in Tebow's footsteps, publicly embracing their Christian faith. Call it the "Tebow effect."
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This "Tebow effect" comes despite the NFL's decision to embrace wokeism.
The NFL has heavily promoted LGBTQ Pride nights, celebrated transgender cheerleaders, and, infamously, painted "End Racism" in field end zones when the BLM movement swept the nation.
The NFL’s woke agenda felt particularly suspicious in the years following the Tebow controversy. In fact, it felt as if Christian fans were intentionally being alienated from the sport. Perhaps it is no coincidence that the NFL experienced significant ratings hits when players kneeled during the national anthem and when the league virtue-signaled during the pandemic and at the height of the BLM mania.
Woke reversal
But seeing professional athletes openly express their Christian faith helps mend the wounds of wokeism. It allows viewers to build relationships with players through the joy of shared faith. Even better, to see athletes profess their Christian faith makes them feel more authentic, proving they're not just cogs in a corporate conglomerate.
Fortunately, football players aren't the only athletes to publicly embrace their Christian faith.
Sports are a reflection of God’s gifts, built through the dedication and reverence encouraged through the Bible.
The Savannah Bananas, an exhibition baseball team, have become a cultural phenomenon as they continuously sell out MLB ballparks across the country. And as the team’s popularity rapidly expands, players have never shied away from their Christian faith.
Players paint crosses on their cheeks and write Bible verses on their bats and helmets, and many members are actively involved in a team-wide Bible study. Their Christian faith has encouraged them to create a family-friendly experience, where children aren’t exposed to unsavory content for mature audiences.
This year, the Texas Rangers stood up to MLB when they decided to be the only team not hosting a Pride night. Although they are only one team among dozens, this bold act represents a shift away from liberal, anti-Christian messaging.
Christian vindication
Sports have always been about excellence and virtue, values that don't align with DEI and leftist ideologies. Sports are a reflection of God’s gifts, built through the dedication and reverence encouraged through the Bible.
It makes sense, then, that many athletes have turned to a life of Christ instead of a life of "co-exist" and "tolerance" bumper stickers.
Tebow helped blaze the trail that made this possible, and fortunately, he has found quiet vindication.
After he and his wife welcomed their first daughter, he posted a video of her lying across his chest while he worked on his laptop. It was a humbling moment, one familiar to new dads. It also showed that, despite having endured so much ridicule for his faith, Tebow gets to rejoice in the joys of family and grace.
As it turns out, the joke wasn't on Tebow — it was on those who thought Christian faith could be mocked into silence.
When God’s light hits hard, don’t flinch — stand firm
In the intensive care unit, the room went still except for the hum of the monitors and the shallow rise and fall of my wife’s chest. She lay pale from anesthesia, her body marked by decades of procedures.
Mike Tyson famously said, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.” I knew what I believed — or thought I did — until reality landed its blow. The light of Christ still shone, but in that moment it felt blinding as I strained to process what was right before me.
Headlines trumpet confusion as wisdom, cruelty as strength, and lies as truth. God’s light exposes all of it.
Christian, what do you believe?
That question often barges in under fluorescent lights at zero-dark-thirty, in the antiseptic air of another hospital ward. I have carried it for four decades. The answers I had given in calmer moments felt almost foreign. What felt solid now seemed strange in the glare of suffering — like when our surgeon told Gracie to shield her eyes before flipping on the switch during early rounds.
Light can blind — at first
The light can be startling — even blinding. Nathan’s words to David were blunt: “Thou art the man” (2 Samuel 12:7, KJV). In an instant, the light of God’s truth flooded David’s soul. He wasn’t confused by darkness — he was undone by holiness.
That first rush of light leaves us blinking, unsure of our next step. I’ve watched how often believers steady one another in those moments. Many recall stumbling in the dark, but fewer notice how many flounder in the light.
Paul did. On the road to Damascus, he was blinded by Christ’s light. For three days, he couldn’t see, eat, or drink — helpless until another believer, Ananias, prayed over him. Paul didn’t start his ministry standing tall; he began flat on the ground, unable to move without help.
Step from a dark room into sudden brightness, or bask in sunlight only to move into shade, and your eyes scramble to adjust. The same happens when God’s word exposes what we’d rather not see or illuminates what we can’t easily process. As C.S. Lewis once said of the sun, “By it, I see everything else.”
But learning to live in the light takes time. Lewis captured that same disorientation in “The Last Battle,” when Eustace stepped unwittingly into Aslan’s country through a terrifying portal. What lay ahead looked strange and even jarring, though it opened to something unimaginably wonderful. But as friends came alongside him, his fear gave way to awe.
The beauty hadn’t changed; only his ability to stand in it had.
The man in Mark 8 felt this too. When Jesus touched his eyes, he blinked into daylight and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.” He knew the light was real, but the world inside it looked strange. He needed another touch before he could see clearly.
Are we willing to be light?
Our culture knows the disorientation but refuses the cure. Headlines trumpet confusion as wisdom, cruelty as strength, and lies as truth. God’s light exposes all of it. Which is why we must ask: Christian, what do we believe?
And am I willing to live as light in a world stumbling in darkness? Am I willing to be Nathan, speaking truth that wounds in order to heal — first to myself and then to others? Am I willing to be like Ananias, walking toward a Saul who once hated the faith and offering the touch that restores his sight?
What I’ve seen is that Christ’s call doesn’t stop with stepping into the light; it presses us to keep walking in it — and to carry it to others.
The psalmist wrote, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Not a floodlight for the road — just a lamp for the next step. Step by step, not sprinting.
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Some, like Paul, even knew ahead of time what he would suffer. Yet God gave grace — and even a glimpse of glory. The vision didn’t erase the hardship but rather reshaped how Paul endured it.
The famed hymn writer Fanny Crosby understood this better than most. Blinded as a baby, she said, “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior.”
Until then, Christ’s call remains: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” A lamp doesn’t hide under a basket. A beacon shines so that others can find safety.
A call to stand firm
On this four-decade journey as a caregiver, I must preach to myself daily: “Stop floundering in the light!” Take a breath. Stand firm on the ground it reveals.
And once I’ve found my footing — usually with another steadying me — I’m called to help the next person who’s still blinking in the brightness.
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