Unity and Division (Part Two): Who Scattered the Church?
by David C. GrabbeAs seen previously, the Creator is a God of unity and division. While God's ultimate goal is for His children to be united together with Him in His Family, in the meantime, instances will occur when the Sovereign judges that division is the best tool for bringing His perfect will to pass. This is especially true when salvation is under threat. ...
07-Sep-07
Lost Perspective
by Richard T. RitenbaughWe are just days away from the sixth anniversary of the attacks on Manhattan's World Trade Center Towers by Muslim extremists. ...
31-Aug-07
The Hidden Agenda Behind the ICC (Part Two)
by Charles WhitakerThe International Criminal Court (ICC) appears to be a United Nations' institution, but in fact, it is not. ...
24-Aug-07
The Hidden Agenda Behind the ICC (Part One)
by Charles WhitakerRevelation 17:1 speaks of the "judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. ...
17-Aug-07
A Threat in Central Asia
by Richard T. RitenbaughWhen foreigners come to this country and comment on American news coverage, it is usually to opine that our reporting is, frankly, self-interested. ...
10-Aug-07
Unity and Division (Part One)
by David C. GrabbeAs mere men, we find it easy to limit God. While all of His attributes are in perfect, harmonious balance, we tend to emphasize one of His qualities over another. Without divine intervention, everyone essentially creates a god in his own image, crudely patching together anecdotes and selected scriptures that reinforce his idea of the divine ...
03-Aug-07
A Bridge Too Frail
by Richard T. RitenbaughIn the murky waters of the Mississippi River, as it flows through Minneapolis, Minnesota, divers are still searching through the rubble for the bodies of the missing and presumed dead as a result of the I-35W bridge collapse on Wednesday evening. ...
27-Jul-07
The Truth About Earmarks
by Richard T. RitenbaughIf we have heard or watched the news over the past two years or so, it is likely we have caught the word 'earmark' in a reporter's mouth at some point. ...
20-Jul-07
Our End Time
by David C. GrabbeAs we trudge relentlessly into the time of the end, and the bright summer days continue to be spiritually dark, we frequently cast about for any indicator of how much longer it will be until Jesus Christ returns, bringing the mad rule of man to a close. ...
13-Jul-07
The Dark Side of Government
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe federal government just did the state of North Carolina a big favor. ...
06-Jul-07
Not-So-Great Expectations
by David C. GrabbeNear the beginning of his gospel, John makes an astonishing declaration. ...
29-Jun-07
What's Best for America?
by Richard T. RitenbaughNot long ago, President George W. ...
22-Jun-07
The Haditha Non-Story
by Richard T. RitenbaughA year and a half ago, the bloodbath at Haditha, a city in the western Iraqi province of Al Anbar, was big news. ...
08-Jun-07
Good to the Core
by David F. MaasMother Eve, when she observed the fruit of the forbidden Tree of Knowledge, became convinced that it looked desirable to the eye (Genesis 3:6), having an outwardly pleasing form, but she soon found out that the inner core contained death. By looking at surface appearances only, the entire human race has fallen for deceit, duplicity, and slickness ever since. ...
01-Jun-07
A Lesson from the Diamond
by Richard T. RitenbaughPlease indulge me a moment as I boast about my eight-year-old son, Jarod. ...
18-May-07
Liberalism and Legalism
by Richard T. RitenbaughAs our various governments become increasingly liberal, a horrifying--a word chosen with care--paradox becomes more apparent: A more liberal America is becoming less free. ...
11-May-07
Commencement 2007
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe news this morning is that today is Graduation Day at Virginia Tech, and the reporters covering the story are probing just how different this day will be from other commencement exercises in years past. ...
04-May-07
The Coming Anglo-American Crisis
by David C. GrabbeIt is almost tangible--the feeling that a hammer-blow is about to fall. It is reinforced constantly--by news reports, images from the media, and direct personal experience--that the nation is coming apart at the seams and lurching wildly out of control. ...
27-Apr-07
The Wrath of Man
by Clyde FinkleaThe dictionary defines anger as "a strong feeling of displeasure and usually of antagonism." ...
20-Apr-07
April Murder
by Richard T. Ritenbaugh...For future reference, it might be prudent to be extra careful during the third week of April next year and in all years after that. In the past fourteen years, 292 people were killed in the above four April mass murders in the United States, and perhaps others could be added to the tally. ...
13-Apr-07
Apologies and Hypocrisy
by Richard T. RitenbaughOver the past week or so, we have witnessed several examples of a consequence of present-day America's inclusive, diverse, multicultural society. ...
06-Apr-07
Bloodshed Upon Bloodshed
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe city of Charlotte, North Carolina, has been in mourning for the last week since two Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers, Sean Clark and Jeff Shelton, were murdered late last Saturday night, March 31, after responding to a domestic disturbance. ...
30-Mar-07
The Vinedresser
by Clyde FinkleaDuring His Passover instructions to His disciples in the upper room, Jesus uses an illustration to explain how God works with us to produce fruit in our lives...
16-Mar-07
Nannyism and Caring
by John W. RitenbaughIn the United States is a well-developed social and governmental movement that some commentators derisively name "nannyism." Political pundits also refer to it as "cradle to the grave" social care. ...
09-Mar-07
James Cameron's Lost Integrity
by Richard T. RitenbaughThis past Sunday, the Discovery Channel aired Titanic-producer/director James Cameron's controversial documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus. ...
02-Mar-07
What Does It Say?
by Richard T. RitenbaughWhat does it say about a nation that makes an icon of a woman whose only claims to fame are to have posed nude for a magazine, married a nearly nonagenarian billionaire, had a drug problem, and had a string of affairs? ...
23-Feb-07
Shifting American Values
by Richard T. RitenbaughFifteen years ago, the subject of "values" was on everyone's lips, reaching its crescendo during the political campaigns of the time. ...
09-Feb-07
What Makes a Civilization Great?
by Richard T. RitenbaughA recent trip to South Africa allowed me to compare conditions in that nation with what I remember from my two previous visits, as well as what I have read and heard about it before the African National Congress, backed by international pressure, installed itself over the government. ...
02-Feb-07
The Problem with 'Leader Security'
by David C. GrabbeWithin Protestantism, a major cornerstone of belief is the doctrine of "Eternal Security"--commonly called "once saved, always saved. ...
19-Jan-07
The Prayer Conundrum
by Richard T. RitenbaughFor some reason, over the past few days there have been several occasions in which the subject of prayer and its efficacy has come up. ...
12-Jan-07
Hijacking Our Language
by Richard T. RitenbaughThe English language is a huge, vibrant, beautiful tongue. ...
05-Jan-07
Big-Picture Thinking
by Richard T. RitenbaughIt has become traditional as we flip our Gregorian calendars from December to January each year to assess the old year and resolve to amend our faults and shortcomings in the new. . . .
29-Dec-06
Surviving the Next Hit
by David C. GrabbeDwight David Eisenhower once observed, "In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." ...
22-Dec-06
The Holy and the Profane
by David C. GrabbeWe do not often hear the word "profane" these days. Its full meaning has disappeared from common conversation, and it is now used almost exclusively with regard to language--as in profanity. But obscene or vulgar speech is only a fraction of what is contemplated by "profane." ...
15-Dec-06
Insinuating the Savior Into Paganism
by David C. GrabbeIn Dr. M. Scott Peck's disturbing book, People of the Lie, he tells the story of Bobby, a young man clearly suffering from depression. ...
08-Dec-06
Business as Usual
by Richard T. RitenbaughColumnist Robert Novak, perhaps best known these days for his involvement in revealing the identity of Valerie Plame (Wilson) as a CIA operative, has uncovered another fetid example of "business as usual" in the halls of Congress. ...
01-Dec-06
A Day of Inconvenient Truths
by Richard T. RitenbaughFormer presidential candidate and senator from Tennessee, Albert Gore, Jr., spent the first half of 2006 jet setting throughout the United States and Europe to tout his new documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. ...
24-Nov-06
Sacred Cows
by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though we live in a world deluged by knowledge--after all, our day is known as the "Information Age"--we often rely heavily on our preconceived ideas about many things. ...
17-Nov-06
What Is There to Be Thankful for Today?
by John O. ReidIt is not unusual today for a member of God's church to feel ill at ease with the world around him. ...
10-Nov-06
What If ... ?
by Richard T. RitenbaughOver the past year I have read three books by science fiction author Harry Turtledove. ...
03-Nov-06
A Polluted National Landscape
by Richard T. RitenbaughMidterm elections will take place across America next Tuesday. ...
27-Oct-06
Sorry, I Forgot
by Richard T. RitenbaughMany readers of this column know that Church of the Great God teaches that the Anglosphere (as columnist Mark Steyn phrases it)--Britain, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand--is composed of descendants of the biblical patriarch, Joseph. ...
20-Oct-06
The Farm
by James KelleyGrowing numbers of people around the world are worried about the food supply—and they should be. ...
29-Sep-06
Apostasy and Faith
by Martin G. CollinsBiblically, apostasy is rebellion against God or the abandonment of faith in God by those once enlightened by the truth. In the Old Testament it always relates to rebellion against God. In Israel, apostasy was a capital offense. One who sacrificed to another god was stoned to death. ...
22-Sep-06
Our Hidden Enemy
by John O. ReidThe world is full of dangers. Yet, one of our greatest enemies lurks within us, poised to bring disaster upon us if we allow it to take control. ...
15-Sep-06
'Dangerous' Speakers of Truth
by Richard T. RitenbaughSpeaking at Regensburg University in Germany, Pope Benedict XVI quoted fourteenth-century Byzantine Emperor Manuel Paleologos II, a Christian: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. ...
08-Sep-06
As a Man Thinks
by Clyde Finklea"You are what you eat" is a common expression. But this adage is not entirely true. ...
01-Sep-06
Good Habits
by David F. MaasHave you ever tried to jump across the Mississippi River? I have done this several times. ...
25-Aug-06
A World Upside-Down
by Richard T. RitenbaughGod thunders in Isaiah 5:20, "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" In this verse, He pronounces a curse on those who judge a matter exactly opposite to reality, and its connection to the surrounding verses suggests that such people do this knowingly to deceive others. ...
18-Aug-06
Whence Comes Leadership?
by David C. GrabbeAs the Western world continues to reel and lurch, tossed about by strong and conflicting forces, one cannot be in a conversation long before the well-worn topics of leadership and government arise. ...
11-Aug-06
Where Is Your Trust?
by David C. GrabbeWe may not put our hope in a secret rapture, but could we be guilty of the same assumed-infallibility with regard to a place of safety? Is our hope in a telephone call announcing that it is time to flee? Is our trust in being on good terms with the physical organization that is "guaranteed" to be whisked away and protected from every inconvenience? ...
04-Aug-06
The Wars of Israel and Judah
by David C. Grabbe... The record of biblical history underscores the fact that, where God's people are concerned, military might is far less of a factor in the outcome of a war than morality. ...