Have you ever heard any bizarre stories or conspiracy theories about race? I have a relative who believes that modern day Jews are only pretenders and that the “real” Jews–the true people of God–are actually Anglo Saxon white people. A more recent group called the Black Hebrew Israelites, known for their street preaching, have co-opted this story and applied it to people of color. White racists in antebellum America tried to justify their mistreatment of blacks through other religious stories–speculating that black skin is the mark of the biblical murderer Cain, or that Native Americans used t ..read more

One of the major themes in the Bible is God’s redemption of the nation of Israel. God made a promise of land to the sons of Abraham, but generations later his descendants were enslaved in Egypt. From Exodus to Joshua, you see the activity of God to bring them out of that slavery and into a new land that He had promised them long ago. He promised them freedom. On Mount Sinai God gave Moses the laws He wanted the nation of Israel to live by, so that they could experience freedom. In this article, I’ll look at another economic aspect of the Mosaic law, the establishment of private property. First ..read more

In Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies, New Testament scholars N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird take on two major tasks: (1) to summarize the biblical data about political power and its spiritual components, and (2) to lay out a practical theology to guide Christians in making decisions about how to interact with the political sphere. From a libertarian Christian vantagepoint, there is much to commend in this book. For one, as exceptional New Testament scholars, Wright and Bird pick up on many of the biblical emphases ..read more

In the 2005 documentary film Protocols of Zion, filmmaker Marc Levin explored the growth of antisemitic conspiracy theories after September 11th, such as the false (so patently false as to be ridiculous) claim that Jews working at the World Trade Center had been warned not to go to work on 9/11. Levin’s approach was to expose these bogus claims to the light of rationality and evidence. However, this mission was weakened by a moment in the film that stood out for its lack of transparency. While exploring the question of the influence of Jews in Hollywood, Levin calls up some high profile Jews i ..read more

Introduction The Judaic prohibition on pigs has puzzled scholars for centuries — so much so that certain atheist writers, such as Christopher Hitchens, have used this prohibition as evidence against the rationality of Christianity. Recent scholarly work, however, persuasively argues that the pig ban was used to protect agricultural property from destruction wrought by free-range pigs. These scholars suggest this as a secular reason for the ban; however, from the perspective of a Christian, this is evidence for God’s commitment to the notion of private property. The Pig Puzzle …the swine, thou ..read more

I’m not an Objectivist, because I’m a Christian and those labels ultimately conflict. However, Ayn Rand’s critique of Christianity is clarifying and taking it seriously has changed my life and made my faith more robust. More important than her critique of religion is her philosophy, which is 99% life-affirming and the most objectively air tight philosophy of living I’ve ever studied and tried. Here are five things I’ve learned from Ayn Rand that pay off every day and allow me to live a life that is more fruitful and God-glorifying than it would otherwise be: Primacy of existence over primacy ..read more

The Text of Romans 13:1-7 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister ..read more

Jimmy Failla’s Cancel Culture Dictionary: An A to Z Guide to Winning the War on Fun is a remarkably well-reasoned, witty, and surprisingly serious takedown of cancel culture. The book defines it, explains how it came about, profiles its tactics and contradictions, demolishes its arguments, and shows how to successfully push back against this dangerous assault on our freedom of expression. As Failla sees it, “If speech ain’t free, neither are we.” Echoing recently published books from fellow anti-woke comics Kat Timpf, Greg Gutfeld, and Tyrus, Failla’s thesis is that “we need to stop appeasing ..read more

The following is an excerpt from Cody Cook’s new book, Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Response. It addresses one of the dangerous assumptions of Christian Nationalism–that God wants to keep distinct people groups separate. More extreme forms of Christian Nationalism are tied explicitly to racism and ethnonationalism–the idea found most famously in Nazi ideology that blood and soil (ethnicity and land) are inextricably tied together and that each nation and culture must remain distinct from others. The Statement on Christian Nationalism and the Gospel (edited by major figures in the movement ..read more

Emmanuel (God with us), Jesus looked into the hearts of religious and politically powerful men and then bluntly told them what he saw: a self-absorbed and spiritually dead ruling class, betraying their Creator and the lower classes, whom they dis-ingenuously claimed they were helping. He would do the same today. Jesus at about the age of 30 years started a ministry which crossed all ethnic barriers, eventually reaching worldwide beyond the small Roman occupied nation of Israel. He was compassionate, but firm in his desire for people to repent, seek and live the Truth of the Word ..read more