July 2019 – HillFaith

What About Josh Harris?

If you are between 25 and 40 years old and from a conservative religious background, odds are excellent that you know the name “Josh Harris.” As a very young man, Harris wrote a best-selling book — “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” —in 1997 that helped propel the so-called “purity culture” in evangelical circles.

Joshua Harris during media interview. (Screen shot from Youtube).

The core message of the book was that the best way to avoid pre-marital sex and the temptations thereof was to avoid dating for any reason or of anyone who is not a serious marriage prospect.

According to young Harris, as long as those adolescent hormones rage, the best thing to do is to avoid any situation that might give them occasion to run riot. It’s not unlike deciding to be silent because you fear if you speak, you will invariably curse, say something hateful or call somebody a dirty name. Continue reading “What About Josh Harris?”

LET’S LAUGH! Comedian Jeff Allen Looks At How So Many Couples Deal With Resentments

Admit it, if you are married, you got some resentments regarding your spouse. Bad things happen to couples who don’t get their resentments out in the open and talked about.

Comedian Jeff Allen performs in churches across the country and if he doesn’t make you laugh — and think about your next conversation with your spouse — you really ought to check your pulse.

Even if you are still single, this could be the funniest four minutes of your Tuesday:

7 Tests That Show The Gospels Are Trustworthy Accounts of Jesus’ Life, Death And Resurrection

Christianity is either established or destroyed by whether or not a single historical event actually happened, as claimed in the four Gospels concerning the resurrection of Jesus.

Cold-Case Detective J. Warner Wallace, left, with investigative partner, Deputy LA District Attorney John Lewin. (Screen shot)

If Jesus was indeed resurrected three days after being crucified dead and buried, then was seen and heard by a multitude of witnesses in the 40 days thereafter, as claimed by the Gospel authors, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, then every human being who ever has or ever will live must decide whether to accept or reject His claim to be God Incarnate and the only way to Heaven.

If Jesus was not physically resurrected as claimed by the Gospels, then, as Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:17-19, “if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile … and we are of all people most to be pitied.”

But how can we know if the eyewitness testimony of the Gospels can be believed? That’s where NBC “Dateline” cold-case detective expert and “Cold-Case Christianity” author J. Warner Wallace comes into this discussion. Continue reading “7 Tests That Show The Gospels Are Trustworthy Accounts of Jesus’ Life, Death And Resurrection”

THINK ABOUT THIS: No, Your Mind Isn’t A Computer; It’s Much Better

An often-heard analogy is of the human mind to a computer, but Winston Ewert, a software engineer at the Biologics Institute, thinks the comparison is way out of place.

“The human mind is complex and multifaceted. It encompasses reason, emotion, and action. We don’t say that about computers,” Ewert writes in a post for Mind Matters, published on the Internet by the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence.

The reason we don’t say that about computers is because our minds do something no computer has ever done. Ewert explains: Continue reading “THINK ABOUT THIS: No, Your Mind Isn’t A Computer; It’s Much Better”

STAFF MOVES: Look Who’s Getting Promotions!

Recent staff moves, as reported by Legistorm:

Curtiss Kalin is now communications director for Rep. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), after serving in the same post for more than three years at Citizens Against Government Waste. He’s a 2013 graduate of George Mason University.

Jessica Roxburgh, a Hill veteran of more than six years, is now press secretary/legislative assistant to Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), following multiple years as an LA for former Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-Calif.) on both his personal and subcommittee staffs. She was awarded her MA in 2013 from Catholic University.

Samuel Wilcoxson just started his first Hill job, as an LA for Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.). Samuel is a 2019 graduate of the Seattle University School of Law and completed his undergraduate degree in Philosophy at Catholic University in 2015. Continue reading “STAFF MOVES: Look Who’s Getting Promotions!”

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Who’s Right About Sex Before Marriage, Hannah Or Luke?

Not being one who follows ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” I wasn’t aware of the epic blow-up that occurred recently when Luke sort of asked Hannah if she would remain celibate until marriage.

Luke and Hannah just before the fireworks started. (Screen shot from the video.)

Thanks to Chrissy Clark of The Federalist, however, I not only know about it, I’ve also benefitted from reading the author’s interesting take on who was right and who was wrong in what was an extremely revealing argument that was hardly flattering to either of the participants.

Luke and three other suitors accompanied Hannah to Greece. Luke ended up getting the boot ride in the limo at the end. Here’s Clark’s summary of the situation: Continue reading “WHAT DO YOU THINK? Who’s Right About Sex Before Marriage, Hannah Or Luke?”

DIGITAL GOLDEN RULE – Tweet others the way you would be tweeted.

Here’s Why The ‘God Of The Gaps’ Theory Doesn’t Work

There are folks who believe pretty much everything has been explained via natural science, so there’s really no need anymore for God, except maybe to explain those few remaining gaps in our knowledge. Thus the phrase “God of the Gaps.”

NBC “Dateline” cold-case detective J. Warner Wallace was asked about this by The Unapologetic Apologists’ Stelman Smith during a recent interview. And not surprisingly, Wallace put it in the context of a crime scene:

“Look at it this way. If we were at a crime scene together and I had a dead woman and we’re standing on one side of the yellow tape,” Wallace began in his response. Continue reading “Here’s Why The ‘God Of The Gaps’ Theory Doesn’t Work”

WORKING ON THE HILL: The Best Resources For Finding A Job On Capitol Hill

By Bret Bernhardt

In this series, we’ve talked about the best way to land a job on the Hill and offered some helpful tips on how to do that.

Bret Bernhardt, former chief of staff for senators Don Nickles and Jim DeMint.

While a great network, a pertinent resume, and a successful interview are important, the greatest likelihood of getting a Hill job will happen one of two ways … working or volunteering on a campaign, or interning for a member or committee.

These seemingly lesser jobs are the primary feedstock for full-time positions on Capitol Hill. All of the advice we’ve covered so far applies to these positions as well.

In my previous posts, we’ve covered the fact that your best job lead will likely come from an unexpected place, like one of your peers. Your resume should be tailored to the position you are seeking and contain a golden reference (someone who knows both you and the person for whom you hope to work). Continue reading “WORKING ON THE HILL: The Best Resources For Finding A Job On Capitol Hill”

WORKING ON THE HILL: They Made The Transition From Being Staffers To Members Of Congress

Excellent story today on The Washington Examiner by Naoimi Lim on former congressional staff members who went back home, ran for Congress and won. There are also some former Members who came back as staffers.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), former chief of staff to Sen. John Cornyn

“At a personal level, going from staff to member, the hardest thing is to not staff yourself. I drive my staff crazy because I expect certain things. That’s the hardest part: try to just turn the keys over to that and just go do my job,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told Lim.

Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.), former press secretary for Rep. John Linder.

Roy was Sen. John Cornyn’s chief of staff before returning to the Lone Star State and winning the House seat previously occupied by Rep. Lamar Smith for many years. He and other Members who have made similar moves have a lot to say about the unexpected challenges with which they found themselves dealing.

“As a staffer, you fight to defend your member, you only work for one person, and you’re fighting to protect and serve that one person. As a member of Congress, you have 700,000 bosses back home that you’re fighting to protect,” Rep. Rob Woodall (R-Ga.) told Lim. He was press secretary for then-Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.).

Definitely want to read this if you are now or have ever before thought about seeking to become a Member of Congress after serving on the staff of a senator, representative or congressional committee.

THINK ABOUT THIS: You Are A ‘Poiema’ (That’s A Great Thing To Be, By The Way!)

There is a passage in the New Testament that is among my favorite in the entire Bible and that’s saying something, considering that the most widely read literature in all history is more than 1,000 pages in length and includes 66 discrete books written by about 40 people over a period of thousands of years.

The passage is Ephesians 2:8-10. Ephesians was written by Paul to a church in Ephesus, in present-day Turkey, where he had invested three years of his life leading and teaching the church he planted there:

Pages in the New Testament book of Ephesians.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Continue reading “THINK ABOUT THIS: You Are A ‘Poiema’ (That’s A Great Thing To Be, By The Way!)”

How To Be Confident Christianity Nails It On All The God Questions

Christian apologists like J. Warner Wallace, the famous NBC “Dateline” cold-case detective, speak to lots of college and high school groups and they often get the most penetrating questions from the students.

Such was the case at the recent Grounded Youth Apologetics Conference hosted by the Donelson Fellowship in Nashville. A student noted that Wallace had spoken of how he believes Christianity “fits” science better than religions like Islam and Hindu and asked him why the others don’t.

Wallace answered by pointing out that religions, including even those like Deism, may well fit with much of science, but stopping there “doesn’t get you to Christianity. The strength of Christianity is determined by the strength in the historical record regarding the claims of Jesus.” Christianity rests upon real events. Continue reading “How To Be Confident Christianity Nails It On All The God Questions”

Blessed By New Friends From Real America

It’s not often that you get an email from somebody you don’t know telling you they read (and actually like!) your stuff, will be in D.C. the next day and wonder if they could stop by to say hello and introduce themselves.

Of course I said yes and so I had the pleasure Tuesday of meeting and getting to know two really great folks, Evan and Kelly Bryan of San Diego, California.

Evan is a traveling massage therapist who spent five years in the U.S. Marine Corps as an avionics expert.

Kelly teaches world history at a San Diego area public high school. They were married last November, are active in Flood Church (great web site!) back home and are both people whose love for the Lord absolutely radiates.

This was their first visit to D.C., and after taking the tour of the Capitol, they spent an afternoon at the Museum of the Bible, which Evan described as “amazing.” I have yet to hear anybody describe that new facility in anything less positive terms.

I simply love meeting people from all over our incredible country and it was a special treat — because it was unexpected — meeting and talking with Evan and Kelly.

Have You Bowed Down To Your Smartphone Yet Today?

If the question posed in the headline above strikes you as curious or confusing, you aren’t alone. I was initially puzzled by the headline on the essay that prompted this post, too.

Fr. Dwight Longnecker. Screen shot from his personal website.

Fr. Dwight Longnecker was in Italy recently where he paused to look around at the throng of people and noticed how “the universal ubiquity of the smart phone hit home. Everybody has one. Chinese tourists, American sightseers, Muslim women in burkhas, children and old women, beautiful Italian teens, thugs with tattoos, and charming African nuns.

“Everybody has an iPhone and everybody has their nose stuck to the screen. Not only are their noses stuck to the screen, but there seems to be an odd obsession with taking photographs of everything all the time. (Remember when you only had 24 or 36 shots in a roll of film?)” Continue reading “Have You Bowed Down To Your Smartphone Yet Today?”

HARD FACTS: Americans, And Most Everybody Else, Too, Are Becoming More Religious Today, Not Less

Two books every congressional aide should read, closely.

It is a commonplace in many of the most influential public policy precincts in the nation’s capitol these days — including among congressional aides working for senators, representatives and committees — that Christianity is in steep decline in America, that the country is fast becoming more secularized with every passing day.

That certainly appears to be the case, judging by many aspects of the elite culture and the intellectual, social media and political rhetoric it sanctions, but a totally opposite picture is easily seen once you get outside of Amtrak’s Acela Corridor and the LA-San Francisco-Seattle axis to examine the data that reveals the real America.

There we find a nation whose people are becoming more, not less, involved in their churches, small groups, Bible studies and caring ministries reaching out in their communities. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that the same thing is true in their own ways of most of the rest of the people with whom we share this Earth.

This reality is made crystal clear by the data and analyses found in the two remarkable recently published books seen in the photo above. Continue reading “HARD FACTS: Americans, And Most Everybody Else, Too, Are Becoming More Religious Today, Not Less”