Here’s a fascinating approach for anybody who wonders about the answers to these three questions — why are they here, what is the purpose of their life and what happens to them when they die — because the answers to four other questions are all yes.
That’s according to Dr. Frank Turek, founder of cross-examined.org and co-author of “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” which is a book that anybody who wonders about these things should read, no matter your ultimate perspective.
The four questions are: Does Truth Exist? Does God Exist? Are Miracles Possible? Is The New Testament Reliable Enough To Show Us Jesus Rose From The Dead? This may be the most important three minutes and 44 seconds of your life:
But what about the other nearly five billion people who are followers of other religions such as Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism, or who don’t believe in any faith? Countless millions of them never hear about Jesus?
Is God just for punishing those hundreds of millions who never hear about Jesus or His claims to be the only way any human being can find the way to eternal Heaven? This video from Reasonable Faith provides a thought-provoking response to that issue:
J. Warner Wallace, the NBC “Dateline” cold-case detective and career Los Angeles law enforcement expert, was asked recently what it was that prompted him to take a serious look at the evidence for Christianity.
“We had been together about 18 years before she convinced me to go to church. I was more than willing but I thought I would just be going as an attendee,” Wallace said of why he agreed to accompany his wife to a service. Even if it wasn’t true, he thought, it might be useful if it helped him and his wife raise their children.
“Did I mock the Christians I met? Yeah, I did,” Wallace continued. “A lot of the Christians I met were people we were taking to jail, so they were easy to mock.” Wallace specialized in the oldest unsolved murder cases and he recalled one individual in particular who had committed the crime 25 years before. “I found 12 years worth of Bible studies in that guy’s house,” he said.
Today, Wallace is one of the world’s best-known Christian apologists. He explains how and why it happened in the following video:
Leslie Shedd with Clemson University Quarterback Trevor Lawrence at the White House (Screenshot from Facebook).
Leslie Shedd is the new Communications Director for the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Republicans, working for Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), the ranking minority member. Leslie earned her BA in political science and french from Clemson University in 2001 and her law degree in 2007 from the University of the District of Columbia’s David A. Clarke School of Law. Leslie is a devoted Clemson fan.
Moving over from the O’Rourke presidential campaign staff to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) as a special adviser is Allison Hunn. You may also know Allison from the White House Office of Cabinet Affairs where she served as a special assistant from 2013 to 2015. Allison’s BA in french was awarded by the University of Virginia in 2011. Her law degree came in 2018 from the University of California at Berkley.
Maggie Wunderlick is the new scheduler in the office of Rep. Tom Rice (R-SC), moving into that position after a stint as an intern in the same shop. A skilled photographer, Maggie’s BS in psychology came in 2015 from Sewanee, The University of the South. Maggie was born a Texan. Links between Texas and South Carolina go back to the Alamo and Col. William Barrett Travis, who was from Saluda County, SC.
Shallum Atkinson (Screenshot from Facebook).
There’s a new Legislative Assistant working for Rep. Sean Maloney (D-NY) and his name is Shallum Atkinson. Shallum previously worked for Rep. Donald Norcross (D-NJ) and Rep. David Scott (D-GA). Shallum was the 2019 graduate commencement speaker at American University where he was awarded a MEd in education policy and leadership. His BA is in political science from the University of Georgia in 2017.
House Staff Bonuses Lowest in Four Years
Legistorm’s Keturah Hetrick reports bonuses given by members of the House of Representatives in the fourth quarter of last year were down compared to previous years.
Republican staffers received bonuses on average of 19.7 percent in the fourth quarter, compared to 17 percent bonuses given to Democratic staffers.
“Republicans also made up eight of the top most generous bosses last quarter. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) topped the charts, giving his staff an estimated average bonus of 120 percent over what they made in the previous quarters. Aides to Steve King (R-Iowa) received the second-highest increase, at 73 percent per staffer,” Hetrick reported.
“Rounding out the top slots are Elaine Luria (D-Va.), Donna Shalala (D-Fla.), Mike Conaway (R-Texas), Rob Bishop (R-Utah), Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Don Young (R-Alaska),” Hetrick wrote.
LOOKING FOR A HILL JOB?
Check out this five-part HillFaith series by Bret Bernhardt, former chief of staff for Senators Don Nickle (R-Okla.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). Bernhardt has a wealth of experience, insider insight, how-tos and obscure terms (know what a “golden reference” is on the Hill?), plus lots of helpful links.
You’ve almost certainly never heard of Ota Benga, a diminutive young man taken from the Belgian Congo early in the first decade of the last century, and literally put on display in New York City in a cage with a monkey.
There is much discussion in America’s public forums about the country’s historic racism, with the New York Times’ “1619 Project” being among the most notable. But the Times defended putting Ota Benga on display in a cage, as did many of the most respected scientists of the day.
This award-winning documentary produced by Discovery Science is 55 minutes in length, much longer than the typical video I post here on HillFaith. But it will mesmerize and horrify you, both for the evil it documents and the realization that those who promote the narrative underlying “1619” leave out of their account the most important truths.
There was a minor flap in some quarters of the media and other precincts of the intelligentsia a few days ago when a news photo appeared of Vice President Mike Pence leading a White House meeting of the coronavirus task force in prayer.
Among those disgusted/amused/outraged/otherwise non-plussed by the photo was evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne, who snapped:
A small survey by Roll Call of congressional aides found a majority of them saying they support shutting down the Capitol complex and conducting all official business remotely.
Photo by Nikita Kachanovsky on Unsplash
The survey was mailed to all aides March 10 and responses were accepted through March 12, according to Roll Call. A total of 135 responses were received, including 64 from aides working for Democrats and 69 working for Republicans.
There are approximately 20,000 aides working for senators, representatives, committees and Hill agencies.
“The level of anxiety on Capitol Hill varied by party, at least among those who responded to the poll. More than half, 52 percent, of Democratic respondents said they’d like to work remotely, while another 16 percent said Congress should shut down entirely until the danger from the virus recedes. Twenty-three percent said they’d proceed as normal, with the rest unsure,” Roll Call said. Go here for the rest of the results.
