Auschwitz was liberated 70 years ago this month. Here's a drone's perspective on the most efficient killing machine the world has ever seen.
Interesting sermon by a Kuwaiti imam in which he speaks candidly about why Arab people, in general, are less prosperous than other ethnicities. It's not wise, in most cases, to paint an entire culture with the same, broad, generalized brush; nonetheless, a lot of what he says rings true with my own observations over the years while traveling in Arab or Palestinian areas of the Middle East and North Africa. I seriously doubt that he expected or wanted his comments to go viral over the Internet. I have to say, though, that the imam's candor and honesty are refreshing!
People have been saying for years that we shouldn't get all excited about Iran making a nuclear bomb because even if they had one, they lack the capacity to deliver it. But according to Caroline Glick (who is usually a reliable source of information), that's changed. Indications are that they now have the ability to deliver the package to Tel Aviv. They would probably avoid Jerusalem because of its proximity to Palestinian areas. At any rate, here's what Carolyn has to say.
http://carolineglick.com/iran-obama-boehner-and-netanyahu/
Here's an interesting news item from our friend Noam Matas at America Israel Travel in CA. There's been a rather spectacular archaeological find in Israel. Check it out below. We're looking into this to see if our March tour group can visit this site. The tour is full, technically, but if you really want to go, we'll see if we can squeeze you in. For more info, click the "tours" button at the top of this page.
http://www.americaisraeltravel.net/blog/archaeologists-reveal-major-discovery-in-jerusalem/
Now here's some interesting news! One of evangelicalism's most distinguished apologists, Ravi Zacharias, recently spoke at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City—and he received a standing ovation when he was finished.
Photo above: Ravi Zecharias speaks at the Mormon Tabernacle on January 18, 2014.
It's no secret that the Mormons have been craving acceptance by mainstream Christendom for a long time. The Mitt Romney candidacy in 2012 helped, especially among political conservatives, because he and his family (who are lifelong Mormons) presented such a wholesome image—something many people (but apparently not enough) admire in our postmodern age.
Mormons are not particularly fond of being known to most evangelicals as a "cult," but the stark and unavoidable reality is that Mormon theology diverges from historic Christianity on its core beliefs about the identity and nature of the Son of God. (In Mormonism, God is an exalted man and Jesus is Lucifer's brother.) A religious group or movement can be right about everything else, but if it's wrong about who Jesus (Yeshua) is, then there's no other way to slice it—it's really not authentic, historic Christianity.
So then, is it a cult? Well, there are different definitions for the term "cult," but that doesn't change the fact that whether or not it fits the dictionary definition, Mormonism is not the Christian faith that we see in the Bible. That’s why our Mormon friends need additional books of revelation (like The Book of Mormon and The Doctrine and Covenants)—because support for some of their beliefs is so scant in the Bible itself, if it’s there at all.
And what about Ravi's speaking at the Tabernacle? Should he have done it, or not? Did it lend credibility to a false religion that proclaims a false gospel of human effort and works? Or was it an opportunity to speak truth in a venue where the true Gospel is seldom heard? Years ago, I asked a dear friend, a Baptist evangelist, why he accepted an invitation to speak at a Catholic seminary in South America. He said, "Gary, I would preach in Hell itself as long as no one censored my message and they agreed to let me out when I was done."
It's not the first time an evangelical has spoken at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. D.L. Moody did it twice in the late 1800s (and according to Ira Sankey's eyewitness account, two of the Mormon president's daughters responded to the invitation and got saved!), Ravi did it in 2004 (facilitated by Utah evangelical leader Greg Johnson), Nick Vujicic (the dynamic evangelist who was born without arms or legs) did it in 2010, and now Ravi has had a return engagement. And there have been others, as well.
In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis (who had formerly been an atheist) wrote, "A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere .... God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous."
God is, at times, unscrupulous. I like that. And He sets traps, even for Mormons. They hear the Good News of Jesus the Messiah in the most unlikely of places—like the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Where can a Mormon safely go these days? What is this world coming to?
What do you think about this? Sound off here on the blog by leaving your comment below!
The most popular post of 2013 was actually written back in 2009 by John Turner. He asks the question, “Is it a sin to play the lottery?”
We received quite a few comments on this one. Click here to read the original post.
In the second most popular post of 2013, Dr. Gary Hedrick addresses the skeptics who charge that the Bible, like Area 51, also needs to be demythologized.
Click here to read the original post.
In the 3rd most popular post of 2013, Dr. Gary Hedrick visits the Iran issue and asks if the Iranians have pulled a fast one. Click here to read the original post.
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