One insurance company says it hears some amazing excuses for accidents. Here’s one: “A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.” Another: “As I came up to the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared where no stop sign had ever been before.” Another: “An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle, and…
German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer—who challenged Hitler—once taught Sunday school in Harlem, New York. When he saw how Christians at Abyssinia Baptist Church protested injustice, it convinced him that the message of salvation without discipleship is cheap grace. It says “Of course you have sinned, but now everything is forgiven, so you can stay as you…
Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Mark, also planted Christianity in Africa. Since the church was founded there, it has had remarkable growth despite its setback to Islam in the 8th century. According to World Book Encyclopedia in 2002, 40% of Africa’s population was Christian. According to World Christian Encyclopedia, by 2025 there will be…
In 1980, a mother in North Carolina died in childbirth leaving nine children. Not wanting to separate among relatives and foster parents, the children persuaded authorities to let them raise themselves. 35 years later, they reunited to honor their mother. Eight made it to the reunion—an artist, two shop owners, an attorney, a contractor, two…
Clarence Jordan is the author of The Cotton Patch version of the New Testament. A fellow minister once gave him a tour of his church. The proud pastor pointed to the imported pews and luxury decorations. As they stepped outside into the darkness, a spotlight highlighted a huge cross on top of the steeple. The…
According to the Guinness World Records, the largest wedding banquet on record hosted 150,000 guests. It took place in Madras, India in 1995 at a cost $23 million. The couple’s three-mile drive to the banquet hall was strewn with rose pedals, colored lights, and giant paper-mache models of ancient Indian princes. Though extravagant, this is…
When Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the German church door in 1517, many scholars say he not only protested the Church selling forgiveness at a price, he inspired people to pursue science, capitalism, and democracy—all values we cherish today. But if we are not careful we will overlook that Jesus Christ places His followers…
Egyptian pyramids are some of the world’s most durable constructions. They reflect such monumental and exacting construction that modern engineers and archaeologists are still struggling to explain how these ancient Egyptian brothers pulled it off. Some scholars believe it would have taken perhaps thousands of men and man-hours to haul these huge stones from quarries…
2018 saw the opening of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and the legacy Museum in Montgomery, AL. The museum honors the memory of 4,400 African Americans lynched between 1877 and 1950. Sad to say, some of these killings were cheered by people who claimed to be followers of Jesus Christ. They had misinterpreted…
Pastor Chris Russell has identified five ways God’s people can gradually slip away from walking with Christ: They get lost in an out-of-control schedule. They find joy in the wrong activities. They become discouraged in times of difficulty. They choose pleasure over worship as they prosper. They fail to confess moral failures which drag them…