The Nordic model to reducing sex trafficking... thought-provoking short video.

https://www.facebook.com/exoduscry/videos/386891978743658/

Here is a great practical opportunity to help set captives free: participate in Exodus Cry's one-day-only (today) quadruple-match giving campaign - https://www.charidy.com/exoduscry

Good sermon about Jesus the Messiah, and the coming day of justice...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybaMWLkL6ig

Here are three great articles I came across today. They are related to identity politics, social justice, white privilege, and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first two are long, but especially the first one is very thought-provoking and balanced.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/more-than-mere-equality/

http://reformedlibertarian.com/articles/theology/on-social-justice-2-defining-social-justice/

https://thinktheology.co.uk/blog/article/disentangling_privilege

This editorial by a retired feminist professor, is very interesting. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/10/12/thanks-not-raping-us-all-you-good-men-its-not-enough/

She talks about her frustration (which boils up into rage and screaming anger) about the fact that "good men" merely "pathetic[ally]" "impotent[ly]" "listen" to women talk about the problems and abuses and injustices they face, rather than...

...than what, exactly? Rather than putting a permanent worldwide end to all abuses?

She says men must "change themselves and their sons." Is it really possible to change one's sons? What about all the fatherless boys... who will change them?

She says men must "attack the mean-spirited, teasing, punching thing that passes for male culture". Is that really what we need? More "attacking"? More judgmentalism and outrage? More "gender war"? (her term) Is she saying that men should act more like women? Will that solve our world's problems?

At one level, this woman is confusing the aspects that are good and beautiful about male culture, with those aspects that are corrupt and evil. But there is something deeper here.

Really, what this woman is crying out for is an end to the brokenness of sinfulness in the world. Although she would probably not phrase it this way, she is bemoaning the fact that (as the Bible teaches) our world is "enslaved to sin" instead of filled with love.

Her article is refreshing in its moral fervor. Rather than adopt a naturalistic, Darwinian, relativist, approach to injustice and say that "put-downs... catcalls... barked orders... sexual abuse" are simply Darwinian adaptions of the fittest animals surviving or simply bags of chemicals interacting with each other via neural impulses, she writes with outrage, saying that these things are objectively morally wrong (i.e. not just wrong for her, but wrong for everyone).

She had yelled at her husband, "Don’t you dare sit there and sympathetically promise to change. Don’t say you will stop yourself before you blurt out some impatient, annoyed, controlling remark. No, I said, you can’t change. You are unable to change. You don’t have the skills and you won’t do it."

Temporarily ignoring the judgmentalism and microagressions of her statement ( https://www.dailywire.com/…/may-be-looniest-anti-male-op-ed…), she is actually more right than she knows (in one particular way).

None of us can truly "fix ourselves" from the brokenness of sin. We are unable. We don't have the skills. In some areas of our lives, we often don't even want to try. And this applies to both women and men.

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote:
"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

The world needs a Hero, to set things right... not merely on the level of politics and government, but on the level of individuals hearts/souls.

The Bible tells us that this Hero/Messiah has come once to make preparations, and is coming back again in power to bring a complete end to evil. The Hero/King's name is Jesus.

He has established the beachhead of His kingdom, and His ultimate victory is sure. The lion will lay down with the lamb, all tears will be wiped away, and "they will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain". Abuses and oppression will someday be so far in the past that they will be forgotten.

But what about us and our sinfulness, and the "line" that runs through our hearts? Will God crush us too, when He brings the final perfect justice?

Good news - no, God so loved us that He volunteered to take our punishment... He was crushed in the judgment for our sins.... for all of us who believe in Jesus and are thus united with Him. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/god-will-conquer-all-your-sins

For more information, read John, Revelation, or the entire New Testament, or even entire Bible, or contact me for more specific questions or reading suggestions. https://www.biblegateway.com/

As the feminist author wrote, "It's not enough." Something more is required. As it turns out, Jesus has done, is doing, and will finish that world-restoration which we (neither men nor women) could accomplish!

Wow!  This is good.

https://statementonsocialjustice.com

Here are some recent reviews.  For more, see this link: http://tim223.xanga.com/category/book-reviews/

Spacecraft Earth, by Henry Richter and David Coppedge
This book summarizes information from many different domains of science, related to how Earth is optimized for life and how living creatures display optimal design. It discusses cosmology, including the Big Bang theory, multiverses, etc. It discusses biology, including the complexity of life and the difficulties with the commonly-accepted theories of evolution and abiogenesis. It discusses the evidence both for and against evolution. At the end, Dr. Richter shares his own life story, including his career of developing Explorer I (USA's first satellite) and how he became a Christian in his 40s.
The book has a perfect balance of concise information and readability, with a few stories and pictures thrown in too. It might be slightly too science-oriented for some, but it is perfect for anyone interested in science/engineering/tech/biology. It is great to read for learning more information, and great to give away to others.

God's Crime Scene, by J. Warner Wallace
Wallace, former detective, takes a "crime scene" approach to looking at the evidence for God's existence, such as the fine tuning of the universe and the existence of objective morality. The book is very easy to read, and has great clear lay explanations of the latest quantum physics arguments and how they relate to the debate (e.g. can things pop into existence spontaneously out of 'quantum vacuum'? Did Stephen Hawking's imaginary time remove the need for the universe to have a beginning?) He agrees with William Lane Craig's explanations. On the down side, he accepts a multi-billion-year-old universe and evolution, like Craig. Possibly useful (with caveats) for some people (e.g. atheists).

Escape from North Korea, by Melanie Kirkpatrick
This book tells about the underground railroad of people helping North Koreans escape their country. It is very well researched and documented, and very well written. It presents many facets of the issues and is very informative. It has many testimonials from North Korean refugees. It is a bit dated now, since it was published in 2012, but is still very worth reading.

Hope Heals, by Katherine and Jay Wolf
This is the true story of a couple who experienced a terrible medical tragedy, a brain stroke. They together (back and forth) write about their experience, and how God and their family/friends sustained them through it. It is powerful and beautiful - well worth reading.

Mideast Beast, by Joel Richardson
This book presents more of the Biblical side of the prophecies about the Antichrist and the end times. As presented in his old article "Will Islam be our future?" (http://www.answering-islam.org/Authors/JR/Future/index.htm ), Richardson believes that the end-times government described in the Bible will be a Muslim government, a renewed Caliphate/Ottoman empire. This book answers objections that people have presented to his view (i.e. from people who believe in a renewed Roman empire as the end-times government) He presents many interesting and persuasive interpretations of the relevant Bible passages, including Daniel, Revelation, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Isaiah, etc. His conclusion is that we should love Muslims, by seeking to bring the gospel of Christ to them and show them the way out of the darkness of Islam.

The Great Omission, by Steve Saint
The main point of this book is that western missionaries should seek to help the people with whom they are ministering become self-sufficient in terms of financing, leadership (especially church leadership), missions-sending, and technological skills. Missionaries should 'work themselves out of a job' in a particular place, empowering the indigenous church and local community to become self-sufficient and sending out other missionaries. It presents excellent points, although it gets a little like a 'rant' occasionally. Worth reading.

Important interview from Dr. Eric Wallace, Chicago pastor, about gun violence.

https://crev.info/2018/08/pastor-blames-crime-evolution/
Excerpt:
"We need to change the hearts and minds of those folks who are committing these crimes. And they want to talk about gun violence as if the guns are running around and shooting people. It’s people shooting people, and we need to be able to minister to them and get them to have a heart transplant, if you will, through the power of the Holy Spirit."

Here's a good article succinctly presenting both sides of the recent immigration discussions.

https://world.wng.org/2018/06/the_great_dilemma

Paige Patterson is in the news these days for his bad advice that got him fired. How does his advice compare to Muhammad's advice (from the official Islamic sources, the Quran and six most authentic books of Hadith traditions)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-gf3GHqrfM

How do both men's advice compare with the Bible's commands for followers of Jesus? (cf the end of the video)