School shootings remain a terrifying staple of news in the U.S. The most recent shooting occurred in a Maryland high school on Tuesday, March 20. Two students were critically injured before the shooter himself was killed (Chicago Tribune, March 20, 2018).
As regional and global tensions increase, there is growing concern humanity could annihilate itself by nuclear war. In a recent interview, SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk commented, “Humans must prioritise the colonisation of Mars so the species can be conserved in the event of a third world war….
Those who call themselves Christians and attempt to follow biblical morality as they understand it are now among the most persecuted religious groups in the world (Newsweek, January 4, 2018). Sadly, this is increasingly true even in nations where “Christianity” is considered the predominant religion.
With the U.S. and Britain quickly fading from their global leadership positions, China has stepped into the gap! “[F]rom the fight against climate change to global trade rules,” China has risen to the level of a world superpower and “the past year has seen its status cemented” (Deutsche Welle, February 15, 2018). Chinese historian Zhang Lifan observed, “The...
Archaeologists excavating near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem recently unearthed small, impressed clay pieces (bullae) bearing the seal of King Hezekiah and the name of Isaiah (Biblical Archaeology Review, March-June 2018). The Isaiah bulla was missing a piece which may have had an additional letter.
Dictators appear to be increasing in number while a growing number of local and national leaders are stepping down under corruption allegations. The global corruption watchdog Transparency International recently released its Corruption Perceptions Index, which reported over two-thirds of nations are corrupt (Deutsche Welle, February 21, 2018). The nations of New...
Multiple research studies now show that those who regularly attend church services are healthier and live longer. A 2016 JAMA Internal Medicine study reported that “women who went to any kind of religious service more than once a week had a 33% lower chance than their secular peers of dying during the 16-year study-follow-up period” (Time, February 15, 2018).
The increasing rhetoric and military actions in Syria have “intensified fears that the Middle East is heading for all-out war”—although few think all-out war will become a reality (The Guardian, February 17, 2018).
President Jacob Zuma resigned last week under pressure from his party, the African National Congress (ANC). ANC leadership threatened to present him with a “no confidence vote” if he failed to voluntarily resign in the wake of numerous corruption charges (Al Jazeera, February 14, 2018). Mr. Zuma has been a part of the ANC since 1958 and spent ten years in prison...
A couple of weeks ago, Angela Merkel was finally able to piece together a coalition government. Although some are happy, her opponents have been critical of the concessions she was forced to make with the opposing Social Democratic party. Now, an increasing number of people, even within Mrs. Merkel’s own party, are calling for an end to her leadership (Financial...
