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Today's Christians are "strangers and pilgrims" on planet Earth (Hebrews 11:13), living in anticipation of the soon-coming Kingdom of God wherein will be our true citizenship. Yet each of us is born in some nation, somewhere. How do we respond to our nation's holidays? And what if those holidays are more somber than joyous?

Critics sometimes point to supposed "Bible contradictions" to assert that Christianity is based on a flawed and untrustworthy canon, and that Scripture is not inspired. One such "contradiction" involves the accounts of Judas’ death in Matthew 27:5 and Acts 1:18. Do these passages actually contradict each other? Is the Bible really trustworthy in all points?

Militant Islam continues to strengthen its hold across the Middle East. At the same time, from Oklahoma to England, Western governments are moving to restrict the use of Islamic sharia law in schools, courts and other public institutions (Guardian.co.uk, June 8, 2011). Can Islam find a peaceful place of co-existence with Western culture? Or will its spread lead to increasing tensions and ultimately a final violent conflict against the Western nations?

Can you afford a 30 percent increase in your weekly food bill? Just days ago, two leading food agencies warned of such an increase, and added that "the world should prepare for a decade of high food prices" (Financial Times, June 17, 2011). How will you be affected in the coming months? And how will the crisis end?

Hundreds of millions around the world looked on with wonder when Catherine Middleton and Prince William became husband and wife in a grand ceremony in London, England last April 29. What a wonderful fairy tale of love, pageantry and royal glamour! But was it just a spectacle? Or did the royal wedding point toward something important to Christians today?