Ignaz Semmelweis was a Hungarian physician who lived in the mid-1800s before the germ theory was born. Years after his death he was referred to as the “savior of mothers.” His new-fangled notion of washing hands between touching cadavers and examining pregnant women would eventually save thousands of lives. He...

The Origin of Protestantism  “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Thus ended Patrick Henry’s...

It’s been said that Christians are “so heavenly minded that they’re no earthly good.” That’s a tragic indictment. It infers that with all the injustices and pressing needs of this world, what good is it to be fixated on a future, distant world? But, ironically, the true problem is precisely...

The heart has always been thought to be responsible for pumping some eight thousand liters of blood per day at rest and much more during activity. This has been compared to the lifting of approximately 100 pounds one mile high! Blood is five times more viscous than water, meaning it...

In February of 2012, I traveled to Guatemala to conduct a series of evangelistic meetings in connection with a shipment of over 1.3 million pieces of literature. When I arrived, the container that had arrived about six weeks before was already half empty. Approximately eight weeks later, the rest of...

The book of Revelation is highly symbolic. Its prophecies are written in a kind of code language that must be interpreted to make sense. A casual reading will blur the eyes and befuddle the mind. One must take the time to define each symbol by searching the entirety of Scripture,...

The new Pope, Mr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has caused quite a stir recently. So much so, in fact, that an ardent Protestant friend said to me the other day, “Wow, this new pope seems like a really good guy and he’s saying some good things. Maybe he’s on God’s side.”...

Six million people. It’s a big number. When I hear it, I don’t see faces. But God does. To me, it’s a number that represents a nameless mass. But not for God. He sees faces, behind which are personal histories and heartaches, individual predicaments and potentials. He sees actual persons...

It was March 1, 1945, during his fourth term, that President Franklin Delano Roosevelt [FDR] delivered a speech to inform Congress and the American people via national radio of the decisions made at the recent Yalta Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. His words had rallied...

Paul the Apostle said some strange things, things hard to understand. Even Peter agreed (2 Peter 3:15). And if some of his writings were admittedly puzzling back then, how much more so would that be the case today, nearly two millennia later? I used to be exasperated over Paul’s occasional...

The dental student examined her inflamed, bleeding gums and loose teeth. From all appearances it looked as though her teeth would have to be pulled. A supervising dentist with an experienced eye asked the woman what she ate. Her diet consisted largely of beans, rice, and meat, no vegetables or...

“The Father Himself loves you” (John 16:27). Fatherhood is an identity-shaping vocation. Whether he does so consciously or not, a dad tells his child who and what to become. The child is significantly defined by the father’s manner of relating to him. By his actions and attitudes toward the child,...