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Help Resurrect Easter

So the grandest of all Christian celebrations is upon us. This year, Friday April 7th is Good Friday. Sunday April 9th is Easter. Or Resurrection Day as some prefer to call it.

The two dates vary from year to year. Why? It’s, well, complicated. Why do these two occasions give us the grandest of our faith celebrations as Christ followers? Because we get to color Easter eggs? Uh…wrong answer.

Let’s try to figure this out. The Bible has a very clear account of what took place on what we call Good Friday. I assume you know the story. Let’s check.

Jesus was crucified in a most cruel fashion on a cross on Good Friday because…

  • A. He was a known criminal like the other two who were on crosses.
  • B. He refused to heal animals as well as people.
  • C. He claimed to be the son of God.

I hope you answered “C.” But the answer is incomplete! This next question clears it up.

Jesus willingly gave up His life to be crucified in order that…

  • A. People would be convinced He was a tough guy.
  • B. He would prove to His followers that the Romans could not break Him.
  • C. An ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin would be paid once and for all.

Again, “C” should be your right answer.

Yes, BUT…why was the Resurrection so important?

  • A. It showed you can’t keep a good man down.
  • B.  It revealed Jesus had mastered survival techniques.
  • C. It proved that Jesus had authority to conquer even death!

Let’s go with “C.”

How marvelous are these truths? It’s impossible to calculate their worth. God’s love is so rich, so amazing, that the Apostle Paul writes: ”…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-19, ESV)

Here’s a fourth question. If you asked your children why we honor Good Friday and Easter, what answers would they give?

Christmas and Easter events are rightfully the two most significant occasions each year on our calendars. And the two most distorted! Cultural traditions have so thoroughly blurred the distinctiveness of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ that the truths of the Gospel story take a back seat to Santa and the Easter Bunny.

As in years past, a number of articles have surfaced about how to deal with this radical shift from truth. One column I noticed this year is titled, “What Do I Tell My Kids About the Easter Bunny?” The writer claims that symbols used to celebrate our Christian holidays “come from pagan roots rather than Christian traditions (and predate Christianity).”

This writer, Michelle S. Lazurek, explains why the date of Easter changes. And then we get an everlasting gobstopper right in our face: “Christian parents who celebrate the Easter Bunny are no different than those who celebrate Christmas by putting up a Christmas tree.” I personally find that easy to dispute.

There certainly are historical references to the use of evergreen boughs in pagan celebrations, But as even the History Channel notes, “Germany is credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition as we now know it in the 16th century when devout Christians brought decorated trees into their homes.” I don’t recall the Germans welcoming the arrival of the Easter Bunny.

Ms. Kazurek’s solution is as one might commonly hear: “…Christians should always listen to their conscience. If they feel they are dishonoring Christ by celebrating the Easter Bunny or having an Easter basket, they should refrain from doing so.”

Is that the answer? I can’t say definitively. But I’m rather confident that the more Christian parents blur the true meaning of Christmas and RESURRECTION day, the less convincing we are in advocating the truths we treasure most. Or should.

Santa stories may bring hope. But it’s the hope for more stuff for us. The Easter Bunny may bring hope. But it’s the hope of finding the most eggs. Jesus Christ brings authentic life-giving hope. I’m putting all my eggs into His basket.





Blackout Silence

On Tuesday, June 2, 2020 the trend of posting a black screen was seen across social media.

What is the Blackout screen?

According to Insider, Blackout Tuesday (with the use of the Blackout screen as a symbol) is “an initiative to go silent on social media, reflect on recent events, and stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.”

What is the Black Lives Matter movement?

According to blacklivesmatter.com, “Black Lives Matter began as a call to action in response to state-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism. Our intention from the very beginning was to connect Black people from all over the world who have a shared desire for justice to act together in their communities. The impetus for that commitment was, and still is, the rampant and deliberate violence inflicted on us by the state.”

What is systematic racism?

According to Wikipedia,

“Institutional racism (systematic racism) is a form of racism expressed in the practice of social and political institutions. It is reflected in disparities regarding wealth, income, criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, and education, among other factors.”

BLM pushes the narrative that police departments are inherently racist, but facts suggest otherwise.

What is the truth about police shootings?

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), blacks are the victims of homicide 8x more than Hispanics and whites combined. These homicides, however, are not by police officers but by blacks.

According to census.gov, the black community makes up 13% of the population. Black men make up 6% of the population, are responsible for 42% of the crime, and account for 44% of all homicides in America according to 2018 statistics.

Michigan State University and University of Maryland College Park created a database of 917 officers involved in fatal shootings in 2015. The study found that in more than 650 police departments, 55% of the assailants who were killed were white, only 27% were black, and 19% were Hispanic.

According to statista.com, in 2017, 457 white people were killed by police and 223 blacks were killed. In 2018, 399 whites were killed, and 209 blacks were killed. In 2019, 370 whites were killed, and 235 blacks were killed.

These statistics and many others show that it is far more likely for a white person to be shot and killed by a police officer than for a black person to be shot and killed by a police officer.

The narrative pushing systemic racism in police departments is factually incorrect. The propagation of this lie by the leftwing media continues to erode race relations in this country.

What does BLM ignore?

If BLM really cared about black lives, they would promote personal responsibility in their own communities and teach their children respect for authority, self-discipline, and responsibility for their own actions.

If BLM really cared about black lives, they would talk about the 20 million black babies that have been murdered in abortion clinics since 1973. Every year 300,000 black babies are aborted. According to the Wall Street Journal,

Nationally, black women terminate pregnancies at far higher rates than other women. … Racism, poverty, and lack of access to health care are the typical explanations for these disparities. But black women have much higher abortion rates even after you control for income. … The more plausible explanation may have to do with marriage. Unmarried women are more likely to experience an unintended pregnancy, and black women are less likely… to marry.

BLM should be promoting traditional marriage with fathers for children. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2015, 77.3% of all black births were illegitimate.

If BLM cared about their communities, they would not promote their destruction in riots.

BLM would also be talking about the black police officers that have been killed in the riots, like as David Dorn and Dave Patrick Underwood. BLM isn’t talking about these black lives because these lives don’t support the narrative they are pushing.

What BLM really cares about is dividing us. If we are divided, we are weak. If we are divided, we are easy to control, and the left wants complete control of our lives. The left along with BLM want God, law, and order out of America.

What does BLM demand?

BLM and other organizations participating in the riots are demanding that people bow down and ask for forgiveness for the racism they “inherently” have because they have a different skin color. But did not God make our skin color? Did God make a mistake when He made Caucasians, African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, and every other ethnic group? Aren’t all ethnic groups equal in God’s sight and therefore a good thing?

  • Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”.
  • Romans 2:11 says, “For God shows no partiality…”
  • Colossians 3:11 says, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.”

If according to Scripture, no skin color is superior to another because God shows no partiality, why should we apologize for the way God created us? God makes no mistakes. God says in Psalm 139 that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Scripture teaches whom humans should bow down before:

  • Psalm 95:6 says, “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!”
  • Philippians 2:10-11 says, “So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

So, what is the correct Christian response to the BLM movement?

As Christ followers, we kneel only before the throne of God. Before no one and no movement do we bow our knees in reverence and submission.

Believers, stop promoting the voices of those whose platform, ideals, and solutions are completely antithetical to God’s Word. Stop obsessing about how we look to the world. The world will hate us because they hate God (John 15:18). The world is diametrically opposed to God and His laws.

Why are we trying to make people accept us? Could it be that many Christians value the opinions of the world above God’s? (Prov 29:25)

What did your Blackout screen really say?

Your Blackout screen said that being white or something other than black—that this lack of melanin in your skin—is shameful and something to apologize for.

Your Blackout screen said that you are willing to bow before someone other than God.

Your Blackout screen said that America is racist, police are racist, and police are looking for opportunities to kill black people.

Your Blackout screen said that we are not equal. Our skin color separates us. Is this the message of the gospel? No, it is not. God calls for unity, not division. (Psalm 133:1)

The BLM movement is opposed to everything the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ stands for, and no believer should stand—or, rather, kneel—in support of this movement. “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) 

Believers, stop embracing this movement. Reject the false narrative deceptively advanced in the name of compassion. Stop believing the lie.

The reason all forms of racism must be opposed is that God opposes racism. The same bigotry that has its roots in the BLM movement is the same bigotry that existed in Nazi Germany during the 1930’s and the American South in the 1800’s.

At the center of all racism is sin. Racism must be denounced as exactly what it is—a sin that falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). For those of us in Christ, we can and must declare the gospel as the only means to heal our broken and divided land. We are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)


Alyssa Josephs is a 17 year-old conservative Christian who is passionate about following Christ and being a gospel witness to her peers. She lives with her family in Chicago.


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Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: A Christian Response to Islam in America

Islam is on the rise around the world, whether it be terrorist activity in the Middle East or the increasing number of followers here in United States. Though these trends open up many opportunities to share the Gospel, Christians also have reason for concern. We cannot ignore the fact that Christians are being targeted by radical jihadists. Additionally, some of the public policy changes that have been proposed endanger our civil liberties of speech and religious practice.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer shared his wisdom and insights on how Christians can respond to radical Islam in this special video presentation below. We originally recorded this event in May 2015, and are thrilled to now make his timeless message available to you via the IFI YouTube channel. During this time of “shelter-in-place,” we have an opportunity to get our thoughts off of the COVID-19 crisis and intentionally augment our Christian worldview while enjoying an encouraging exhortation from Dr. Lutzer about how we can joyfully shine the light of Jesus to a world lost in darkness.

Please watch and share with your family!

Dr. Lutzer is Pastor Emeritus of The Moody Church, where he served as the Senior Pastor for 36 years. He is the best selling author of dozens of books, including The Cross in the Shadow of the Crescent: An Informed Response to Islam’s War with Christianity. Without a doubt, this is one of the most pressing issues facing the church and our nation today.

“Remember that the real threat to the United States is not so much terrorism, but Islamism,
which intends to challenge our constitutional liberties and take advantage of political correctness
to silence discussion and debate about Islam and to undermine our national security…”
~Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer


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