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“What will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why then are they baptized for them?” (1 Corinthians 15:29). The fact of the Resurrection often is a powerful testimony to draw people to saving faith in Christ. The apostle Paul knew that believers who face death with joy and hope can present powerful testimonies to unbelievers. The prospect of life in Heaven and a reunion with loved ones is a strong motive for people to hear and receive the gospel. When believers die, their spirits go immediately to be with the...

Joe Biden showed his bigoted side on April 23 when he spoke in Tampa, Florida about the glory of abortion. It wasn’t abortion, per se, that got him going—it was those whom he identified as pro-life that set him off. To be specific, he railed against Donald Trump’s pro-life stance, saying the former president made “a political deal” with “the evangelical base of the Republican Party to look past his moral and character flaws.” Fifty percent of all the money raised by the Democrats comes from Jews. Yet no one is going to say that Biden made a “political deal”...

Christians in west Africa were the victims of a new wave of suspected Islamist attacks in the weeks after Easter. Suspected Fulani militants carried out a three-day massacre in the Diocese Pankshin in Nigeria’s Middle Belt on 12-14 April, killing at least 29 Christians and burning down churches and houses. Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Fr Andrew Dewan, the diocese’s director of communications, said the attacks were “designed to drive away the owners of the land, so the Muslim extremists can take over”. He added that the attacks have “religious and ethnic components, all mixed up...

“If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19). Without Christ’s resurrection, our individual Christian lives would be pathetic exercises in futility. In ancient times the strongest swimmer among the sailors on a ship was called the archegos, a Greek word that means “front-runner” or “pioneer.” If as the ship approached shore, it got caught in waves so strong that a safe landing was doubtful, the archegos would fasten one end of a long rope to the ship, tie the other end around himself, jump into the...

A new survey reveals that Evangelicals view immigration, American sovereignty and abortion as the top issues facing the United States heading into the 2024 presidential election. Coral Ridge Ministries (CRM) released its 2024 Spiritual State of the Nation Survey last week, which is based on 633 responses to a questionnaire sent to “friends and supporters of Coral Ridge Ministries” on an annual basis. “At a time when the views of pro-family evangelicals are sometimes distorted, even caricatured, this survey provides a much-needed window into what Christian conservatives actually believe,” asserted CRM President and CEO Robert Pacienza in a statement. In...

“How do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?” (1 Corinthians 15:12). Without the truth of bodily resurrection, the Christian faith would not make sense. Even though Paul and the other apostles made the resurrection of Christ and His followers from the dead a central part of the gospel message, some new Gentile converts (the Corinthians especially) had difficulty accepting the idea of bodily resurrection. That struggle resulted mainly from the effects of Greek dualism, which viewed the spiritual as inherently good and the physical as inherently bad. Under that belief, a physical resurrection was...

“And last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also” (1 Corinthians 15:8). The resurrection power of Christ transformed Paul into a preacher of the gospel. Throughout history, reliable eyewitness testimony about a person or event has been one of the most accepted forms of courtroom evidence. The apostle Paul appeals to the eyewitness record as an important confirmation of the Resurrection’s reality. He cites the examples of Peter, the apostles (twice), 500 believers, and James (1 Cor. 15:5-7). And with today’s verse, Paul presents himself as a special eyewitness to the fact of...

No wonder the denomination is in such shambles and on the brink of irrelevancy and death. In a recent report released by Lifeway Research and conducted by Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), a staggering 26 percent of Southern Baptists are registered as Democrats, which signals a drastic ideological shift within a denomination formerly known for its conservative theological and political beliefs. This startling statistic from the SWBTS’s recent report demonstrates a critical and expanding fault line within the SBC, marking a drift towards the very liberalism the denomination fought hard to purge during the “conservative resurgence” of the 1980s. This...

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand” (1 Corinthians 15:1). The true church has consistently testified to the power of the Resurrection. Kenneth Scott Latourette observed in his History of the Expansion of Christianity: “It was the conviction of the resurrection of Jesus which lifted his followers out of the despair into which his death had cast them and which led to the perpetuation of a movement begun by him.” This statement was true for the church at Corinth, even with its many problems....

Fox's Family Guy has been mocking Christianity since the early years of the show. Last night's episode turned Jesus into a vulgar comedian who mocks His mother's virginity. In the episode, "Faith No More," Brian goes back in time to erase Christianity from existence after an attractive Evangelical Christian woman refuses to have sex with him. After being rejected by a veterinary nurse who is an Evangelical Christian, Brian comes home and rants to Stewie about Christianity. Brian: Christianity sucks. It's stupid, arbitrary nonsense. Stewie: You're horny and she wouldn't have sex with you. Brian: No. And I did everything...

“‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said’” (Matthew 28:5-6). The fact of Jesus’ resurrection is the culmination of redemptive history and the essential basis of the Christian faith. Without the Resurrection, our Christian faith would just be a lot of wishful thinking, no better than human philosophies and speculative religions. In fact, the noted seventeenth-century philosopher John Locke, some of whose ideas were incorporated into the Declaration of Independence, wrote, “Our Saviour’s resurrection is truly of great importance...

“And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him” (Matthew 27:55). The women who supported Jesus’ ministry all the way to the cross are fine examples of compassionate loyalty. Caring, consistent loyalty is a wonderful characteristic of godly women. This trait is probably more evident in them than it is in godly men. The women by the cross were the main group of believing eyewitnesses to Jesus’ crucifixion. They also showed incredible loyalty in the face of ridicule and danger. This courage contrasted with the disciples who, except for John,...

A North Carolina man has been arrested and charged with felony secret peeping after being caught on camera placing his phone under a woman’s skirt in a Greenville Target on Monday. Prior to his arrest, Thomas Elliott was on staff at Opendoor Church in Winterville and a volunteer at Eastern Elementary School in Greenville. Elliott, 21, was apprehended after a Target customer noticed that he was behaving suspiciously and began filming him. In a video captured by this Good Samaritan, Elliott can be seen crouching down and placing his phone on the floor beneath the skirt of another female customer....

A drag queen story hour event that was moved from a library venue to a theologically progressive church in Pennsylvania has been canceled. Vision of Hope Metropolitan Community Church of Mountville planned to host a drag queen performer known as Miss Amie for a gathering described as a “tea party” on April 27. However, the church announced Monday morning that the event is canceled, citing “unforeseen circumstances and news media publishing content without fact checking." Get Our Latest News for FREE An earlier social media post from the church stated that the decision to cancel the story hour ultimately came...

Currently in the Liturgies of daily Mass we have been reading the Book of Revelation. It is commonly read at the end of the liturgical year, for it bespeaks the end of, and passing qualities of all things of this world. It is also a book of glory, depicting the ultimate victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, after a great period of conflict between the doomed kingdom of this world, and the victorious Kingdom of Christ. In this context the Book of Revelation is not a mere tour guide to the last days, but is a book of glory reminding...

“Now the centurion, and those who were with him . . . became very frightened and said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matthew 27:54). The testimony of the soldiers after Jesus’ crucifixion demonstrates the sufficiency of His death for all sinners. Most of the time our daily activities are dictated by the routine responsibilities of our jobs. That’s how it was for the Roman soldiers who stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus gave up His life. They were there simply out of duty, to make sure the crucifixion was carried out properly and without interference....

“My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). God always must turn His back on sin, even if that meant for a short time severing fellowship with His Son. The Reformer Martin Luther is said to have gained no insight at all when he secluded himself and tried to understand Jesus’ temporary alienation from the Father at Calvary. But in the secrets of divine sovereignty, the God-man was separated from God at Calvary as the Father’s wrath was poured out on the innocent Son, who had become sin for all those who believe in Him. Forsaken means...

“Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour” (Matthew 27:45). The darkness over the land while Jesus bore our sin was an indicator that the cross was a place of divine judgment. The biblical phenomenon of light was not associated with Christ’s death. Instead, as today’s verse says, “Darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour [3:00 P.M.].” Scripture says little about that darkness. Ancient historical reports mention an unusual, worldwide darkness that seemed to coincide with the date of Christ’s death. Astronomical records indicate that the sun and moon were...

“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’” (John 19:26). No matter what trials we have, it is still possible to be concerned for others’ needs. As the time for Jesus’ death grew closer, His mother’s well-being was on His heart and mind. His concern is consistent with what we have already seen in our brief study of some of Jesus’ last words on the cross—our Lord was faithful in ministry no matter what the cost. Here the object of Jesus’ focus shifted to a...

David Hughes, the president and CEO of C̶h̶u̶r̶c̶h̶ Goat Farm by the Glades in Coral Springs, Florida, has successfully turned the organization into a highly profitable carnival act. Rather than providing spiritual sustenance through the gospel, Hughes is preoccupied with putting on a spectacle. Week after week, we have reported that this church, which remains in fellowship with the Southern Baptist Convention and the powers that be, blasphemes God with its worldly performances and secular music. This past weekend, Church by the Glades opens a new sermon series on “Family” by worshiping to a popular anthem that is used to...