Charles Dickens’ timeless tale A Christmas Carol endures for good reason! Its lessons in redemption, charity, and “Christmas spirit” tug at the heartstrings with lighthearted bluster and a bit of spookiness. Chelsea and I look at some highlights of the life of Charles Dickens that inspired the social themes and characters in his fiction. We then see what elements of Christianity are in the original story that are lost in modern adaptations. Sources Referenced: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens at Archive.org. Philip Collins, “Charles Dickens,”Encyclopedia Britannica, December 24, 2023. Colin McEvoy, ed., “Charles Dickens,” Biography.com, Updated September 19, 2023. ***Castle Rock Women’s Healthis a pro-life and pro-women health care ministry. They need your help to serve the community. Please
Who is the Mighty God of Isaiah 9:6?
While we’re counting down the days until Christmas let’s reflect on the One Whom it’s all about with Isaiah 9:6. This verse is a wealth of splendor about the child who is born and given who will bear the kingdom on his shoulder forever. Let’s see what the phrase “mighty God” (el-gibbor) tells us about this promised ruler. We will see how the Jehovah’s Witnesses and how a Muslim try to explain away who the Messiah of Isaiah 9:6 is. Isaiah 10:21 gives us a clue to His identity! Sources Referenced: Isaiah 9:6 in the New World Translation at JW.org Scriptures Referenced: Isaiah 9:6-7; 10:20-22 Psalm 45:3 John 1:18 See also: Truthspresso episode 0078: The Christmas Promise of Isaiah 9:6
REWIND: The Cave: When Ministry Becomes Misery
It’s that time of year again! Yes, the Christmas season is upon us, but that’s not the only season. Flu season descended on the family this week. That also unexpectedly triggered another season: “episode REWIND season.” In this REWIND episode, Scott Distler, pastor of Gaylord E-Free Church joins me to talk about his book The Cave: When Ministry Becomes Misery. Pastor Scott shares his testimony of how his apparent ministry success quickly turned into misery through betrayal. After the prophet Elijah scored a miraculous victory against the prophets of Baal, he soon found himself hiding in a cave asking God to end his life. This “cave” experience is what Pastor Scott wants to help us recognize and endure with humility
Does the Right To Life Begin at Brain Activity?
Another discussion with an abortion advocate on X! Shrugging off ad hominems, I pressed him to provide an absolute standard that can distinguish “medicine” from “murder.” Eventually, he was kind enough to provide a theory from an article. This is the “brain-life” theory for when human life functionally begins. The article was from neuroscientist Dr. Michael Gazzaniga. He acknowledges that human life begins biologically at conception, but his practice leads him to believe bioethics can’t realistically begin for a human until at least six months gestation. I walk through some statements in this article that try to build an ethical case for human life beginning around week 24, when the human brain starts working in the way we might determine