Where do you go to find Christian teaching you can trust?
Definitions matter. Give me a minute to explain. In Daniel Mahoney’s book The Persistence of the Ideological Lie, his introduction minces no words: The Ideological Lie, as Solzhenitsyn calls it, was born when modern revolutionaries turned the age-old distinction between good and evil upside down. In the name of progress, evil was called goodness, and
Science is helped by history. Give me a minute to explain. After discovering the third law of planetary motion, Johannes Kepler prayed, “Sun, moon, and planets glorify Him in your ineffable language! Celestial harmonies, all ye who comprehend His marvelous works, praise Him. And thou, my soul, praise thy Creator! It is by Him and
The artillery opened fire at 10 p.m. Using bracketing salvos, measuring the precise range of their volleys, spotters began to report direct hits. The structure imploded from the heat generated from the incendiary shells, created by igniting the contents of the building. Stained glass shattered. Sections of the roof collapsed. Walls caved in. People escaped
Nothing has changed. Give me a minute to explain. Corruption comes from the lie in Genesis 3:4-5, “The serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of the forbidden fruit, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In
Who will be in charge? Give me a minute to explain. “Who is the number one god?” In the 1996 movie The Island of Dr. Moreau, the beast people revolt against the godlike scientist, taking over the island. In fits of rage, the beast people, once controlled by electric shocks, now rule. Done with Dr.
When it happens, you know it. Give me a minute to explain. The delivery of any kind of oral presentation is unique. Singing our national anthem happens all the time. However, Whitney Houston’s 1991 Super Bowl performance surpasses all others. Wartime addresses are essential for their time and place. Yet some transcend the moment, such
Who will be in charge? Give me a minute to explain. “Who is the number one god?” In the 1996 movie The Island of Dr. Moreau, the beast people revolt against the godlike scientist, taking over the island. In fits of rage, the beast people, once controlled by electric shocks, now rule. Done with Dr.
Take the blue pill. Destroy reality. Give me a minute to explain. Richard Weaver’s book Ideas Have Consequences has reverberated through my life every time I read it. You don’t need to scan any further than the introduction to see Weaver’s concern: men have dismissed transcendence, universal ideals, logic, realism, objective truth, and original sin.
At Thanksgiving, be thankful where you live. Give me a minute to explain. During the year 2025 through July 4th 2026, America is celebrating its 250th birthday. It is important to notice that no nation, no people, no family, no person can move forward without acknowledging – consciously or unconsciously – what and who has
How is liberty maintained? Give me a minute to explain. Jon Meacham’s book, American Gospel: God, the Founding Father, and the Making of a Nation should be required reading for all Americans. Meacham suggests that the distinctive feature of America’s founding is etched on the Liberty Bell. Found there is the line from Leviticus 25:10,
A.I. will solve all our problems. That statement is a problem. Give me a minute to explain. More and more information comes out weekly about artificial intelligence, and not all of it is good. It seems that AI can misdiagnose a problem creating “hallucinations,” meaning, AI is making stuff up. In one case, professors staffed
My words were a warning, a warning I never wanted to witness. I was asked to address the Liberty University research week awards ceremony last semester. My comments were based on the famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury who encouraged the maintenance of libraries and protection of free speech. In part, I said, “Every generation
Definitions matter. Give me a minute to explain. In Daniel Mahoney’s book The Persistence of the Ideological Lie, his introduction minces no words: The Ideological Lie, as Solzhenitsyn calls it, was born when modern revolutionaries turned the age-old distinction between good and evil upside down. In the name of progress, evil was called goodness, and
Nothing has changed. Give me a minute to explain. Corruption comes from the lie in Genesis 3:4-5, “The serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of the forbidden fruit, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In
My job on earth. Give me a minute to explain. Bill Murray stars in the movie Vincent. Murray plays a world-weary character who befriends a young boy. At the end of the film the young man praises Murray’s character for his friendly care. St. Vincent teaches us that listening and loving are the best responses
Atheists believe in miracles? Give me a minute to explain. A number of Christian apologists are pointing out that atheists believe in at least six miracles: (Number one) something must come from nothing, (Number two) reason originates from non-reason, (Number three) life appears from non-life, (Number four) the personal arises from non-personal, (Number five) order
To understand the natural world There is need of a supernatural lens. Give me a minute to explain. In the movie Fallen Denzel Washington plays a detective, trying to catch a criminal. But this is no ordinary criminal. The evil entity in this movie is a supernatural force which is attempting to invade Denzel Washington’s
The Word of God is just that. Give me a minute to explain. Theology is not built by human thought. The self-authenticating Voice is the Word of God. He discloses to humanity what The Eternal Trinity desires to communicate with humans. I am not building an outline based on my views of God. The Almighty
I am tired of rigid thinking. Give me a minute to explain. Our biggest public problems are often not just a single law or regulation, but rather the institutionalized mindset that prevents sensible changes from happening. You and I know a thing or two about “institutionalization.” Institutions are important. I esteem them as necessary structures for
When I was in high school my nickname was Padre. I was always preaching. During football season, my teammates would mock me, until they needed someone to block the middle linebacker. I wood-burned the name Padre into my lacrosse stick. But it wasn’t until I was introduced to Francis Schaeffer that my preaching was
Can A.I. become ‘god’? Give me a minute to explain. Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise, meets an evil Entity in Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning. The hero calls it, “An anti-god that thinks it’s God.” “The Entity” – notice the capitalization – of the sinister agent known as “AI” (artificial intelligence) is given a
Why do I own so many books? Give me a minute to explain. 5,000 books. That is the approximate number of volumes I own. Stating this fact is not a matter of arrogance but one of humility. Every time I open a book I discover again how much I do not know. Often as I
I am an honest, transparent unicorn. Give me a minute to explain. Being honest sometimes gets me in trouble. I see the raised eyebrows or the eyes that go wide when I make certain statements or question what is culturally accepted. I don’t always think the way others do. I tend to come at things
Everyone should have a mission statement. Give me a minute to explain. Recently, I was able to help someone online with their personal mission statement. As I said in my Personal Faith Statement, I have been given the responsibility to “guard the good deposit given to me with the help of the Holy Spirit” according to 2
Science is helped by history. Give me a minute to explain. After discovering the third law of planetary motion, Johannes Kepler prayed, “Sun, moon, and planets glorify Him in your ineffable language! Celestial harmonies, all ye who comprehend His marvelous works, praise Him. And thou, my soul, praise thy Creator! It is by Him and
The artillery opened fire at 10 p.m. Using bracketing salvos, measuring the precise range of their volleys, spotters began to report direct hits. The structure imploded from the heat generated from the incendiary shells, created by igniting the contents of the building. Stained glass shattered. Sections of the roof collapsed. Walls caved in. People escaped
When it happens, you know it. Give me a minute to explain. The delivery of any kind of oral presentation is unique. Singing our national anthem happens all the time. However, Whitney Houston’s 1991 Super Bowl performance surpasses all others. Wartime addresses are essential for their time and place. Yet some transcend the moment, such
Life goes fast. So, slow down. Give me a minute to explain. After guest preaching at a church, a lady was discussing my sermon with me. “How long did it take you to put that sermon together?” I smiled. I said, “About three years.” I went on to explain some ideas take a long time
Institutionalized, Part 2 Give me a minute to explain. Last week I spoke about institutionalized thinking. I said our biggest problems are often not a single law or regulation, but rather the institutionalized mindset that prevents sensible changes from occurring. Since I’m a professor, “institutional mindset” is a concern when it comes to curricula. Administrative
Academics need partners. Give me a minute to explain. The academic life is not for everyone, but I love it. It is good to be with other like-minded professors at conferences or on campus. There are two groups of likeminded Christian profs I would like to mention. The Consortium of Christian Study Centers is dedicated
What does it take to defeat a bully? Give me a minute to explain. I have been following the writing and speaking of Victor Davis Hanson for twenty-five years. Hanson is a historian, classicist, and fellow at the Hoover Institute. He is famous for reflecting on our present circumstances in light of past people, places,
What is your mission? Give me a minute to answer. “Mission is God” This was the answer given by a military friend when I asked the question, “What is the most important order when in combat?” The answer, “Mission is God.” I think of that remark often. When I consider what you or I or anyone does,
What is keeping you from your mission? Give me a minute to consider. Most of our choices we make are between “good” and “good.” Distraction is the greatest enemy of any mission. Back in 2010 I wrote about distraction, specifically focused on technology. It was then I was developing the line, “we are changing technology
NOTE: Earlier this week I published the first in a new series of one-minute videos titled, “Give Me a Minute.” The initial entry is “Status Viator.” The present outline here is a practical example of what I meant in the video Status Viator: My Christian Walk and its Influence on What I Am Made
Having one’s name changed can mean changes in his future. Find out why name changes matter by watching our Truth in Two. Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), teaching at
To preserve any kind of future, You plant what you want to harvest. To find out how, watch our Truth in Two (full text below). Don’t miss the “Afterword”! Support MarkEckel.com (here). Find the MarkEckel.com YouTube Channel (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young people
