Free Videos

There is only one.

Denzel.

Watch our Truth in Two to learn about Denzel’s Christian faith (full text, links below).

 

 

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 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, https://www.guideposts.org/inspiration/inspiring-stories/motivational-stories/guideposts-classics-denzel-washington-inspired-to,

FULL TEXT

“There are going to be two lines, the long line and the short line. I want to be in the short line.” So said Denzel Washington in a recent interview with The New York Times. Having followed Denzel’s life for decades I have always been impressed by his life story. You can find a link to my 2016 essay about Denzel’s life and work at the end of this Truth in Two.

In this most recent interview at the end of 2021, Denzel sounds as if he is a preacher in the pulpit

“The enemy is the inner me. The Bible says in the last days we’ll be lovers of ourselves.” And then he adds, “What is the long or short-term effect of too much information? It’s going fast and it can be manipulated in a myriad of ways. And people are being led like sheep to slaughter.”

It is here that Denzel says he wants to be in “the short line.” Denzel Washington has played iconic, Academy Award winning roles. Now he wants to direct more, as in his latest work A Journal for Jordan a story of love and loss, about heroes and sacrifice. According to The Times article Denzel promised his 97-year-old grandmother he would

“attempt to honor her and God by living the rest of my days in a way that would make her proud. So that’s what I’m trying to do.”

His grandmother’s influence is evident when Denzel says,

“This is spiritual warfare. I’m not looking at it from an earthly perspective. If you don’t have a spiritual anchor you’ll be easily blown by the wind and be led to depression.”

Follow Denzel Washington’s work and interviews. He is keeping that promise to his gramma. He is bringing God’s light to Hollywood. For Truth in Two this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally wanting to be the short line with Denzel.

https://www.nytimes.com/…/denzel-washington-man-on-fire…

https://warpandwoof.org/denzel/

 

 

 

Spread the love

Give to others.

Watch our Truth in Two to see love in action, a lesson for us all (full text and afterword follow).

 

 

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 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

It was the tagline that got me: “The bag your children will fight over when you’re dead.” I remember roaring in laughter when I first read that in 2009. I was in the market for a strong, long-lasting leather bag to carry books, papers, and computer for teaching. I stopped my search when I came to Saddleback Leather. That tagline told me I would never have to buy another bag again.

So, this year I had to buy a new wallet. My old one was literally falling apart. It was a no brainer: I went back to Saddleback Leather. But on my digital visit this time there was another tab at the top of the page. It read Love41. I clicked on the tab. I’m glad I did.

There I discovered that Saddleback Leather was supporting a non-profit, Love 41. I encourage everyone to check it out. Ahead of Valentine’s Day I can think of no better demonstration of love than the work begun by two Christian sisters on behalf of others.

The 1994 Rwandan genocide took the lives of over one million men, women and children in less than 90 days. It displaced millions more from their homes almost overnight. The entire population of Rwanda, a little African nation just smaller than Maryland, was nearly wiped out. The world turned a blind eye to Rwanda’s suffering. When the genocide ended, it left the region irreparably damaged.

Like many Americans, sisters Suzette and Tina had heard of the tragedy, but when invited to visit Rwanda by Africa New Life Ministries, nothing could have prepared them for the absolute devastation they experienced. Psalm 41:1-3 became the biblical mission: to care for, preserve and strengthen the poor. Linked with Saddleback Leather, Love41 began a retail business where 100% of the profits go to help Rwandans in vocational schools, free daycare, sponsorship for orphans, and so much more.

Over Christmas, Robin and I purchased gifts from Love41. For Valentine’s Day I can think of no better expression of love, than the ministry of Love41. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally committed to loving others through the work of Love41.

AFTERWORD The overview of Love41 in this Truth in Two is dependent upon the story found here: https://saddlebackleather.com/love41/the-love-41-story/

 

“Tell him how things can be,

Between men on this earth.”

Watch our Truth in Two to discover the little told story of the friendship between Jesse Owens and Luz Long (full text and afterword with pictures below).

 

 

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 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Getty Images, Wikipedia, By Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-G00630 / Unknown author / CC-BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5363158, https://predicthistunpredictpast.blogspot.com/2013/08/boycotting-olympics-would-world-have.html

FULL TEXT

The 1936 Olympics was held in Germany. Adolf Hitler was in power. To Hitler, the Olympics were to be a statement about the supremacy of the so-called Aryan race. Every other ethnicity was inferior. But Jesse Owens, of African ancestry, won four gold medals at the 1936 games. Owens beat some of the Hitler’s greatest athletes.

Much could be said about Jesse Owens’ great skill as an athlete. But there is a deeper story, a human story, the friendship between Jesse Owens and Luz Long, a German long jumper. Long and Owens cemented a lifelong friendship in matter of days. Wonderful pictures exist of Owens and Luz talking or walking together arm in arm. As Owens said of Long,

“It took a lot of courage for him to befriend me in front of Hitler. You can take all the medals and cups I have won in sport and they would not come close to the 24-karat friendship I felt for Luz Long at that moment. Hitler must have gone crazy watching us embrace. The sad part of the story is I never saw Long again.”

Luz Long died in 1943 while fighting for Germany in World War II. A final letter he wrote to Jesse Owens reads, in part,

My heart tells me, if I be honest with you, that this is the last letter I shall ever write. If it is so, I ask you something. It is a something so very important to me. Please go to Germany when this war done, find my son Karl, and tell him about his father. Tell him, Jesse, what times were like when we not separated by war. I am saying—tell him how things can be between men on this earth. Your brother, Luz'”

Another picture, this one with Jesse and Karl years after the war, tells the tale of true friendship, a friendship that traversed ethnicity, nationality, and generations; a friendship that should be a lesson to us all.

For Truth in Two this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of The Comenius Institute, celebrating Jesse Owens during Black History Month.

AFTERWORD & PICTURES

The information and quotes for this Truth in Two were predominately taken from Jeremy Schaap, Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler’s Olympics. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2007 and Lawrence Reed Real Heroes: Inspiring True Stories of Courage, Character, and Conviction.

Further notations, including how Owens was treated by Hitler versus Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

Jesse was introduced to Adolf Hitler who shook his hand in congratulations for his accomplishments.

“Back home, ticker tape parades feted Owens in New York City and Cleveland. Hundreds of thousands of Americans came out to cheer him. Letters, phone calls, and telegrams streamed in from around the world to congratulate him. From one important man, however, no word of recognition ever came. As Owens later put it, ‘Hitler didn’t snub me; it was our president who snubbed me. The president didn’t even send a telegram.’

Franklin Delano Roosevelt . . . couldn’t bring himself to utter a word of support . . . FDR invited all the white US Olympians to the White House, but not Jesse.

‘It all goes so fast, and character makes the difference when it’s close,’ Owens once said about athletic competition. He could have taught FDR a few lessons in character, but the president never gave him the chance. Owens wouldn’t be invited to the White House for almost 20 years — not until Dwight Eisenhower named him ‘Ambassador of Sports’ in 1955.” [Lawrence Reed]

PICTURES: Owens and Long walking arm in arm during the 1936 Olympics. Owens saluting the American flag, winner of the long jump competition, Long winning the silver medal, saluting Hitler. Owens and Long smiling, next to each other on the infield. Jesse Owens and Karl (Kai) Long after the war. [Getty Images, noted above]

Kindness is the basis for Hebrew Law on business.

Find out why First Testament law can still be practiced by watching our Truth in Two (full text below).

 

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 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

“THIS is how you treat people!” I proclaimed. Just before Christmas, 1995, a textile mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts was destroyed by fire. About 1,400 people worked at Malden Mills. The owner of the mill, Aaron Feuerstein, spoke to the employees’ days after the fire. “I am not throwing people out of work two weeks before Christmas,” was his famous line. Feuerstein then and there declared that he would pay his workers their wages, even though the mill was closed, and they could not work.

It was early in 1996 that an NBC News feature covered the incident. Feuerstein’s reputation as a kind boss soared. Feuerstein continued to pay his workers for months – without a product being produced – while the mill was being rebuilt. I showed that news story to my high school students for years, always ending with my line, “THIS is how you treat people.”

Aaron Feuerstein was a rich man who had made millions from his plant. He could have easily claimed the insurance money and walked away. But he didn’t. Feuerstein not only continued to pay his employees, but he also rebuilt the mill, creating an innovative, cold-weather material.

Something that is missing in all the mainstream reportage of Mr. Feuerstein is the answer to the question, “Why did he do it? Why did he continue to pay his workers when he didn’t have to?” The answer, according to Mr. Feuerstein, is found in Deuteronomy 24:14, “You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or a stranger.”

“THIS is how you treat people,” is based on Hebraic law. Everyone should know the story of Aaron Feuerstein and the Hebrew teaching that motivated one man’s care for others. For Truth in Two this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally thankful for the teaching of Scripture applied to business practices.

 

If we are supposed to “Follow the science,”

Science says the baby’s body is not the mother’s body.

Watch our Truth in Two to find out the argument “It’s my body” is not true (full text, afterword follows).

 

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 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, Snappy Goat

FULL TEXT

“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights” is a United Nations document that assumes some ideas preexist others. Here’s what I mean. The idea that all people have worth, value, and dignity is a preexisting idea. The idea is in the first line of the U.N. document. Any group or nation which defends the rights of all people begins with the preexisting belief in the preciousness of humanity. But some people who will assume rights for all people think the idea is equal to the phrase “reproductive rights,” used in the abortion industry. Folks unthinkingly accept the polite phrase “reproductive rights” as a preexisting right; and, one that trumps the human rights of the baby in the womb. They will repeat untrue statements about pregnancy saying, “No one can tell me what to do with my body!” But that’s just it. The being in the womb is not your body. It’s the body of another human person in your uterus.

Let’s be very clear. When a child is conceived in the womb, the baby has a totally different DNA structure than that of the mother. In 21^st century science, we can identify a human person by their DNA. Just watch any kind of crime drama. Science tells us that the person in the womb of the mother is distinctive, different, a whole ‘nother person. And that person has preexisting worth. Now you can reframe arguments by changing words or their definitions.

But let’s be honest. When you say “reproductive rights” you are talking about “abortion.” If you refer to the “fetus” in the womb, you’re talking about a “person” with distinctive DNA. The preexisting rights of every human person are rights also given to children in the womb. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally affirming that human rights can only be given by God.

AFTERWORD Abortion does not promote equality for women.

When you read futuristic books or watch science fiction movies, ask yourself,

“What hope do the writers offer?”

Watch our Truth in Two to see why we need to look elsewhere for “hope” (full text and afterword below).

 

Subscribe to 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 Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video). Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here).

Picture Credit: Luke Renoe, aideal-hwa-OYzbqk2y26c-unsplash, jeremy-thomas-rMmibFe4czY-unsplash

FULL TEXT

Sometimes people will ask, “What do you think will happen in the future?” My general response is, “Have you read any good science fiction lately?”

I remember years ago reading H.G. Wells novel The Time Machine. Toward the end of the book, the time traveler fast-forwards himself thousands of years into earth’s future. He finds himself on a planet which has become nothing more than a cold ball spinning in space. The reader will find similar themes in books such as 1984, Animal Farm, The Road, or Fahrenheit 451. Any classic or modern dystopian literature explains the future the same way: look at how awful the world could be, we better do something about it now.

And we better do something quick, because it’s now 2022. Harry Harrison’s novel from 1966 Make Room! Make Room! makes the point that overpopulation, pollution, poverty and environmental destruction have consumed the earth in the year 2022. In the novel, one-world government elites have created a way to feed the masses, with something called “Soylent Green.” Based on Harrison’s book, the movie Soylent Green makes us wonder what kind of future earth may have. Like all dystopian literature and movies, the basic line is the same: the awfulness of our destructive future should drive us to do something about those problems now.

But wait. Dystopian literature about the future does not give us an answer to the question in the present, “Why should I care?” Fantastic writers like Orwell, Bradbury, McCarthy, Wells, or Huxley show us an awful future, with little help toward a solution.

But, Acts 3:21 says that Jesus IS the solution, who will someday “restore all things” to their original order. So, after a discussion about dismal, futuristic literature, I point people to Jesus, the hope of all the earth in 2022, and beyond. For Truth in Two this is Dr. Mark Eckel, personally committed to looking for the blessed hope – Jesus.

AFTERWORD The ending of the movie Soylent Green with Charlton Heston is one of the great finales in science fiction film. No spoilers here. If you have not seen the movie be ready for the difference of movie making over 50 years. But the concept of utopian societies which protect the elite and profit from the poor are ubiquitous.