Does God Want Us to Change the World?

DOES GOD WANT US TO CHANGE THE WORLD?  And if so, how? If you’re in a hurry, let me cut to the chase:  a.) yes – and b.) by doing what the Clapham Circle did: proving their faith through works, mostly among the poor and powerless, and working among the rich and powerful. There’s a little more to it, but if you must run, there’s the nuance-free answer which, like a sack lunch, you may take with you.

If you can stay, I’ll begin by telling you about the night talkshow host Dick Cavett and I went to see Mickey Rooney perform. This is not a joke. 

[To continue click here.  To download this essay as a pdf file, click here.

Same-Sex Marriage at Socrates in the City

The next SITC event is Feb. 9th!   Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse will speak on “Can We Talk?  Why the Same-Sex Marriage Issue Has Become So Toxic.”   Register by clicking here.

Paul Revere Goes to Washington

“Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere…”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem is among the best ever written.  Do you know it?  Generations of Americans have memorized it and cherished it as a powerful statement of who we are as a nation.

Part of the reason the stunning victory of Scott Brown in Massachusetts has such mythic resonance is that he’s struck a nerve as a modern-day Paul Revere figure, riding through every Massachusetts village and town in his beat-up GM pickup, waking up America by warning “The Socialists are coming!  The Socialists are coming!”  The parallels are striking…

If you don’t know Longfellow’s mythic poem, read it right now by clicking here.  Teach it to your children.

Pat Robertson Said WHAT!!!??

I’m sure you’ve heard about it:  Pat Robertson said that Haiti’s founders made a pact with Satan in 1791 and the nation’s ongoing woes are a direct result of that diabolical beginning.  Whoops! Um, what’s the Aramaic word for “retraction”?

Predictably, the condemnations have been thundering.  But let’s be honest.  It’s incredibly tempting to look for immediate answers to tragedies.   Why them and not me?  Did someone cause it?

Of course there is never a simple answer.  If God were in the business of punishing sin in obvious ways, NBC President Jeff Zucker would have been struck by lightning weeks ago — perhaps more than once.  But it rarely works out like that.   Bad people seem to thrive.  In the Psalms, King David even asks:  “Why do the wicked prosper?”  And King David didn’t even know about Jeff Zucker.   [To continue, click here.]

Anne Rice CBN Interview

An extraordinary interview with the author Anne Rice, in which she discusses her return to Christian faith.  To see it, click here.

JESUS AND TIGER AND BRIT — OH MY!

Last weekend FoxNews analyst Brit Hume said something so beyond-the-pale that the outrage has been deafening.

Did he say Janet Napolitano was the love child of Susan Sontag and Elmer Fudd?   Did he label the POTUS a “long-legged Mack Daddy”?   Did he say that Adam Lambert was making him reconsider his position on Sharia Law?   Those things would have been offensive — but he didn’t say any of them!

Then what did he say?  Well, what he said was pretty bad, so if you are reading this aloud with kids around, you might want to tell them to go play with their Wii for a few minutes…  Okay, are they out of the room? Great.

[To continue reading, click here.]

My new book has arrived!!!

I just got my own copy in the mail and BOY does it look good.  It’s a hardcover and it’s super orange! 

ORANGE YOU GLAD?

To order your copy, click on the ORDER NOW link at the top of this screen!  Please post this on facebook and tell your friends.

It’s go time!

UNCLE MUGSY & the Symphony Orchestra!

Two days ago I had the incredible honor of narrating my children’s book, Uncle Mugsy and the Terrible Twins of Christmas in front of over 5,000 people — with the accompaniment of a full symphony orchestra!!!  I still don’t believe it really happened.  It was the Imperial Symphony Orchestra of Lakeland, Florida, under the direction of Mark Thieland, performing the glorious music composed by my new friend, Ms. Jean Dane.  (To see it and hear it for yourself, CLICK HERE!

MUGSY starts at 1:04.)

The eye-popping Tim Raglin illustrations were projected on a huge screen!  It was part of the ISO’s “Simply Christmas” concert put together by my dear friend, Mrs. Martha Linder, President of the Symphony.   At the end, Jean Dane and Tim Raglin join me on the stage!  Check it out!

I hope other orchestras will do this as part of their Christmas repertoires next year!  Talk about a crowd pleaser!  There were three concerts:  two morning concerts with 2,000 schoolchildren each!  And an evening performance with nearly 1,500 in attendance!  Last year it was performed in Manassas, Virginia and this year will also be performed in Madison, Wisconsin!  But this was my first time as the narrator.  The score really is world-class!  Bravissimo to the incomparable Jean Dane!  And molto kudos to my best pal Tim Raglin!  To get a copy of Uncle Mugsy, visit www.timraglin.com!!  There’s even an oversized Uncle Mugsy plush doll!  Here’s wishing you a very MUGSY Christmas!!!

New Birth Portraits

Last spring some folks at Redeemer Presbyterian here in Manhattan asked me to participate in their “New Birth Portrait Series.”  These are short videos that tell the story of one’s “faith journey”.  One of the directors, David Plant, sent me the first “New Birth Portrait” they had completed.  The subject was my good friend Alan Kleinberg (pictured above), and it was simply spectacular.  My own “New Birth Portrait” will be out this month.  In the meantime, watch this one — and watch the ones about Lolita Jackson and Ellie Ellsworth, both also dear friends.

Amazing Grace is 60% off today

I’m not sure why, but Amazon.com has absolutely slashed its price on my Amazing Grace:  William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery.  Today the paperback is $5.58 — that’s sixty percent off!  If you ever meant to buy a copy, now would be the time!   I have no idea how long this price will last, but believe me, it’s a steal.

TO ORDER, CLICK HERE.