In John 19:38 Pilate responds to Jesus when he quips, “What is truth?” It was more of a commentary on the problem of language in that day than on the claims of Jesus. The very definition of “truth” in Greco-Roman culture was elusive and contradictory. For the common people, all truth claims were regarded as equally true. For philosophers, all truth claims were equally false. For politicians, all truth claims were equally useful. When Jesus … Continue reading
Category Archives: Free Speech
When we were children back in the stone age, it was not uncommon to hear a parent say, “Watch your language!” It was sometimes punctuated with “young man” or “young lady.” Our language reflected the cultural values of the time. Certain communications were expected, and others definitely frowned upon. When speaking to adults we were expected to say, “yes sir” or “yes ma’am.” We did not refer to adults by their first name, ever, because … Continue reading
I would be very interested to know what the weather was like in Washington, DC on Thursday, May 22, 1856. It had been an unusually long winter across the Midwest and Eastern seaboard of the United States that year. The capital itself had seen remarkably cold temperatures and above-average snowfall, followed by cold rains lasting well into May. Then, on May 23, a brief heatwave pushed temperatures into mid-90s Fahrenheit in New York City, but … Continue reading
Every week, it seems, we receive an email, letter, phone call or comment on our blog or YouTube Channel proclaiming that someone is offended by something that was said, either by us or a guest. We have come to realize over the years of being involved with apologetics and missions to cults that offending someone is not simply a possibility in our calling – it seems to be a job description! We don’t set out … Continue reading
Lots of celebration and consternation over the “Narrow ruling” in the Masterpiece Bake Shop case. To be clear, a narrow ruling or narrow decision doesn’t refer to the number of justices. A unanimous decision can be narrow in the legal sense. The decision is narrow as opposed to sweeping in its implications. The court didn’t strike down any law. They simply said the baker didn’t get a fair deal. The commission that ruled against him … Continue reading
In 1968, the film Wild in the Streets was released. The premise was a simple and a somewhat satirical jab at the burgeoning “anti-establishment,” counter-cultural revolution that was rampant at the time. A senator, played by Hal Holbrook, and Max Frost, a 22 year old rock star played by Christopher Jones, make common cause with a view to securing the youth vote. Max, already a budding revolutionary, points out that 52% of the US population … Continue reading