Commanded by the LORD to go to Nineveh in ruthless Assyria, Jonah goes in the opposite direction, openly defying His God.

How Americans view their history is important, for that narrative is what is taught in our schools and informs how we view current issues in their historical perspective. Until fairly recently, there was a consensus among most Americans about that narrative. No longer. There are at least two competing narratives that dominate America’s educational curriculums and the various media outlets.

When it comes to gender issues in Western Civilization, confusion reigns supreme. Arguably, the next dimension of the postmodern sexual revolution, indeed the next civil rights movement, is the transgender one. Kay Steinmetz of Time magazine writes, “Transgender people—those who identify with a gender other than the sex they were ‘assigned at birth,’ to use the preferred phrase among trans activists—are emerging from the margins to fight for an equal place in society.”

The resurrected Jesus continues to serve as He makes breakfast for 7 of the disciples and restores Peter with the three-fold, piercing question, “Do you love me?”

The late British theologian, J.I. Packer, reminds us of a profound truth: “Christians are not to think of themselves as ever at home in this world but rather as sojourning aliens, travelers passing through a foreign land to the place where their treasures are stored awaiting their arrival” (see 1 Peter 2:11; Matthew 6:19-20). We are citizens of Christ’s kingdom.

The resurrection of Jesus is followed by several appearances of the risen Lord to various women and to His disciples, validating His literal, bodily resurrection.

In early October 2020, Emmanuelle Charpentier (director of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin) and Jennifer A. Doudna (professor at the University of California, Berkeley) were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their 2012 work on Crispir-Cas9, a method to edit DNA. It was the first time the award went to two women. Their 2012 paper was a pioneering work on Crispr gene-editing.

John testifies to the final trial before Pilate, the crucifixion and burial of Jesus.

Jesus’ arrest and trial before Annas and Caiaphas are followed by the trial before Pilate, who cannot find any reason to convict Jesus.

The year 2020 has been an extraordinary year. For me as a Christian leader, two themes have dominated the complicated developments of 2020: Religious liberty issues inherent in a number of Supreme Court decisions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.