The Gaza Strip, nestled between Israel and Egypt, is a mess. Recent events have demonstrated the intractable nature of this small strip of land. The Palestinians who live there are in poverty, with high unemployment and constant shortages of food, power and almost everything else. A snaking metal fence that divides the Gaza Strip from Israel has become the focal point of a conflict that stretches back to 1948. In May over 60 Palestinians were killed by Israeli Defense Forces and hundreds more were wounded. Hamas, which rules Gaza, has been organizing a “March of Return” to reclaim the land lost in 1948.

I was recently reviewing some old articles I had stored and found, in the 13 November 2006 issue of Time magazine, a debate between Richard Dawkins, an avowed atheist, and Francis Collins, a Christian who converted from atheism. It is an insightful debate, well worth reading. Dawkins is an Emeritus Fellow of New College at Oxford University in England. His 2006 book, The God Delusion, attacks faith philosophically and historically, using the Darwinian hypothesis for its intellectual support. Collins is Director of the National Institutes of Health. At age 27, he converted from atheism to Christianity. His book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, was a bestseller.

Dr Eckman begins a new study of the book of Acts. Written by Luke, Acts concerns the very vital period in Christian history between the resurrection of Jesus and the death of the apostle Paul; a time when Christian ideas and beliefs were being formulated and when the organization of the church into a worldwide movement was being developed.

It has been said that the one thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history. Sadly, this is often true. We are to learn from history, but tragically rarely do we do that. But, there is something called a philosophy of history and genuine, biblical Christianity has something to contribute here. This is an important issue because we in the Postmodern world are slaves to what is often called “presentism,” which in itself is a philosophy of history. Presentism is an arrogant way to view the past. It assumes that our assumptions, our technological achievements make us superior to every previous generation and age.

The Pew Research Center and the Gallup Organization recently released separate reports concerning the state of religious beliefs in the United States. Both evidence an absence of certainty when it comes to major doctrinal issues, and point to one of the major themes of the Pastoral Epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus), namely that sound doctrine produces godly living. There is a consequence when sound doctrine is not evident in religious belief systems. For example, nine-in-ten Americans believe in a higher power, the Pew Research Center shows, but only a slim majority believes in God as described in the Bible.

Paul writes of God’s grace and how it works in our lives: encouraging believers to reject sin and live self-controlled, upright, godly lives.

In a recent interview on “Fox and Friends,” President Trump argued that he won the 2016 presidential election “easily” but would advocate for the abolition of the Electoral College in favor of the direct election of the president, because, “to me, it’s much easier to win the popular vote.” Setting aside the fact that he lost the popular vote by over 3 million votes, is it wise for President Trump to argue for the abolition of the Electoral College?

Titus continues on teaching sound doctrine to the different groups that make up the body of Christ, as Dr Eckman relates this principles to today.

Alfie Evans, 23 months old, had a rare degenerative brain condition and died the end of April, five days after he was taken off life support. He was born on 9 May 2016, and was admitted to the Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool, England when he was 7 months old, after suffering seizures. His doctors were unable to diagnose a specific ailment, and his worsening condition resulted in Alfie living in a semi-vegetative state for more than a year.

On 14 May 1948, the Jewish people ended 1,878 years of exile from their land. The nation state of Israel was established when the founders accepted the UN Resolution partitioning the land of Palestine into a Jewish state and into a Palestinian state. The Jews accepted that partition and declared themselves the independent state of Israel. The Palestinians rejected the partition and declared war on the new state. Israel won that war and over the last 70 years the world has witnessed the renaissance of Jewish civilization, the creation of a liberal democracy in the troubled Middle East, and the desert of the Eastern Mediterranean bloom once again.