2 Thessalonians 1:8 states “He will punish those who do not know God.” Dr Eckman takes us to Romans 1, 2, & 3 to discuss this verse & give understanding on ‘being accountable to the Light received.”

On Tuesday, 28 April 2015, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the same-sex marriage case, Obergefell v. Hodges. The Constitutional question being asked the Court is whether the US Constitution requires states to allow same-sex couples to marry. The Court will not hand down its decision until the end of June, but there is little question that this case will change the definition of marriage within the United States; I believe the decision will be a 5-4 decision that will legitimize same-sex marriage in the United States. I also believe that this decision, coupled with the other significant cultural developments dealing with same-sex marriage, will pose a significant threat to religious liberty in this nation.

Paul’s 2nd letter to the Thessalonians begins with comfort & understanding for the people of this Church enduring much suffering. Paul encourages them that their faith & love grows during such times, and that such difficulties are evidence of their righteous judgement.

My wife and I recently visited our son, Jonathan, and his family in London, England, where they live. While there one evening we watched one of this year?s important movies, Christopher Nolan?s Interstellar. At one level it is merely a movie of science fiction, but at another level it is deeply metaphysical and profound. In this edition of Issues, I want to explore some of the themes developed in this unsettling movie.

Paul concludes his 1st letter to the Thessalonian people, reminding us to hold fast to what is good, turn from sin, and to live our lives according to the promises & hope that our Lord Jesus Christ offers.

President Obama, the government of Iran, and other major nations including Britain, France and Russia, recently announced a framework for a deal to slow down Iran?s nuclear program and remove the sanctions that have somewhat crippled the Iranian economy. That it is controversial is an understatement. Even after it was announced, there was evident disagreement between Iran and the US over when and how the sanctions would be removed and over details about inspections and verification as the agreement is implemented. This is astonishing in its own right because the announcement is only about a framework; the specific details about implementing the framework are yet to be negotiated and this is to be completed by 30 June 2015.

We discuss Paul’s practical instructions for supporting church leaders & interacting with others, plus gives 3 commands for personal holiness.

In 1993, the US Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Since the Supreme Court ruled in 1997 that the RFRA applied only to the federal government, some 20 states since then have passed their own RFRAs. Another dozen states have adopted RFRA-style protections in other ways. Probably the most important invocation of an RFRA, in a federal case, was Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which reached the Supreme Court last year. Recently Indiana passed its own RFRA, which has created a firestorm. The law establishes that the state ?may not substantially burden? a person?s free exercise of religion unless ?it is essential to further a compelling governmental interest? and ?the least restrictive means? of doing so.

Paul reminds the Thessalonians about the coming “Day of The Lord,” and explains how this can be a time of blessing & salvation, or that of judgement & wrath. To be “prepared” is the simple act of accepting the gospel of Christ.

Since World War II, three major international financial institutions have facilitated (and dominated) the world?s investment in development opportunities in roads, airports and other infrastructure issues throughout Asia (and much of the world)?the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The leadership of these organizations has been restricted to Europeans, Americans and Japanese; China has been excluded. But China has the world?s largest foreign reserves (an estimated $4 trillion) and is quite eager to invest these reserves overseas.