More biographies have been written about Jesus than any other historical figure. The book that defines His nature, His character and His mission—the Bible—is annually the number-one-seller. No one’s teaching has had a deeper impact on culture, politics, morality, justice, philosophy, and human character than Jesus. He is habitually quoted, even by secular world leaders. Indeed, in a recent book by British historian, Tom Holland, Jesus and His movement called Christianity, are characterized as “the most subversive revolution in human history, whose legacy is the ongoing disruption of settled patterns of life.”

Central to biblical theology is the axiom of human depravity—that humans are born sinners and are capable of profound and confounding evil. The existence of such darkness affects human optimism, hope and certainty about the future. Furthermore, the current embrace of Postmodern autonomy has deteriorated into the famous refrain from the book of Judges: “Every [person] is doing what is right in his/her own eyes.” There is no longer an acceptance of absolute truth, universal ethical standards or a serious commitment to human dignity.

The intersection of digital technology and the church is a profoundly important issue in the 21st century. The COVID pandemic has resulted in an explosion of livestreaming church services, with Zoom being the preferred platform for board meetings, Bible studies, mentoring sessions, etc. Digital technology has therefore enabled the church to continue its various ministries during this deadly pandemic; we must be thankful to the Lord for this manifestation of His grace. But digital technology that accesses the various forms of social media has had a deleterious impact on the “flock” of the typical church. I want to address both aspects of the digital revolution and its impact on the church.

The darkness of Postmodern, post-Christian American culture permeates our thinking about two fundamental axioms of the Christian faith—the sanctity of marriage and the sanctity of life. Both axioms of our faith are being challenged and both confront our consistency as Christians as we proclaim the infallible truth of God’s Word to a culture that is not listening.

Timothy Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; he is 70 years old. Keller is one of my favorite authors, and several of his books have had a profound influence on my life and ministry. He recently published an article in The Atlantic honestly reflecting on his imminent death.

Equality: An important and foundational term in America’s democratic–republic, central to our founding documents—the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Jefferson’s triumphant declaration, “all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights . . .” is complemented by the Bill of Rights, which articulates the equal rights that all citizens are guaranteed. Equality is also an important biblical concept.

Virtually everyone agrees that a democratic society must maintain a high degree of trust or the democratic institutions that undergird that society will collapse. As we begin 2021, the American democratic-republic is in a serious crisis—a crisis of trust. Trust takes many forms. People may trust each other but distrust institutions like the federal government or mainstream media, for example. Furthermore, COVID-19 is testing America’s institutions in ways not seen for decades. Trust in government in America in 2021 is fairly low compared with some other wealthy societies.

In 1947 C.S. Lewis published The Abolition of Man, in which he charted the “negation of human dignity in the name of progress.” He lived long enough to see the accuracy of his assessment: “For the power of Man to make himself what he pleases means, as we have seen, the power of some men to make other men what they please.” Transhumanism comes close to fulfilling Lewis’s warning about the “negation of humanity.” It is a philosophy or ideology that aims to control and transform the human species using bio technologies, in order to eliminate suffering, disease, aging and death.

Psalm 8 is a praise hymn to God the Creator. To esteem nature is to acknowledge the glory of God. To contemplate the heavens not only leads to the praise of an awesome God; it also leads to a sense of the insignificance. However, as with Genesis 1, the creation of humanity is the apex of God’s creative work. God created humanity to be His dominion stewards; to represent Him over all dimensions of His world. God has invested humanity with greatness and with responsibilities.

Next to the family, the church is the most important institution God has created. Jesus only spoke of the “church” (ekklesia) twice—both in future terms: “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18) and (18:17) in terms of church discipline. The church could not begin until Jesus had died, been resurrected (see Colossians 1:18), ascended to heaven (Ephesians 1:20-23) and then sent the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13). Thus the church began at Pentecost (Acts 1:5, 2:4 and 11:15-16). The New Testament affirms that the church (ekklesia) is literally a body of “called out ones.”