A major premise of Scripture is that leaders are always called to a higher standard. Indeed, spiritual leaders in the church and in ministry are called to be “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2). Leaders in ministry are to be servant leaders, modeling the biblical truths they espouse (see Philippians 2:5-11, Luke 22:21-30 and John 13:1-17). Leaders are to avoid even the “appearance of evil” in their lifestyles and in their words (1 Thessalonians 5:22). For that reason, when a spiritual leader falls its effect is catastrophic.

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.

After the insurrection of 6 January 2021 fostered by the incendiary words of President Trump, his son and the president’s attorney Rudy Giuliani, various social media giants (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and YouTube) responded by permanently banning or suspending the president for violation of their respective “glorification of violence” policies. These actions have raised questions about free speech, the First Amendment and the power of these social media giants.

January 22 is always a dark day in American history, for in 1973 Roe v. Wade legalized abortion across America. The case denied the rights of the unborn and instead gave women the “right” to decide to end her pregnancy. It established the precedent that a woman’s right to choose is more important than a child’s right to live. It therefore demeaned life in the womb as unworthy in comparison to the mother and it established the false ideology that one human is more important than another.

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.”

Most of us were ready to say goodbye to 2020, a year filled with so much darkness: The disruptive, deadly COVID pandemic; toxic politics; wildfires in the West; a record number of hurricanes; and worldwide economic and financial disarray. This darkness is intensified by the utter confusion that plagues our Postmodern culture, a confusion marked by a seeming inability to answer two simple questions—“what is right” and “who am I?”

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended and disrupted almost every facet of our lives. Since the pandemic began in early 2020, medical and political leaders have declared that only a widely used vaccine will check this pandemic. Amazingly, months after the COVID-19 virus was detected and entered into our vocabulary, a successful vaccine has now been developed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has provided emergency authorization for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines against the coronavirus.

On the traditional church calendar, January 6 is called the Feast of Epiphany, “when Christians celebrate how the light of Christ spreads to all nations. The season of Epiphany—also called Theophany in the East—focuses on Jesus’ revelation of his true identity to all the world.” In the West, it centers on the Magi finding Jesus. “In the weeks ahead, the Epiphany season recalls the baptism of Christ and the wedding at Cana, Jesus’ first miracle.”