I have been reading several books dealing with the developments leading up to World War I: Robert Massie’s Nicholas and Alexandra, Chrstopher Clark’s The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914, The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman and Margaret MacMillan’s The War That Ended Peace. There are remarkable similarities to the conditions of the world at the beginning of the 20th century and today. Is there a gathering storm which could lead the world into another catastrophic world war? Are the current world leaders “sleepwalking” into another global calamity?

Paul continues his counsel to Timothy on dealing with apostasy.

Back in February, when the United States and Israel went to war with Iran, most of us did not know much about the Houthis, that stateless militia in Yemen backed by Iran, let alone the straits on either side of the Arabian Peninsula. Now Iran and its Houthi allies control the two main routes for shipping oil out of the Middle East—the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

Paul warns against apostasy, its origins, and its nature.

Rachel Canter is the Director of Education Policy for the Reinventing America’s Schools project at the Progressive Policy Institute and the founder of Mississippi First, an advocate for education initiatives in Mississippi. She recently wrote a piercing account of the state of American education, giving special focus to the success of the state of Mississippi.

Paul finishes his review of the criteria for selection of deacons in the local church and reminds Timothy of the crucial role the church plays as the pillar of truth.

I have addressed the subject of marijuana several times on Issues in Perspective. Clearly, American culture has been moving in the direction of full acceptance of marijuana and its full legalization. But the accommodation to marijuana is not simply an issue of freedom and autonomy—doing whatever you want without the restrictions or regulations of the state. Marijuana is dangerous and we need to frame the issue not around the freedom of the individual, or what Carl Trueman calls “expressive individualism,” but around the issue of the public good.

Paul reviews the 15 standards for spiritual leadership in the local church.

The war with Iran, begun by the US and Israel on 28 February 2026, involved Israeli and the US airstrikes on nuclear facilities, military and civilian infrastructure and the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenai—and other key religious and political leaders. It is now in its seventh month. There is little doubt that Iran has suffered enormous losses and is suffering terribly under the economic and financial sanctions imposed by the US. All attempts at negotiations have failed. Most importantly Iran is exercising significant control over the Strait of Hormuz. Traffic through the strait, which before the war averaged around 130 vessels each day, has collapsed to an average of 15 every day in August, according to ship trackers, under Iranian attacks and a U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports.

Paul completes his discussion about gender roles in the church and lays the foundation for choosing Elders.