As Nehemiah returns from Persia, he meets four major crises with fortitude and decisive leadership. He is a model servant leader.

The phrase “climate change” is an incendiary one. There are the “alarmists” who often posit a scenario of end-of-life-as-we know-it. And there are the “deniers,” who argue that it is all a hoax. But any intellectually honest person cannot deny the partial relationship between human emissions of greenhouse gases and a warming climate, which cannot be denied. Being concerned about climate change is a genuine expression of our faith as Christians.

The Exiles finalize the renewal of the Covenant with God and Nehemiah re-populates Jerusalem, while organizing the sacrifices, the priesthood and Levitcal worship in the Temple.

Two candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination—Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren—have declared war on American capitalism. Columnist Bret Stephens cites Brian Riedl of the Manhattan Institute, who has tried to calculate the costs of the programs these two candidates have proposed

As the Exiles re-affirm their covenant with God, they review His faithfulness and is loyal-covenant love for them.

The Exile community in Jerusalem confesses the sins of the nation and reviews the faithfulness of their Sovereign Creator.

Should Christians accommodate to their culture, to its values, its virtues, its ethical standards? Instinctively, the answer is no. But it is important to understand what the American culture believes and values. What are its standards for authority? Since at least the 1960s, America has accepted two sources of cultural authority

The Jewish Exiles in Jerusalem became the “People of the Book” as they heard Ezra read the Word of God. They engaged the Word with their minds and emotions, which then resulted in obedience.

Philosopher and theologian, David Bentley Hart, currently a professor at the University of Notre Dame, is often provocative and controversial. A former Anglican, he converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and writes prominently on major doctrinal issues of Christianity. His most recent book, That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell and Universal Salvation, argues for universalism—that ultimately God will save everyone, thereby rejecting any belief in a literal hell.

Nehemiah neutralizes his enemies and completes the wall in 52 days, after which Jerusalem is re-populated.