Years ago, I read an article written by the late Chuck Colson, who made this observation about ethical issues in Western Civilization: “What was once unthinkable, become debatable and then gradually becomes acceptable.” I do not know whether this was original with Colson or whether he borrowed it from someone else, but many times I have affirmed the accuracy of this reflection. I guess I have become hardened as I have gotten older, but I find myself rarely stunned by cultural accommodation anymore. Developments I once regarded as unthinkable are now accepted widely and enthusiastically.

Paul returns to Jerusalem: his presence stirs the city, leading to his arrest.

Paul lays out a warning to the pastoral leadership of the local church, encouraging them to soundly teach the Word to their flock, while being aware of internal & external influences that can corrupt.

The new term for the left wing of the Democratic Party is “progressive.” Presumably, this is less incendiary in our political culture than the term “liberal.” In many of the constituencies of the progressive left, there is a concerted effort to promote an anti-Israel, even a blatant anti-Semitic position.

Since the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, American civilization has been engaged in a “culture war” between those who seek to protect a woman’s right to have an abortion and those who seek to protect the rights of the fetus as a human being. There are no signs of this “war” subsiding or ending soon. Two developments at the state level indicate both the zealous emotion and the total confusion that reign supreme in our civilization over this issue.

The Lord works through Paul to defeat sorcery & false gods, and take back the city of Ephesus for the Kingdom. Then & today, the world is a battleground: the power of Satan versus the power of God for control of people’s lives.

Thirty years ago, in 1989, we in the West were convinced that a new democratic order was dawning in the world. The Berlin Wall was gone and the democratic protests in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China fed the hope that a new world of democracy and freedom was dawning. The old, corrupt regimes of totalitarian communism were unraveling and the passion for democracy in both the Soviet Union and Communist China would surely produce a new world in which everyone embraced the same democratic values so central to Western Civilization—and especially to the United States. Those optimistic hopes are now dashed.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey takes him around the Mediterranean region again. Ephesus is an important city, and Paul spends 2 years there, teaching & preaching to Jews & Greeks alike.

Recently, the American Psychological Association (APA) released its new guidelines, which defined “traditional masculinity” as pathology. Psychoanalyst Erica Komisar argues that the APA guidelines “demonize masculinity rather than embracing its positive aspect. In a press release, the APA asserts flatly that ‘traditional masculinity—marked by stoicism, competitiveness, dominance and aggression—is, on the whole, harmful.’”

Paul concludes his second missionary journey with a visit to Corinth. The Lord protects Paul, as local Jews bring him before the courts.