When one thinks of the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s through the 1970s, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) immediately comes to mind. Born in 1929, his name was Michael at birth, but his father changed his name to Martin Luther, honoring the famous German reformer who began the Reformation. As a young boy, it was obvious that he was brilliant. He skipped two grades and passed his entrance exam to enter Morehouse College at 15.

Although one can easily apply the lessons raised by Mary Shelley?s Victor Frankenstein to gene-editing and artificial intelligence, can one also ask the same questions when it comes to the Social Media phenomenon? . . . Two-hundred years ago an anonymous novel was published: Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus. The author was Mary Shelley, who clearly posited a premise that is no longer controversial?that humans can create life with the tools provided by science.

Paul writes to Titus on the qualifications for the Godly leaders he is seeking for the Church: Men of godly commitment, conduct, and character.

Dr. Eckman begins a new study of the Book of Titus, with a historical overview, introduction & discussion of Paul?s salutation to readers.

The freezing of sperm, eggs and embryos is increasingly a common practice in fertility clinics across the United States and indeed across the world. All such procedures involve freezing in liquid nitrogen. As Pam Belluck of the New York Times reports, a change in freezing technology in recent years has made things easier.

Peter concludes his 2nd letter, re-affirming that the future promises of God should motivate how believers are to live now ? with holiness, purity, peace, & godliness.

The Gerber baby food company has chosen one-year old Lucas Warren of Dalton, Georgia as the 2018 ?Gerber Spokesbaby? for their baby products. Lucas is a child with Down syndrome. Almost everyone applauds Gerber for doing this, but, in doing so, it has perhaps unintentionally given focus to one of the cruel ironies of abortion on demand. Intentional, willful abortion is being used to eradicate a portion of the human population?Down syndrome children. Normally, most people understand genocide as ?the deliberate, systematic attempt to erase a category of people?: In this case, babies that have been diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome.

Recently Bill Gates declared that Steven Pinker?s Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress is ?My new favorite book of all time.? Steven Pinker is a Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University and is a passionate defender of the Enlightenment. His recent book is intended to counter the doom and gloom pessimism of the 21st century, which is inundated with terrorism, barbaric civil wars (e.g., Syria) and the paralyzing fear of nuclear war. One could summarize his thesis as, ?If you think the world is coming to an end, think again: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science.?

Dr. Eckman begins discussion of 2 Peter, with excellent commentary on ?The Day of the Lord.?

The seven-year civil war in Syria is now an international conflict with proxies of the major powers fighting in a confused mix of alliances with often contradictory goals. It is a re-ordering of the Middle East. . . What is occurring in Syria today is a multidimensional conflict that is a fully regional one with all of the Syrian parties acting as a proxy for someone else. It is a volatile and dangerous mess with no clear end in sight. Let?s examine most of the constituent parts of this mess and how it is in effect re-ordering the Middle East.