Dr. Eckman details more of the virtues of Righteousness, as part of Peter’s writings about Righteous Living.

On 2 November 1917, a letter was delivered to the Jewish community of Great Britain by the British government committing His Majesties Government to the creation of a ?national home? in Palestine for the Jewish people. This ?declaration? changed the course of history. For that reason, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel?s Prime Minister, attended a dinner in London on 2 November 2017 with Theresa May, Britain’s Prime Minister, to celebrate the issuing of this letter 100 years ago. Lord Balfour, a descendant of the man who sent the letter, now called the Balfour Declaration, also attended. The Palestinians regard this Declaration as a ?great betrayal? and Mahmoud Abbas has demanded that Great Britain apologize for this Declaration, not celebrate it.

Until quite recently, if someone mentioned ?conservative? it was rather clear what that meant?generally a commitment to limited government, individual liberty, and free trade. In 2017 the meaning of ?conservative? is no longer clear. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas recently wrote: ?Last year, for the first time in our nation?s history, the American people elected as president someone with no high government experience?not a senator, not a congressman, not a governor, not a cabinet secretary, not a general. They did this, I believe, because they?ve lost faith in both the competence and the intentions of our governing class?of both parties! . . .?

Peter presents the obligations of Christian husbands, and calls readers to Righteous Living; Dr. Eckman leads discussion of the virtues of Righteousness.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is clearly the most powerful Chinese leader in 40 years. As I am writing this the Chinese Communist Party Congress is occurring and that body has enshrined President Xi and his writings into the Chinese Constitution. Only founder Mao Tse-tung had received such an honor. A major concern of President Xi, himself an ardent atheist, is the spiritual void caused by decades of official atheism along with China?s current headlong pursuit of wealth and prosperity.

Dr. Eckman continues on the Biblical roles of husbands & wives. Despite cultural opposition & much misunderstanding, God’s plan for marriage is as true & relevant as ever.

Few would disagree that American civilization is at a point of confusion, chaos and dysfunction. We are a polarized nation where it is virtually impossible to have reasoned discussions, healthy debates or exercise civility. The family as the center of our civilization is clearly in crisis. Our national government is thoroughly dysfunctional and is more divided than it has been in generations. The threats to our national security are real and there is no consensus on how to handle these real threats. Even the broad American evangelical church?s view of God is what Christian sociologist Christian Smith calls Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. . . How did we get into this mess?

Dr. Eckman uses Ephesians 5:32 to express & enhance the Biblical truth of Peter’s writings on the roles of husbands & wives in marriage.

On the night of 1 October 2017, a gunman opened fire on a large crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, leaving 58 people dead and over 500 injured. Between 10:05 and 10:15 p.m., 64-year-old Stephen Paddock of Mesquite, Nevada, fired hundreds of rifle rounds from his suite on the 32nd floor of the nearby Mandalay Bay hotel. About an hour after Paddock fired his last shot, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Why he did this is unclear.

Peter encourages us to be people of God who represent integrity & His standards, regardless the costs.