Breakpoint

How Martin Luther and centuries of Church thinkers inspired the Bill of Rights.  __________ Start Truth Rising: The Study for free today at colsoncenter.org/study.

A Tennessee bill and a grass-roots effort bring light to a darkened June.  __________ Join us in praying for our country by visiting joinadf.com/breakpoint.

When thinking about things like UFO's, aliens, and UAP's, the best place to start is with the rule and reign of Christ over all things.  __________ Join us for our 2026 Rooted Educator Worldview Summit by visiting colsoneducators.org/rooted.

The legacy work of how we face death. __________ Join us in praying for our country by visiting joinadf.com/breakpoint.

We're celebrating mothers this Mother's Day weekend. Another study confirms what most already knew; church is good for your family. And there is growing frustration in the pro-life movement with the Trump administration.     Recommendations  Them Before Us YouTube Video  The Desecration of Man by Carl Trueman    Segment 1 – Mother's Day  Them Before Us Substack  Them Before Us YouTube Video  Greater Than Campaign  Segment 2 – Church is Good for You; Is AI Alive?  X Post  Religion Unplugged article  2021 Study  Guardian Article on AI  Segment 3 – Pro-Life Frustration with the White House   WSJ article     

The language of the laws of nature and nature's God.   __________ For additional resources, or to download and share this commentary, visit breakpoint.org. 

It would make many comfortable if the Founders were Deists, but were they? __________ Download the Colson Educators app today on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Another First Amendment case is on the docket from the increasingly progressive Rocky Mountain state.   __________ Manage your money with a team that takes good stewardship to heart. Visit sovereignpw.com.

Though a few statements about Jesus in the Koran align with what we know from the Bible, other parts do not. __________ Register for our Truth Rising watch party in Knoxville by visiting colsoncenter.org/knoxville.

Christians are right to lament moral collapse but should never be reduced to despair. __________ Make a gift by May 8th to receive Dr. Carl Trueman's new book, The Desecration of Man at colsoncenter.org/may.

The alleged shooter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner touts his Christian faith in his manifesto. A new documentary released this week is likely to be a breath of fresh air. Planned Parenthood downplays its involvement in gender transition procedures and is the Catholic Church planning to go silent on sex?      Segment 1 – Another Assassination Attempt; God, Creation and the Story of Everything  Shooter's Manifesto  Generations by Jean Twenge  Christopher Lasch research  Desecration of Man Offer  WSJ article on documentary  Documentary trailer  Segment 2 – Planned Parenthood Gender Transitions; Pope Downplays Focus on Sexual Activity  Lifesite News article  Rueter's Article on Pope  Segment 3 – Uncomfortable Questions about Abortion  House Hearing Testimony  SCOTUS NJ Ruling 

According to Carl Trueman, transgression and desecration are at the heart of our current cultural crisis. __________ Partner with thousands of others in supporting The Colson Center by visiting colsoncenter.org/cornerstone.

Human flourishing needs stillness.  __________ Register for our Truth Rising watch party in Knoxville by visiting colsoncenter.org/knoxville.

Babies need their mamas. There are few things more obvious than that. __________ Download the Colson Educators app today on the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Thomas Huxley's Atheism-lite.  __________ Make a gift by May 8th to receive Dr. Carl Trueman's new book, The Desecration of Man at colsoncenter.org/april.

Of the thousands of green-clad parade-goers, marchers, and partiers today, few know about Patrick, the man for whom today's holiday is named. __________ Register for our Church Leadership Summit at colsoncenter.org/churchsummit.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the 40-day period in the church calendar known as Lent, a time of preparation leading up to Holy Week and Resurrection Sunday. __________ For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Take heart, this civilizational moment has some warriors.  __________ Give to The Colson Center by December 31st for double the impact at colsoncenter.org/december

What has come of the "Kirk Effect"? __________ Give to The Colson Center by December 31st for double the impact at colsoncenter.org/december

Take heart, this civilizational moment has some warriors.  __________ Learn more about Truth Rising at truthrising.com/colson.

A way to pray and sing with deeper intention this Christmas.  __________ For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment visit breakpoint.org. 

After the day of dress-up and candy-hunting is over, take time with your family to learn about Halloween's Christian origins of saints and martyrs. __________ Register for our Colson Fellows informational webinar at colsonfellows.org/webinar.

When a civilization loses touch with what made it great.   Related Resource The Truth Rising Documentary _______________ Give any amount to the Colson Center this month and receive digital access to the Colson Center National Conference at colsoncenter.org/august.

It's time to retire the myth that humans are 99% the same as chimps.   ____________ Get FREE access to the Colson Educators Worldview Formation course at colsoneducators.org. 

What's in a name?  __________ Register for the 2025 Colson Center National Conference May 30- June 1 in Louisville, KY at colsonconference.org. 

Obsession with social media fame is not the typical 'rite of passage' we've seen throughout history.

Student protests and trusting the "cult of youth." __________ Get access to CCNC 2024 online with your gift to the Colson Center at colsoncenter.org/august. 

Avoiding the intoxicating lure of checking out.

Reproductive technology that separates father from child has consequences. 

Pot propaganda is lying.

The Christian God is the best explanation for the world we experience.

Christians should safeguard the truth of what makes women valuable.

How Scripture can inform a well-rounded life.

Research shows that siblings are good for us.

The lifelong power of lasting connections.  __________ For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment go to Breakpoint.org. 

As the West loses touch with its Creator, by what authority do we agree on inalienable rights? Related Resources: Do Children's Rights Override Parental Rights? _______ To apply for the Colson Fellows program, visit colsonfellows.org. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

Gay couple sues NY for infertility eligibility; ignores the role of women (mothers) needed to create life.  __________ For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

The 2024 Summer Olympics will be the 100th anniversary of the incredible performance by Eric Liddell, whose story was immortalized in the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.   A devout Christian and son of Scottish missionaries to China, Liddell was committed to never race on Sundays. However, at those Olympics, his best race—100 meters—was scheduled for a Sunday. He withdrew, to the derision of many Brits. Nonetheless, he quickly pivoted to two other races, taking third in the 200-meter and claiming the gold in the 400-meter.   Despite his athletic success, Liddell returned to China the following year. During World War II, the Japanese placed him in an internment camp, where he faithfully served Christ and others before dying of a brain tumor in 1945.   Liddell's Olympic-time decision and post-Olympic hardship were consistent for a man whose life was lived in faithful service to Christ. God, after all, "made [him] for China," but also "made [him] fast." He ran every race, including the race of life, to "feel God's pleasure."   This Point was revised from one released on 7.12.22.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org  

We cannot reflect enough on our armed service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice. __________ Support the next year of Breakpoint production by giving at colsoncenter.org/may.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org  

Of the thousands of green revelers, few know about the slave and evangelist for whom St. Patrick's Day is named. To learn more about this man of faith and his consequential life, check out this Breakpoint interview between Shane Morris and T.M. Moore, a former colleague of Chuck's and the author of Celtic Flame: The Burden of St. Patrick. __________ For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

The Colson Center offers a program equipping believers to respond outwardly to the cultural moment. __________ Learn more about the Colson Fellows program and apply today at colsonfellows.org.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org

The rising generation is our most educated generation if you compare the number of millennials who completed bachelor's degrees with that of previous generations. However, as British commentator Peter Hitchens recently pointed out, being "schooled" isn't the same as being "educated."    What he said about British schools could be applied to many U.S. ones: "Our education system teaches the young what to think, not how to think. And if you ever wonder why so many things don't work properly any more, or why you can't get any sense out of so many organisations, this is one of the main reasons."   When students are indoctrinated in critical theories regarding gender and race, when pushback is considered "harassment" or "racism," and when the main point is to sexualize kids, it's not education. As Steven Garber has written, "Education, always and everywhere, is about the deepest questions of life and the world." Education wrestles with the hard questions, training students to think critically and creatively.   Christians have always championed education. We can today too. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Point was first released on 12.7.22. 

Many Christian parents worry about how best to pass faith onto their children. Tragically, statistics suggest they are right to worry. In 2020, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that  just 2% of millennials, a generation now well into adulthood, have a biblical worldview. That is the lowest of any generation since surveys on the topic began. According to a Lifeway Research report , two-thirds of those who attend church as teenagers will drop out of church as adults.   A significant aspect of the battle for the hearts and minds of the next generation has to do with ideas. Helping students think correctly about life and the world, God and themselves, would be hard enough if they weren't also facing such strong cultural headwinds. Simply put, many young people today leave the faith because they lack the necessary immunity from the bad ideas of our culture. Christian parents must not only present truth to their kids; they must find ways to immunize them against lies. Dr. William McGuire, a Yale psychology professor in the 1950s, suggested that bad ideas behave like viruses. Specifically, he thought that the more exposure one has to bad ideas in a controlled setting, the less likely they are to fall for those ideas later.  McGuire performed several experiments in which he tried to convince subjects of a lie, that brushing teeth is bad for them. Unsurprisingly, those given no preparation for what they were about to hear were more easily convinced of the lie than those warned against a specific bad argument they would hear.   However, the subgroups that were the easiest and the hardest to dupe were surprising. The group most vulnerable to falsehoods was not the one with zero preparation, but the one who had merely had the truth reinforced. In other words, the subjects most easily deceived were told things like, "You know brushing your teeth is good for you, right? You've been taught this since you were little. Trust us." When they subsequently heard arguments they never had before, this group felt sheltered and even deceived.   The least vulnerable group were those who had not only been warned against a bad argument they would hear, but they were also taught how to respond. They were also warned they could face additional  bad arguments and needed to be aware and vigilant.   One thing we can learn from McGuire's experiment is that the method many Christian parents and churches use to pass on the faith—reinforcement without taking counter ideas seriously—is the one most vulnerable to failure. In fact, it can leave young people more vulnerable to lies, especially in high-pressure environments. It also means that we don't have to give kids all the answers, but they do need to be aware and ready to think for themselves. This requires we give them a framework, or a pattern, of responding to bad ideas thoughtfully and confidently.    This is what Dr. Jeff Myers and the team at Summit Ministries has been doing with students for decades. Not only do they know how to immunize students against bad ideas by taking them seriously and preparing them to defend their faith, but Summit also helps students apply the truth claims of Christianity to every area of their life.   The results of Summit training are both measurable and impressive. An independent 2020 survey of Summit alumni showed that, before attending a student conference, just 40% felt able to defend their faith against challenges. After attending, that number skyrocketed to 90%. Before Summit, 87% claimed a strong commitment to Christianity. Afterward, 96% did. And, almost 97% of Summit alumni indicate they are currently attending a church that holds to the truth of the Bible.   Chuck Colson once called Summit Ministries "the gold standard" for training young adults in Christian worldview. I agree. In fact, I've personally witnessed the transformation that God brings through a Summit ministries two-week student conference. Held at Covenant College in Georgia and at the Summit headquarters in Manitou Springs, Colorado, young people are given a Christian worldview about topics like abortion, doubt and deconstruction, evolution, gender identity, God's existence, sexuality, and more.  If you know a student who needs to attend a Summit conference this summer, visit summit.org/breakpoint, and use code BREAKPOINT24 to receive $200 off.   The numbers speak for themselves. Passing on a Christian worldview to our kids requires much more than just telling them the truth. It requires us to help them love the truth and gain spiritual immunity against infectious bad ideas.  This Breakpoint was co-authored by Shane Morris. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, go to colsoncenter.org.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Breakpoint was revised from one first published on 2.18.22.  

Christian faithfulness, especially at a time of cultural chaos, isn't really about trying to do great things for God. In a tweet, my friend Katy Faust of Them Before Us explained:     "Afraid for the nation? Buy a house. Plant a garden. Get married. Have lots of babies. Help your children marry well, be great grandparents. You needn't run for office, start a podcast or lead a thinktank. The most powerful & countercultural work happens in your home."    Amen. She then cited Jeremiah 29:5-6, in which God told the exiles of Judah to "build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce."    It can be easy to equate "greatness" with fame or followers or something loud and big. But God asks for faithfulness in whatever our hand finds to do. That was true for the exiles in Babylon, and it's still true today.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Point was first published 12.22.22.

In anticipation of Christmas, let's revisit the account from Luke 1 of the angel Gabriel visiting Zechariah to announce the birth of his son, John. According to Gabriel, John's role was "to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."   Karl Barth, the famous 20th-century theologian, was inspired by a depiction of John the Baptist by Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. In it, John stands to the right of the crucified Christ, pointing, as Barth put it, "in an almost impossible way" toward His savior. Barth had a print of the work hanging in his office. It reminded him that his job was not merely critiquing theology but always pointing to Christ.   As we enter Christmas and the New Year, let's do the same—keep pointing to Christ. And as we point to Christ, we point to reality, because in Him, as the Apostle Paul says, "all things hold together." For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Point was first published 12.23.22.

If you find your mind darting from one thing to the next and struggling to concentrate for even short periods of time, there are two things to know. First, you're not alone and, second, it's probably related to technology.  In an article published at Motherboard, Kaleigh Rogers described her experiment banning all screens from her home for a month: no TV, no tablet, no smart phones, no computers.  The results were dramatic, and unlike with exercise or dieting, immediate. She experienced better concentration, found more time in her day, felt closer in her relationships, and gained a renewed sense of creativity. A Facebook commenter who conducted the same experiment described an almost "superhuman" focus and productivity.  Screens have profoundly shaped our lives, especially our minds and relationships. We need not be Luddites, but we can create boundaries and stick to them. Rather than allowing notifications, games, and texts to control our schedules and attention, we can control them, making time for relationships, concentration, and creativity. That doesn't sound so superhuman...   For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet.   For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Point was originally published on February 14, 2017.  

Tough conversations on controversial topics don't have to be a disaster, even if had over holiday visits and meals. The key to civil and productive conversations is to ask good questions. The right question can turn monologues into dialogues, surface-level discussions into deeper ones, and might even open a closed mind or two.  Here are six questions I've found helpful for creating good conversations:  First: What do you mean by that? The definition of words shapes debate. Don't assume you are always using the same dictionary.  Second: How do you know that is true? Assertions aren't arguments, and this question takes you beyond comparing opinions.  Third: Where did you get this information?   Fourth: How did you come to this conclusion? Everyone has a story.  And the last two: What if you're wrong? And, What if you're right? Ideas have consequences. These questions take ideas to their logical conclusion. Oh, and the best question: What are you thankful for?  From all of us at the Colson Center, Happy Thanksgiving.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Point is republished from 11.28.19. 

Revisionist attempts to reinterpret the first Thanksgiving have muddled the history of Plymouth Colony and the Pilgrims. Some on the right call the historical events a "triumph of capitalism," getting the chronology of events wrong. Voices on the left often accuse Thanksgiving of being a celebration of genocide against the Native Americans, citing the Mystic Massacre in the Pequot War, ignoring the context of that event, not least of which that it occurred 16 years after the celebration in Plymouth. Neither of these narratives accurately represents what actually occurred in Plymouth in the fall of 1621.  The Pilgrims were English Separatists who believed congregations should be independent, voluntary democratic institutions rather than part of the Church of England. In 1607 and 1608, they left England for the more tolerant Dutch Republic.  Life in the Netherlands, however, proved difficult. Some ran out of money and returned to England. Without further immigration from England, the congregation was in danger of collapsing. The Pilgrims were also unhappy with the libertinism of Dutch culture and worried that their children would grow up more Dutch than English.  After much discussion, they decided to try to establish a colony where they could worship and raise their families as they saw fit, and where they could spread the Gospel. In 1619, they received a patent to establish a colony in New England, north of the Virginia colony. In September of 1620, the Pilgrims, with other colonists, set sail on the Mayflower with 102 passengers, only 28 of whom were members of the congregation.   The Pilgrims debated whether it was safe to bring their wives. Most decided to do so, which accounts for the 13 adult women on board, three in their third trimester. There were also some younger women and children who joined the voyage. A baby who was born at sea was named Oceanus.  The Mayflower arrived in America in November after a difficult journey. A landing party sent to explore the land found artificial mounds that they excavated and discovered to be burial sites. In some, they found corn, which they took for planting before reburying the remains. They also found corn and beans in empty Native American homes, some of which they also took and paid for six months later when they met the owners.  Earlier English expeditions to the region had captured Native Americans and sold them as slaves or slaughtered them on their ships. Perhaps for this reason or because of the desecration of the graves, a Pilgrim landing party was attacked in December, though the colonists drove off the attackers.  Later that month, they found harbor at a place that was labeled "Plymouth" on their charts. They decided to winter there. The men went ashore to build houses, the first of which was used as a hospital. By the time spring came, only 47 of the colonists were still alive, and only 5 of the married women. Another would die in May of a broken heart after her husband died.  The Plymouth Colony only survived because of help from the Native Americans. The first contact came from Samoset, a minor chief from Maine who had learned English from fishermen who had set up a camp near his tribe. He then introduced them to Tisquantum, better known as Squanto. Squanto had been enslaved by English raiders but eventually was freed, became a Christian, and returned to his homeland. Unfortunately, his tribe, the Patuxets, were wiped out by an epidemic.  Squanto acted as both a translator and a mediator between the Pilgrims and Massasoit, the chief of the Wampanoag tribe. Massasoit established friendly relations with the Pilgrims and, with Squanto, taught them how to farm the "Three Sisters"—corn, beans, and squash. With their help, the remaining Pilgrims survived and had a successful harvest that fall.  The Pilgrims decided to hold a harvest festival, probably around Michaelmas (September 29) 1621, which was a traditional date for such celebrations in England. Massasoit and members of his tribe joined them. In all, there were about 50 English and 90 Wampanoags. The four surviving wives, together with children and servants, prepared and served food over the three-day celebration.  Although much European contact with Native Americans featured disease, genocide, prejudice, and abuse, that was not the case with the Pilgrims. Rather than falsely maligning that first Thanksgiving, we should look at it as a model of how things should have been and by God's grace one day will be.  This Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Glenn Sunshine. Listen to his interview with the Strong Women podcasters about the women of Plymouth or hear how Thanksgiving was declared a holiday. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave a review on your favorite podcast app.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Breakpoint was originally published on 11.24.2022. 

How many faces do you have?   Atheist comedian Stephen Fry once said (quite ironically) that you are who you are when nobody's watching. When social restraints are removed, when the cameras aren't rolling, what sort of person are you? What sort of choices do you make?  All of us—especially men—need to ask these questions of ourselves in the wake of the daily flurry of scandals from Hollywood and Washington. This isn't a problem "out there" in someone else's sound studio, office, or home. It's a problem "in here," at the depths of the sinful human heart.  Is the person we portray to others the same person we are when we're by ourselves—or more importantly—when we believe there will be no consequences for our actions?  This is sometimes called "living on your face;" in other words, making sure that what you present in public is the character you demonstrate in private. Only as Christians, we know that there's nowhere we can flee from the presence of God, who sees all, and who is always with us, and who promises that "our sins will find us out."  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Point was originally published on January 1, 2018. 

One of the most beloved and quotable scenes in The Chronicles of Narnia is from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, when the children learn that Aslan is a lion, "the Lion, the great Lion."    "'Ooh' said Susan. 'I'd thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.' 'Safe?' said Mr. Beaver ... 'Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.'"   Though we love the idea that God is not "safe," we often live as if our safety or comfort marks the boundaries of our relationship with Him. Catechized by bad theology, captivated by our culture's enablement of self-centeredness, or weary of an angry and fractious age, many Christians cannot conceive that God's will for our lives could involve anything unpleasant or uncomfortable.    When it does and our expectations collapse, we wonder if God cares, having conflated God's faithfulness with a painless, placid life of blessing and provision. We are quick to assume that pain or discomfort means that God's will has been thwarted, or that His love and protection have been withdrawn. It's difficult to accept that, rather than a sign of God's absence, the presence of pain could be a sign of His sovereign care.   Throughout The Horse and His Boy, Aslan continually allows fear, hardship, and even physical pain for the main characters. When Shasta, one of the two main humans in the story, is fleeing from his abusive adoptive father on the Narnian horse Bree, a lion chases them through the darkness. Fleeing from the danger, he encounters another rider fleeing from, it seems, another lion. Aravis is also escaping her home on a talking Narnian horse. Their shared fear and confusion bring them together for a journey neither of them could have made without the other.   Later in the story, they're riding as fast as they can to head off a threat to Narnia. Just as Bree claims he can go no faster, a "new" lion closes in on them. Lewis writes,    "His eyes gleamed red and his ears lay back on his skull. And Bree now discovered that he had not really been going as fast—not quite as fast—as he could. Shasta felt the change at once. Now they were going all out." The lion then badly wounds Aravis, before retreating unexpectedly.    Later, Shasta learns the full story. There was only one lion, not many. Aslan was "swift of foot." Without the fears and the pain, Shasta and Aravis, Bree and Hwin, would have never met; their quest would have failed; the enemy would have been victorious; and Shasta would never have learned who he truly was. The pain wasn't an afterthought on Aslan's part, but a key element in his plan.   None of this implies that pain should be sought out. Pain is never the point of God's plans, any more than it is the purpose of physical exercise. Never pushing ourselves to the point that it hurts means never improving our health. On the other hand, seeking pain is more likely to do harm than to aid our wellbeing.    In and of itself, pain is not good, but it is meaningful. Pain indicates that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Without pain, we'd never know. In the same way, breaking bad habits of the past requires pushing beyond our comfort levels, through the pain, and onward on the path to full restoration.   Pain is sometimes required to reorient us. What else can turn one away from a debilitating addiction or insatiable sexual impulse? Without discomfort, would we ever give up on our preferred source of "safety" for the faithful and sometimes painful love of God? Whether through sickness or sacrifice, in ending a dream or enduring hostility, we must remember that God's faithfulness is not determined by how well our lives are going. In fact, it is often known only in the hardest things of life.   To deny that God could or would use discomfort for our good is to deny that He is present in our pain. He is. Just as, in His quest to restore the glory of His creation, He did not shrink back from inflicting pain on His dear Son, His love for His people often includes a level of discomfort and pain. In the end, it is part of His work to restore His image bearers to their intended dignity.    As Lewis wrote elsewhere, "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world."   This Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Timothy Padgett.  For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment, visit Colsoncenter.org This Breakpoint originally aired November 4, 2021.