What should Christians think about AI? Artificial Intelligence is reshaping culture, business, education, and even the way we think about human identity. In this roundtable conversation, Sean McDowell talks with 3 Biola professors to explore how believers can navigate the rapidly changing world of AI with wisdom and clarity. This is an intriguing conversation that I am sure you will appreciate and learn from.
Tag Archives: Christianity
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
Christian scholar, pastor John MacArthur destroys Jewish scholar, Ben Shapiro’s view of Jesus. The two have an intense conversation about Judaism and Christianity, exploring their commonalities but also the major difference found in the person of Jesus Christ. This a powerful exchange worthy of wide distribution which is why I am posting it here.
I am sure you will agree with me that John MacArthur does a great job. If you don’t let me know why.
JOE ROGAN IS IMACTING MILLIONS FOR CHRIST
Podcast veteran Joe Rogan, once an atheist, is now attending church. His spiritual trajectory mirrors a broader spiritual revival among Gen Z and young men worldwide. Raised Catholic but long agnostic, Rogan is now rethinking some of life’s biggest questions — and his public platform means millions are along for the ride.
As of this week, The Joe Rogan Experience boasts 14.5 million followers on Spotify, making it by far the most popular podcast on the platform. Of course, since Spotify ended its exclusivity deal with Rogan in a multi-year agreement signed last month, the podcast is also now available on other platforms, including Apple Podcasts. The number only accounts for his Spotify audience, but his reach across platforms is staggering. Joe Rogan’s engagement with Christianity is becoming hard to ignore. Once a self-described atheist, he’s now asking serious questions about Jesus, the soul, and Scripture — often in front of millions.
In a recent discussion with Michael Kruger, Daniel Wallace and Michael Horton on the Know What You Believe podcast, Huff confirmed, “I can tell you for a fact that he is attending a church, and that has been a consistent thing.”
Huff, who serves as Central Canada Director for Apologetics Canada, said he’s maintained a line of communication with Rogan since their three-hour conversation on Christianity and the Bible. “He’s a very inquisitive individual,” Huff noted, adding that Rogan has been actively seeking out trustworthy sources on Christianity and Scripture.
Rogan’s personal journey is taking place in the midst of a broader, global resurgence of interest in Christianity — especially among Generation Z men.
“We’re seeing somewhat of a resurgence in interest in these topics,” Huff told the Know What You Believe audience, citing evidence both statistical and anecdotal. “We had young people walking into a Christian bookstore saying, ‘I want a Bible. All my friends are reading this thing.’”
The trend to which Huff referred is measurable. According to Barna’s 2025 State of the Church report, weekly church attendance in the US has risen from 28% in 2024 to 32% in 2025, driven primarily by Gen Z and Millennials. Remarkably, young men are now more likely to attend church than their female peers — a reversal of historic patterns.
Similar growth has been observed in the UK. A Bible Society study titled The Quiet Revival reports that regular church attendance has grown by 50% in the past six years, adding two million new attendees. The most dramatic rise has come from 18–24-year-olds, whose church participation jumped from 4% to 16% — with young men increasing from 4% to 21%.
Australia is seeing similar stirrings, though among an older crowd. McCrindle Research’s An Undercurrent of Faith found that from the 2016 to 2021 Census, more than 784,000 Australians shifted from “no religion” to identifying as Christian. Contrary to assumptions, the growth is not fuelled by immigration but by Australian-born citizens — most significantly among those over 55.
LIVING IN THE WORLD BUT NOT OF THE WORLD
To be “in the world but not of the world” is one of those sayings that make sense, but it remains undeniably easier said than done. As Christians, we understand that we are in the world, passing through, on our way to eternity. We also understand that we are not to be of the world in the sense that we submit our lives to Christ, putting off the desires of the flesh, avoiding temptations, and resisting evil. We understand these things, but how can we ensure we’re living them out?
“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world,” Jesus prayed. “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” John 17:14-16
How do we juggle the balance of loving unbelievers while not condoning their worldliness? How can we navigate discourse between those we disagree with? For many of us, it may be safe to say that we have a sense of needing to find unity where we can with those around us. And yet, in that pursuit, we must not neglect the command to speak the truth boldly and in love. To help us with this endeavour, there are a few goals worth prioritizing.
- Put God and His Word first.
No matter what you’re doing, who you’re talking to, where you’re going, or what you’re hoping for, putting God and His word first is the most important task for the believer. Proverbs 3:6 states, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.” The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” The two greatest commandments are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbours as ourselves. These are all in God’s word, and these are all rooted in putting God first. It’s glorifying to God to share His truth. It glorifies Him for us to love others and to be people who bear the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
When He is the one our gaze is fixed upon, we see the world differently. We’re quicker to see others (especially those of the world) not merely as obstacles or irritants but as people made in the image of God. We see sinners not so much as stumbling blocks but as people needing saving — just as we all are.
If you want to be a light to everyone around you, then make sure the Source of light is deeply and firmly planted within you. Be engaged in His word. Seek Him daily in prayer. Earnestly seek to glorify Him in all that you do, and you just may find yourself walking in a posture ready to communicate with anyone about anything in a way that is dignified, loving, truthful, and fruitful.
- Understand the biblical definition of love.
Jesus said in John 13:35 that His disciples will be known for their love. Of course, what is loving in biblical terms does not align with what the world defines love to be. And so, if we’re to be in the world but not of it, we must come to terms with the fact that we will have conversations with people we don’t agree with that won’t go particularly well. We can do everything in our power to be cool, calm, and collected, but it doesn’t change the fact that the truth is inherently offensive to those of the world. But as Christians, we know there is nothing more loving than to share this truth. A precise definition of biblical love can be found in 1 John 5:3: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” The truth can hurt, and it can hurt badly. But to experience hurt is not the same as to experience harm. The truth is love and freedom, and remembering this will help us hold our ground in conversations with people who are not like-minded. And at the end of the day, their responses are not in our control.
- Make sure you know what you believe and why.
This may actually be one of the most crucial steps to finding the balance of seeking unity while holding your ground. 1 Peter 3:15 states, “In your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.” Ephesians 4:15 talks about being equipped for ministry “so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” The point is that we should have conviction about what we believe. We should be able to clearly define and defend it.
- Stay humble.
Humility is not only biblical, but it’s necessary for healthy dialogue. Humility helps us approach conversations with the right attitude. It helps us respond better to those who do not behave well. It helps us be more compassionate when we’re dealing with difficult people or having dicey conversations. We are all sinful, imperfect, messy humans. Humility reminds us of that.
Summary: Between the goals of putting God first, understanding what true love is, knowing what you believe, and staying humble, you will be walking a path to success. A great anonymous quote “Jesus sat with sinners; He didn’t sin with them. Know the difference.” And remember the words found in Luke 12: 11b-12: “Do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” He is always with us. And praise be that He gives us the strength, wisdom, and discernment needed to live in and not of this world.
This an abbreviated version of an article in The Washington Stand entitled Living in the World, Not of It: The Balance of Finding Unity While Standing Firm in Truth by Sarah Holliday
MOST UNLIKELY INTELLECTUALS COMING TO CHRIST
There seems to be a significant movement to Christianity among some of the most influential intellectuals today. This story is taken from an article in The Australian on Dec. 20th, 2024 by Greg Sheridan: “How historian Niall Ferguson became a religious believer“
Pictured below: Douglas Murray, J.D.Vance, Jordan Peterson, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Niall Ferguson
Jordan Peterson famously says he’s no longer an atheist. Last year he told Greg Sheridan he now believes that Jesus Christ is the son of God, not just symbolically but truly. His wife, Tammy Roberts, herself an influential podcaster, this year became a Catholic after a long illness.
US vice-president-elect JD Vance went through a long atheist phase, but he too has since renewed his Christian belief and become a Catholic.
Tom Holland, the brilliant historian who wrote the influential book Dominion, about the Christian origins of the Western mind, has described his journey of belief. Paul Kingsnorth, once a radical atheistic environmentalist and a bestselling author, embraced Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Niall Ferguson is perhaps the most influential historian, and one of the most influential intellectuals, today. But here’s the most striking thing you’ll learn about Ferguson. Quietly, but with great commitment, Ferguson has become a religious believer. With his wife, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and their sons, he has become a churchgoing Anglican Christian. He is, in his own words, a “lapsed atheist”. Much more important, he’s a believing Christian. Though Ferguson sees profoundly the crisis of our times, and the contribution to that crisis brought about by the abandonment of Christianity, this is not primarily a political conversion. It’s a deeply personal and deliberate turn to faith by a man who was formerly a lifelong atheist.
Prolific author Douglas Murray represents another kind of intellectual who has grown to appreciate more and more the cultural contribution, a necessity even, of Christianity but, while immensely sympathetic to it and therefore opposed to the militantly secular spirit of the age, has stopped just short of actual personal belief. However, he’s moved, he says, from “Christian atheist” to “Christian agnostic”.
I wonder how long it will take for those who have turned to institutional/denominational churches such as Catholic and Anglican to realise that these churches have turned away (apostasy) from Biblical faith and compromised with the world on LGBTQ issues.
IMPRISONED PRO-LIFER URGES AMERICANS TO VOTE AGAINST ‘JEZEBEL SPIRIT’
A pro-life activist reporting to prison for her engagement in an abortion clinic blockade is encouraging Americans to “elect leaders who will stand for justice” and “be the beaming light that you were called to be” as she vows to “preach that Gospel” during her incarceration. She says, ” You cannot let Kamala win”.
Bevelyn Beatty Williams was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison for standing at the entrance of a New York City abortion clinic in November 2020, in what the United States Department of Justice characterized as a violation of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, announced in an X post-Tuesday that she was reporting to prison Wednesday.
Williams is now serving time in prison following an unsuccessful effort to overturn her conviction under the law, which subjects anyone who attempts to interfere with abortions services to federal charges.
Williams pointed to Kamala Harris’ career as a prosecutor as evidence that she “gets joy” out of prosecuting her political opponents. She also cited her conviction as a project of “a feminist movement” and “a Jezebel spirit in a lot of these women in power,” referring to the President Joe Biden-appointed Judge Jennifer Rochon, who sentenced her.
Williams told followers that, even though Rochon was “so harsh” at sentencing and treated her “so badly,” she “prayed for her” and was “still praying for her.” She reiterated her claim that the judge “represents every woman that just shouldn’t be in power” because she used “bias and emotion” in her judicial decision.
“She was ruthless with me,” Williams asserted. Williams summarized Rochon’s message as, “I think you’re a danger to the streets” and a “danger to society.” She characterized her conviction as part of a broader effort by progressive politicians to put “people that they don’t like politically in prison.”
END TIMES SIGNS: What is playing out here in the USA and in my previous post of a Pro-Life activist in the UK, are Biblical prophesied end times signs. Fortunately, God told us this would happen in the end times. In fact, tribulation will get worse when the Antichrist comes on the scene. Israel and Jerusalem are at the centre of Biblical end times prophecies and a major invasion of Israel is imminent.
THE TRUTH ABOUT TRUTH AND THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
Possessing no absolute or true existence of its own, evil is, by nature, parasitic. Being not of the created order, it can exist only by drawing its existence from that order. Evil must use the good. And so though good can exist without evil, evil cannot exist without good.
Truth can exist without falsehood, but falsehood cannot exist without truth.
Laws can exist without crimes, marriage without adultery, and life without murder. But crimes cannot exist without laws, adultery without marriage, and murder exist without life. Destruction requires structure, immorality requires morality, and sin requires the holy.
The good is primary. Evil is the parasitic inversion of the good. And so the existence of evil inadvertently testifies not against the existence of the good—but for it. It bears witness, unwillingly, to the existence of the good—the existence of God.
If evil is uncreated, how did it come to exist? God did not create evil, but He did create personhood, consciousness, and volition—free will. Free will is a necessity. If one does what is good because one has no choice in doing so, then it is not good. The good must be freely chosen and thus requires free will. And therein is the risk. To allow the choosing of good, one must allow the choosing of its opposite. And the opposite of good is evil. It is the allowance and risk of the good that allow for the risk of evil.
Evil requires personhood, will, consciousness, and volition.
Therefore, when looking for the source of evil we are looking in the direction of personhood, toward a conscious entity. It must be a created being that by its volition turned against the created order, against existence itself, a being that became an anti-being, an inversion. And this is exactly what the Scriptures reveal. There are two entities with the ability to choose good or evil: one, human, and the other, angelic. Since evil is spiritual and beyond flesh and blood, its origin must be found beyond flesh and blood, beyond the human, in the realm of the spiritual and the angelic. And in that realm, we see it, the entity that fulfills all the prerequisites—consciousness, volition, free will, and inversion and yet not of flesh and blood—an angelic being that turned against the fabric of the created order and against existence itself. In his inversion, he became the anti-being, the parasitic inversion of the good, the nemesis of reality. He became the one who should not exist and yet does. He became the Devil.
“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Isaiah 14:12-14
This information is in Jonathan Cahn’s new book The Dragons Prophecy: Israel, the Dark Resurrection, and the End of Days‘. God is using Jonathan mightily as a prophet to America, but we can learn from him as well.
THIS TYPE OF FOOLISHNESS WILL END SOON
A British army veteran who served in Afghanistan was found guilty today of praying silently near an abortion clinic in England.
Adam Smith-Connor breached a Public Spaces Protection Order by this action, according to the ruling at Poole Magistrates Court in the town of Poole near Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The court gave Smith-Connor a conditional discharge, meaning he would be sentenced only if convicted of future offenses within the next two years. But the court also ordered the father of two children to pay prosecution costs amounting to £9,000. ADF International stated that Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council spent £90,000 prosecuting the former soldier for praying, which carried a maximum penalty of £1,000. This is crazy and whoever authorised the expenditure should be sacked.
“Today, the court has decided that certain thoughts — silent thoughts — can be illegal in the United Kingdom,” Smith-Connor said after the court ruling. “That cannot be right. All I did was pray to God, in the privacy of my own mind, and yet I stand convicted as a criminal?”
The court found Smith-Connor guilty of an act of “disapproval of abortion,” though he was only thinking about his son, who had been aborted many years before, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International.
Smith-Connor had slightly bowed his head and clasped his hands in prayer on a public green in a buffer zone near the abortion facility in Orphir Road, Bournemouth in November 2022. During a confrontation with police officers that he recorded, they asked him, “What is the nature of your prayer?”
The buffer zone had been previously legalized under a Public Spaces Protection Order enforced on streets near the abortion clinic. The intent of the buffer zone had been to stop pro-life beliefs being expressed near the facility, including offering help or prayers to women in crisis pregnancies, according to a press statement by ADF International.
Defense attorneys argued that Smith-Connor’s prayerful thoughts, beliefs and opinions were not a crime, especially as he stood peacefully and silently on a public street. He stood behind a tree, spoke to no one, and had his back to the facility.
Fortunately, Biblical prophecy shows us that the return of Jesus to put an end to this nonsense is near.
REVIVAL IN GERMANY ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL EVANGELIST JEAN-LUC TRACHSEL
Thousands of young people packed the Porsche Arena in Stuttgart, Germany for the Fire Festival to praise, worship, and hear the Word of God.
An international evangelist says, that “revival in Germany” is breaking out as hundreds of people are getting “saved, delivered, healed, and baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
“After a short preaching of the ABC of The Gospel hundreds upon hundreds of young people came at the altar to give their lives to Jesus,” shared international evangelist Jean-Luc Trachsel. “Truly it’s harvest time in Europe like here in Stuttgart, Germany.” The Fire Festival kicked off on October 2 and ended on October 5 with a “Jesus March” through Stuttgart. Europe Shall Be Saved partnered with Holy Spirit Night for the event to reach Germany with the Gospel “through young revivalists who will influence the different spheres of society for the Kingdom of God.” Trachsel, the founder of Jean-Luc Trachsel Ministries said, “I’ve seen with my own eyes thousands of people getting saved and today it’s water baptisms in a glorious and joyful atmosphere,” he added.
The six-day event is just the latest example of what is taking place by the Spirit of God in the nation. Night of Hope is another movement taking the Gospel message to the streets of Hamburg, Bremen, Munchen, and many other German cities. Their outdoor crusades are marked by prayer, salvations, and testimonies of healing. “We are thankful to see what God is doing here in Germany,” the group shared on Instagram. Attendees were recently encouraged to “leave old things behind” and embrace their new life in Jesus Christ. “Only Jesus can truly set you free! He is our saviour, king, and deliverer,” they wrote. Evangelist David Rotärmel is behind Night of Hope through his evangelistic ministry, Reviving The World, which is on a mission to “see entire cities revived and shaken by the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” “There is an urgency being imprinted on our hearts by the Holy Spirit – NOW is the time to put our hands to the Plow and spread the Gospel like wildfire throughout the nations to every people, tribe, and tongue,” reads a statement on their website.
Much of Europe has abandoned the Christian faith, embraced secularism, and returned to its pagan roots. According to a Pew Research survey, the number of European Christians has been expected to drop by about 100 million, falling from 553 million in 2010 to 454 million in 2050. Meanwhile, Europe’s Muslim population is expected to increase by 63% in that time frame. Trachsel previously told CBN News he is seeing the decline firsthand in Switzerland where only three to five percent of the seven million people are born-again Christians. “I feel the time is coming where here in Europe, maybe the real Christians will have to be underground,” he said.
Despite those negative trends, massive revival gatherings have been happening this year throughout the continent including a move of God that is reaching Germany as well as France, the Netherlands, Hungary and Italy. The “harvest in Europe is truly ripe,” Trachsel recently shared.
“Holy Spirit Night” is another Europe-wide movement characterized “by praise, prayer, proclamation and the freedom to let the Holy Spirit work,” according to its website. It is currently taking place in 15 countries and 35 different cities including Germany, Ukraine, Belarus, and Austria. Trachsel is urging Europeans to continue to believe for God to move mightily in their countries and is applauding those who are forging ahead on a mission to increase the number of souls for God’s kingdom. “The main reason Jesus came on earth is to save those who are lost,” he shared. “Truly it’s harvest time in Europe.”
CHRISTIANS GATHER IN WASHINGTON TO PRAY FOR THE NATION
Tens of thousands of evangelical Christians gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Saturday to pray for America’s atonement and most also prayed for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Organizers of the event billed the gathering and next month’s presidential election as “a last stand moment” to save the nation from the forces of darkness. For hours, the gathered masses sang worship songs, waved flags symbolizing their belief that America was founded as an explicitly Christian nation, and prayed aloud for Jesus to intercede on behalf of Trump in November.
“If we don’t stand now,” said Grace Lin, who traveled from Los Angeles for the rally and came wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, “then the enemy will take over our country. If that happens, that’s the end.”
Lou Engle, the self-described prophet who organized the event, said God told him in a dream to call on a million women to march on Washington in order to restore God’s dominion over the nation. Engle is a leader in the New Apostolic Reformation, a movement of charismatic Christians who for years have portrayed U.S. politics as a spiritual clash between good and evil and Trump as a flawed leader anointed by God to redeem the nation.
“Listen to the cries of your people,” Engle shouted Saturday as thousands of followers lifted their hands to the sky. “Save us God!”
From a stage overlooking the Washington Monument, Engle and other speakers warned of a multitude of threats they say are facing America: crime, religious persecution, abortion, and the growing acceptance of LGBTQ people.
Thousands of women came wearing pink shirts emblazoned with the words “Don’t Mess With Our Kids” — the name and slogan of an anti-LGBTQ activist group that claims library books, public school teachers and pop culture are tricking children into changing genders.
Susan Marsh, who drove from Maryland, said she attended because she fears if Democrats maintain power, her 10-month old grandson will grow up in a nation where he’s pressured to identify as a girl. As she sang and prayed, Marsh waved a large Appeal to Heaven flag — a prominent symbol of the Christian movement to end the separation of church and state in America.
“So many people are hopeless right now,” Marsh said, choking up as she spoke to a reporter. “Our children are going through surgeries that are unnecessary because their hearts are broken and they think they’re not who they’re supposed to be.”
Maryn Freitag was part of a group of about 50 people who traveled from Minnesota. She said she came “to stand with the man who God has selected as the president.” She then gestured to her hat, which spelled out “Trump 2024” in shimmering rhinestones.
Freitag refused to contemplate what would happen if Trump loses to Vice President Kamala Harris: “I don’t even want to go there,” she said.
Sandi Woskie, another member of the Minnesota contingent, overheard the comment. She leaned in and said: “Think armageddon.”
“That’s right,” Freitag said. “If we don’t turn this nation back to the Lord, we’re on a fast slide into the abyss with no return.”
Matthew Taylor, a senior scholar at the nonprofit Institute for Islamic, Christian, and Jewish Studies in Maryland, said those comments are representative of a dangerous and increasingly widespread embrace of apocalyptic political messaging on the Christian right.
Taylor, who attended the march Saturday as part of his research, has spent years studying the New Apostolic Reformation and its unwavering support for Trump. He documented in his book, “The Violent Take it by Force,” how false claims about widespread election fraud by Engle and other Christian nationalist leaders helped fuel the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Taylor said he worries that the dire messaging — and the portrayal of Trump as God’s chosen candidate to defeat evil Democrats — could set the stage for more violence.
“This is about activating the most ardent Christian supporters of Donald Trump, putting them into an apocalyptic mindset that says this election is do or die for America,” Taylor said. “The danger is that these folks can easily be converted over into Capitol rioters if the right circumstances come about and if their leaders give them that guidance.”
Taylor — and many others in attendance — noted that the crowd was more racially and ethnically diverse than most conservative political rallies. Churches from across the country, including some majority Black denominations, chartered buses for the event. Organizers chose to hold the event on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, because it is a day to atone for sin.
LaTrece Curry, a Black mother who said she voted for former President Barack Obama in 2008, drove from Ohio with her husband and four children. She said her support for Trump — a twice-divorced billionaire who’s facing a range of criminal charges related to his business practices and alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election — has led to divisions and arguments with her Black friends and family members. But she believes he’s the only candidate who will set America back on a moral course.
“I do think it is a last stand,” Curry said. “But God has given us so much time. Now judgment will come.”
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 