Psychologists and counselors are dealing with a problem that many in America consider inevitable: divorce. Psychologists and counselors are dealing with a problem that many in America consider inevitable: divorce. They offer advice to people in pain. On the surface, their advice sounds forward-looking, pragmatic, and helpful: Get On With Your Life ... GOWYL. “We think of a marriage as a crap shoot, with worse than 50-50 odds of finding and marrying ‘the right person,’” writes Diane Sollee of Smart Marriages. “If we marry ‘the wrong person,’ we want the right to exit and try again.” GOWYL. It’s hard to imagine a family that hasn’t been touched by divorce today. The method preferred by social scientists in determining the divorce rate is to calculate how many people who have ever married subsequently divorced. Counted that way, the rate has never exceeded about 41 percent, researchers say. Rising radically in the 1960s, since the 1970s the rate has steadily been inching downward. Still, even as divorce rates decline, the number of lives impacted is staggering. In 2003, based on the 45 reporting states (excluding California, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Oklahoma), 920,060 marriages were dissolved. Over 1.8 million … [Read more...]

Question: My spouse and I seem to fight all the time. I am so tired of the fighting. What should I do? Question: My spouse and I seem to fight all the time. I am so tired of the fighting. What should I do? Michele Louviere answers: First of all, I am so sorry that you and your spouse are struggling. Marriage can be a challenging relationship. Even though our society portrays marriage as “happily ever after,” even the best marriages have seasons of difficulty. Conflict doesn’t have to destroy your marriage; rather, it can actually help you grow as a couple. Here are some suggestions that may help you and your spouse.  First of all, when you are struggling with your spouse, it’s very easy to see what your spouse is doing wrong. You think, “if only my spouse would do _____, then everything would be ok.” It’s much more challenging to see your own contribution to the problems. Take some time to spend with God. Ask God to push away your thoughts about your spouse’s contribution to the problems and ask Him to show you what your contribution may be. Then ask God to really break your heart about what you have done or said to your spouse that has hurt his or her heart. Take 100 percent responsibility of whatever God places on your … [Read more...]

Dr. Marilyn Heins, parenting expert, came home from a long day at work to find that the kids had made a mess of the house. Her first reaction was to start yelling. Dr. Marilyn Heins, parenting expert, came home from a long day at work to find that the kids had made a mess of the house. Her first reaction was to start yelling. Almost immediately the family parrot began making a horrible noise that sounded just like Marilyn’s yelling voice. The good doctor said that she had an “ah-ha” moment and made a commitment that day to stop yelling at her children. Why do parents yell at their children?  Some parents yell simply because they grew up with parents who yelled. Like the parrot, we often replicate the parenting styles of our own families. Other parents yell to release anger. They may be angry about some situation at work or a relationship that has nothing to do with the child. Parents also yell because they believe that it is the most effective way to correct the child’s behavior. Studies show, that even though yelling may produce immediate compliance, it does not produce lasting results and does not motivate children to obey for the right reasons. In addition, yelling can result in some serious problems for … [Read more...]

In the United States, attorneys are free to represent whomever they choose. In the United States, attorneys are free to represent whomever they choose. And while I am grateful that I have never had the need for legal counsel in a criminal or civil matter (except for the closing on a home), I feel confident an attorney would seek zealously to defend my interests, despite his or her personal beliefs about my guilt or innocence. With that said, I still harbor serious concerns about David Ogden, who was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 14-5 vote on Feb. 26, as deputy attorney general – the No. 2 position – in the U.S. Justice Department. While I want to be careful about drawing connections where connections don’t exist, I am more than a little bit troubled by several of the legal cases in which Ogden was involved. According to Internet chatter, particularly from right-leaning sites and groups, Ogden’s participation in pornography cases, often in legal briefs in support of the individual or company associated with pornography, reflects a disturbing trend. According to ThePublicDiscourse.com, an online publication of the Witherspoon Institute, Ogden represented the head of the nation’s largest mail-order … [Read more...]

Four-hundred years ago, a small congregation of English Christians recovered the New Testament practice of believer’s baptism. Infant baptism began during the third century of the church, at first as a supposed remedy for original sin. During the medieval era, when church and state were united, infant baptism also became a sign of the newborn’s dual citizenship in the parish church and in the political community. Even the Protestant Reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin maintained the practice of infant baptism. Of the European Reformers, only the Anabaptists rejected infant baptism in favor of believer’s baptism, and as a result, they were severely persecuted by Catholics and Protestants alike. Four-hundred years ago, a small congregation of English Christians recovered the New Testament practice of believer’s baptism. Infant baptism began during the third century of the church, at first as a supposed remedy for original sin. During the medieval era, when church and state were united, infant baptism also became a sign of the newborn’s dual citizenship in the parish church and in the political community. Even the Protestant Reformers, such as Martin Luther and John Calvin maintained the practice of infant baptism. Of … [Read more...]

Question: How old were Adam and Eve when God created them? Evidently, old enough (to be aware sexually). Did Adam and Eve have children before they sinned and were cast by God from the Garden of Eden? Apparently not. This is not addressed by the author of Genesis but would greatly complicate the issue of man’s fallen nature if a child had been conceived prior to the “fall.” Such questions are quite common. Another difficult question concerns where Cain and Seth found their wives. Genesis 4 makes clear the fact that Cain was married (4:17) to apparently only one wife. Seth, likewise, marries (4:26) and fathers a son. Where did these earliest members of the human race find their wives? This is indeed a good but tough question. Archie England answers: Over the years four basic solutions for this issue have developed: (1) creationism, (2) theistic evolution, (3) evolution, and (4) representative headship. Creationists typically argue that God created only Adam and Eve, all other humans were born from this first couple; theistic evolution (along with but somewhat different from the Gap proponents) suggests that other humanoids (various prehistoric races) existed during the same time as Adam and Eve; evolution, of … [Read more...]

On May 6, 1862, Henry David Thoreau’s struggle with tuberculosis ended with his death at the age of 44. Tuberculosis, commonly called consumption, devoured infected hosts from the inside out. The pale color, chronic cough, and spitting up of blood demonstrated the consumption of life. On May 6, 1862, Henry David Thoreau’s struggle with tuberculosis ended with his death at the age of 44. Tuberculosis, commonly called consumption, devoured infected hosts from the inside out. The pale color, chronic cough, and spitting up of blood demonstrated the consumption of life. Unfortunately, doctors understood neither how to treat this disease nor how contagious it was. Those infected had little way of knowing until too late. One doctor, named Henry Bowditch wrote a series of articles in the Atlantic Monthly and incorrectly “theorized that damp soil was the main cause of consumption.” He advised “towns to drain wet areas and families to occupy only sunlit homes sited on dry soils.” The 1882 discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis led to a better understanding of the disease. Improved treatments reduced deaths, resulting in a disease most frequently encountered today in the history books. History often repeats itself, … [Read more...]

Comedian Bill Maher, whose film Religulous released to DVD in mid-February, is on a crusade against organized religion. Maher believes that a supreme being of some sort exists but that it is nothing like what is being presented by the world religions. Comedian Bill Maher, whose film Religulous released to DVD in mid-February, is on a crusade against organized religion. Maher believes that a supreme being of some sort exists but that it is nothing like what is being presented by the world religions. During a recent interview, Mike Huckabee asked Maher if he thought any good had resulted from religion. Maher answered, “Well, there’s no denying that some good has come about from religion.” Maher admitted that soup kitchens, charities and missionaries are examples of good things religion has done. But he hastened to add that “it comes at a terrible price,” considering evil committed in the name of religion such as suicide bombings, religious wars, the Crusades, burning witches and having sex with children. One can quickly agree with Maher that religious people have done terrible things to others. But one can just as quickly note that even more vile things have been performed by the irreligious. Stalin, Pol Pot, Mao and … [Read more...]

As North American Mission Board trustees looked toward the 2009 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, they celebrated news that NAMB’s missionary count topped 5,600 at the end of 2008 and Southern Baptist church plants increased 6 percent over 2007. ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) – As North American Mission Board trustees looked toward the 2009 Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions, they celebrated news that NAMB’s missionary count topped 5,600 at the end of 2008 and Southern Baptist church plants increased 6 percent over 2007. NAMB President Geoff Hammond highlighted the upcoming Annie Armstrong Offering season during the trustees’ Feb. 11 meeting at NAMB’s offices in Alpharetta, Ga. Citing the partners who promote the offering, with a goal of $65 million, Hammond said, “[W]e’re grateful to Woman’s Missionary Union, all the state conventions and local associations, but ultimately it’s the local pastor who must challenge people to contribute.” This year’s Annie Armstrong theme, “Sowing Together For Harvest,” calls Southern Baptists to pray for, give to and ponder together to reach North America for Christ,” he said. Hammond showed a video of eight NAMB missionaries in North America … [Read more...]

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee unanimously agreed Feb. 17 to continue to study whether the convention should remain affiliated with Broadway Baptist Church, a historic Fort Worth, Texas, congregation that was involved last year in a controversy over whether homosexual couples should be pictured in a church directory. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee unanimously agreed Feb. 17 to continue to study whether the convention should remain affiliated with Broadway Baptist Church, a historic Fort Worth, Texas, congregation that was involved last year in a controversy over whether homosexual couples should be pictured in a church directory. In other business, EC members: n approved a 2009-10 Cooperative Program Allocation budget of $204,385,592 for recommendation to the Southern Baptist Convention during its June 23-24 annual meeting in Louisville, Ky. The proposed budget maintains current allocations to the convention’s ministries, including 50 percent of receipts to the International Mission Board and 22.79 percent to the North American Mission Board. The convention’s six seminaries will receive 21.92 percent. According to the seminary enrollment formula, … [Read more...]