By Steve Horn “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” - 1 Corinthians 2:2 NIV ALEXANDRIA, La. - Today, in Washington, D.C., a statue of Billy Graham will be unveiled. My understanding is that the statue depicts Graham pointing toward an open Bible. John 3:16 and John 14:6 are inscribed on the statue. This inscription is appropriate for the evangelist who in his last public sermon preached: I have one message—that Jesus Christ came, He died on a cross, He rose again, and He asked us to repent of our sins and receive him by faith as Lord and Savior, and if we do, we have forgiveness of all our sins. My earliest memory of Billy Graham is watching his Crusades on television as a child with my mother. I would later in life learn that Billy and my mother shared November 7as a birthday. Indeed, he was the most famous preacher of my lifetime. The quality, however, that I admire most about Graham is that he never set out to be famous, just faithful. As I have reflected on Graham’s life, I note these characteristics. He was a man of integrity. Early in his ministry, he wrote out four principles to govern his ministry. He and his associates agreed together that they would secure … [Read more...]

By Ron F. Hale “My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism,” declared  Karl Marx (1818-1883). If only he could have heard and heeded the poetic words of James Weldon Johnson: "Young man – Young man – Your arm’s too short to box with God." Marx was a mere mortal, foolish to think he could dethrone the Almighty, yet the cultural rot and toxic ideology being witnessed on many university campuses today--spring from the mind of this revolutionary. The Frankfurt School was founded in 1923, in Frankfurt Germany on the campus of Goethe University. After the rise of Hitler’s Nazism, even secular Marxian intellectuals of Jewish decent were not safe in Germany. The school folded with Dr. Max Horkheimer receiving an invitation and home on the campus Columbia University in New York City in 1934 and remained until 1950.  Sometimes called the “Horkheimer Circle,” these academics and social scientists, included men like T.W. Adorno, Erich Fromm, Geog Lukacs, Herbert Marcuse, and Walter Benjamen. Critical Theory is synonymous with the Frankfort School. These men trained others to translate the ideology of Marxism from economic terms into practical cultural terms. This new revolution would not promote … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. - Tomorrow is National Day of Prayer. As we approach this day, I am grateful for all of the prayer gatherings that will happen across the United States of America. However, let me remind us that a day of prayer is not enough. We need to be a nation of prayer, not just have a National Day of Prayer. In the Book of Acts, people are said to be praying 31 times. Of these 31 times … 14 times an individual is said to be praying. 2 times two or more people in a small group are said to be praying. 15 times it is the church gathered in prayer. Half of the references to praying in the book of Acts are references to corporate praying! We see in Acts that there were appointed times and places for prayer. We see that the church prayed for power, wisdom, boldness to share Christ, in times of crisis, for missionaries, for pastors, and for each other. When the Early Church encountered a crisis, they didn’t pout, panic, protest, sign a petition, or organize a boycott. Instead, they prayed. Bob Russell, retired pastor of Southeast Bible Church in Louisville, KY, recounts the story of how his church once bought the building next door to the leading abortion clinic in Kentucky. They did some crisis … [Read more...]

By Steve Horn ALEXANDRIA, La. - One of the sporting world’s most celebrated events occurs this weekend in the Masters. The world’s best golfers will compete over four days for a total prize purse of 18 million dollars. The winner gets 3.25 million and the coveted green jacket. Even some who otherwise have no interest in golf will watch at some point this weekend. Holes 11, 12 and 13 on the course are called the Amen Corner. Remembering this got me to thinking about all of the spiritual lessons in golf. And, not just the ones about “not throwing your clubs in the water.” I am not an accomplished golfer, but I like to play. I have observed a few spiritual lessons along the way. (Actually, I have seen entire devotional books written with this thought in mind.) New Testament writers used sporting imagery from their day to convey spiritual truth. So, on this weekend of the Masters, I offer a couple of spiritual insights from the great game of golf. Bad things happen when you do not keep your eyes on the ball. That’s true in golf and life. I have a tendency in golf to look up to see how far I hit the ball. The problem is that I tend to look up before I hit the ball. As believers when we fail to keep our eyes on the ball of … [Read more...]