Faithful Unto Death

Jerry Newcombe
3 Mar 2015
no comments
faithful unto death

The Associated Press reports that 21 Coptic Christians were beheaded in Libya. They were faithful unto death. Their murderers were Islamic State (IS) members, in affiliation with the main body of IS, which is in Syria and in Iraq. The video shows 21 captives in orange jumpsuits with each captive being led by an IS member at the Libyan shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Christians are forced to get down on their knees and are then beheaded. All of the captors had their faces covered to hide their identities. I suppose you could say this was IS’s version of […]

-Read More

Ten Reasons Why the Church Should Not Abandon Politics

Jerry Newcombe
1 Feb 2015
no comments

Recent events have raised the issue: Should the pulpit always avoid politics? It depends on what we mean by “politics;” it demeans the pulpit to use it for partisan politics. But here are ten reasons why I don’t think politics and religion should (or even can) be completely separate:   1) The Word of God has something to say about all of life, beyond just the spiritual. My long-time pastor, Dr. D. James Kennedy, once noted that the Church of Jesus Christ has always been opposed to abortion — from the very beginning. It still is. In the last generation, […]

-Read More

abandon politics

Praising Allah at the National Cathedral

Jerry Newcombe
9 Dec 2014
one comments

Recently, I had the privilege to visit the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Someone asked me, “What were you doing there?” My response: “Worshiping Jesus Christ.” Before and after the beautiful service, it was a delight to walk around and see what’s there such as the stone sarcophagus of Woodrow Wilson, with just his name and the years of his birth and death. He died in 1924. The cathedral was built in 1907. This was the only presidential grave I saw there in my abridged, unofficial tour. The National Cathedral is part of the Episcopal Church. It is not officially […]

-Read More

To Vote or Not to Vote?

Jerry Newcombe
3 Nov 2014
no comments

In polite society, you’re not supposed to talk about politics, sex, or religion. Sorry, but this column will discuss all three, directly or indirectly. In America, we get the kind of government we deserve. Is this the best we can do? There certainly is a big divide in how we approach politics, even among well-meaning Christians. I was asked to speak at Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church recently, and the title was given to me: “To vote or not to vote?” Are you serious? How can we not vote? We’re in such a mess because we haven’t been voting our values. […]

-Read More

Shakespeare and “Death with Dignity”

Jerry Newcombe
no comments

Recent events have brought the debate on so-called “death with dignity” and assisted suicide into the spotlight again. And yet, the argument is not really a new one. There is no less light than when William Shakespeare extensively dealt with the subject in his writing. “Death with dignity” is essentially a code word for suicide, sometimes in the face of a terminal illness. As one humanist put it, he wants to kill himself on his own terms rather than die from some disease. He said it would be like telling God, “You can’t fire me . . . I quit.” […]

-Read More

The Irony of California’s Ousting of Campus Christian Groups

Jerry Newcombe
14 Oct 2014
no comments

A disturbing story came and went, barely noticed a few weeks ago. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is being unceremoniously booted off the campuses of California’s 23 state universities. This begins with a process of “derecognizing” these as legitimate campus groups. Why? Though everyone is welcome at their ministry events, ICVF reserves leadership only for those committed to their goals and creed, just as a homosexual group would presumably reserve leadership for gays or those who affirm its pro-gay agenda orr a Muslim group for Muslims. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship is a network of campus ministries. It is evangelical in orientation and has been around […]

-Read More

The Root of 9/11

Jerry Newcombe
11 Sep 2014
no comments

Did you know that since 9/11, there have been 23,780 separate deadly terror attacks carried out by Islamic extremists, according to thereligionofpiece.com? The 13th anniversary of 9/11 is upon us. Why did it happen at all? We get a hint of why from a statement from the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hasan al-Banna (1906-1949) of Egypt. He said, “It is the nature of Islam to dominate, not to be dominated, to impose its law on all nations, and to extend its power to the entire planet.” Motivation But there’s another factor as well, and that deals with the personal motivation of […]

-Read More

A Response to Ferguson

Jerry Newcombe
5 Sep 2014
no comments

When will the rioting in Ferguson, MO. stop? There has been much mayhem — including the police using tear gas — and much looting in the St. Louis suburb. The media covers this story heavily. Some estimate there may be as many media members as there are protesters. All of this follows the shooting death of a black teenager, Michael Brown, allegedly by a white police officer. Though the facts are sketchy, many are convinced that an injustice has been done. The reaction has created an additional crisis. Reports indicate that thugs from all over have descended on Ferguson to […]

-Read More

Is Boko Haram’s Motivation Mysterious?

Jerry Newcombe
4 Aug 2014
no comments

Here we are after the kidnapping of some 300 girls by a radical Islamic group in Nigeria, and there are still many in the West who don’t get it. They just don’t understand the motivation of the kidnappers. Radical Muslims want to take over the world. They divide it into two parts—those who submit to Allah and therefore are at “peace” and those that are at war until they are made to submit to Allah. These are the houses of peace (Dar al-Islam) and of war (Dar al-Harb). By misreading the motives of Boko Haram, the kidnapping group, we are […]

-Read More

Banning The Bible From Schools

Jerry Newcombe
2 Jun 2014
no comments
banning the bible

In our own backyard, at Park Lakes Elementary in Broward County, has arisen a disturbing story of a twelve year old boy (Giovanni Rubeo) getting in trouble with his teacher for having the audacity of reading the Bible to himself during free time when the children were free to read whatever they wanted. But his fifth grade teacher, Swornia Thomas, singled out the Bible (a Christmas gift Gio treasures) because it was allegedly inappropriate to read in the school. In her own words, it was “the book he’s reading as opposed to the curriculum for public school.” Again, this was […]

-Read More