from RAIR Foundation: The FBI is now coming right out and alleging that Venezuela’s dictatorial regime is using Tren de Aragua (TdA) gangbangers to destabilize the US and other countries. The FBI is now coming right out and alleging that Venezuela’s dictatorial regime is using Tren de Aragua (TdA) gangbangers to destabilize the US and […]

We’re in the middle of college decision season. High school seniors are busy reviewing their financial aid packages, exploring options, and preparing for deadlines for housing deposits and offer acceptances. Many are still visiting campuses, trying to get clarity about their next steps. Recently, I spoke to a large group of parents who were on campus with their sons or daughters for Spring Preview Day at Biola University. I outlined our institutional priorities and commitments. There’s a telos embedded in every institution; the issue is whether that telos corresponds with reality and what God says is supremely important. So there are several questions parents should ask when exploring or visiting a Christian college or university—questions any institution should welcome as reasonable. Faculty’s Convictional Alignment First, families should ask about the faculty. I don’t intend for this to sound inquisitorial or suspicious. I do intend a “trust but verify” sentiment. Every institution is made up of imperfect people. Even amid our best intentions, without clear and stated expectations of conviction, it’s only a matter of time before the force of inertia causes drift. Such a drift generally originates among the faculty. The converse is also true: If an institution is healthy and thriving, energized by a love for God and his world, you’ll find a stabilizing center of gravity among the faculty. In particular, parents are wise to ask how the school recruits and hires faculty. What doctrinal commitments are faculty members expected to affirm? Must they merely acknowledge the institution’s convictions, or are they required to affirm them as their own deeply held convictions? There’s a world of difference. There’s a telos embedded in every institution; the issue is whether that telos corresponds with reality and what God says is supremely important. Are professors expected to issue these affirmations only once, never again to engage with them? (A recipe for institutional drift). Or does the school have a recurring instrument, including in its contract structures, for faculty to renew their commitment and affirmation? Does the school have tenure? If so, how do questions of mission fidelity and theological alignment integrate into the tenure process, whether in the tenure application or in post-tenure review? People change their views all the time. This is normal. But if a faculty member changes his or her view on a conviction the employer takes a clear stance on, it should be normal—and noncontroversial—for that individual and the school to part ways. Convictional misalignment among faculty festers over time and can become a major source of institutional drift. Any school that claims to be distinctly Christian must have distinctly Christian convictions, which faculty are expected to joyfully and eagerly affirm without hesitation. Faith Integration Across the Curriculum It’s one thing to hold to foundational convictions. It’s another to master the skill of integrating biblical truth into academic disciplines. For a comprehensively Christian university to be functionally Christian, the latter is essential. Parents should ask how schools cultivate meaningful faith integration across the disciplines, beginning with the professional development of new faculty members. Most of us who went to secular research universities for our PhD programs were well equipped in many ways, but we received no training on how to interrogate, reconcile, and integrate our fields of study within our calling as Christian scholars. Much of that work must fall on Christian colleges and universities. The goal is to train and inspire faculty to practice deep, robust, holistic integration in their disciplines—not to pay lip service to faith integration, superficially integrate it in their classrooms, or check a box. True integration isn’t just being a Christian who thinks but someone who thinks Christianly, bringing our Christian identity to disciplinary studies so fully and organically that it becomes second nature. Convictional misalignment among faculty festers over time and can become a major source for institutional drift. Faith integration is important for both faculty members and the curriculum they teach. Parents are right to ask about what, if any, curricular requirements exist for students in Bible and theology. A curriculum is like a budget, inevitably reflecting priorities and values. There’s a finite amount of time and credit units to work with, so hard decisions must be made. But the squeezing out of theological and biblical studies from many Christian schools signals a Faustian bargain that has already brought a reckoning to many campuses. It’s possible to sustain a robust core in biblical and theological studies for all students alongside highly specialized and competitive majors in every discipline. Parents should ask what practical vision of education animates the curriculum. What telos or outcome is most prized? Is it to form activists? To train upstanding citizens? To prepare students for the workforce? Does it seem to have any inherent purpose or vision, or is it a disparate salad bar of incoherent options for students? A distinctly Christian college should have a cohesive and animating vision for what it means to be human, to be made in God’s image, and to pursue knowledge out of love for God and neighbor. Those commitments must conspicuously shape the curriculum. No Perfect Institution No institution is perfect. At some point, every parent will be frustrated or disappointed by something within the college. But parents can and should expect schools to be honest about both our convictions and our aims. Here’s the good news: Families have no small number of excellent choices for this kind of experience. Not all Christian colleges and universities are created equal, and the “just Christian enough” phenomenon is real and corrosive. But I’m regularly encouraged by the evidence of God’s grace in so many schools who, for all their diverse traditions and cultural contexts, exhibit the institutional integrity needed to garner and retain the trust of parents and students alike. May their tribe increase.

Even if you’ve studied American church history, you may not have progressed beyond the basics of understanding the black tradition. I teach about the civil rights movement to graduate students, but I’m always learning more about the churches and leaders who contributed to the most effective movement for social change in American history. I got a big boost from a new book by Walter Strickland, Swing Low: A History of Black Christianity in the United States, Vol. 1 (IVP Academic). Whether you know a lot or a little, Strickland offers a fast-moving overview of black church history with all its triumphs and tragedies. Strickland writes, Despite the justifiable departure of Blacks from White churches and denominations, the burden of explaining the proliferation of racialized congregations in America remains a wound in the Christian conscience that is yet to be healed. As the most powerful organization in the African American community, the church frequently deployed its resources in the political realm to combat the oppression that typified the Black experience. Walter joined me on Gospelbound to discuss theological malformation, the hermeneutics of slavery, the problem of evil, whether Reformed theology is inherently racist, and more.

The House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, in collaboration with the newly established UAP Disclosure Fund (UAPDF), will host a significant congressional briefing titled “Understanding UAP: Science, National Security & Innovation” on May 1, 2025. The open event aims to provide a science-driven perspective on unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), formerly known as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), and explore their implications across various critical sectors. Scheduled to commence at 11:30 am Eastern Time in Room 2247 of the Rayburn House Office Building, the briefing will feature Members of Congress alongside leading experts from science, defense, and technology. Discussions will delve into the multifaceted nature of UAP, examining their relevance to scientific understanding, national security concerns, and potential avenues for technological innovation. Organizers emphasize the timely nature of this briefing, noting that the increasing sophistication in aerospace, energy, and artificial intelligence has elevated the study of UAP from a peripheral topic to one of central importance. This nonpartisan initiative seeks to foster a deeper understanding of these phenomena through informed dialogue and expert insights. Members of the public are invited to attend the briefing on a first-come, first-served basis, given the limited seating capacity. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be livestreamed and recorded, ensuring broader accessibility to the discussions and findings. The location and time are subject to potential adjustments. This briefing marks a significant step in bringing a more rigorous and science-based approach to the discussion surrounding UAP within the halls of Congress. The post Key Experts to Participate in Congressional UAP Hearing Next Month appeared first on Anomalien.com.

As many as 200,000 people were expected to attend Pope Francis' funeral in St. Peter's Square as he is being laid to rest Saturday.

President Donald Trump on Saturday was among more than 50 heads of state and other dignitaries attending the funeral of Pope Francis, where he will personally pay his respects to the Roman Catholic leader who pointedly disagreed with him on a variety of issues.