Theology

Leading Christian apologists Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg will kick off their series of live national and global simulcasts by discussing "The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask," which will be seen at more than 75 churches across the United States, Canada, and Australia, this Saturday.

Strobel and Mittelberg will be joined by university professors Craig Hazen and Douglas Groothuis at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colo., to present "powerful responses" to six of the top questions that plague Christians today.

Organizers of the event say the speakers' answers will be biblical and backed up with logic and evidence. more >>

God's "fierce fingers" are all over the deadly storms that ripped through the Midwest and South over the past weekend, popular preacher and author John Piper said.

Contrary to Pat Robertson's claim that God was not responsible for the recent string of tornadoes that left at least 38 people dead, the Desiring God founder stressed that God alone was in fact responsible for the disaster.

"We do not ascribe such independent power to Mother Nature or to the devil," he penned on his ministry's blog. "God alone has the last say in where and how the wind blows." more >>

Pat Robertson, host of "The 700 Club," said Monday during the program's airing that God does not send tornadoes "to kill people" and that those affected by the deadly string of twisters in the Midwest and Southeast only had themselves to blame for living in tornado-prone areas.

Answering a viewer from Illinois as to why it is that "God sent the tornadoes," Robertson was quick to respond that "God didn't send tornadoes."

The question, featured in the program's "Bring It On" segment, in which the program invites "millions of viewers" to send in questions about "life, love, finances, morality, and what it means to be a Christian." more >>

Did the Maya believe the world would end in December 2012? That is the question the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (known as Penn Museum) in Philadelphia has taken to exploring in its newest exhibition opening in May.

The theory that the ancient Maya predicted a cataclysmic event at the end of their calendar has been gaining popularity over the recent years. According to the exhibition organizers, some believe that a celestial alignment will bring a series of devastating natural disasters. Others argue that this event will bring enlightenment and a new age of peace. Penn Museum scientists decided to address the issue, and attempt to answer the questions surrounding the mysterious calendar prophecy, especially having observed the public's increased curiosity about that ancient civilization and its knowledge regarding the end of time.

"MAYA 2012: Lords of Time," the exhibition, is set to compare the apocalypse predictions with their supposed origins in the ancient Maya civilization, says a statement released by Penn Museum. For that purpose, the museum mobilized some of its best curators, creating an interactive exhibition complete with sculptures and full-sized replicas of major monuments. more >>

SPRINGFIELD, Va. – Some 1,000 men joined "Courageous" co-writer and co-director Stephen Kendrick at a Virginia church on Saturday to learn about biblical manhood.

Kendrick told the crowd gathered at Immanuel Bible Church for the regional "Iron Sharpens Iron" men's conference that modern societal problems can be linked to a lack of good fathers.

According to Kendrick, there were many factors and causes that have led American society to lack good fathers and male role models in the home. more >>

A leading proponent of the belief that Christians should always be on mission, or "missional," in their daily lives says it's time for believers to stay and live longer in the areas of the world that they feel God has called them to.

Church planter Jeff Vanderstelt, who leads Soma Communities, a body of church planting churches in South Puget Sound, Wash., was one of several speakers discussing what it means to be missional on Wednesday during the first day of the two-day Verge 2012 Conference at Austin Music Hall in Texas.

During the conference, that is also being live streamed on the Web, Vanderstelt discussed what it means for Christians to move from not only being missional (living a life that brings people into a relationship with Jesus), but to be incarnational (adding a discipleship factor to daily living), as well. more >>