The 25th of November 2009 was the 150th anniversary of the publishing of Darwin's "Origin of the species." In that context, an article in the Toronto Star by journalist Stephen Marche brought forward arguments that for a couple of minutes kept me in suspense. Could we really have a journalist saying that the Bible was true?

In October, 2002, just a little over a year after September 11, 2001, the greater Washington, D.C. region was terrorized by indiscriminate sniper shootings killing ten people and critically injuring three others. Police soon figured out this rampage was being conducted by a serial killer or killers on the loose. For three weeks people within a hundred miles of the city feared to leave home or work place worrying the killer just might have them in his or her sights. Fearful people hurried from home to car to store or work place and then reversed the routine. No one knew where he or she might strike next. Many stayed indoors, TV shows recommended ways to avoid becoming targets, schoolchildren were kept inside at recess, parents covered their children on the way to the school buses and police officials declared no one was safe. 

Little Angela Kasner, daughter of a Lutheran pastor in Russian-dominated East Germany, was barely two years old when an American radio preacher published in his magazine an astonishing statement: "The way is being prepared for a colossal third force in world politics—a European Federation of Nations more powerful than either Russia or the United States!… We have shown years in advance what would happen to Russia's ill-fated Empire in Eastern Europe" (Plain Truth, December 1956, p. 3).

Recently, the pop culture society has been super-charged by the upcoming latest installment of the Twilight movies – movies centered on the romance of a girl and a vampire.  As I write this, hundreds of thousands of movie-goers flocked to the theaters to see the very first midnight showing. The Los Angeles Times reported that this movie broke the single day ticket sales records, and it is expected to be among the five top-grossing weekends overall.  Even a local fast-food restaurant gave me my food in a bag advertising the movie, encouraging me to "devour" my meal.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has sparked a heated debate with the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and Italian mayors over the role of the crucifix in Italian society (Christian Science Monitor, November 3, 2009). But, a more fundamental issue should be addressed. Is the cross even a Christian symbol in the first place?