You may not have heard, but back in June a hoax went around, warning against earth’s supposed impending doom—which (they said) should have destroyed us all by September! Rumors about a stellar cataclysm were “shared” around social media (and oddly enough, gathered some “likes” along the way). Surely, if it appeared on Facebook, Huffington Post or Before It’s News, it must be true… right? In fact, however, whether by comet or man-made catastrophe, the end of the world is no trivial matter—so why should it be treated like one?

Extraterrestrial invaders coming to Earth is a common theme of movies, television programs, science fiction books and video games. However, a real “alien invasion” has been taking place. Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are seeing a virtual explosion in immigrant population as millions of human aliens swarm into Western nations. Why? And what will be the consequences?

The enormous billboard loomed above me as I sat in late-afternoon city traffic. It featured a scantily-clad woman with dark red lipstick and air-brushed-to-perfection curves. I stared at it transfixed. I’m sure she was meant to be selling some sort of perfume or lingerie. It’s hard to remember because what she was really selling was far more destructive. I thought to myself, “This billboard was designed by Satan to tempt men,” and I blamed it for playing its role in promoting the veritable addiction to pornography that plagues our modern world. I looked away, disdainfully.

Responding to a question on NBC’s Meet the Press, presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson raised controversy with his statement, “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation. I absolutely would not agree with that.” Is Carson’s perspective correct? What is the Christian perspective on this matter?

“About 90% of seabirds have eaten plastic and are likely to retain some in their gut, a new analysis estimates. The study concludes that matters will only get worse until action is taken to stem the flow of waste to the oceans. Researcher Erik Van Sebille says the oceans are now filled with plastic and it is ‘virtually certain’ that any dead seabird found in 2050 ‘will have a bit of plastic in its stomach’” (BBC, August 31, 2015).