This is a well-worn passage in the Christmas story found in the Gospel of Luke. Mary is visited by an angel who tells her some amazing and disturbing news. She is going to conceive a child by God and from God who will be the Savior of the world! She is unsettled at first, but her tone changes when she realizes what she's been chosen to do! She breaks out in song! We often see this as a sweet little song sung by a teenage girl who is obedient to the Lord. But there is deep theology in this song. Prophetic truth! These are hardly the words of a 14-year old! Where does she get this language and knowledge that is clearly beyond her years? And what is this song really conveying? This is the Magnificat, and when you dig deeper, your mind will be blown!

Here we go again! This is another conversation that arose out of an intersection between faith and culture. We've talked about the antichrist before. We had a whole episode on it in our Revelation series. But just a few weeks ago, multi-billionaire Peter Thiel gave a series of lectures in an exclusive setting in San Francisco. He fancies himself to be a sort of modern-day futurist. I guess if you have a bazillion dollars, you can call yourself anything you want! He claims to be a person of faith, and in his talks, he referenced the antichrist numerous times! He seems to be low-key obsessed with this idea! This sparked a renewed interest in the public sector, with a barrage of talks, articles, and random social media videos. So, let's get into it! Where did this idea of the antichrist come from? How many times is it referenced in Scripture? Is it a person, or an ideology? When will this antichrist show up? What will he/it do? Who is the antichrist?

This world has gone crazy! It's understandable. We are constantly bombarded with information, events, trends, and disruption. Things move so fast and furiously that we get overwhelmed by conflict and chaos. In the midst of all this, the temptation is to retreat - to go back in time to when life was simpler, slower, easier to navigate. We are seeing trends among younger people. trad-wives, homesteading, organic micro-farms, off-the-grid living. One of the more alarming trends that has popped up recently, ironically, in the Christian atmosphere, is a suggestion that we reimagine how we think about marriage - specifically bringing back polygamy - men having multiple wives! Where is this coming from? For sure, it is in the Bible, but is it the norm, or an accommodation by God in an ancient pagan culture? Where does the newfangled idea of polyamory fit in? Why can't we just leave well enough alone?