Poor Americans who attend church regularly are happier than rich Americans who never go. Behavioral scientist William von Hippel thought he'd made a coding error. He hadn't. "Regularly attending services has a bigger impact on your happiness than wealth," he writes. "Money buys a fair bit of happiness but connection gives you more bang for the buck." What's happening? Rich people already have most of what money buys. What they lack is what churches provide for free: weekly, repeated contact with people who know your name. Von Hippel is direct about the cost: "I suspect that wealthy, educated urbanites are paying a steeper price for their lifestyle than they realize. Many of us have paid too great a price in connection for our increased autonomy."

How parents can help their children stay strong in their Christian convictions: In a multiyear study by Fuller Seminary, researchers asked why so many young people lose their faith when they go off to college. The researchers found one factor that was most important in whether they hold on to their convictions. It was not what most people would think. Join a campus Bible study? A prayer group? Important as those things can be -- the single most important factor was whether the teens had a chance to struggle openly with their doubts and questions even before they left home: “The more college students felt that they had the opportunity to express their doubt while they were in high school, the higher their levels of faith maturity and spiritual maturity... Students who had the opportunity to struggle with tough questions and [even painful questions] during high school seemed to have a healthier transition into college life”—and beyond. The Fuller study gives solid evidence that students actually grow more confident in their Christian commitment when the adults in their life—parents, pastors, teachers—guide them in grappling with the challenges posed by prevailing secular worldviews. (from Saving Leonardo)

“So people quote Abraham Lincoln, ‘Government of the people, by the people, for the people.’ They forget he’s quoting Theodore Parker in the 19th century, who was quoting of all people, John Wycliffe in the 13th century. And Wycliffe is saying, when we put the Bible in the hands of ordinary people, then you have a chance of government, of the people, by the people, for the people, because the Bible will be the foundation for self-government and self-rule. And without that, freedom will be impossible.” - Oz Guinness HT: washingtonstand.com/commenta…

Newsweek: How Science Stopped Backing Atheists and Started Pointing Back to God "First, scientists have discovered that the physical universe had a beginning. This finding, supported by observational astronomy and theoretical physics, contradicts the expectations of scientific atheists, who long portrayed the universe as eternal and self-existent—and, therefore, in no need of an external creator. Evidence for what scientists call the Big Bang has instead confirmed the expectations of traditional theists. Nobel laureate Arno Penzias, who helped make a key discovery supporting the Big Bang theory, has noted the obvious connection between its affirmation of a cosmic beginning and the concept of divine creation. "The best data we have are exactly what I would have predicted, had I nothing to go on but the five books of Moses...[and] the Bible as a whole," writes Penzias. Second, discoveries from physics about the structure of the universe reinforce this theistic conclusion. Since the 1960s, physicists have determined that the fundamental physical laws and parameters of our universe are finely tuned, against all odds, to make our universe capable of hosting life. Even slight alterations of many independent factors—such as the strength of gravitational or electromagnetic attraction, or the initial arrangement of matter and energy in the universe—would have rendered life impossible. Scientists have discovered that we live in a kind of "Goldilocks Universe," or what Australian physicist Luke Barnes calls an extremely "Fortunate Universe." Not surprisingly, many physicists have concluded that this improbable fine-tuning points to a cosmic "fine-tuner." As former Cambridge astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle argued, "A common-sense interpretation of the data suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics" to make life possible. Third, molecular biology has revealed the presence in living cells of an exquisite world of informational nanotechnology. These include digital code in DNA and RNA—tiny, intricately constructed molecular machines which vastly exceed our own digital high technology in their storage and transmission capabilities. And even Richard Dawkins has acknowledged that "the machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like" — implying, it would seem, the activity of a master programmer at work the origin of life. At the very least, the discoveries of modern biology are not what anyone would have expected from blind materialistic processes."

Wildlife photographer Sha Lu captures the perfect moment a small animal looks at the camera while being caught by a predator.

Bitcoin is an absolute no-brainer for churches. Here's 7 reasons why EVERY church should be accumulating bitcoin.🧵

Many unbelievers say you shouldn’t believe in God without evidence or proof. But is that even true? Alvin Plantinga, one of the most respected Christian philosophers alive, says “no,” belief in God is properly basic. But what does that mean? A thread🧵

It's a TWO BOX DAY here at the FFCA! Not only did we get an awesome box from Coach Norvell and @FSUFootball but Coach Jarrett and @FSUBaseball sent us a box as well! Thank you so much to both incredible programs and GO NOLES!!

Most people know C.S. Lewis as a brilliant Christian author and apologist. Few know he was once a hardened atheist—a broken man shaped by war, loss, and deep skepticism. This is how he became Christianity’s greatest modern defender🧵

🇺🇸 Senator Lummis says, “I encourage people to buy and hold. I encourage them to save #Bitcoin for their retirement, their future.”

If God exists, why doesn't he show himself to us? CS Lewis has the answer to this question He wrote a book explaining why a good and loving God hides from mankind Here’s the book, and what it reveals about God, human nature, and finding faith in a fallen world…🧵

How can a good God let you suffer and die? Tolkien said a 600 year old poem had the answer to this question He spent over 25 years reading, studying and teaching it to students Here’s the poem, and what it taught him about God, grief, and finding hope in the face of death…🧵

So, if Christianity is built on the historical event of the resurrection, how could any errors or differences in the Gospels discredit that truth? Historical reality isn’t undone by theological debates or interpretive challenges. #HeIsRisen #GospelTruth #ChristianityIsTrue #Resurrection #BibleReliability #HistoricalFaith #ChristianApologetics

Today, November 29th, is C. S. Lewis' birthday. Here are 20 powerful lessons from the most quoted Christian author of the 20th century 🧵 1. "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen. Not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else."

Free Financial Advice. #Bitcoin

Incredibly honored to bring one of the most impactful college outreaches in America today to my alma mater, Florida State! Over 500 students attended last night! 30 years ago the message of the gospel was shared with me on this campus. @godsnotdeadevents

Always great to catch up Addison Tweedy. Keep up the great work of reaching our next generation of leaders for Christ on our university campuses. ⁦@tweedy⁩

#GodsNotDead event tonight @UHouston @tweedy @JosephPenrod8 @ENC_NA @RatioChristi #RUF

#Godsnotdead event tonight - University of Virginia @UVA . Hosted by @tweedy and Dr.Eric Hedin (Physicist -@UW )