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It's Saturday, November 11, 2023.

Today’s edition covers a new poll that found nearly 40% of Americans don’t buy the theory of evolution, a new report on persecution of Christians around the world, an answer to the question “Are all sins equal?,” and much more.

Knowledge is better than gold (Proverbs 8:10), so read and be rich!

Of Christian Concern

MORE THAN 1 OUT OF 3 AMERICANS DO NOT BELIEVE IN EVOLUTION, A NEW POLL FINDS

Photo: Pixabay

In a new Suffolk University/USA Today poll, 36.9% of respondents said they do not believe in evolution but believe God created humans “in their present form.” The survey of 1,000 registered voters in all 50 states and Washington D.C. found that only 28.6% believe humans “evolved into their present form without divine intervention.”

Nearly one quarter (24.3%) took a middle path, saying humans “evolved into their present form, but God directed the process.” The remaining respondents were either undecided (7.8%), or refused to answer (2.4%).

As Leonardo Blair observes, writing for The Christian Post, these results show that while a majority of Americans (52.9%) believes in evolution, a greater majority (61.2%) believes God was involved in creating humanity’s present form.

PAKISTAN, NIGERIA, AZERBAIJAN, AND OTHERS HIGHLIGHTED IN NEW REPORT ON CHRISTIAN PERSECUTION WORLDWIDE

Photo: Ron Lach

International Christian Concern (ICC) released its annual list of the top persecutors of Christians in the world, the 2023 Persecutors of the Year report. The report profiles countries, entities, and prominent individuals around the world who have harassed, imprisoned, tortured, or assassinated Christians for their faith.

One of the “flashpoints” this year was the “5,000-strong mob of fundamentalist Muslims” in Pakistan who “destroyed hundreds of homes and two dozen churches in the Christian enclave of Jaranwala.” Another was the thousands of Christians who “were murdered” and many others who “lost their homes and land” in Nigeria.

Among the ten countries highlighted in the report is the small nation of Azerbaijan, which has continued its decades-long effort to rid its surroundings of Armenia, a predominantly Christian population. On September 19 of this year, Azerbaijan seized control of the region Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh), forcing many Armenians to flee.

ICC President Jeff King writes that he is “inspired by the courage” of persecuted believers around the world. “These believers hold onto and even thrive in their faith while enduring unimaginable pain. They are the spiritual engine, the ever-expanding church in places like China, Iran, and North Korea.”

Also Noteworthy

→ Ohio voters voted on Tuesday to enshrine a right to abortion into the state constitution. As Christians wrestle with the implications, anti-abortion group Abolitionists Rising released a video detailing why the Ohio pro-life coalition’s strategy to defeat the ballot measure “was nothing short of pathetic.”

→ The Nashville Covenant shooter was motivated by anger against “white privilege,” leaked photos of her diary (“manifesto”) suggest. | Brent Leatherwood, head of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, was criticized for his remarks calling out the leak. Christian commenters have suggested that Leatherwood’s interest in keeping the shooter’s leftist motivations concealed stems from a gun control agenda.

→ A Palestinian woman in Indiana purposefully drove her car into what she thought was a pro-Israel school last Friday. | Florida officials have paused plans to disband pro-Palestinian student groups, after new information suggests they may not actually be associated with Hamas. | Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib was censured by the House of Representatives on Tuesday for remarks seeming to call for the elimination of Israel.

→ A United Kingdom judge ruled against transferring 8-month-old Indi Gregory to Italy for treatment for her rare metabolic disorder, despite her parents’ wishes and the Italian government’s offer to pay for everything. The latest ruling, yesterday afternoon, was for her life-support to be removed immediately. UK doctors and judges have repeatedly come under criticism in recent years for fighting to end life support for terminally ill children against parents’ wishes.

Content Catch-Up

Recent, notable content by Christian creators, or of Christian interest.*

→ Kat Von D’s Testimony: The dark-clad celebrity tattoo artist who made a splash on the internet last month by posting a video of her recent baptism appeared on Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast Relatable to share her testimony and address criticisms. (Video)

→ A Conversation About God: On The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast, Dr. Peterson interviews Christian mathematician and public intellectual Dr. John Lennox, discussing the inevitable failure of transhumanism, the faith necessary to do science, and more. (Video)

→ A Response To Dr. Tour’s Challenge: Christian chemist Dr. James Tour, who recently challenged high-profile origin of life researchers to answer specific questions about their field, lest they concede by not responding that we are actually “utterly clueless” about the origin of life, reveals the results of the challenge. (Video)

*Not necessarily an endorsement

The Bible, Briefly

Are All Sins Equal?

Sodom and Gomorrah afire by Jacob de Wet II, 1680, oil on canvas. (Public Domain)

If you’ve spent any time in church, you’ve probably heard it said, “To God, all sins are equal.” Is that true? Here are some clues:

• In the law of Moses, there are different punishments for different offenses. For example, some offenses required restitution (e.g., Exodus 22:1-15) while some required the death penalty (e.g., Exodus 21:12-14, 22-23).

• Jesus denounced the Pharisees for “neglect[ing] the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.” (Matthew 23:23). This shows that while every part of God’s law is important, some parts are more important than others.

• More than once, Jesus pronounces judgment on a town by saying something like, “Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town” (Matthew 10:15; see also 11:22, 24). So, there are clearly different levels of punishment in the final judgment, owing (in this case) to different levels of accountability.

• Now for the clincher. While Jesus was on trial before Pilate, He referred to the Jewish religious leaders when He said, “he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin” (John 19:11). So, one sin can be greater than another.

If God’s law has worse punishments for some offenses than for others… and some parts of that law are weightier than others… and some people will be worse off than others in the final judgment… and one sin can be greater than another… then surely, we have our answer.

So, which sins are are worse? We’ll address that next week.

Church History Tidbit

The Holy Roman Empire Stumbles But Doesn’t Fall

Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor's victory over Berengar, winning Italy, drawing in the Chronicle of Otto von Freising (Manuscriptum Mediolanense), Schäftlarn, before 1177. (Public Domain)

Following the first Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne's death in 814, his empire fragmented between his potential heirs, and the Carolingian dynasty weakened. In the absence of a strong central authority, regional lords gained autonomy, leading to a decentralized and unstable political landscape. The eastern frontier confronted threats from Slavic tribes, and Italy experienced political turmoil. The imperial title, though existing in theory, lacked the power to enforce unity.

But, the defanged Holy Roman Empire didn’t stay inert forever. Among the Germans there arose a leader who began consolidating the German tribes, Henry I.* Upon his death in 936, he left a more unified kingdom to his son, Otto I, who continued the work of consolidation and established the Ottonian dynasty.

Like Charlemagne, Otto partnered with the papacy to realize a vision of unity. Pope John XII offered Otto the crown of Holy Roman Emperor if he would defeat the Italian king Berengar, with whom the Pope was at war. Otto defeated Berengar, united the Italian peninsula, and was crowned on February 2, 962—thus rejuvenating the church-state empire that would last into the early 19th century.

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*Bill Yenne, 100 Men Who Shaped World History (San Mateo: Bluewood Books, 1994), 35.

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Why "18:15"? The name Project 18:15 is based on Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” The aim is for this weekly email—a Christian news briefing, a Bible study, and a Church history lesson rolled into one—to be one way you keep abreast of current events and acquire knowledge you might not acquire elsewhere.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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