Dr Paul Allen

Earlier this year, I read Carl Trueman’s The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. It’s a devastating survey of the history that’s led to the expressive individualism and sexual revolution of our current cultural moment. Trueman uncovers the tensions and contradictions present in commonly held cultural assumptions. But he’s also frank about the mammoth task Christians face in holding to biblical ethics, morals, and values. It’s unlikely to become easier to be faithful to Scripture in the coming days. A book like Trueman’s raises questions: How can Christianity survive such a hostile onslaught? Do we have a survival strategy? The familiar narrative of Daniel 6 answers these questions with the foundational truth that God rules over all—even in the most hostile environments. Daniel’s confidence in God’s absolute authority encourages us to adopt three postures in the face of hostility. Obedience in the Face of Danger As the curtain rises on Daniel 6, there’s a new king in town: Darius. As t

The famously angry atheist Richard Dawkins tweeted out a report from the  Guardian  with a reaction that made me do a double take: “Before we rejoice at the death throes of the relatively benign Christian religion , let’s not forget Hilaire Belloc ’s menacing rhyme: ‘Always keep a-hold of nurse, For fear of finding something worse.’” The  Guardian  was noting that Christianity in the UK was completely collapsing: Well over half of Britons no longer pray or attend religious services, and a staggering 70% of those between the ages of 16 and 29 do not subscribe to any identifiable religion.  Dawkins seems to have changed his tune somewhat. After all, this is the same man  who once argued  that the state needed to shield children from religious parents who were “indoctrinating them,” essentially dismissing the fundamental concept of parental rights as so much nonsense. Enlightened atheists running the state were far better equipped, in Dawkins’ opinion, to decide what was bes