A penetrating look at current events in light of Bible prophecy
As news of Pope Leo XIV’s elevation spread, and the world learned more about his life and ministry, some evangelical leaders shared worrisome praise.
“I appreciate that there is a pope who is familiar with Latin American Christian realities and immigrant realities,” said Gabriel Salguero, the head of the US-based National Latino Evangelical Coalition. “He’s on the record as being pro-immigrant, pro-family, pro-poor—all of those things in our evangelical community where there is common ground.”
“We’re living in very interesting times,” Salguero added. “We need religious leaders who understand the global interconnectedness.”
The new pope has emphasized the importance of “invitation.” In one interview, he described it as the first task of a Christian leader.
“We are often preoccupied with teaching doctrine,” he said. “We risk forgetting that our first task is to teach what it means to know Jesus Christ and to bear witness to our closeness to the Lord. This comes first: to communicate the beauty of the faith, the beauty and joy of knowing Jesus. It means that we ourselves are living it and sharing this experience.”
That desire to share the gospel resonates with some American evangelicals.
“We’ll still have our disagreements with Rome,” said Matthew Bates, a professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary in Chicago. “But we see this as important for the future of the whole church—seeing Catholics as our brothers and sisters in Christ even if we don’t see [Leo] as our head.”
The beauty and joy of knowing Jesus is indeed a wonderful experience that brings us closer to Christians of all backgrounds. But may God help us never to compromise Bible truth because of that shared experience.
“How Evangelicals View the First U.S. Pope,” Christianity Today, May 9, 2025.
A new survey from Arizona Christian University reveals that most Americans reject the idea of absolute moral truth. The report is based on responses collected from 2,100 adults in January 2025.
When asked whether they agreed that “a mature human accepts different truth views to be just as valid as their own views,” 67% of respondents answered in the affirmative. Majorities of non-Christians (69%), those without any faith (68%), self-identified Christians (67%), and theologically identified born-again Christians (56%) agreed with this statement. Thirty-one percent of integrated disciples agreed with this view, making them the only group where less than half rejected the idea of an absolute moral truth.
The survey clarifies that “Integrated Disciples” refers to “adults who possess a biblical worldview, based on answers to worldview-related questions.”
Arizona Christian University professor and Cultural Research Center director George Barna maintained that there is a direct correlation between Americans’ views on absolute moral truth and the volatile climate the US finds itself engulfed in.
Barna noted, “Accepting all truths as equally valid cannot help but dig a deep foundation of chaos, confusion, and helplessness. In the absence of strong, consistent, logical, and compassionate opposition to philosophies that reject moral absolutes, cultural gravity will lead to the acceptance of an authoritarian political savior or powerful elitist group as the arbiter of truth for the masses.”
The book of Revelation points to just such leadership arising before Christ’s return. It’s a solemn thought that we may be watching this groundwork being laid right before our eyes.
“Barna: Rejection of absolute moral truth has dug ‘deep foundation of chaos,’” The Christian Post, May 21, 2025.
The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge to a law in Colorado that bans “conversion therapy” aimed at young people questioning their sexual orientations or gender identities.
With more than 20 states with similar bans, the court’s eventual ruling is likely to have nationwide implications.
The justices took up an appeal brought by Kaley Chiles, a Christian therapist, who argued that the restriction violates her free speech rights under the Constitution’s First Amendment.
Chiles often has Christian clients, some of whom have questions about their sexual orientations and gender identities amid concerns that they are unable to live in accordance with their faith, according to court papers. They seek counseling to suppress unwanted sexual attractions or to resolve conflicts about their gender identities.
Chiles’ lawyers argue that the bans have “devastating real-world consequences,” including in rare cases of “detransitioners”—transgendered individuals who change course and wish to identify as the genders they were assigned at birth.
Colorado officials wrote in their brief that the state measure regulates conduct, not speech.
“States have long regulated medical practices to protect patients from harmful professional conduct,” said Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat.
A federal judge and the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals both ruled in favor of the state.
The Supreme Court has on several occasions refused to take up challenges to similar conversion therapy bans, most recently in December 2023, when it left a Washington state law in place. Three conservative justices said at that time they would have taken up the case.
The new case will be decided in the Supreme Court’s next term, which begins October 2025 and ends June 2026.
“Supreme Court takes up challenge to Colorado conversion therapy ban,” NBC News, Mar. 10, 2025.
Roughly 3 in 10 American adults say they consult astrology, tarot cards, or fortune tellers at least once a year, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
Gender, age, and income all shaped belief levels, according to the report. Women are rated twice as likely as men to believe in astrology. And belief is highest among younger adults and those with lower incomes.
“What shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
Matthew 24:3
Young women are the most likely group to hold such beliefs, with 43% of women under 50 affirming astrology, nearly triple the rate of older men, just 16% of whom say the same.
LGBTQ adults report especially high engagement: 54% consult horoscopes at least once a year, and 33% use tarot cards, which is roughly three times the national average. Twenty-one percent say they rely on these practices at least somewhat when making major life decisions.
Religiously affiliated and unaffiliated adults believe in astrology at nearly identical rates, around 27%. Belief, however, runs higher among Black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics, and lower among white evangelicals and atheists.
Tarot cards and fortune-telling are more popular among younger Americans, with nearly a quarter of adults under 30 using tarot cards annually. Just 3% of Americans over 65 say the same, according to the survey.
Hispanic Catholics were the most likely religious group to say they consult these practices for insight, with 12% factoring them into major decisions.
The Bible expressly warns against occult practices and divination. Deut. 18:10–11. They are avenues through which evil forces can gain influence over people and are not “just for fun” as 20% of Americans reportedly believe.
“A third of Americans consult horoscopes, tarot cards or fortune tellers,” The Washington Times, May 21, 2025.
