pop culture Archives

The Emasculation of the Boy Scouts Continues

Yesterday’s announcement that the Boy Scouts of America will drop “Boy” from the name of its signature program is yet another sad development for the once storied and celebrated organization.

You’ll recall that the Boy Scouts announced in 2013 that they would be allowing openly homosexual scouts to join local troops. In 2015, they began accepting openly homosexual leaders. Since these changes, scout membership has dropped approximately ten percent. Many churches have decided to cancel sponsorship of troops.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, kids, policy, pop culture May 3, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

GQ Just Called You a Fool

According to Jesse Ball, a writer in the latest issue of GQ Magazine, the Bible is an overrated and boring book. In fact, the 39-year-old novelist and poet went on to characterize the Old and New Testaments as “foolish,” “repetitive” and “self-contradictory,” among other things.

Understandably, Jesse Ball’s assertions have stirred up significant controversy. But this isn’t the first time that the Chicago-based writer has made curious, perplexing and outlandish pronouncements. For example, just last year he suggested that every American should be put in a maximum security prison once every ten years – for up to ninety days at a time.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, pop culture April 25, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Does YouTube Know About Your Kids?

Headlines about social media privacy concerns with Facebook are in the news as CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress on Tuesday.

But there’s another story that caught my eye – and this one involves your kids.

Earlier this week, consumer advocacy groups filed a complaint and asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate YouTube for collecting and profiting off of data collected from children under the age 13, which would be a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, kids, pop culture, technology April 11, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Focus on the Family Best Seller List

Week ending April 3rd:

Triggers (by Amber Lia & Wendy Speake)
I Am: A 60-Day Journey to Knowing Who You Are Because of Who He Is (by Michele Cushatt)
I’d Like You More If You Were More Like Me (by John Ortberg)
Happy, Happy, Happy (by Phil Robertson)
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (by Ben Carson)
How We Love (by Milan Yerkovich)
The Freedom from Depression Workbook (by Les Carter)
The Holy Spirit (by Billy Graham)
The Mom Project (by Kathi Lipp)
I Can Only Imagine (by Bart Millard)
Love & Respect (by Emerson Eggerichs)
Blessed, Blessed .

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage, parenting, pop culture April 6, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Gospel on the Gridiron

I didn’t have a dog (no pun intended, Georgia fans) in last night’s national championship college football game, but an exclamation point was put on the dramatic finish when Alabama’s winning quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, spoke with the press following the overtime victory.

“My parents would be mad, so excuse me,” he began, “but first and foremost I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with Him, all things are possible and that’s what happened tonight.”

When asked what the victory meant to him, he talked about being overwhelmed by the win but also went on to say,

“All glory goes to God.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, pop culture January 9, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Focus on the Family Celebrates 40 Years of Inspiring Families Worldwide

In 2017, Focus on the Family celebrated 40 years of strengthening marriages, equipping parents, speaking on behalf of those who can’t speak for themselves and addressing public policy issues affecting the family.

“It’s an honor to be part of 40 years of strengthening millions of families,” Focus on the Family President Jim Daly expressed. “Our work in helping couples in crisis has contributed to over 170,000 marriages saved in 2017 alone. There are similar stories about people’s lives changed for the better through our efforts in evangelism, parenting, advocacy for children and engaging the culture, as well.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: church, entertainment, events, faith, family December 29, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Sexual Assault Scandals are a Consequence of the Sexual Revolution

Time Magazine unveiled its “Person of the Year” today, and its choice is at once unconventional but not at all surprising.

In a tradition dating back to 1927, the publication has historically selected a person who makes significant news during the past year. As a result, past winners have run the gamut. Recipients have included Adolph Hitler (1938), the Ayatollah Khomeini (1979), the American Soldier (2003) and the Ebola Fighters (2014). President Donald Trump won last year, an acknowledgment of his surprising electoral victory.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, news, pop culture, relationships, sex December 6, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Four Things We Learn from Immigrants

I didn’t want Hispanic Heritage Month (which is celebrated between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15) to end without recognizing the many Hispanic men, women and families in the U.S., and the contributions they make to our country.

Recent stats put Hispanics and Latinos at about 17 percent of the total U.S. population, or 56.5 million. They’re a varied group of people: Hispanics can come from any of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries around the world, and each country has its own culture, cuisine, and customs.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, pop culture, relationships October 11, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Exclusive: Sadie Robertson’s Important Message to Students

We’re fast approaching the fourth annual Bring Your Bible to School Day, when tens of thousands of public school students across the nation will celebrate on Oct. 5.

I’ll share more about it in the coming weeks, but in case you’re not familiar with Bring Your Bible, let me give you a quick explanation: it’s a student-led event sponsored by Focus on the Family where children and teens from all 50 states will share God’s hope and celebrate religious freedom by bringing their Bibles to school and talking about it with their friends.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: events, kids, pop culture, religious liberty September 8, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

One Dad’s $2 Million Sacrifice for His Daughter

Would you give up a potential $2 million payday to see your daughter graduate from high school?

Professional golfer Phil Mickelson is doing just that.

Because the opening round of the U.S. Open falls on the same day as his oldest daughter’s high school graduation, Phil has announced plans to withdraw from this year’s event.

It’s not the first time Mickelson has chosen family over work.

Back in 1999, Mickelson was competing at the U.S. Open in North Carolina just as his wife, Amy, stayed in their home back in Arizona.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, news, pop culture June 7, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura