Posted March 11, 2026
The Iran war is now well into its second week and has involved at least twelve nations across the Middle East and beyond. But it also poses a threat to Americans with which most of us are not familiar.
“Stagflation,” the combination of falling growth (stagnation) and rising prices (inflation), is a specter from the 1970s we don’t want to revisit. Back then, the problem was caused by the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which triggered an oil embargo by Arab states that led to rising energy prices and falling growth. These days, investors worry that war in the Middle East could again disrupt global energy supplies, causing high oil prices that could dampen economic growth.
As the so-called First Law of Ecology states, “Everything is connected to everything else.” This is true not just of ecology but ultimately of life itself.
Let’s consider this principle in light of biblical faith and its relation to the cultural issues of the day.
This week, we have been discussing the liberal Christianity advanced by Texas senatorial candidate James Talarico. I have sought to explain his worldview in its cultural context and then encouraged us to respond with biblical compassion and redemptive purpose.
Today, let’s consider some of his specific theological assertions being popularized in the media.
The first is the so-called “argument from silence.” Talarico claims that “Jesus didn’t bother to mention” abortion, transgenderism, or gay marriage. In his view and that of many other liberal Christians, this means the church should take no doctrinal stance on these issues and Christians are therefore free to take their own positions on them.
Consider three facts in response.
First, every part of the Bible is God’s word, not just the “red letters” of Jesus’ quoted statements. Our Lord was clear: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). This is why Paul later wrote that “all Scripture is breathed out by God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
As a result, what any part of the Bible says is still true today. Scripture must be interpreted properly, as we will discuss shortly, but “every word” is the word of God (Matthew 4:4).
Second, Jesus addressed many cultural issues that some claim he did not. For example, his statement that God created humans “male and female” (Matthew 19:4) is relevant to transgenderism, while his assertion against divorce still speaks today (vv. 6, 9).
Third, some issues were so settled in Jesus’ day that he did not need to address them. Abortion, for example, is so unbiblical (cf. Psalm 139:13–16) as to be abhorrent to the Jewish people. Later, when the Christian movement expanded into the larger Roman world, early Christians were adamant on the issue, as the second-century Didache states: “You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten” (ch. 2).
A second assertion by James Talarico regards abortion and consent: “The angel comes down and asks Mary if this is something she wants to do, and she says: ‘If it is God’s will, let it be done.’ To me, that is an affirmation in one of our most central stories that creation has to be done with consent.” In his view, this endorses “reproductive freedom” and abortion on demand.
When I taught biblical interpretation as a seminary professor, we distinguished between “exegesis,” which derives the intended meaning from the biblical text, and “eisegesis,” which reads a meaning into the text that is not intended by its author. Talarico’s interpretation of Mary’s encounter with Gabriel (Luke 1:26–38) is a clear example of the latter. No objective interpreter would suggest that Luke intends to endorse abortion here.
This event, by which a woman consents to become a mother, is also descriptive rather than prescriptive—such an occurrence is found nowhere else in Scripture and relates only to the birth of God’s Son. Mary is choosing not only to become a mother but the mother of the Messiah (vv. 31–33) and will face grave challenges as a result (cf. Luke 2:34–35). In this one instance, she is given the opportunity to experience a miraculous conception by which to give birth to the very Son of God.
To ensure that we practice proper exegesis and not eisegesis, I taught these steps in seminary classes, explained them in various books and articles, and recommend them to you today:
These principles are not unique to me—they have been followed by orthodox Christians and biblical interpreters across Christian history.
We’ll close with a third assertion made by many liberal Christians, James Talarico among them: that the various world religions “point to the same truth.” To the contrary, as I noted in a recent article, these religions point to very different truths.
For example, Islam expressly denies the divinity of Christ (cf. Surah 5:75; 19:36), while the New Testament expressly affirms both his divinity (cf. John 1:1; 8:58; 10:30; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3) and the necessity of faith in him (cf. John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Revelation 20:15). Both cannot be true.
Hinduism teaches that humans pass through a series of reincarnations before we eventually achieve unity with Brahman and cease to exist as individuals. The Bible, by contrast, states that “it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Both cannot be true.
Tim Keller was right: “All religions and philosophies say, ‘This is the way.’ Only Jesus says, ‘I am the Way.’”
In a secularized post-Christian culture, our most compelling argument for embracing the objective truth of Scripture and placing our faith in Christ as the only Savior and Lord is the transformation he makes in those who follow him fully. (For more, please see my latest website article, When tornadoes threaten our faith: A surprising discovery about doubt and fear.”)
To this end, we’ll close with an observation by the brilliant mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623–62). In the Pensées, he showed Christians how to respond to critics and skeptics:
“The cure for this is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.”
How fully will you follow his advice today?
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use.” —Galileo
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