Cultural Apologetics

Gentle Strength

Jesus is a man’s man: strength under control. Meekness does not mean weakness. Raised as a carpenter, Jesus was strong in body and mind. How should we prepare for the tough questions that confront us? Watch our Truth in Two to find out (full text below). Christian apologists are prepared, gentle in response. Find out … Read more

Illusion

Is life an illusion? Nothing more than a dream? How do we know? And what if we meet someone who disagrees? Even better, HOW do we disagree, when we disagree? You won’t want to miss the answer in this story on this week’s Truth in Two! [Full text below and don’t miss the AFTERWORD!] Life … Read more

Either-Or

You only have one of two choices. That choice determines how you will think. Either this world is all there is or there is Someone who has made this world. Your answer to that either-or statement will impact how you live life. Watch our Truth in Two video to find out why (full text below) … Read more

Radio Interview: “Apologetics for School and Life”

“Apologetics for School and Life“ Mark Eckel on Q90 Radio, August 8th, 2019

Watchmen

Brutish and cruel. When authority has a human face. At the Comenius Institute we believe ultimate authority belongs to God alone. Watch our two minute video and ask yourself, “Who are the watchmen in my life?” (full text below) H.G. Wells was right: beware those creatures who want to be Creator. Subscribe to “Truth in … Read more

Double Standard

Life Science Science supports life. If we depend on research for our lives, there are lives depending on our research. Scientific procedures to save lives in the womb explain why lives in the womb should be saved. Watch our two minute Truth in Two to find out why (full text follows). The science of life … Read more

Science

I LOVE SCIENCE! And look what science just discovered in 2018! Christians love science because they love the God who made the science. Watch our Truth in Two video to find out why (full text follows). The wonder of science originates in the wonder of The Creator. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of … Read more

Business Ethics

Stealing ethics? Where else would you get them? We all believe in right and wrong, especially when it comes to money. We should not be surprised by the reason; watch our two minute video to find out (full text below). WHERE we get our ethics from shows WHY we believe in common virtue. Subscribe to … Read more

College (2 min vid+text)

I LOVE talking with students about their studies . . . . . . helping them to think Christianly about all things. Students have questions outside of class as much as they do in class. The Comenius Institute helps Christian young people navigate intellectual waters. Watch our two minute video to hear some of what … Read more

Garbage

“The world sends us garbage . . . . . . We send back music.” You won’t believe this story! Human worth, value, and dignity come only from God who gives it. Watch our two minute video to find out why (full text below).  No person is a “throw away,” because all persons are made … Read more

Family Tree (2 min vid + text)

I said, “This weekend . . .” “. . . I want you to find out where you came from . . .” Genealogies tell us about our past and our future. Watch our two minute video on the genealogy of Jesus to find out why (full text follows). Jesus’ past matters to our future. … Read more

Radio Interview: “Christmas: What Really Happened”

“Christmas: What Really Happened” Mark Eckel on Moody Radio, Dec 21st, 2018

The REAL Christmas (Part 3)

Plots, Purges, Palace intrigue . . . . . . Not to mention Satanic attacks. The Birth of Jesus is NOTHING like you find on a Christmas card. (Part One here) (Part Two here) The exciting conclusion to the Christmas Story can be seen in our two minute video: “The reason the Son of God … Read more

The REAL Christmas (Part 2)

Really? Seriously? It was like that?! Jesus’ birth is NOTHING like a Christmas card! Watch our two minute video (full text below). Assassination. Despots. Flight to freedom. THAT is the True Story of Christmas. Blessings on The Holiday, from all of us at The Comenius Institute. Consider becoming a Comenius patron (here). Subscribe to “Truth … Read more

THE Real Christmas (2 min vid+text)

Christmas cards may promote myths, but Christmas is no fiction. Jesus’ birth had more in common with Law and Order® than Hallmark Movies®. Why is the original, true story so important? Watch our two minute video. Part 2 next week (full text below). If there is no TRUE STORY, there is no story to tell. Blessings on … Read more

Contentment (2 min vid+text)

Woody Allen agrees with Solomon. Fantasy is no substitute for reality. “What satisfies?” is question all people ask. Watch our two minute video that gives a Christian response (full text follows below). Movies are no substitute for real life. But movies can explain our real lives. See Dr. Eckel’s book about movies When the Lights … Read more

Blind Leap (2min + Text)

Stuck in a mountain snow storm? Who you gonna’ believe? Given a choice between a human instinct and divine revelation, what would you choose? Faith? Belief? Trust? Reliability? Watch our two minute video below (full text follows). Follow the guide with the best information Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is … Read more

Indifference (2min vid + Text)

She screamed and no one helped. The first five minutes of Boondock Saints says it all. Evil prospers when good is absent. Watch our two minute video (full text below). If I can be bad, good can’t originate with me. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. … Read more

Jurassic (2 min vid + text)

“Should” automatically suggests there is “right” and “wrong.” I was reading Michael Crichton’s novel to my students. What we discovered was the standard for ethics does not change. You want ethics? Watch our two minute video (full text below). Dinosaurs tell the story. But the story is repeated every day. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” … Read more

Radio Interview: “How Should Christians Respond to a Culture of Constant Change?”

“How Should Christians Respond to a Culture of Constant Change?” – Mark Eckel on Moody Radio, May 30th, 2018

“Who Says?” (2 Min Video + Text)

This is a true story: “I could kill you while we’re sitting here.” “But you seem like such a nice man!” How can anyone say anything is right or wrong? Watch our two minute video (full text & “afterword” below). Ethics don’t come out of mid-air, even when riding on a plane. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” … Read more

Remember, You Must Die (2 min vid + text)

The grave awaits us all. How does our view of death impact how we live life? Since our years are limited, we would do well to consider what is limitless. Watch-listen to our two minute video (or read the text below). Are you prepared for “There and Then?” Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from … Read more

Reading, Images, Imagination (2 min vid + text)

“Pressing flesh” has a whole new meaning. The power of an image fires our memory. How do images ignite what is most important? Watch-listen to our 2 minute video (text below) So, what’s most important to you?! Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website), spends … Read more

Getting Out of Bed (2 min vid + text)

The last of the human freedoms.   What does surviving Auschwitz and getting out of bed in the morning have in common? The Bible’s book of Genesis has the answer. Watch-listen to our video and read (below) about the importance of meaning, reason, & purpose. So why do YOU get out of bed in the morning? Subscribe … Read more

What Lasts? (2 min vid)

What can we count on? What is most important? Permanent things. Watch, listen to our 2 min video. We can all agree to lasting, permanent things. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website), spends time with Christian young people in public university (1 minute video), hosts … Read more

In Case God Was Coming ( 2 min vid + text)

You never know when God will show up. Ordained, ordered, ordinary creation from The Creator. Watch our two minute video explaining the Christian view of creation God has ordered all of creation down to the last detail. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website), spends … Read more

TRANSCENDENCE & IMMANENCE (2 M VID + TEXT)

My favorite politician is . . . Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, because . . . . . . he believed people had lost sight of Transcendence. Watch our two minute video (or read the text below). Loving our neighbor depends on whether or not there is a God who first loved … Read more

ORDER V CHAOS (2 MIN VIDEO + TEXT)

Biologists, business people, builders, everyone depends on it. Why we depend on ORDER. Watch our 2 minute video (or read the text below). Genesis gives us the basis for our ordered world and the reason for how our world works best. Our dependence upon an ordered world begins with The Orderer. Subscribe to “Truth in … Read more

Honey Bees & Coherence

How does honey get to your table? Bees, Coherence, and the Unity of God’s Creation. Watch our 2 minute video: how honey from bees shows how we make sense of everything. God’s creature the bee gives a snapshot of how the world makes sense. Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is … Read more

Radio Interview: “Truth in Two”

“Truth in Two” – Mark Eckel on Moody Radio, May 30th, 2018

Lost (2 Min Video)

Alone. Directionless. Isolated. To be lost in a forest is disorienting. You see everything and nothing. Watch and hear my retelling of “Lost in the Forest” by Francis Schaeffer to find your way out. There is hope for a map, a guide, and a hut.   Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website), spends … Read more

Truth in Two Introduction

At Comenius we are excited to announce… A brand new video series. Each week we will create a new, 2-minute video. In each video I will explain a simple Christian truth in two minutes. Our introductory video is about the word “truth” and Harvard University. The first episode, immediately following, gives a bit of background … Read more

Injustice

INJUSTICE should produce two questions: (1) Could you live with it? (2) Now what will you do? “Civil War Literature and Culture” is an IUPUI class I have been privileged to take this semester with the brilliant professor, Jane Schultz. One of our earliest readings was from Rebecca Harding Davis’s “Life in the Iron-Mills.” [Listen … Read more

Campus Episodes (Part Three)

“The only way we can judge if someone’s feelings are hurt is if absolutes of right and wrong show why feelings shouldn’t be hurt.” See Campus Episodes (Part One) here. See Campus Episodes (Part Two) here. Episode 1 Academics We had just been discussing how various Christian groups share the gospel. My young friend expressed her … Read more

Campus Episodes (Part Two)

How do you “self identify”? See Campus Episodes (Part One) here. Episode #1  “Social media is an illusion where people try to control our image using people to value ourselves.” Our discussion was about why young people don’t feel like they are doing any good in their lives. Students, my young conversationalist contended, are depressed … Read more

Campus Episodes (Part One)

“She kept dropping F-bombs throughout her talk.” Episode #1 My text notification chirped. She was writing from a classroom lecture. “I’m in a world language course. In our random reading this week we read the story of Adam and Eve. The professor told the class it was a myth that teaches women are useless, scapegoats … Read more

Radio Interview: “Defending the Christian Faith: Apologetics”

Radio Interview: “Defending the Christian Faith: Apologetics” (Mark Eckel on Moody Radio – 2/20/18)  

Together

Working together is better than working apart. Dr. Clyde Posley, Dr. Mark Eckel, co-host Warp&Woof Radio Government “shutdowns” or legislative stalemates do little to overcome disagreements. Entrenched, combative pugilists seek only to dominate and humiliate. “Victory” comes at a cost, a cost not always immediate in its impact. Proverbs 18:18 says, “The lot puts an … Read more

Pro-Science, Pro-Life

Science and human life. Both depend on an origin outside human decision. The Atlantic published “Pro-Life, Pro-Science” this past Thursday (here). Emma Green documents the obvious science behind neonatology studies. She suggests that pro-life groups are “winning” the debate on abortion since science is “instilling a sense of awe that we never really had before … Read more

Approach

Nine out of ten times we will agree. Speaking with Christian brothers in a recent on air interview, I made the suggestion above. It was a group of men whose political, cultural views were widely varied. As we discussed issues, it was clear that we all adhered to the same biblical principles, we all held … Read more

Poverty

The rich are judged by how they treat the poor. Poverty is real, has real consequences, for real people, with real needs. Poor people in particular are targeted as the “have-nots” in American politics.  Poverty seems always to be a “wedge issue” for debate.  One party will tend to label the other as “the party … Read more

Terror

We will never forget. This essay is dedicated to all who were murdered in Las Vegas on the night of October 1st, 2017, all who suffer from their wounds (seen and unseen), the families who grieve loss, those who gave their lives for others, and those who helped in great or small ways. We stand … Read more

Person

“That’s not the person I was talking about.” It was the greatest experience of my teaching life. I taught for over forty years in the poorest public schools in and around Indianapolis. My students came from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. I taught math. The most important aspect of education is relationship. Trust is … Read more

Charlottesville

Bigotry is the seedbed of genocide. In the past year I have been both demeaned by a white, female, liberal professor for not saying enough (in her estimation [1]) against racism and disparaged by a white, male, nationalist for not defending my “blood kin,” my nationality, my skin color, my “whiteness.” The most recent incident … Read more

Stealing

I was too poor to buy books. No, I didn’t steal them. Years ago, I was asked by a local group to give a talk about business ethics.Since my degrees focus on “ethics” but not “business” I decided I should visit a bookstore to see what business leaders were saying. Book stores were still plentiful … Read more

Ethics

Everything is founded on faith. Three stories. A group of students and I discussed a question they had heard in class: “Why are humans always at war?” I asked what was said in class. The discussion centered on people needing to make a decision against violence, for peace. I asked if the professor gave a … Read more

Why Do Good?

Our problems originate inside. Our hope originates from outside.   Over the last three days I have posted these statements on social media: “Racism” is not the direct result of history, nationality, ethnicity, nor privilege. Racism is the direct result of sin in our hearts. “Greed” is not a result of big business, banking institutions, … Read more

Cultural Christianity

What should matter most? “What happened to the gospel?” This was his first question for me after the election. My brother Brian called on Saturday. We spoke of many things but primary to our conversation was what we together referred to as “cultural Christianity.” Brian and I mean by this phrase that we are concerned … Read more

Truth

“You can’t handle the truth!” “For the general public is being reduced to a state where people not only are unable to find out about the truth but also become unable even to search for the truth because they are satisfied with deception and trickery that have determined their convictions, satisfied with a fictitious realitycreated by design … Read more

Rights

The March for Life, 2017 The Washington Post finally reported on the pro-life event this year. Compare and contrast is one of my favorite teaching methods.     Teaching the biblical basis for government I have had students read The American Declaration of Independence (1776) and The French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789). I … Read more