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Another week is passing in the new year of 2015, and much has been discussed on the social network scene and in the blogosphere. Here’s six topics that caught my eye for the latest edition of Doyle’s Half Dozen (DHD).

  1. Frankly Franklin

How about my man, Franklin Graham? Last week, I’m interviewing him on the phone (for a story you can read here), and this week, he’s making national news, calling out Duke University for having a weekly Muslim Call to Prayer.

On Wednesday, he posted on Facebook, “As Christianity is being excluded from the public square and followers of Islam are raping, butchering, and beheading Christians, Jews, and anyone who doesn’t submit to their Sharia Islamic law, Duke is promoting this in the name of religious pluralism. I call on the donors and alumni to withhold their support from Duke until this policy is reversed.”

The man’s got pull! A day after his post, Duke announced it will not allow the Muslim Call to Prayer at its chapel.

In my first DHD I wrote how we are in need of Christian leaders. Franklin Graham is demonstrating himself as one who is answering the call.

  1. A rough, blunt letter to The Church

A friend shared a link on Facebook called “Dear Church, Here’s Why People Are REALLY Leaving You.”

This piece can be a good “gut check,” but it sure does use a lot of baiting rhetoric. Much of what the writer points out I find to be unnecessary. One point from the piece I did find interesting: “These words may get you really, really angry, and you may want to jump in a knee-jerk move to defend yourself or attack these positions line-by-line, but we hope that you won’t. We hope that you’ll just sit in stillness with these words for a while, because whether you believe they’re right or wrong, they’re real to us, and that’s the whole point.”

Actually, it’s not the WHOLE point. The whole point should be to serve God wholly and completely, following His commands, including the Great Commission.

Some of the writer’s complaints are petty, but there is some constructive criticism about what churches today are doing that could be reevaluated. However, churches can’t submit to every supposed misunderstanding or preference that unbelievers or church-leavers may have. That’s not its purpose.

There is one important thing that everybody involved needs to remember. GOD IS SOVEREIGN. If God can use a reluctant, obstinate prophet who is swallowed up by a whale and eventually goes to a wicked, immoral city to preach a message of doom for 40 days, and all the people repent (see the Book of Jonah), He can use a church that may be “the problem.”

  1. 13 Things about Mission-Minded People

Have you read this yet? Boy howdy, you need to. It’s powerful, convicting and enlightening. I shared this article on Facebook, and three of my friends (maybe more) shared it from my post.

If you haven’t learned yet, one effective way to get people to read your stuff is to write it in a list format. Lists, rankings, anything that can be featured in a numeric fashion is like catnip for internet minions.

But about the 13 mission-minded things, I think this article can be helpful in two ways (see there, a list!):

  • Those who don’t understand committed Christians can possibly grasp a little more on what makes them tick.
  • Those, like me, who need a modern-day self-evaluation on what commitment to serving Christ whole-heartedly looks like. I’ve read the article three times.
  1. ‘Changing Our Mind’ Review

I’m better at reading other people’s book reviews than I am at actually reading books. Union University professor George Guthrie gives a lengthy review on David Gushee’s book Changing Our Mind.

Gushee is a professor at Mercer University who recently changed his view on homosexuality and now believes it can be an acceptable lifestyle within Biblical teaching. He is one of a growing list of influential Christians.

It is important to answer respectfully those who may oppose Biblical doctrine (II Tim. 2:25). Guthrie does an exceptional job in responding to Gushee’s book. His review is good information to help those who also may be confronted with this dangerous moral issue that is on the rise.

  1. KD questions people’s motives

Earlier this week, Kevin Durant went on Twitter to rant about twitter: “Why do you post on Twitter? You want a voice? You wanna be more popular? You want to show people how funny you are because you’re too insecure to do it in person?”

Did you notice KD used the proper form of “you’re”? Love it!

The NBA MVP was interviewed about his purpose of his Tweet beef. “I just don’t like the motives sometimes and why people do stuff,” he said. “I’m not frustrated about it. I’m a little baffled on why people use it and, like I said, their motives behind it.”

I’m glad Kevin brought up the issue of motives. That’s a sign of making character a priority in a time when character doesn’t seem valued.

People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives – Prov. 16:2 (NLT).

  1. Still looking for topic suggestions

Is there a current issue, an expressed view, a troublesome topic that you would like me to feature in Doyle’s Half Dozen? Comment below, send me a response on Facebook or email me at cdoyle@bgco.org, and I will be happy to consider the subject matter.

The purpose of this weekly feature is to look at current affairs and social issues from a Christian worldview. I definitely welcome your input.