The Cross in an Age of ‘Spiritual Derangement’

I love the church, but I can’t say I always understand or even like it. And in my more than half a century inside it, I can’t remember a time when the American church seemed less clear about its identity and purpose. The Lord decreed love as our signature characteristic (John 13:35), yet Christians have earned a reputation for hatefulness and even raunchiness. From our epidemic of leadership failures to the steady hemorrhaging of the disillusioned, it feels as if we’ve lost our... Read More

Today in History: September 25, Bill Cosby sentenced in sexual assault case

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 25, the 269th day of 2024. There are 97 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 25, 2018, Bill Cosby was sentenced to three-to-10 years in prison for drugging and molesting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home. (After serving nearly three years, Cosby went free in June 2021 after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction.) Also on this date: In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and sighted the... Read More

Marlins put reeling Twins in deeper trouble in wild-card race with win

By DAVE CAMPBELL MINNEAPOLIS — The cratering Minnesota Twins took another step backward in the American League wild-card race, as Jonah Bride homered to spark a four-run second inning off Bailey Ober for the 99-loss Miami Marlins in a 4-1 victory on Tuesday night. Bride had three hits, while Nick Fortes and Xavier Edwards each had two and helped fuel the defining rally in the second against Ober (12-8), who failed to finish six innings for just the second time in his last 17 starts. The... Read More

Fourth Lausanne Congress Embraces Younger Leaders, ‘Marketplace’ Christians, and Technology 

This story will be updated. Steve Oh can trace his family’s Christian heritage back to the Protestant missionaries who arrived in Korea in the 1800s.  “My family has been blessed by the global missionary movement,” said Oh, a Korean Australian pastor who leads Sydney Living Hope Community Church.  This week, Oh is one of 5,200 Christians from more than 200 countries in Incheon, South Korea, for the fourth Lausanne Congress. The gathering comes as a “full circle moment,”... Read More

Florida’s health care board sued by people with disabilities over Medicaid managed-care plan oversight

TALLAHASSEE — Attorneys for people with disabilities have filed a federal lawsuit alleging the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has not provided adequate oversight of Medicaid managed-care plans that care for people in their homes. The 79-page lawsuit, filed Monday in Tallahassee, centers on part of Florida’s Medicaid system that contracts with managed-care plans to provide what are known as home- and community-based services for people who need long-term care. The services... Read More

Ticket alert: Broward Center’s Ghost Light Society raising funds with a party & a performance by Steven Page (Barenaked Ladies)

A new cultural season is upon us, an exciting moment to look forward to the wealth of performances coming to South Florida stages — and to the parties.  On Saturday at The Parker in Fort Lauderdale, the Ghost Light Society will throw its first event of the season, a cocktail party-style fundraiser featuring singer-songwriter Steven Page, once of indie-rock favorites Barenaked Ladies. Aimed at young professionals age 25 to 45, the Ghost Light Society is one of many donor groups... Read More

Former cops seek leniency in case of coerced sex and unlawful compensation

Two former Lauderhill police officers who are about to be sentenced for sexual-related offenses against a pair of women leaving a strip club 14 years ago want a Broward judge to keep them out of jail, but prosecutors and a private lawyer for one of the victims say such a show of mercy would be justice denied. Originally Published: September 24, 2024 at 2:46 p.m. ... Read More

Who’s the Christian Candidate? Americans Say Neither

Most Americans don’t see either of this year’s presidential candidates as particularly religious or Christian. In a new survey by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, 64 percent of adults said they don’t consider former president Donald Trump religious and 53 percent said they don’t consider Kamala Harris religious. A majority also agreed that they wouldn’t describe either as “Christian.” A plurality of Americans—41 percent—say neither Trump nor Harris... Read More

Waste-to-energy facilities are environmentally responsible, compatible with nearby communities | Opinion

Miramar Mayor Wayne M. Messam is misinformed about the subject of waste-to-energy (WTE), the technology behind Miami-Dade’s proposal that would help manage the disposal of the county’s garbage for decades into the future. In his op-ed, Messam suggests that WTE proponents claim that a new WTE facility for Miami-Dade would have “zero emissions” and “no smells.” The mayor is not specific about the origin of those claims, but here’s the truth: There is no technology for managing... Read More