Evangelism

The Meaning Behind This Photo Hung Outside the Oval Office

Josh McPherson is lead pastor of preaching and vision at Grace City Church in Wenatchee, Washington. Josh and his wife, Sharon, along with nine other families, helped plant the congregation in 2008.

According to its website, Grace City “Exists to help more people meet, love, and follow Jesus … so that lives and legacies might be transformed as more people know God, live free, and do good in the world God made.”

On a recent episode of a podcast that Pastor McPherson cohosts with Pastor Josh Howerton of Lakepointe Church in Rockwall, Texas, the two men were joined by two other pastors to discuss their recent visit to the White House for the National Day of Prayer.

Pastors who chose to accept President Donald Trump’s invitation to the May 1st event have been criticized by some of the predictable antagonists. On this “Resurge” podcast, the pastors spoke openly and candidly about why such critique was not only misplaced but also flat out wrong.

These ministers rightly believe that it’s not partisan to pray or support policies that are biblical. As they note, it’s not about aligning with a political party – it’s about aligning with God’s moral law.

Pastor McPherson said he wanted to share some of the behind-the-scenes observations of the day, and he specifically delved into the extensive evangelical presence and energy in this current administration.

After ceremonies in the Rose Garden, McPherson and several pastors were taken into the West Wing. They were shown a large photograph that hangs just outside the Oval Office, right by a couch where dignitaries sit before meeting with the president. In his own words, here is how Pastor McPherson described the experience:

We turn around and not 10 feet away was a huge picture of President Trump sitting at the Resolute Desk with about 30 pastors …

The pastors were told the president asked for the photo to be hung there because he wants guests who enter the Oval Office to know they’re not just dealing with a man. Pastor McPherson added:

That’s not a power trip. That’s a statement that says we are a Christian nation and we want to align ourselves with the principles of God. We’re going to seek the help of God, the power of God, the leading of God in all that we do.
And when you go in the Oval Office, the most powerful man in there is not the president. It’s God himself. And that just spoke to me deeply.

The pastors went on to discuss how the apostle Paul expended considerable effort engaging the political leaders of the day. He did this because he knew how culture works. If you can positively influence top leadership, if you can introduce the Savior of the world to those in significant positions of authority, those people downstream from the leaders will inevitably benefit in countless spiritual ways.

Wesley Huff is a Brilliant Christian Apologist You Must Know About

Wesley Huff is a 33-year-old Canadian Christian apologist and Ph.D. candidate in New Testament Studies that every believer should know about it.

He burst onto the scene in a big way in early January 2025 when mega-ton gorilla podcaster Joe Rogan had Huff on his show for over three hours to talk about the historicity of Jesus of Nazareth, his death and resurrection and the reliability of the biblical texts with an emphasis on the New Testament.

More recently he was featured on Easter weekend for a full hour on Piers Morgan “Uncensored.”

Not only is Huff one of the smartest and most articulate Christian apologists working today in defense of the faith, but he is genuinely one of the kindest and inviting, while still standing for uncompromising orthodoxy. For such a young man, still plowing his way through school, his breadth of knowledge and gift for explaining the depths of it all in a concise way are remarkable.

Huff, born in Multan, Pakistan, was miraculously restored at age 12 from a rare neurological condition that paralyzed him from the waist down. Doctors have no explanation for his recovery, but Huff explains that today, he is the walking result of a “true supernatural experience.”

In fact, he says his doctors were the first ones to use the m-word: miracle. But the experience shored up his faith and compelled him to start studying where truth can be found in various religions and worldview perspectives. He has settled on biblical Christianity and has risen as one of its most insightful and compelling defenders. Beyond his studies as a Ph.D. student and growing media sensation, Huff serves as the Central Canada Director for Apologetics Canada.

Piers Morgan asked Huff at the beginning of his interview, “Is it indisputable to you that Jesus Christ existed?”

Huff confidently responded, “Oh, definitely so” adding, “Even the most skeptical scholars grant, that if we know very little about Jesus, we know that he did exist and that he was crucified in and around the beginning of the first century under the overseeing of the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate.”

But what about the supernatural resurrection of the historic Jesus of Nazareth? Huff explained the textual evidence we possess, both biblical and extra-biblical, supports the conclusion that “if you could have a camera running on the tomb in or around 33 A.D., [it would show] that an actual Jesus would have walked out on the third day, after his crucifixion and burial.”

Piers Morgan followed up by admitting, “And that is the crux of this, isn’t it? Whether Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected really goes to the absolute essence and heart of Christianity because obviously, that is a miracle and everyone who believes in Christianity would feel validated.”

Huff’s conversations with both Piers Morgan and Joe Rogan are well worth watching and taking in the gifted and informed explanations for Christianity’s documented truth! (Due to some typical language from Rogan, the Morgan interview is the better to watch with your teen and pre-teen kids. They would greatly benefit from Huff’s insights and approach.)

Related Articles and Resources

The Church’s Lane is the Whole Cosmos

The Cultural Paradox of Following Jesus Christ

Why Believe in Christianity? Because it is True.

How Big is Your View of the Gospel?

Dear Christian, Have Hope in Jesus Christ Amid Our Cultural Chaos

Appreciating the Full Scope of the Lordship of Christ – and the Gospel Itself

Christianity is Both a Religion and a Relationship

Donald Trump, Tim Tebow, Conrad Hilton and the National Day of Prayer

In venues large and small, the nation pauses on Thursday to recognize the 74th annual National Day of Prayer – an annual observance that aims to draw all eyes on the Lord.

From President Trump hosting a gathering in the sun-splashed White House Rose Garden to gatherings in the smallest of American churches, this year’s festivities center around the apostle Paul’s charge to early believers in Rome:

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Has American ever been in greater need for joy, peace, and the power of the Holy Spirit?

While prayer helped birth America in its earliest days, hotelier Conrad Hilton is credited with championing legislation that established the yearly tradition of having the government set aside a special day to praise and petition the Lord.

Sponsored by Senator Frank Carlson of Kansas, the legislation signed into law by President Truman in 1952 declared,

“The President shall set aside and proclaim a suitable day each year, other than a Sunday, as a National Day of Prayer, on which the people of the United States may turn to God in prayer and meditation at churches, in groups, and as individuals.”

You might say the idea for an annual day of prayer can be traced back to a pastor named Abraham Vereide, a Norwegian immigrant who began hosting breakfast prayer meetings in 1930’s Seattle. Good ideas often catch fire, and that’s what occurred just prior to the start of World War II. Visitors from other cities attended the Seattle gatherings and brought the idea home with them.

Pastor Vereide moved to Washington, D.C. in 1942 and started hosting the prayer breakfast for members of Congress. Conrad Hilton, who founded the Hilton Hotel empire and who was a devout believer, attended and talked frequently about the power of prayer.

He once observed, “In the circle of successful living, prayer is the hub that holds the wheel together. Without our contact with God we are nothing. With it, we are a little lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor.”

Senator Carlson told President Eisenhower about the breakfast tradition. One thing quickly led to another. By 1953, President Eisenhower agreed to attend. Conrad Hilton offered to host the special event in his Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. A tradition was born.

It was at that first prayer breakfast when President Eisenhower said, “Prayer is just simply necessity. By prayer I believe we mean an effort to get in touch with the Infinite.”

On Thursday in the Rose Garden, President Trump spoke of the Lord’s sovereignty. “Our God knows exactly where we’re going, what we’re doing, knows every inch of our life. May He continue to hear our prayers, guide our steps, and build up our beloved nation to even greater heights.”

Tim Tebow, who continues to use his various national platforms to proclaim God’s glory and encourage, is among those hosting a special National Day of Prayer event this evening at 8 p.m. Central. He’s joined by Dr. Ben Carson, among others.

On Thursday, Tim shared on social media:

Prayer isn’t about presentation; it’s a person. Psalm 3:4 says, ‘I call out to the LORD, and He answers me from His holy mountain.’ This is what the National Day of Prayer is all about. Coming together before the throne of our loving Father to seek His will for ourselves, our neighbors, and our nation.

Join me today in humbly going before the throne of grace, which we can do because of one person – a person who is also God: King Jesus.

Amen and amen.

Karoline Leavitt, Pam Bondi and the Costly Evangelism of the Cross Necklace

According to Tuesday’s New York Times, the cross necklace is “a hot accessory” that currently resides “at the intersection of faith and culture.”

Historians suggest the practice of wearing a cross as a pendant around the neck dates back to the second century.

Tertullian, a Christian theologian who lived during that same period, called believers in Jesus “devotees of the cross.” That reference is said to have inspired early Christians to embrace and redeem the symbol Roman officials had associated with torturous death, even wearing it to connect with fellow believers and talk about their countercultural faith with others.

Cross necklaces have long been made with various materials ranging from simple wood to precious metals and gemstones.

“As a millenniums-old symbol of Christian faith, the cross would seem somewhat immune to trendiness,” writes Misty White Sidell in the Times. “But cross necklaces and pendants have been in vogue before and may be again as some feel more comfortable embracing their faith and seek community with others.”

The Old Grey Lady points out that White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Attorney General Pam Bondi are two high-profile women within the Trump administration who regularly wear a visible cross.

In a statement provided to the Times, Leavitt explained, “My faith is very important to me. It is what gets me through each day.”

Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Representative and Democrat leader in the House, was spotted wearing a cross necklace during last weekend’s budget protest. Sidell notes that Rep. Jeffries grew up serving as an usher at the Cornerstone Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

That members on both sides of the aisle are wearing crosses inevitably mutes any of the traditional partisan criticism.

Back in 2023, Michael Coan, associate professor of jewelry design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, suggested in an interview that crosses can be for everyone. 

“If you have Jesus on it, it becomes a crucifix,” he said. “That’s a different story. For some people, it can mean redemption from suffering. To pagans, it can mean the four directions. It can represent elements of fire, water, earth and air. It’s a symbol that resonates on a global plane.”

While Professor Coan is correct that Christ being on a cross makes it a crucifix, something Catholics often display, evangelical believers feature and wear an empty cross as a symbol of Christ’s victory over death.

It’s true that different people can interpret the cross differently, but Christians can feel comfortable wearing a cross and allowing it to trigger productive and faith-filled conversations.

But it’s one thing to wear a cross and a whole other thing to live a life that rightly reflects its profound meaning and charge to us as followers of Christ.

John Stott, the late Anglican pastor and theologian, rightly observed, “The cross calls us to a much more radical and costly kind of evangelism than most churches have begun to consider.”

Costly evangelism means that as believers who stand up for Christ, we should be willing to lose our reputation, sacrifice our comforts and resources, and even be at odds with significant cultural majorities. It means to “not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2). 

Good for Karoline Leavitt, Attorney General Bondi and anyone else who unapologetically wears a cross, not for the sake of making a fashion statement, but instead as a proclamation of their Christian faith and an invitation to others to join them on the greatest adventure from here to eternity.  

Image from Getty.

Why Evangelicals Should Care About the Next Pope

Over 200,000 people are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral on Saturday in Rome, a global event that will draw leaders from every corner of the world, including President Donald Trump.

After news of the pontiff’s death broke on Easter Monday, President Trump took to Truth Social and declared, “Rest in Peace Pope Francis! May God Bless him and all who loved him!” He later told reporters that the late pope was “a very good man who loved, loved the world, and he especially loved people that were having a hard time, and that’s good with me.”

Many of the world’s nearly 1.4 billion Catholics will be tuned in to the solemn procession and Mass. They’ll witness all the traditional liturgy and hear readings from Acts, Paul’s letter to the Philippians, as well as John’s Gospel. It will conclude with the “Gloria Patri,” a Latin doxology that ends with the phrase, “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

In between, evangelicals will find portions of the prayers and some of the elements of the funeral Mass theologically troublesome, especially prayers and petitions to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

But doctrinal and theological differences aside, non-Catholic believers should be following the next chapter in Rome with interest.

The Papal Conclave is scheduled to begin May 6. The word “conclave” means “private room” in Latin. At this point, 135 of the church’s cardinals will be meeting in the Sistine Chapel to begin the selection of the next pope. It’s famously secretive. The only sign of what’s going on inside will be signaled by black smoke or white smoke, the latter to indicate they’ve successfully landed on a new leader of Catholics.

Over time, popes have served an oversized role in the world, and for good and bad. Centuries ago, Pope Alexander VI was accused of buying his way into the Vatican, killed cardinals for their wealth, and even fathered children. Popes have been accused of ordering their predecessor’s death (Sergius III), and almost bankrupting the church (Pope Leo X). Some have accused Pope Pius XII (1939-1958) of doing little to confront Hitler for the holocaust. The Catholic Church has pushed back and says his secret work to save the lives of Jewish people will be revealed in forthcoming church documents.

Lately, though, popes tend to reflect an era – or do they help shape it by their personality, passions, commitments and convictions?

When Karol Wojtyla, a.k.a. the newly elected Pope John Paul II, delivered his inaugural homily to the throngs gathered in Rome’s St. Peter’s Square in 1979, he implored those gathered:

Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept His power … Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. To His saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows “what is in man.” He alone knows it.

Of course, the pope was quoting Jesus, who said to Peter and to all of us: “Take courage … Don’t be afraid” (Matthew 14:27). He was also quoting the Lord in the Book of Joshua: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Matthew 1:9).

Pope John Paul II, known for his courage and boldness, has been credited with helping to force the collapse of the Soviet Union.

John Paul II’s successor, Benedict XVI, was known to advocate for the church and world to adhere to biblical values.

“It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful,” he said. “It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this – in truth, in goodness and in beauty – that we find happiness and joy.”

Conversely, Pope Francis is probably best known for reimagining church convictions or priorities related to sexual sin and even divorce. He once said, “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

Is it mere coincidence that the last decade has seen a broad collapse of biblical truth and an expansion of all kinds of destructive and damaging behavior? It’s not the pope who has committed the grievous sins, but leaders often set the tone and either encourage or discourage certain behaviors.

Speculation is running rampant on who the next pope will be. Pope Francis has appointed 108 of the 135 cardinals who will be voting, a fact that some feel is an indicator the next leader of the Catholic Church will be a lot like the latest. But perhaps not. Evangelicals should be paying attention and praying for the process and for a leader who will reflect God’s truth and grace in a world desperately hungry for it.

Image from Getty.