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Articles by Shane Morris
Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday? - Daily Devotional
Is Christmas really a pagan holiday? Tis the season for memes, skeptics, and even some Christians who claim that Christ is not the origin of Christmas, and that the trappings of trees, presents, and celebrations are incompatible with Christianity. A very helpful video in the What Would You Say? series tackles this question from a theological and historical perspective. Here is a clip from “Is Christmas a Pagan Holiday?” Number 1: Christmas is rooted in Scripture, and it’s always been about Christ.
Breakpoint: That Bible verse is not about immigration … and other ways of how not to read the Bible
Recently on X, the Department of Homeland Security posted a video that featured immigration enforcement officers riding in Black Hawk helicopters and toting rifles to a cover of Johnny Cash's song "God's Gonna Cut You Down." A narrator quoted Isaiah 6:8: "Here am I, send me." Democratic Congressman Hakeem Jeffries utilized a similar hermeneutic a few days later.
Breakpoint: You won’t regret not giving your child a smartphone
Every parent of tweens or teens will likely hear these words at some point: "When can I have a phone? All my friends have them!" Countless parents have given in to this line, putting internet-connected devices into their child's hands — often devices with no meaningful parental controls — all because of social pressure. They think that if they don't, their child will be an outcast or just left behind the techno curve.
AI Without a Chest
On July Fourth, Elon Musk promised, “We have improved @Grok significantly. You should notice a difference when you ask Grok questions.” And many did. By the end of the week, X’s AI had dubbed itself “MechaHitler,” replying to users with cartoonish Nazi propaganda and antisemitism typically found only in the internet’s darker corners.
Parents and Teens Regret Early Smartphone Use, New Study Finds - Daily Devotional
Every parent of tweens or teens will likely hear these words at some point: “When can I have a phone? All my friends have them!” Countless parents have given in to this line, putting internet-connected devices into their child’s hands—often devices with no meaningful parental controls—all because of social pressure. They think that if they don’t, their child will be an outcast or just left behind the techno curve.
Why Are Young Men Returning to Church and Why Aren’t Young Women Joining Them? - Daily Devotional
In recent months, at two synods for different dioceses of the Anglican Church of North America, I encountered a significant number of impressive young men, mostly in their twenties. In one case, they humbly served the clergy and leadership throughout the multi-day proceedings. In the other, they attended a local parish but chose to join and stay for the entirety of an exceptionally long ordination service.
Breakpoint: Tech gurus are monetizing the epidemic of loneliness, and there are victims
Breakpoint: Tech gurus are monetizing the epidemic of loneliness, and there are victims 20 minutes ago by John Stonestreet and Shane Morris / Breakpoint Facebook/Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg says his company will pioneer AI personas to solve the loneliness epidemic. / AP Photo/Nick Wass/File A few years ago, a headline from The Onion mockingly suggested that people who "stink at being human" seem most optimistic about AI.
Breakpoint: Kanye, Hitler and the marks of true conversion: It’s all level at the foot of the cross
In his book "Amusing Ourselves to Death," Neil Postman presciently warned of a few consequences of an entertainment-driven age. Among them was the temptation of celebrity-ism in which fame supplants expertise, and style supplants substance.
Can We Be Liberated from Sexual “Freedom”? - Daily Devotional
In a recent editorial in The New York Times entitled, “The Delusion of Porn’s Harmlessness,” Christine Emba challenged the dogma that suggests anything goes in the bedroom as long as everybody consents. Emba, the author of the book Rethinking Sex, goes on to slam the feminist Left for being unable to admit that pornography has been terrible for society and promotes the objectification and violence against women. All this, in fact, even when everybody involved technically consents.
Breakpoint: Despite conventional wisdom, young married couples have the best odds
In the song "Let's Get Married," by The Gray Havens, a husband-and-wife duo recount: Some would scoff and stare at us, And some would laugh and cry And others asked our age and wage, And raised their eyebrows in surprise. Disbelief is typical of what young couples experience when they decide to get serious about marriage. In fact, it's a major reason why the average age of first marriage for both men and women is now around 30.
The Missing Links in Evolution and the Case for a Creator - Daily Devotional
There are plenty of things to critique about the working theory of evolution. For instance, there is the problem of irreducible complexity, which refers to how living things are elegantly built, using an apparent minimum of parts, and could therefore not have evolved step-by-step from simpler forms. There’s also the problem of the missing transitional forms in the fossil record, especially in layers like the Cambrian, where there is an apparent “explosion” of new life forms without ancestors.
Study Reveals Couples Who Marry Younger Report Greater Satisfaction and Stability - Daily Devotional
In the song Let’s Get Married, by the Gray Havens, a husband-and-wife duo recount: Some would scoff and stare at us, And some would laugh and cry And others asked our age and wage, And raised their eyebrows in surprise Disbelief is typical of what young couples experience when they decide to get serious about marriage. In fact, it’s a major reason why the average age of first marriage for both men and women is now around 30.
Is TikTok the Ultimate Contraception? - Daily Devotional
A hundred years before the invention of the television, Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard wrote: Suppose someone invented an instrument, a convenient little talking tube which, say, could be heard over the whole land … I wonder if the police would not forbid it, fearing that the whole country would become mentally deranged if it were used… The prescient comment was part of his criticism of the daily press, specifically how the constant stream of news inflates the importance...
Is “Baby Optimization” Unscientific and Immoral? - Daily Devotional
Should we “optimize” human beings? That was the question Anna Louise Sussman addressed recently in The New York Times, describing a new process that allows fertility services to bring only the healthiest, least disease-prone children into the world. Polygenic embryo screening uses AI to find genes with statistical correlations to disorders such as diabetes, autism, heart disease, cancer, and schizophrenia.
COMMENTARY: Marriage isn't just a piece of paper
Even as the American marriage rate has steadily declined, the cohabitation rate has steadily grown. According to a 2019 Pew Research study, more Americans have cohabitated at some point than have been married. Fifteen times more couples live together outside of marriage today than in 1960.
Why 'the Right Side of History' Keeps Getting It Wrong
Supporters of progressive cultural and political movements often declare their ideas “inevitable” and “on the right side of history.” The last few years, however, have demonstrated the need to take such claims with a grain of salt. Arguments and cultural fads that once seemed unstoppable now look dated, and those who persist in making the arguments and following the fads, failing to realize that history never had a “right side” to begin with, look a little silly.
Why Staying Silent Is Sometimes the Most Faithful Response
Conservative New York Times columnist Ross Douthat once described certain events as “scissor” stories, with headlines, statements, ideas, or scenarios “perfectly calibrated to tear people apart…” Regardless of details, those on the left feel obligated to react to these events one way, while those on the right feel obligated to react the opposite. But above all, everyone feels they must react, which means they feel obligated to comment on social media.
The Bible, AI, and the Fight to Preserve What Makes Us Human
Many new technologies are sold with the promise of freeing people from menial tasks. Dishwashers, dryers, tractors, and word processors are just a few of the many inventions that have made life easier, reducing the amount of backbreaking labor involved in necessary chores and leaving users more time for things worthwhile, like learning, creating, and enjoying relationships. But what happens when technology promises to “free” us from even those worthwhile activities?
Will AI Replace Reading?
Many new technologies are sold with the promise of freeing people from menial tasks. Dishwashers, dryers, tractors, and word processors are just a few of the many inventions that have made life easier, reducing the amount of backbreaking labor involved in necessary chores and leaving users more time for things worthwhile, like learning, creating, and enjoying relationships. But what happens when technology promises to “free” us from even those worthwhile activities?
A Moment for Renewing Education and the Consequences of Over-Diagnosing Prenatal Conditions
Big changes are being proposed to how we do education in America. The Phoenix Declaration offers a helpful framework for what education should look like. And increasingly parents are being encouraged to abort based on prenatal diagnoses that are often wrong.
How to Fix Education
Over the last few years, there has been a reckoning in America on education, and the next few years could see radical changes as a result. Parents have been opting out of public schools and choosing alternatives, whether that’s homeschooling, private schools, or hybrid models. This isn’t due only to fatigue over lengthy COVID closures.
America’s Birth Crisis Is Shutting Down Schools and Colleges at a Shocking Rate
When Whitney Houston sang, “I believe that children are our future,” it may not have been truly profound, but it was true. A quick headcount of American schools and colleges, in fact, proves just how true. Education Week recently reported that public schools across the nation are closing their doors due to a lack of students.
The Birth Dearth Closes Colleges
When Whitney Houston sang, “I believe that children are our future,” it may not have been truly profound, but it was true. A quick headcount of American schools and colleges, in fact, proves just how true. Education Week recently reported that public schools across the nation are closing their doors due to a lack of students.
News or Narrative? The Battle for Truth
When the Syrian government fell last year, a CNN reporter was filmed “rescuing”a man from prison, only to learn later that he wasn’t an inmate at all. “Adel Ghurbal” was not an enemy of the state but Salama Mohammad Salama, one of the regime’s intelligence officers. This embarrassing episode for “the most trusted name in news” is not a once-off problem. In fact, the entire news establishment has all but lost the faith of its consumers.
The Super Bowl and Sports Gambling: America’s Newest Addiction
It’s been seven years since the Supreme Court deregulated sports gambling and every year since, the amount of cash changing hands over games grows. A few days before Sunday’s Super Bowl, the American Gaming Association predicted that about $1.39 billion dollars would be gambled on that single event. But, for those who use any of the online platforms and apps to place bets, it’s not a single event.
Is God Having a Cultural “Moment”?
God seems to be having a moment, culturally speaking. So is the Bible, it seems. In December, the Wall Street Journal reported that Bible sales were up 22% in the U.S. last year, while sales of other books were essentially flat. In fact, in 2019, 9.7 million copies of the Bible were sold in America.
Is God Having a Cultural “Moment”?
The rise in Bible sales and God talk will hopefully go deeper than seeking “useful” help. What Would You Say?: Is the Bible Still Relevant? Find more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment at Breakpoint.org.
Being the Church in India
According to church history, Thomas, the disciple best known for his doubts, first took the name of Christ to India, ushering in a rich and centuries-long history of Christ followers there. These “Thomas Christians,” as they are known, have provided a faithful presence in the region, along with missionaries and others who continued to bring the Gospel and start churches.
The Trials of David Daleiden are Over (for now)
Last week, the state of California dropped all felony charges against prolife activist David Daleiden and fellow journalist Sandra Merritt. The two have been targeted since 2015 after they released a series of videos in which Planned Parenthood employees admitted to the selling of unborn baby parts.
Upselling Death - Breakpoint
Last fall, to pressure passage of the Terminally Ill Adults bill in the House of Commons, advocates of legal suicide in the UK took an innovative approach. They plastered the London Underground with posters that resembled ads for antidepressants or headache medicine. The most prominent featured a wealthy, healthy woman dancing in her kitchen in her pjs with a big smile on her face.
The Rise of Intentionally Single Mothers
A recent, gut-wrenching story from the New York Times Magazine should be required reading for anyone thinking about employing in-vitro fertilization. After a mix-up, two California couples ended up carrying, birthing, and raising each other’s baby girls for several months. Ultimately, the two sets of parents made the “unbearable decision” to switch children, choosing custody of their genetic daughter over the one they had welcomed and nursed and loved.
The Rise of Intentionally Single Mothers
What Would You Say?: What is IVF, and is it ethical? Support the ongoing production of Breakpoint by becoming a monthly partner at colsoncenter.org/monthly.
Breakpoint: Housing and families: Making homeownership a Christian cause
The fabled American dream once included a long list of items: a steady job, benefits, a spouse, a couple of kids, an annual vacation, a car and owning a home. For too many these days, achieving that last one is more of a nightmare. Recently, CNBC reported that the average age of homebuyers in the U.S. is 56 years old. According to the National Association of Realtors, that's up from an average age of 49 years old just last summer.
More Unearthed Evidence of Early Christianity
A few weeks ago, researchers in Germany announced that they had found the earliest evidence of Christianity north of the Alps. During excavations of a Roman cemetery in Frankfurt, a tiny, tightly wound silver scroll dating to the early 200s, was found under the chin of a skeleton. The scroll was found in a phylactery, a kind of amulet worn on a cord around the man’s neck. This was an unusual thing to find in that part of the world.
Conservatives Must Know What to Conserve
Recently, in an article for the Institute for Family Studies, Patrick Brown highlighted the notable decline of marriage and married parenthood among Republican voters. The GOP has long enjoyed larger support from married parents. However, in the most recent election, Brown writes, …there was essentially no political advantage in 2024 for Republicans in congressional districts with higher shares of births … to married parents.
Conservatives Must Know What to Conserve
When it comes to marriage, the GOP looks bluer than ever. What Would You Say?: Is Cohabitation Good for Relationships? Register for the upcoming Breakpoint Forum: A New Sexual Revolution at colsoncenter.org/phoenix.
Breakpoint: The rising belief in miracles
According to a recent report from statistician Ryan Burge, the belief in miracles has risen in recent years among the college-educated, the group most correlated with materialistic beliefs. In 1991, just 45% of Americans with a bachelor's degree said they "definitely believe" in miracles. However, according to the U.S. government's General Social Survey, that number climbed to 63% by 2018. The change was even more dramatic among those with graduate-level degrees.
Political Transition, Faith in Sports, and Masculinity
This is the final week of the Biden administration. John and Maria look back at the political landscape. Professional and college athletes are getting more comfortable talking about their faith. What’s driving the trend?
The Post-Election, Pro-Choice Panic
According to an Associated Press article from November, there was a significant “surge” in demand for long-term birth control, sterilization, and chemical abortions following the election. One company saw a 966% spike in sales of “emergency contraception” and abortion pills in the three days after Donald Trump’s re-election.
The Post-Election, Pro-Choice Panic
The freak-out for “rights” is about image bearers at war with themselves. Christians can help. What Would You Say?: I Don’t Like Abortion, but Should it be Illegal? For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment visit Breakpoint.org.
The Earth is the Lord’s... Including Our Money
Perhaps the only upside of America’s (and American’s) debt problems is the many funny memes spawned by the financial precariousness. Currently, the national debt stands at over $36 trillion, more than $100,000 of debt for every person in the country. That’s on top of the debt personally incurred by which is on average to the tune of about $65,000. At least a third of Americans have some form of credit card debt, arguably the most dangerous kind.
Breakpoint: What’s wrong with wanting grandchildren?
People often joke that if they'd known becoming a grandparent was so much fun, they would have done it before having kids. Having grandchildren is widely considered one of life's great joys, one which, historically, most adults experienced. Today, however, a growing number of people will never have this experience. Grandparents in America are becoming rarer. In 2014, 60% of people over 50 had at least one grandchild. By 2021, that had fallen to just over half.
The Rising Belief in Miracles
According to a recent report from statistician Ryan Burge, the belief in miracles has risen in recent years among the college-educated, the group most correlated with materialistic beliefs. In 1991, just 45% of Americans with a bachelor’s degree said they “definitely believe” in miracles. However, according to the U.S. government’s General Social Survey, that number climbed to 63% by 2018. The change was even more dramatic among those with graduate-level degrees.
The Rising Belief in Miracles
Is the growing belief in the supernatural an a la carte counterfeit? Register for the 2025 Colson Center National Conference at colsonconference.org. For more resources to live like a Christian in this cultural moment visit Breakpoint.org.
What’s wrong with wanting grandchildren?
People often joke that if they’d known becoming a grandparent was so much fun, they would have done it before having kids. Having grandchildren is widely considered one of life’s great joys, one which, historically, most adults experienced. Today, however, a growing number of people will never have this experience. Grandparents in America are becoming rarer. In 2014, 60% of people over 50 had at least one grandchild. By 2021, that had fallen to just over half.
What’s Wrong with Wanting Grandchildren?
With more millennials choosing no kids, would-be grandparents mourn the end of their family line. Register for the 2025 Colson Center National Conference at colsonconference.org.
The Incarnation in a Disembodied World
At the heart of Christmas and the Christian worldview is the Incarnation, when God took on flesh and, in Christ, became fully human. It’s a mystery, to be sure, but as humanity journeys further into this digital age, the idea of incarnation will only become increasingly strange. This virtual world of high-speed internet, social media, smartphones, and the cloud is increasingly disembodied. This can make it even harder to imagine why God would need to “take on flesh” in order to save the world.
This is Your Brain on Materialism
Why it matters that the mind and soul are more than mere products of the brain. Register for the upcoming Identity Project webinar featuring Dr. Christopher West at colsoncenter.org/identity.
Breakpoint: Scourge of sports gambling shows it’s time to call off all bets
A few years into widespread legalized sports gambling, the results are in, and it is clear that this industry is devastating for individuals, families and even sports. In an article for The Atlantic, Charles Faith Lehman states the truth bluntly: "Legalizing Sports Gambling Was a Huge Mistake." The data supports that claim. This season, $35 billion in bets will be placed on NFL games alone.
Breakpoint: The decline of dating apps: Turns out, love isn’t a product
Sometimes, inventions meant to revolutionize the world turn out to be passing fads. The latest example is dating apps. A recent article in The Economist attempted to explain "why people have fallen out of love" with these digital aids to falling in love. Apparently, dating apps peaked in 2021. They are now at their lowest number of active users since 2019.
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