What is in the news these days? If I mentioned the ‘Straits of Hormuz’, I’m sure you have heard that name in the news. Political and military problems there are the main reason that gasoline prices are high this summer. At least they are higher than usual, where I live.

I don’t want to get caught up in political arguments that are bigger than me, but one side in the recent conflict in the Middle East is Iran, also known as the Islamic Republic of Iran. That country is governed by religious leaders who believe strongly that politics, government, and military conflict are related to what they believe. 

For them, the news is an expression of theology. 

I’m sure that we know the other participants in the recent conflict are Israel and the U.S. The Jewish religion is the foundation of the Jewish nation of Israel, and Christianity is still a powerful influence in American culture, although secular thinking is also growing and becoming more popular. The conservative religious leaders in Iran have often referred to the U.S.A. as “The Great Satan” and Israel as the smaller or lesser Satan.

Where were you on 9/11 in the year 2001? I remember being at work, and I walked past a television with some strange images on the screen. I remember pictures of tall buildings, airplanes, and smoke. I was shocked, and I had no clear idea about what was happening in places like New York City.

Now I know that was religious belief for some people—theology. 

That is theology—the belief systems built around concepts of God or other spiritual figures. Did you know, many things that are happening in our modern world, including military conflicts, have a foundation in theology; religious belief. You might find this video interesting. A Christian preacher named John Hagee is known to be direct and forceful when he preaches and has strong beliefs about what is happening in the Middle East. 

He sees theology, spiritual forces, in news stories from the Middle East:

You may agree or disagree, but note that he sees spiritual forces behind events in the news. If you do an Internet search about news in the Middle East, and include the names of preachers like John Hagee, you will get an earful. Many people see God, and other spiritual forces, in the news.

I imagine many Muslims and Jews also see theology in the recent news from the Middle East.

And here’s another story in the news: Do you know the name SSPX? That is a very conservative or ‘ultra-traditional’ group of Roman Catholics who have been excommunicated by the Pope. From a Catholic point of view, that means they are no longer part of the true faith.

If you want to know more:

That might not be personal news for many of us, but there are almost 1.5 billion Catholics in the world, in a total population of about 8 billion, and this could be very important news for all of them. Notice that this story is all based on theology. This news story could be very important, for a large part of the world’s population. Not all the important news is secular.

And here’s an odd story. At least it’s odd for me. Some scholarly experts, I think from Canada, claim that there is a strong similarity between Buddhists who meditate and Pentecostal Christians who speak in tongues. 

READ: Meditation and speaking in tongues: the surprising similarities between two spiritual practices

That could start a few arguments, and you might be offended, and feel free to form your own opinion. But notice that some experts are starting to see theology in the way we live our lives. Millions or even billions of people have spiritual roots to how they live their lives, and some secular experts are starting to see that.

God is not dead, and neither is the other side, in spiritual things.

I am writing as a Christian believer, and I’m happy to recommend that for anyone, but first, I think something is missing, in modern culture. I think we need a starting point, if we want to get things right, and if we want the right direction for our lives. Every house that stands has a good foundation, and every life that succeeds has the same.

Jesus warned us about this, two thousand years ago, and we are just as human as the people that he spoke to:

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Luke 7: 24 to 27)

I believe that many people in modern society have a foundation to their lives built on sand. Without a foundation, in spiritual things, we are promised a great fall.

Many of us need this lesson. We should not be unteachable: