Flash: Christians Actually Far Less Likely to Divorce
The actual divorce rate has never gotten close to 50 percent, and the divorce rate for active churchgoers is 27 to 50 percent lower than among non-churchgoers
“[T]he 50 percent figure came from projections of what researchers thought the divorce rate would become as they watched the divorce numbers rising in the 1970s and early 1980s when states around the nation were passing no-fault divorce laws.” So, the 50-percent divorce figure is simply a myth based upon decades-old (and woefully inaccurate) speculation.... Continue Reading
Hopeless? Do You Want a New Drug?
Jesus does not keep one from being distressed, devastated, and depressed, but he does walk through the valley of the shadow of death with his children
So what ought we to do with our pain? Let us follow the model of Job, David, Jeremiah, and Jesus. Let us take our distressed, devastated, and depressed selves and run to God. God has the ability to relieve the pressure; sometimes he will and other times he will not. But if he does not remove... Continue Reading
Ferguson: Facts or Feelings? Two African American Perspectives
Two African American men with different outlooks on the events in Ferguson, Missouri
I do not know what to make of this. Thomas Sowell is to be sure a libertarian conservative who has written about race in a manner that is not representative of the African American “mainstream” outlook. But he is an African American. How did he get his grid? What experiences shaped it? How did he and Mr.... Continue Reading
Four Brief Theses On Suicide
God is greater than our sins, even ones that grip us in our dying breaths
“I think many people were angry at the critical responses to Robin Williams’ death because the critiques failed to grasp–or at least landed on people as failing to grasp–the moral differences surrounding the different contexts for suicide. Surely someone struggling with depression on and off for twenty years who takes his own life deserves more... Continue Reading
Recovered From Ebola, US Missionary Kent Brantly Discharged
An American doctor treated for Ebola, Kent Brantly, was discharged from Atlanta’s Emory University Hospital Thursday
Ribner said the hospital performed extensive blood and urine tests on both patients and consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before deciding the two missionaries were ready to be released. Neither pose any risk to the public, he said. Five doctors and 21 nurses cared for Brantly and Writebol during their stay.... Continue Reading
A Christian Reading List for Atheists
In the spirit of enlightenment, I offer the following admittedly eccentric and selective bibliography for the study of atheists (and under-educated Christians)
“Many other books could be added, and no doubt better selections are available. I deliberately avoided systematic theologies (except in the case of Aquinas) and tried to stick to more readily accessible material (except for Edwards, which is a tough read). I have also tried to reflect the broadness of the Christian intellectual tradition (though... Continue Reading
The Ordinary Christian Life
You don’t have to transform the world to be a faithful mom or dad, sibling, church member, or neighbor
“Who wants to be that ordinary person who lives in an ordinary town, is a member of an ordinary church, has ordinary friends, and works an ordinary job? Our life has to count. We have to leave our mark, have a legacy, and make a difference. We need to be radical disciples, taking our faith... Continue Reading
Amnesty Is Not the Answer Without Genuine Border Security
What is the right way for churches and people of faith to address illegal immigration?
“Nearly all polls show that evangelicals are the least supportive among religious groups of legalization proposals. Most evangelicals are conservative, and shifting them into a new cause not seen as conservative is naturally difficult. Like other skeptics of immigration “reform,” many likely are doubtful that the promised increased security that would follow mass legalization, as... Continue Reading
Farm Owners Fined For Saying No To Lesbian Wedding
Christian farm owners in upstate New York who declined a lesbian couple’s request to hold a wedding ceremony on their property have been fined $10,000
When Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin, a same-sex couple from Newark, N.J., requested to use the facility for their 2012 wedding, Cynthia Gifford offered the farm for a reception, but not for the wedding ceremony. Weddings typically are conducted on the first floor of the Giffords’ home or in an adjacent field. NEW YORK (RNS) Christian farm owners in... Continue Reading
The Heart of Family Worship
I think of family worship as being comprised of three interconnected variables: the heart of family worship, the timing of family worship, and the manner of family worship
“Family worship supports and augments what have been called in certain circles “the ordinary means of grace,” meaning the reading of the Word of God, prayer, and the sacraments (Westminster Larger Catechism Q. 154; Westminster Shorter Catechism Q. 88). By thinking of family worship in this way, we connect what we are doing in our... Continue Reading