While the old tolerance was in some ways a parasitic virtue-that is, it depended for its life on decisions as to how much leeway might be allowed to a person who wished to advocate or take up a position outside the accepted norms and laws of a society… the new tolerance is not parasitic on... Continue Reading

Paul does not say that Christ emptied himself of his omnipotence, or of his omniscience, or even of his deity…the emptying of Christ includes the fact that he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped…Christ’s voluntary self-emptying was by addition, not by subtraction. He emptied himself, not by subtracting his deity (which... Continue Reading

A lawsuit filed by the Indiana chapter of the Center for Inquiry argued that an Indiana law that requires marriages to be “solemnized” only by clergy, judges, mayors or local government clerks violates the Constitution. But Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled that marriage has... Continue Reading

So why have I decided to remove Bruce Springsteen from my play list? I can’t get his recent words out of my mind, spoken at the height of the nation’s political season: “… I’m concerned about women’s rights. I don’t have to tell you the dangers to Roe v. Wade under our opponent’s policies.”  ... Continue Reading

The court concluded that “the protection of the traditional institution of marriage, which is a conceivable basis for the distinction drawn in this case, is a legitimate state interest.” The court also held that protection of Nevada’s public policy is a valid reason for it to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.... Continue Reading

When parents are directly involved in teaching teens about wise financial decisions, teens are less likely to make mistakes. It is imperative that parents model and communicate financial wisdom to their teens…. Recent research at Grove City College “provides evidence of yet another critical component” of financial maturity necessary to supplement the sound knowledge conveyed... Continue Reading

The idea of capping the charitable deduction “is as serious a threat to religious organizations as anything the federal government has done in recent decades,” said Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). “This would be catastrophic in its impact, particularly on those large gifts that many religious organizations, colleges, universities... Continue Reading

Same-sex marriage was probably the highest-profile social issue in this election, but for the Christian right, no issue is more important than abortion. On this, too, though, Daly spoke of a willingness to work with abortion-rights groups to find common ground on adoption — a notion that would probably strike many Christian conservatives as appeasement.... Continue Reading

Much of the money will be used to hire eight staffers for a “secular support group,” where students who do not believe in God or adhere to any religion could meet with like-minded students in a “safe” environment. A second planned program, a “faith questioning service,” would allow students questioning religion to meet one-on-one with peers... Continue Reading

"I give and give all week. I just want to come to church to be ministered to and fed." Perhaps you've heard a friend who works in a parachurch ministry say something like this. Perhaps you've said it yourself. Those who work for a parachurch ministry, like me, are often inclined to believe that their (Christian) vocation exempts them from meaningful involvement in a church. We must resist this temptation.