New York Magazine Interviews Pious Catholic Who Turns Out to be Supreme Court Justice
Antonin Scalia may just be the most interesting Christian figure in the federal government today
So what exactly is on the Supreme Court justice’s mind? After talking some constitutional law, coarsened public manners, and, increased political partisanship of society, attention shifted to the justice’s Roman Catholic convictions. Scalia’s commitment to faith is well known; one of his sons is a priest in the Diocese of Arlington. In his interview, the... Continue Reading
Evangelicals and Israel
What American Jews Don't Want to Know (but Need to)
Of course there are other, not necessarily “Christian,” reasons why evangelicals (like other Americans) support Israel. Shared ethical and moral foundations; the feeling of kinship between two settler democracies with a sense of their own exceptionalism; the impulse to partner against enemies of the democratic West and especially, these days, against radical Islam; the urge... Continue Reading
Stages of a Pastor’s Ministry
It is critical for us to understand tenure, because the health of the church is directly impacted by it
Years 6 to 10: Fruit and Harvest. My research is not complete, but it’s more than anecdotal. A church is likely to experience some of its best years, by almost any metrics, during this period of a pastor’s tenure. Indeed, in my interviews with both pastors and members, I have heard this theme repeated. Both parties... Continue Reading
All My Fears Relieved
Although most fear is deadly, the fear of the Lord is life.
Whenever I encounter someone who claims not ever to worry about anything or who claims not to have any fears, I conclude one of three things: they are lying, they are self-deceived, or they have grown so callous and complacent to their own hearts that they don’t care about anything or anyone and are, thus,... Continue Reading
How Pornography Works: It Hijacks the Male Brain
Pornography becomes more than a distraction and a distortion of God’s intention for human sexuality; it becomes an addictive poison.
Sinners naturally look for fig leaves to hide sin, and biological causation is often cited as a means of avoiding moral responsibility. Struthers does not allow this, and his view of pornography is both biblical and theologically grounded. He lays responsibility for the sin of viewing pornography at the feet of those who willingly consume... Continue Reading
Evangelicalism’s Last Taboo
In an age when being nice is the highest virtue, publicly confronting error from a well-known Christian is perhaps the last taboo in contemporary evangelicalism
If you go to the trouble to write a book or gather a large audience to hear you speak then I assume you are seeking buy in (so to speak) from people in other churches. I am highly in favor of good books and good teaching for the wider church. In fact I recommend loads... Continue Reading
Time is Running-out on Religious Lliberty
Gay rights proponents are going for a total victory, and they will eventually target the tax-exempt status of religious organizations—including churches
There is one area of disagreement that I would register with Dreher’s analysis. Dreher seems to agree with prevailing conservative opinion that no matter how much religious liberty is lost in the public space, traditional marriage supporters would still be safe to promote their views within their houses of worship. I don’t believe that for... Continue Reading
If You Are Not a Good Husband, You Are Not a Good Pastor
Pastors who preach the gospel should not undermine the gospel by refusing to love their wives as Christ loves the church
These truths are important to mention because there is a real danger for pastors to think that they can separate the integrity of their ministry from the integrity of their homes. Consider John Wesley, one of the greatest Christian preachers who ever lived, as an example. Nathan Busenitz at the Cripplegate Blog recently wrote an article titled... Continue Reading
Siri: Find Me a Mentor
Click by click, we younger women have cut the older women out of our lives.
Sadly, the foundation of spiritual mothering—the little moments of sharing recipes and book recommendations and driving directions—the tasks that almost any older woman can do with confidence have already been delegated. We younger women, in our quest for immediate answers to our questions, have taken what could be the start of a mentoring relationship and found... Continue Reading
Air Force Officials Decide They No Longer Need God’s Help
The U.S. Air Force appears to be systematically removing the phrase “so help me God” from the oaths of office
However, the phrase “so help me God” is in fact mandatory and required by law in all oaths of office taken by military officers and enlisted personnel, as well as federal employees and federal judges and justices. The only federal official not required by law to use this phrase is the president. The language of the presidential oath... Continue Reading