One area that has me thinking is simply the reason why we drink. I’ve often looked at the case for alcohol being such a staple in church history more on the level of necessity. With the poor water quality, drinking alcoholic beverages was a matter of health. And, yes, I’ve always looked at it as... Continue Reading

It was a jarring juxtaposition, to hear our food scene feted while the plight of the city’s hungry and under-resourced is worsening. If Richmond wants to foster a “community for the common good”—a phrase used by the Public Square presenters—all of the region’s citizens must benefit. Fostering gourmet farm-to-table experiences for those with disposable income... Continue Reading

Nor is “professor of religions” what he does “for a living.” He is an associate professor in the Creative Writing program at the University of California, Riverside, where his terminal MFA in fiction from Iowa is his relevant academic credential. … What about that Ph.D.? As already noted, it was in sociology. I have his... Continue Reading

In her statement, Gora did not disclose the future of Hedin’s class, focusing only on intelligent design teaching: “On this point, I want to be very clear. Teaching intelligent design as a scientific theory is not a matter of academic freedom—it is an issue of academic integrity. As I noted, the scientific community has overwhelmingly... Continue Reading

So where do we draw the line? Although most the extremes in this survey weren’t shared by the majority of respondents, it illustrates how figuring out what might cause men to “stumble” is nearly impossible. This is not to say modesty should be chucked out the window and we all wear (or don’t wear) whatever... Continue Reading

The meeting was held with the leaders of all 15 Orthodox Churches to commemorate the 1,025th anniversary of the “Baptism of Russia” – the official adoption of Christianity and establishment of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kievan Rus by Prince Vladimir in 988 A.D. Orthodox leaders at the meeting also condemned the growing secularist suppression... Continue Reading

Although I had been raised in Methodist and Presbyterian churches and attended Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, was ordained in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, served pastorates in that church and in the PCA, I nevertheless found myself at different times in my career attracted towards old traditional liturgical churches: first the Antiochian Orthodox Church and... Continue Reading

Evangelical elites, when speaking politically for ecclesial bodies, should stick with issues to which Scripture and Christian tradition speak most directly. As representatives of mostly democratic polities, they should also strive to represent a consensus view within their churches. Otherwise they will create resentment among their members and are likely not to be taken seriously... Continue Reading

In a nutshell, abiding in Christ means allowing His Word to fill our minds, direct our wills, and transform our affections. In other words, our relationship to Christ is intimately connected to what we do with our Bibles! Then, of course, as Christ’s Word dwells in us and the Spirit fills us, we will begin... Continue Reading

“As the government and the [court] majority see it, religious rights are more limited than other kinds of First Amendment rights,” he wrote. “All groups can enjoy secular free expression and rights to assembly, but only ‘religious organizations’ have a right to religious liberty. … Our Constitution recognizes the free exercise of religion as something... Continue Reading