“True Christianity” is a centered set and not a bounded set. Neither I nor any other mere human has the authority to decide who is and who is not a true Christian—other than as a matter of personal opinion. There are times, however, when churches (denominations) find it necessary to decide who is not a true Christian

Are extremists hijacking the Arab Spring? They’re trying to, but this is just the opening chapter in a long drama. Some Eastern European countries, like Romania and Hungary, are still wobbly more than two decades after their democratic revolutions. Maybe the closest parallel to the Arab Spring is the 1998 revolution in Indonesia, where it took years for Islamic extremism to subside.

The analogy to “The Da Vinci Code” rankles academics, of course. “Dr. King said she wants nothing to do with the code or its author,” my colleague Laurie Goodstein notes in her story on the newly discovered text, and quotes King saying: “At least, don’t say this proves Dan Brown was right.” But if they don’t want people to make the analogy, they shouldn’t imitate his arguments.

Let’s stop advocating for traditional marriage, an institution dominated by the curse.  Let’s recognize that our critics may have more to teach us than we may have been prepared to admit.  Let’s advocate instead for Biblical marriage, and the wonderful picture of love and companionship we see presented to us there, a model of mutual... Continue Reading

I am convinced, however, that this phrase reflects an idolatrous longing for something from the man that the woman was created to receive from God alone. As I researched this topic, however, it became clear that my view is in the minority.   Editors’ note: Two views on the meaning of Genesis 3:16, when God curses the... Continue Reading

Christian political theology has always denied the existence of absolute property rights, and indeed, has questioned whether property rights are grounded in natural law at all. The tradition is marked by a virtually unanimous consensus that individuals and social organizations are to use their excess possessions subject to the primary claim of the needy as a matter of justice.

“Isn’t it all the Word of God, fully inspired and beneficial?” “Well, yes—I believe that with all my heart,” I said. But this is not to say that all parts of the Bible have equal weight. Does not Scripture speak about “the weightier matters of the law?” Did not Jesus speak of the “great commandments?” And is there not a new and better covenant?

A church that ordains women as pastors may be orthodox on many other issues, but on this question it sets itself against Scripture. In so many churches and denominations, this obstinate refusal to be corrected by Scripture presents faithful believers with a hard choice — but remaining in a church that obstinately refuses correction is not an option. Efforts at “renewal” in many of these churches have been consistently rejected. At some point, the refusal to separate becomes complicity in the heresy.

I tend to favor the interests of the nation we know today as Israel. But I do so for reasons having nothing to do with the idea that the modern state of Israel is the successor of the ancient covenant nation.     The Man and the Money. In my opinion (which I am sure is... Continue Reading

Most evangelicals view Mormonism as an alternative religion rather than a Christian denomination. They have more in common theologically with Obama, who claims to accept many of the doctrines they affirm. Moreover, much more frequently than Romney, Obama has used biblical teaching to support his policies, especially in aiding the poor. However, many evangelicals are... Continue Reading