The Apostles were in danger of being diverted from the ministry to which they had been called by Jesus — the ministry of Word and prayer. They were almost diverted into a social ministry for squabbling widows. Now both are important, and both are ministries, but the Apostles had been called to the ministry of... Continue Reading

Once the state redefines marriage then, as a “provider of public services”, there is every possibility that I will be sued, charged and condemned for being “discriminatory” when I refuse to sanction or recognize same-sex partnership as marriage. The following is a letter to the editor of The Scotsman, a newspaper in Edinburgh, Scotland. It... Continue Reading

Crisis pregnancy centers deserve the support of all who cherish the sanctity of life, the defense of the unborn, and the right of free speech. The U.S. Supreme Court’s declaration of war upon the unborn in its infamous 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade, caught most conservative Christians unprepared and unaware. This shock to the nation’s... Continue Reading

Some years ago, I wrote an article trying to delineate what it is evangelicals believe as opposed to what fundamentalists declare and got a withering phone call from Falwell telling me that I was “finished”. I would never again speak in any of his 30,000 churches in America. He ended his blast by calling down... Continue Reading

For centuries Christians believed the universe was created “in the space of six days, and all very good” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 4:1) as did our Reformation Fathers. But we no longer believe this, unitedly, as they did. God said, to Adam, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the... Continue Reading

…college is no longer affordable. And that means college is no longer a place to go to figure out what you want to do with your life. So if your teenager is uncertain about what he wants to do then tell him to stay home for a year or two and get a job. And... Continue Reading

What would Jesus cut? Military spending? Education? Health care? Aid to Africa? I asked a handful of prominent Christian ministers and scholars, interpreters of Jesus’s moral authority. All deferred an answer After this past week’s debt-ceiling deal in Congress, trillions of dollars of spending cuts are on the table. New cuts will sink deep, laying... Continue Reading

…Christians are divided into the four main fellowships: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Reformed, and Lutheran. He argues that all denominations are, in the end, connected to one of these four. Each of these fellowships believes that the others are wrong on essential doctrines. Because all Christians do not agree on doctrine and are not a... Continue Reading

Though liberal critics call it a hate group, the association and Mr. Wildmon are widely revered in conservative circles. Working in the relative isolation of Tupelo, Mississippi and lacking a magnetic television personality, Mr. Wildmon is not as widely known as other titans of the religious right, like Pat Robertson or James C. Dobson To... Continue Reading

It’s hardly news that men and women think and behave differently. But a new analysis of national tracking surveys conducted over a 20-year period by the Barna Group profiles specific differences between the genders in relation to 14 religious beliefs and behaviors of significance. The report is the third in a series of six that... Continue Reading