“The disparity between Glenn Beck’s favorability ratings and how people feel about him as a religious leader suggests that people are more drawn to him for political reasons than religious ones” Less than 20 percent of Americans think popular Fox News television host Glenn Beck is the right person to lead a religious renewal movement,... Continue Reading

Among religiously conservative people, legalism is the respectable sin. We figure, I fear, that it is far better than license –a necessary corrective to the wanton rebelliousness of our age. Better to be a little scrupulously over-obedient than to dwell in the tents of wickedness with the prostitute and the addict and the tax collector.... Continue Reading

Martin Luther was once approached by a working man who wanted to know how he could serve the Lord. Luther asked him, “What is your work now?” The man replied, “I’m a shoemaker.” Much to the cobbler’s surprise, Luther replied, “Then make a good shoe and sell it at a fair price.” He didn’t tell... Continue Reading

Our national holidays have become meaningless to us. They do little more than give us an extended weekend break from the grind of life. This is September. We look back to July 4 as a day of thanksgiving for the gift of freedom. We look forward to Thanksgiving as a day, when in the tradition... Continue Reading

Some years ago I was standing at a pedestrian crossing in the town of Echterdingen, near Stuttgart in Germany. It was a Sunday morning. The crossing light was at red. I looked quickly left and right, there was no car in sight and so I crossed. An elderly couple, probably coming from the same Lutheran... Continue Reading

In the volume on True Christianity, the authors put together a series of questions to help us discern the true state of our hearts and expose the reality of nominalism. During the past few months, I’ve been enjoying The Essential Edwards Collection, an accessible introduction to the work of Jonathan Edwards compiled by Owen Strachan... Continue Reading

What we can say, based on historical reflection, is that any Christian articulation of social justice that seeks to hand the poor over to government for dependency and control is antithetical to the concept of justice within the history of Christianity. While the term “social justice” means different things to different Christian and other religious... Continue Reading

Fully 70% of all Chinese will live in cities of more than 1 million people by the year 2025. By 2030, China alone will count at least 220 cities with populations exceeding 1 million. The human future is an urban future. In one of the greatest social shifts of all human history, over half of... Continue Reading

At the same time, some evangelical Christian voters are sticking close to more traditional, conservative political roots. Last month, tens of thousands of Christians rallied on the National Mall, in response to Fox news host Glenn Beck’s call for a return to America’s religious values. President Barack Obama has long sought to open a dialogue... Continue Reading

Recently Bill O’Reilly very pointedly asked Glenn Beck why he avoids the culture war. On the same-sex “marriage” issue Beck, who purports to be a conservative, said that really doesn’t care what people do as long as it doesn’t affect him. He then quoted Thomas Jefferson who said, “If it neither breaks my leg, nor... Continue Reading