I see the desire for a great leader to unite Christians as irrelevant, an imposition of Carlylean or celebrity culture thinking on the Bible. The New Testament knows of no such thing. When facing the end of the time of the apostles, Paul does not tell Timothy to look for the dynamic individual to whom all can look for leadership; rather, he tells him to appoint ordinary, respectable, competent members of the church community as overseers.

Unfortunately, instead of encouraging people to speak their thoughts, feelings, and opinions, we have discouraged people from speaking at all. We have encouraged “civil”–that is, noncontroversial–, conversations full of platitudes and qualifiers, devoid of feeling or passion, offending no one but saying nothing. We have squelched robust conversation for fear of offense or error, resulting in the suppression of both error and the truth.

In other words, I can hold to the value that other people have a right to their beliefs, without believing that all points of view are equally valid. Or be compelled to uphold the pursuit of such beliefs.

A specter now haunts the London Olympics: that of public indifference, bought at the cost of billions that future generations will struggle to repay.

Ruth and Karl Price said their son put God first, was unassuming and shied away from praises like being called a "hero."

If we’re motivated to modesty by a concern for God’s glory, our witness, and love for the souls of our fellow men, we’ll wear clothes that free us to live out kingdom lives in a fallen world. Fear of legalism is just as big an issue as fear of antinomianism – both are antithetical to... Continue Reading

Matthew Lee Anderson distinguishes “tolerant” (i.e., liberal) from “intolerant” (i.e., Religious Right) consumer boycotts. The latter objects to specific products, the former to ideas. So it’s not the chicken sandwich that offends, but the ideas of the guy who makes it. Political religion takes different forms. For political Islam, a women wearing a head scarf... Continue Reading

Mississippi and the churches in Mississippi have come a long way. Those from other places who lack Mississippi’s past and present are in no place to judge the state justly. Mississippi continues to suffer for her own sins and the sins of others. The solutions for the severe and seemingly intractable problems that remain….will have to arise among Mississippians…. The lead... Continue Reading

I would contend that Christian believers are to be among the clearest thinkers in the political arena. As proponents of absolute truth in a world of relativity, followers of Christ ought to have the sturdiest grip on the logic of rational persuasion among all who grapple on the mat of political discourse. We are about... Continue Reading

The solution to the Church’s woes isn’t that complex; we are experiencing symptoms of the same disease. We have ceased to trust. We have questioned God’s self-revelation in the Holy Scriptures. We fail to realize that the “solution” to every “issue” is to hold fast to the gospel that was first preached to us. The... Continue Reading