Faith as construed by the President gives no offense and draws no boundaries. In the final analysis, what is missing from his theology is nothing other than the gospel, the message of God-given righteousness grounded in the cross of Christ that when received by faith and repentance runs roughshod over a sinner, transforming a ward of Satan into an angel of light. This exclusive reality—and the top-to-bottom ethic it creates—is noticeably lacking in President Obama's actions and proclamations.

Almost the only exception to the clergy-penitent privilege is for child abuse. Every state requires professionals, often including clergy, to report evidence of child abuse. But the requirements are aimed at abuse by a parent or guardian; they do not appear to cover the murder of a child by a stranger.

"I think we're at a fork in the road in the culture now where God's heart for humanity needs to show through us. With the core sense of the culture—this 24/7 news cycle and the polarization—we cannot take the bait as the Christian community. We've got to be more mindful of God's character and how he expresses himself through us." --Jim Daly

Perhaps it is the fervent individualism of American Christianity which makes free market capitalism seem like a Divine mandate. Because evangelicals assert that you alone are responsible for your eternal salvation, it makes sense that the individual is also responsible for his or her economic salvation without government assistance, especially if God is the only assistance you really need.

It's widely remarked that to be "poor" in America often means decent housing, at least one vehicle, a cell phone for everybody in the family over age 12, air conditioning, two TVs, and a pig heaven of high-carb snacks—wealth beyond the dreams of the average Haitian. Though often exaggerated, it's true enough to raise eyebrows when discussion turns to "The Other America."

Parents involved with homosexuality were more apt to report "being unemployed, less healthy, more depressed, more likely to have cheated on a spouse or partner, smoke more pot, had trouble with the law, report more male and female sex partners, more sexual victimization, and were more likely to reflect negatively on their childhood family life, among other things."

Relationships are the heartbeat of the church. Community makes the church healthy. It functions like an organism in which all the parts must relate and connect well for there to be health. A business, though, is more mechanical—even a Christian one. The relationships between co-workers must be, first and foremost, professional.

Today's culture wars over marriage, abortion, and domestic religious freedom seem terribly tame compared to the supreme culture war over slavery that concluded with Civil War. Even before the war, abolitionists, including Seward, often risked mobs and lynching, even in the north. In the interest of social harmony, should they have relented?

The Rev. Keith Ratliff Sr. of the Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church in Des Moines issued a statement saying he was stepping down from the NAACP national board and as Iowa/Nebraska state conference president “due to the NAACP’s position and support of same-sex marriage DES MOINES — A prominent leader in the Iowa/Nebraska branch of... Continue Reading

Southern Baptists can allow some flexibility in the interpretation of the first few chapters of Genesis, but the interpretations offered by theistic evolutionists are not convincing, Dew wrote. Editor’s note: This is the second story in a series of Baptist Press stories about an ongoing dialogue about evolution on the BioLogos website. To read BP’s... Continue Reading