Many churches have taught the Bible to children and youth not as a book with one central, redemptive message, but as a collection of stories and morals with the gospel as the key story. Moralistic therapeutic deism is “moralistic,” because its focus is behavior modification. Acting right subtly becomes more important than believing right. It... Continue Reading

As a counselor, I talk about sex with people, but I cannot remember the last time I talked about money. “Men will talk about their struggle with pornography, but don’t ask about their money.” A veteran of many men’s groups made that observation, and it made sense. As a counselor, I talk about sex with... Continue Reading

Thus, we got a “Jesus” who bears little resemblance to the one of Scripture and the Creeds. People like the author Elizabeth Gilbert “prayed,” in effect, to themselves, who, not surprisingly, told them to do what they wanted. According to New York magazine, yoga studios in the city “have become as common and competitive as... Continue Reading

“What you believe, what you value, how you live, matters,” Mr. Romney said. Mr. Romney’s speech was also notable for its overt religiosity, a tone that he had resisted, even during the Republican primaries, when conservative Christians were questioning his faith. Mitt Romney traveled to Liberty University, the spiritual heart of the conservative movement, on... Continue Reading

Yet today, Vanderbilt officials are restricting the liberty of the very sorts of religious folks who not only founded the school but whose followers led many of the nondiscrimination battles of 19th-century higher education. (Editor’s Note: After sumarizing the story, Mr Murray give this illustrtion.) Ironically, the very freedom Vanderbilt administrators have to make their... Continue Reading

Editor’s Note: In seeking a ‘lead story’ for Mother’s Day, we go back 10 years to a Mother’s Day sermon preached (and then published) on the Back To God Hour by the then radio preacher, David Feddes. It was part of a series on the cultural impact Christianity has had for the past 2,000 years.... Continue Reading

Authors: Bryant Wright, President of the Southern Baptist Convention and Senior Pastor of Johnson Ferry Baptist Church; Richard Land, President, The Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission; O. S. Hawkins, President/CEO, GuideStone Financial Resources, Southern Baptist Convention We acknowledge that Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists have differing views on how we understand and... Continue Reading

Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, sees the Martinez decision “lurking in the background” of other cases. He filed suit in February on behalf of the Christian anti-abortion group Make Up Your Own Mind at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The school, which does not have an all-comers policy like Hastings, was... Continue Reading

The temptation is for Christians go silent and give up the marriage fight: “It’s no use staying in this battle,” we think to ourselves. “We don’t have to change our personal position. We’ll keep speaking the truth and upholding the Bible in our churches, but getting worked up over gay marriage in the public square... Continue Reading

J.D. Greear, lead pastor of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., a Southern Baptist congregation, urged the church’s members to support the amendment. “Government did not define or establish marriage. God did. Government merely recognized that which has been established by the Creator.” North Carolina voters have made the state the 30th in the U.S.... Continue Reading