By Miguel De La Torre Our faith tells us that anyone can come to Jesus. The evangelistic message is that Jesus will turn no one away. We can come just as we are, ill and diseased. All who seek healing…
In vitro industry out of control
By David Gushee In January, a California woman named Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets through in vitro fertilization. These eight babies were added to six others that Suleman had also conceived through in vitro procedures. Nadya Suleman is an…
Faith versus science?
By Marv Knox Talk about a pointless war. The battle between faith and science just doesn’t make sense. The whole world seems to be thinking about the relationship of science and religious faith this week, as we mark the 200th…
Christian ethical values and government emergency spending
By David Gushee Every major public-policy decision involves arguments about facts, interests, and values. All three have been on display in the fierce debate over the massive $789 billion economic stimulus plan that, as of this writing, was about to…
The habit of excess
By David Gushee Contemporary ethicists have retrieved an ancient insight by emphasizing the central role of habit in morality. After centuries of moral theories that focused on identifying rational moral principles that ought to govern human decision making, today’s ethicists…
Freedom of the press a Baptist ‘trophy’
By Doug Weaver Religious freedom has long been considered the “trophy” of Baptists — even if some Baptists of yesteryear weren’t as radical as heroes like Roger Williams, John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes and John Leland — and accounts of Baptists…
Confessions, appointees and tax codes
By Benjamin Cole In her recent book, The Art of the Public Grovel, Susan Wise Bauer traces the influence of 19th-century evangelical confession upon modern political speech. From Bill Clinton’s infamous intern scandal to the recent descent of superstar pastor…
God as athletic director
By James L. Evans We have all seen it. A football player makes a big play, scores the winning touchdown, drops to one knee and points a finger towards the heavens. What does it mean when, in a moment of…
Torture: Reflecting on a long, illuminating battle
By David Gushee It is still hard to believe that the hopes we have nurtured in the Christian anti-torture movement would come to fruition — and so early, and so comprehensively, as they did with President Obama’s executive orders on…