Michelle Van Loon has seen several sides of Christianity as a child of the Jesus movement who ended up, for a time, in a fundamentalist church. So she can spot the difference between concern and control in a congregation. She…
Why international adoptions by Americans have hit a 35-year low
In 2004, Americans adopted 22,884 children from foreign countries — an all-time high. Twelve years later, that number has dropped to 5,648 children — the lowest level in 35 years.
The theology of Ted Cruz
Cruz’s defense of life is hard to reconcile with his calls to carpet-bomb and “annihilate” ISIS. How does one reconcile the defense of human dignity with these policy proposals?
Denying grief over ‘sting of death’ brings its own sting, say ministers
Seasoned pastors with hundreds of funerals under their belts have seen the rites go from one extreme to another over the past three or four decades. “Growing up, almost every funeral was morbid, with open caskets and everything from the pulpit…
Top 4 ways to overcome isolation in rural ministry
Isolation in rural ministry can, for many, become deeply burdensome. Thomas Aquinas once stated, “Friendship is the source of the greatest pleasures, and without friends even the most agreeable pursuits become tedious.” As much as we may feel called to…
You mean they weren’t so bad after all?
A recent cover story on Christianity Today tells of the groundbreaking research of Dr. Robert Woodberry. Dr. Woodberry has done a thorough examination of the economic and political realities of a number of formerly colonially-controlled modern nations and sought an…
Evangelicals find “the heart of God” on immigration
American Evangelicals are gradually joining the push for immigration reform and the impetus behind this shift in emphasis is most apparent in Focus on the Family, a para-church organization founded by the controversial James Dobson. But Dr. Dobson has yielded…