In my years of serving as a pastor to students and their families, I’ve heard the following question phrased in a few different ways: Should I force my child to go to church if they don’t want to? In the…
Arkansas governor reignites campaign debate about stepchildren versus biological children
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders bragged about her humility at a campaign rally Sept. 18, taking a dig at Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for being a stepmother and not a biological mother. In a campaign already scorched with “family…
JD Vance and Al Mohler use fuzzy math to sound an alarm on falling birth rates
Over the past two months since Donald Trump chose JD Vance as his running mate, many people have been surprised to learn about Vance’s demonization of women in the workplace and his strange fascination with large families. Just this past…
Little League coach’s speech: Home run, foul or something else?
If the speech were a hard-hit baseball, it was high, deep and down the baseline. Some say it was a home run. Some say despite feeling and looking great to many of the “home-team fans” (aka Christians), it went foul….
Christians’ promotion of corporal punishment harms bodies, minds and the gospel
“Spanking? Well, you know, the Bible says, ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child.’” Actually, it doesn’t. The harsh teacher Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow spoke this popular misquotation of Proverbs 13:24. Even the website of…
What if you decided to love your child before you knew they were gay?
Dear parent, I’m writing today with a tough ask. I’m asking you not only to give a loving reception if your child “comes out” as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer. I’m asking you to imagine that day even if…
Conservative Christian parents face challenges raising Republican kids
It’s challenging enough for parents to raise children who love God. It’s even tougher to raise kids who love God and the GOP, say frustrated pro-family leaders. “A recent study reveals that moms and dads are off the mark if…
Today Show co-host has a message for fathers
Today Show co-host Craig Melvin starts his day earlier than most when his cell phone goes off before 4 a.m. every morning to get ready to help millions of people start their day. “When I wake up, I say, ‘Father,…
The Strict Father model is killing us
George Lakoff has given the world one of the most helpful and depressing models of understanding the differences between liberals and conservatives and how we think — what he calls the moral mind. His book Moral Politics: How Liberals and…