By: Bruce Ashford, Lauren Ashford, Joy Forrest In light of the ongoing national conversation about Christian responses to domestic violence and the sad reality that abuse statistics are no better among church attenders than among society at large, it is incumbent upon us—SBC churches and pastors—to do everything we can to respond appropriately when victims [ Read More ]
Please allow me to serve notice of a publishing event: Daniel Ritchie’s My Affliction for His Glory. I’ve known Daniel for almost twenty years now and have watched him wrestle with, and ultimately embrace, a unique form of adversity: Daniel was born without arms. Through a saving encounter with Christ, he realized that with worth [ Read More ]
The great American sociologist Philip Rieff (1922–2006) stands as one of the 20th century’s keenest intellectuals and cultural commentators. Rieff did sociology on a grand scale—sociology as prophecy—diagnosing the ills of Western society and offering a prognosis and prescription for the future. Although he was not a Christian, his work remains a great gift—even if [ Read More ]
Chrissy Teigen struck a nerve when she tweeted on Monday that she is “not good with” the Bible. Teigen, a supermodel, is married to singer John Legend, who will portray Jesus Christ in NBC’s forthcoming live rendition of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” Just before visiting her husband on set, she took to Twitter, joking, “John said [ Read More ]
Early Wednesday morning, the Rev. Billy Graham passed away at age 99 at his home in Montreat, N.C. In response to the news of his passing, national and international leaders simultaneously grieved his death and celebrated his life. And for good reason. He should be remembered for his global reach, having preached live to approximately [ Read More ]
Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option is the bestselling and most discussed religious book of the past year. In it Dreher argues that the past few decades in American life have revealed the extent to which Bible-believing Christians have been decentered socially, culturally, and politically. An increasing number of Americans—including those with cultural power—view historic Christianity as implausible, [ Read More ]
God is not a racist. Torch-wielding white nationalists and white supremacists marching through Charlottesville, Virginia, Friday night failed to learn that important lesson. They shouted ‘unite the right’ and ‘white lives matter’ — and called for the South to split from the United States. The Friday evening march was a precursor to a larger “Alt-Right” rally [ Read More ]
What could a little Brit named “Lesslie” possibly teach American pastors about a Christian approach to American politics? Recently, Marty Duren interviewed me on his podcast, “Pastor Talk,” giving me the opportunity to outline some lessons we can learn from the life and work of British theologian Lesslie Newbigin. To access the podcast, click here.
In 2006, sociologist Philip Rieff (1922-2006) published My Life among the Deathworks, the first volume of his monumental Sacred Order / Social Order trilogy. In it, he argued that the West in general and the United States in particular is in the midst of an unprecedented attempt to desacralize the social order. [Note: This article [ Read More ]
How can Christians best respond to a situation in which historic Christian belief and practice is increasingly marginalized socially, culturally, and politically? On July 12, 2017, I participated in a panel discussion of this question at the National Press Club in Washington, D. C. The discussion was hosted by the Institute on Religion & Democracy and moderated by [ Read More ]