Politics and Culture
Some great advice for election season
Amy E. Black writes a terrific article for Christianity Today, encouraging believers to watch how they engage politics. Too often we check our Christianity at the door. She writes: If we are to seek peaceful solutions and honor God in politics, we Christians of all people must avoid such hateful talk. James 4:11 commands us…
Read MoreEvangelicalism’s Changing Heart on Immigration – Patheos Column
Today Patheos is featuring a my column, cowritten with my friend Matthew Soerens of World Relief on the changing attitudes toward immigration among evangelicals: The conventional wisdom among pundits and journalists holds that immigration is a key to winning over the evangelicals who dominate the Republican presidential nominating process in the early states. This is…
Read MoreFriday Five: Joe Carter
Joe Carter is one of the most articulate evangelical voices on the intersection of church, culture, and politics. Joe founded Evangelical Outpost in 2005. He is the web editor for First Things and an adjunct professor of journalism at Patrick Henry College. A fifteen-year Marine Corps veteran, he previously served as the managing editor for the online…
Read MoreCautions for Christians in a Political Season
In America, politics is all around us, whether you want it to be or not. But as we anticipate the election of 2012, it is reaching a fever pitch. Being a political junkie myself, I find myself being, at times, so consumed by it that it distracts me from my main calling as a follower…
Read MoreWill Pastors’ Influence on the Political Process Decline?
Over the last few days, the issue of Mormonism and Christianity has been front and center in the news media, thanks to the controversy created by Pastor Robert Jeffress of 1st Baptist Church of Dallas. If you missed the dustup, Dr. Jeffress endorsed Texas Governor Rick Perry in his race for the White House and…
Read MoreDo We Need an Evangelical President?
It’s the beginning of Republican primary season and most of us, though we try, can’t help but be interested in the dynamics of the unfolding drama. It’s the time when political conservatives come out in full force and when GOP candidates hit the hustings, pitching themselves as the solution to America’s problems. One of the…
Read MoreFriday Five: Bradley Wright
How often have you heard, in the last year, some alarming statistics that “prove” young kids are sprinting away from the church, that Christianity in the West will die in the next generation, and that the world thinks Christians are idiots? If so, then today’s Friday Five will challenge some of those statistical assumptions. I’m delighted…
Read MoreSaying Nice Things about People With Whom You Disagree
Can you say nice things about people with whom you disagree? On the anniversary of 9/11 I posted a nice comment on Facebook about the leadership of President Bush after 9/11. It wasn’t a political statement, just a note of admiration. I was surprised at how many people (many Christians) who wrote scathing things about…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Hispanic Culture
I was pleased to listen to this broadcast (embedded below) on Focus on the Family, featuring Samuel Rodriguez, President of National Hispanic Leadership Conference, a Hispanic Evangelical organization. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of some of America’s leading Evangelical organizations such as: Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, National Association of Evangelicals, and Christianity…
Read MoreTrashing Politicians: The New Spectator Sport
Politicians may be the most despised people on the planet today. It’s quite fashionable to trash them and it is socially acceptable. But is it right for a Christian? I get a ton of grief on Facebook when I ever defend someone with whom the majority of evangelicals disagree. For instance, even posting “Pray for…
Read MoreThe Leadership Lessons of 9/11
This week is a sober one as we look back on the tragedy of 9/11. I’m amazed at how many of the memories come flooding back as I read the article and watch some of the clips. I recently read through my copy of World Magazine, who did a fantastic job with some original reporting…
Read MoreHow Should We Remember 9/11?
I’ve been thinking, the last few days, about how we should commemorate 9/11. It was such a pivotal time in history, especially for my generation. I was twenty-three when the Towers fell. I remember it being the moment we no longer felt isolated and safe in America. All the bad news had always happened overseas.…
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