Culture

The idea that shame has no place at all in the life of the believer says too much.

When a high-profile minister like Bill Hybels falls from grace, it provokes us to ask, What are some important lessons can we learn from this?

By Sam Horn There are certain cultural influences and age specific tendencies that can be observed in each generation. These “generational habits” are not always …

By Rebekah Anderson In 280 days, I get to marry my best friend—the man I admire more than anyone else in the world. And some …

We begin a new school year with many concerns, apprehensions, and hopes. What better way to begin this school year than to begin in prayer?

The average church’s retention rate of unchurched first-time visitors is less than 3 percent. How can churches help visitors become regular attenders?

Is it possible to “redeem queer culture” while remaining true to Biblical standards and terminology? The Revoice Conference thinks so, but it is a difficult concept to square with the Bible’s teaching on sin and redemption.

“I was wrong. Will you forgive me?” Seven words and two sentences that will change your life and your relationships for the better.

Mothers are not generally regarded as warriors. However, the Bible describes some mothers who fought in a hand-to-hand combat for their children.

Logic is not what drove many to the pro-choice position, and it will be unlikely in itself to move them away from it.

How we communicate matters. When it comes to communication, there are clear benefits of having in-person conversations over emailing and texting.

Have you ever squandered a clear opportunity to testify about Jesus? The fear of man is strong. But we can consider ourselves in light of Who God is and fear Him most of all.

Whether spontaneously uttered, purposefully remembered, or extensively prepared, our gratefulness to God for Who He is and what He has done for us should be expressed regularly.

How should the church engage culture? It’s an important question because the culture is at war, and we’d better know where we stand when the roar reaches its fever pitch.

In these times of racial and political discord and division, how should the church respond? What can pastors do to lead their people with Biblical conviction to be on mission with Jesus and make a difference?

When you hear the word “God,” money is probably not your first thought. However, if we’re not careful, money can quickly take the place of God in your life.

The past two weeks have seen amazing events taking place in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount. These events may well be a precursor to the fulfillment of important prophecies relating to the end times.

The change in theological education represents a fundamental shift in both educational philosophy and religious pedagogy, is already having great effect on pulpits and pews.

Changes in either the church or higher education are quickly mimicked and often magnified in seminaries, and the speed at which these parties are changing is a relatively new phenomenon.

Many Christians obsess over making Christianity relevant. But why should Christianity be made relevant, and what would a relevant Christianity look like?

Within quite a few supposedly evangelical churches, we are witnessing the adoption of Catholic and Orthodox aesthetics and liturgical practices even where official allegiance to Catholicism or Orthodoxy is not claimed.

This Easter we are reminded once again that Jesus did not stay in the tomb but is fully alive. And our lives right now are worth the living just because He lives.

The Case for Christ is solid apologetics shared through the heartfelt and compelling story of Lee and Leslie Strobel.

A significant portion of our society, including a large number of professing believers, experience a disconnect when the terms “liberty” and “responsibility” are used together.

God brings trials of various kinds into all our lives, and we are not to be surprised by this.

A pastor shares his thoughts on the tragic double murder of a family in Illinois.

Moses took radical action against sin. He understood that sin leads to destruction and death, and he didn’t mess around.

As followers of the living God, we have an obligation to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, and to stand for life.

Sunday Christmases bring dilemmas. Christmas is a special day, steeped in family traditions, and we’re not all that accustomed to spending time at church on Christmas Day.

Sometimes the water we are trying to navigate gets a little shallow, doesn’t it? This is the precise time we need to sail into God’s channel of peace.

If you are overly joyful or overly disappointed following Tuesday’s election, you have probably put too much stock in a human leader.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope for humanity’s real problem.

Hostility toward the gospel is nothing new, and our response to it has already been scripted for us and modeled by generation after generation of gospel-servants who have suffered likewise.

We live in a time of unique opportunity when it comes to sharing our faith. But there are other factors that make this a challenging time for evangelism.

The fall of mega-church pastor Perry Noble has stunned the evangelical world and has raised the alcohol issue to the forefront of evangelical discussion yet again.

One of the more frequent retorts that is thrown at Christians is that we are not to judge. Unfortunately, some Christians have picked up on this and are propagating it too.

The recent savage shooting in Orlando has left the nation reeling, stunned by the awful display of cruelty and barbarism. It is fitting and proper, at a time such as this, to “weep with those who weep.”

A letter to the editor introduces the evangelical as “America’s newest celebrity,” who increasingly is the lead story, the headline, and the main attraction.

This morning, terrorists struck the heart of Belgium. Why the cycle of hate and aggression? There are no simple, one-size-fits-all answers. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any answers at all.

Risen is a well-made film that may give opportunity for many gospel-centered conversations to happen among believers and unbelieving friends.

Controversy over Islam is increasing both within American religion and among American political candidates. How are Christians, and especially Baptists, supposed to think about Muslims?

On Dec. 3 the New York Daily News published the headline “God Isn’t Fixing This” in response to the outpouring of prayer support for the victims of the San Bernardino shootings. So how should we think about this from a Biblically informed worldview?

On Nov. 27, a gunman opened fire outside of a Planned Parenthood facility. We need to begin wrapping our minds around what happened and relating it to our walk with Christ in the world.

On the evening of Nov. 13, Islamic terrorists struck at the heart of France. The attacks were as well-orchestrated as they were devastating: armed to …

What does it mean to be male or female? What does the Bible and general human reasoning say about this?

With the recent Hollywood success of War Room as a #1 movie, I see no reason why Woodlawn will not be a huge hit too. The main character, Hank Erwin Jr., is played by Sean Astin, who is best known from his role as Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings. Moviegoers will also know him as Rudy in the movie by the same name. Woodlawn has a wonderful storyline with compelling subplots and superb acting.

The scientific community is abuzz this week with the announcement that liquid water has been confirmed on Mars. Of course scientists have long known that water is abundant in our universe (including on Mars), but specific evidence of a stable supply of liquid water has been lacking.

A few months ago, my wife and I were privileged to attend a preview screening of War Room, the latest movie produced by the Kendrick brothers (Courageous, Fireproof, & Facing the Giants are some of their other works). The movie opens Friday, August 28th, and I urge you to attend a showing in your community to support the movie.

An axiom of the Christian life is, Those who are truly saved will suffer. Living in the here and now means some degree of struggle.

Recently released videos by The Center for Medical Progress have brought to light some of the more egregious atrocities committed by Planned Parenthood in the name of women’s health and medical research.

It was a cold, dark night in Bethlehem when the soldiers came. Methodically and without the slightest trace of pity they marched from house to house ransacking each one.

November 30, 1938. Surrounded by a throng of his fellow countrymen, a triumphant Neville Chamberlain held aloft a historic peace agreement.

With the Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide, supporters of traditional marriage can’t help feeling as though they’ve been punched in the solar plexus.

The greatest danger facing the believer is not future persecution but daily love seduction from the world system.

Governments can use the powerful apparatus of civil censure to force people to behave as if a relationship between two people of the same sex were a marriage. But it is not and it never will be.

At least theoretically, we are living in a culture governed by moral relativism. The old codes of right and wrong are no longer seen by the general populace to apply.

The controversy surrounding The Interview is full of mystery and drama. It’s a drama that we can’t just stand by and watch, but should evaluate carefully from a Christian worldview.

Seventeen people died in the terrorist attacks in Paris last Wednesday. How will this affect our ministries in France?

Over the past week, the world has been transfixed on the slaughter of innocents in Paris by Islamic terrorists determined to exact revenge on those who insult their prophet, Muhammad.

With the recent terrorist attacks in Paris, the subject of radical Islam has been catapulted into a position of media prominence. This has brought, in …

Some pro-choice advocates agree that life begins at conception, but remain pro-choice.

Thoughts on dignity, suicide, and the sanctity of life in the wake of Brittany Maynard’s death.

Clarifying what is and isn’t at stake in the Houston subpoena issue.

A Biblical, pastoral response to our sexually charged culture.

Examining the possible dangers that can flow from idolizing celebrity pastors.

In the midst of many rather serious world events being covered in the news media, something that happened in an NFL preseason contest caused a bit of a stir.

1999 GARBC Annual Conference resolution, passed by voting messengers, The GARBC in a Postmodern Era.

An Iraqi-born Baptist missionary takes a critical look at the treatment of women in Islam and its theological rationale.

President Barack Obama on Thursday praised the Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage as a “victory for American democracy” but clashed with his African host …

A petition urging the Obama administration to ban the teaching of creation and intelligent design in U.S. schools was recently filed on the White House …

World News June 21: A substitute teacher believes he was fired because he’s a member of an international religious organization that distributes Bibles. Read more about this and other news.

World News June 18: The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has issued an order that the Department of Justice must respond to a rehearing request regarding the legal status of a German homeschooling family. Read more about this and other news.

World News June 14: Southern Baptists expressed their “opposition to and disappointment in” the membership policy of the Boy Scouts of America. Read more about this and other news.

World News June 11: Two prominent civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against the National Security Agency. Read more about this and other news.

World News June 7: The number of churches that were dismissed from Presbyterian Church (USA) last year has increased by fivefold compared to 2011. Read more about this and other news.

World News June 4: Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are active in seven states responding to damage from floods, tornadoes, and other disasters on the eve of hurricane season. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 31: Most voters don’t approve of the U.S. Justice Department’s investigation of news reporters. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 28: People concerned about the Boy Scouts’ membership policy are seeking alternative groups to join. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 24: Oklahoma Baptist disaster relief workers were in action immediately after the tornado hit. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 21: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed Monday to take up a case involving a New York town’s policy regarding prayers presented before public meetings. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 17: The IRS will soon face more than controversy and Congressional hearings over its discrimination of pro-life and conservative groups. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 14: An IRS campaign to apply additional scrutiny to conservative groups included those focused on government spending, the Constitution, and several other broad areas. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 10: A House committee has launched an investigation in response to the trial of the abortion practitioner charged with multiple counts of infanticide. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 7: In a huge victory for pro-life advocates taking on the controversial HHS mandate, the Obama administration is giving up its effort to force a Bible publisher to obey it. Read more about this and other news.

World News May 3: A California megachurch pastor who has recently come under fire for his views on homosexuality has declared that he will not be intimidated. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 30: President Obama addressed the nation’s largest abortion provider Friday, criticizing pro-life laws. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 26: Southern Baptist chaplains report that an SBC website has been blocked at military installations around the nation. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 23: Congress is now far more aware of the Kermit Gosnell story, the abortionist on trial for murder in Philadelphia. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 19: Well-known gospel soloist George Beverly Shea, 104, died Tuesday evening following a brief illness. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 16: An idea for a national day of prayer and fasting, which began in a column just several days ago, has now become a national movement. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 12: A Michigan high school canceled a speech by former Sen. Rick Santorum after teachers became outraged over his opposition to gay marriage. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 9: Soldiers in the U.S. military have been told in a training briefing that evangelical Christians are the No. 1 extremist threat to America. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 5: A portrait of Jesus that had adorned a southern Ohio public school district building since 1947 has been taken down. Read more about this and other news.

World News April 2: Edith Schaeffer, 98, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, March 30. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 29: Florida Gov. Rick Scott has stepped into the fray concerning a professor who told students to write the word “Jesus” on a piece of paper, throw it on the floor, and stomp on it. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 26: Pastor Saeed Abedini, a U.S. citizen of Iranian descent imprisoned in Tehran, tells of the torture he has endured for his faith as well as the joy that comes with forgiving his perpetrators. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 22: Redefining marriage to include same-sex couples would jettison the rationale and logic behind prohibitions on polygamous marriages, according to several friend-of-the court briefs. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 19: The island nation of Cyprus made headlines, and rattled markets across the Western world, by announcing a raid on private bank accounts this week. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 15: The archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, has been selected as the next Roman Catholic pope. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 12: Leaders at this past week’s National Religious Broadcasters conference warned that Christians may soon be forced to practice civil disobedience. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 8: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s unmanned Predator B drone fleet has been custom designed to identify civilians carrying guns and track cell phone signals. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 5: The Department of Justice is saying that children do not need—and have no right to—mothers. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 1: John Freshwater got a day in court as his latest attempt to get reinstated as a schoolteacher was presented in oral arguments before the Ohio Supreme Court. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 26: Tim Tebow has backed out of speaking at First Baptist Church of Dallas, saying he “needed to lay low and steer clear of controversy.” Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 22: Sen. Marco Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 19: China’s Christians felt a noticeable rise in persecution in 2012 as the Communist government began the first of a three-phase plan to eradicate unregistered house churches. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 15: For a German family that fled to the U.S., the Justice Department is arguing that educating one’s own children is not a fundamental right. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 12: Pope Benedict stunned the Roman Catholic Church on Monday when he announced he would stand down, the first pope to do so in 700 years. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 8: The Department of Justice has developed a white paper outlining the circumstances under which the U.S. can conduct a drone strike against an American citizen. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 5: The National Black Prolife Coalition has lobbied to have its Twitter account restored after the social media company yanked the group’s Tweeting privileges. Read more about this and other news.

World News Feb. 1: Frank S. Page issued comments on the current focus on the Boy Scouts of America. Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 29: The Boy Scouts of America is reportedly on the verge of changing its policy on homosexuals. Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 25: The head of a Messianic Jewish ministry says it’s too early to know just what kind of government might emerge from Tuesday’s surprise election results in Israel. Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 22: Open Doors has confirmed the death of two Christians in North Korea. Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 18: The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that “unborn children are persons with rights that should be protected by law.” Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 15: A public school teacher has filed a civil rights lawsuit after she was forced to remove all religious content from her classroom. Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 11: A pastor’s withdrawal from President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony has left Christians lamenting over what they see as a new era of religious intolerance. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 8: A report in WorldNetDaily notes that Barack Obama’s criticism of congressional efforts to protect the faith-based values of military chaplains is disturbing on many levels. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 4: Tens of thousands of Americans have committed to support Hobby Lobby on Jan. 5 after courts have refused to issue a ruling stopping the HHS mandate. Read more about this and other news.

World News Jan. 1: Hobby Lobby will defy the Obamacare mandate that health insurance for its employees cover “abortion-inducing drugs.” Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 28: It was a bad Christmas for Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, the Church of Iran pastor who has been returned to jail on an earlier charge. Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 21: A federal appeals court sided with two colleges in a decision related to the ongoing court challenges to the Obama administration’s birth control mandate. Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 18: Christians, including Christian leaders, are pondering the tragedy of last week’s mass killings in a Connecticut grade school. Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 14: Twenty-five same-sex couples exchanged vows in a group wedding ceremony at First Baptist Church in Seattle Dec. 9. Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 11: The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up two cases that could either lead to the legalization of gay marriage nationwide or affirm the right to protect traditional marriage. Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 7: A United Nations treaty to ban discrimination against people with disabilities went down to defeat in the Senate on Tuesday. Read more about this and other news.

World News Dec. 4: The Supreme Court took no action Monday on historic cases involving same-sex marriage. Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 30: The U.N. General Assembly voted Thursday in favor of Palestinian statehood. Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 27: Another challenge to the Affordable Care Act can continue, the Supreme Court has ruled. Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 23: This year will see an unprecedented move by the big boys of retail to open their stores earlier than ever on Thanksgiving Day. Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 20: A federal court on Friday stopped enforcement of the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate against Tyndale House Publishers. Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 16: President Barack Obama will be taking the oath of office on Jan. 21, and atheists want him to do so without mentioning “God” and without a Bible.

World News Nov. 13: Could it be that Mitt Romney might have won last week’s election or at least received more votes than he did? Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 9: Christians and conservatives in general found virtually nothing to cheer about in the elections of the past week. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Nov. 6: The IRS says it is not auditing churches, because it does not have the authority to take away churches’ tax-free status. Read more about this and other news.

World News Nov. 2: In an unprecedented move for Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, all large-capacity mobile kitchens in the fleet east of the Rocky Mountains have been asked to mobilize in response to Hurricane Sandy. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 30: As cities up and down the East Coast were preparing for Hurricane Sandy, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief leaders were preparing for a large-scale response. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 26: An urgent request from the CIA annex for military back-up during the attack on the U.S. Consulate and subsequent attack several hours later was indeed denied by U.S. officials. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 23: A 23-year military intelligence veteran is casting strong suspicion on weekend statements from Barack Obama’s re-election campaign that talks with Iran are imminent. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 19: A group of Texas cheerleaders may continue to display Biblical-themed banners during high school football games, a judge says. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 16: About 25 to 30 Christian college students were massacred at a university in northeastern Nigeria, causing Christians to pray for a “change of heart” among the Islamist group Boko Haram. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 12: A school district will pay hefty legal fees after a federal appeals court decided that the district committed viewpoint discrimination by not allowing a Christian club to remain part of a school’s activities program. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 9: A man who can rightly be called an American hero was memorialized at the Coronado Naval Air Station Chapel in San Diego on Sept. 20. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 5: A college student who claims he once had same-sex attractions but became heterosexual after conversion therapy has filed a lawsuit against California. Read more about this and other news.

World News Oct. 2: Thousands of conservative Christians gathered Saturday on Independence Mall in Philadelphia to pray for the future of the United States in the weeks before the presidential election. Read more about this and other news.

World News Sept. 28: Could you imagine going to jail for your faith? A recent report warns that it could happen. Read more about this and other news.

World News Sept. 25: Chick-fil-A has cleared up rumors that it has revised its charitable donation policy to exclude “anti-gay” groups. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Sept. 21: A so-called Gospel of Jesus’ Wife isn’t sending shock waves through the Christian world as some publications have reported. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Sept. 18: Missouri lawmakers have ignored the warnings of the Obama administration and overrode their governor’s veto to enact religious exemptions to the abortion pill mandate. Read more about this and other news.

World News Sept. 14: Anti-American protests erupted across the Middle East Friday, following weeklong demonstrations outside of several U.S. embassies and a 9/11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya. Read more about this and other news.

World News Sept. 11: Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was sentenced to death in his country for his Christian faith, has been acquitted of apostasy charges and released from custody. Read more about this and other news.

World News Sept. 7: After excluding God from their platform, Democrats hurriedly rewrote their convention platform Wednesday amid criticism to add a mention of God and declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel. Read more about this and other news.

World News Sept. 4: Rev. Moon Sun-myung, who founded a global religious movement, died Monday at his Unification Church complex east of Seoul, South Korea. Read more about this and other news.

World News Aug. 31: Republicans approved a party platform at their national convention Tuesday that would ban all abortions and gay marriages and reshape Medicare. Read about this and other world news.

World News Aug. 28: A federal appeals court has determined a federal judge was right to throw out a lawsuit challenging President Barack Obama’s decision to force taxpayers to fund embryonic stem cell research. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Aug. 24: Texas officials are vowing to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Aug. 21: The joint study from two conservative groups, Liberty Institute and the Family Research Council, reveals proven hostility toward Christianity in the U.S. Read more about this and other news.

World News Aug. 17: Authorities took a gunman into custody in the wake of a shooting Wednesday at the headquarters of the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. Read more about this and other news.

World News Aug. 14: Mitt Romney’s announcement that Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan is his VP choice is getting widespread approval within the conservative community. Read more about this and other news.

World News Aug. 10: In the wake of tragedy among the Sikh community, Christians have an unprecedented opportunity to reach out with the gospel. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Aug. 7: A major evangelical Christian gathering is set to take place in Charlotte, N.C., the day before the Democratic National Convention. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Aug. 3: According to the Support Chick-fil-A Facebook page, more than 550,000 people committed to visit the fast-food restaurant Wednesday. Read more about this and other world news.

World News July 31: Reaction has been strong following Monday’s announcement that the Democratic Party plans to adopt support for gay marriage. Read more about this and other world news.

World News July 27: Thousands of Christians are mobilizing efforts to support Chick-fil-A. Read more about this and other world news.

World News July 24: While police are still investigating the motive behind Friday’s shooting at a theater in Aurora, Colo., some Christians are convinced of the real source: evil. Read more about this and other news.

World News July 20: After a confidential two-year review, the Boy Scouts of America on Tuesday emphatically reaffirmed its policy of excluding gays. Read more about this and other news.

World News July 17: A legal expert is urging Mississippi to stand strong against a lesbian couple’s demand to use state facilities for a commitment ceremony. Read more about this and other news.

World News July 13: Episcopalians approved a churchwide ceremony Tuesday to bless same-sex couples. Read more about this and other news.

World News July 10: The public’s perception of the military since the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” is being manipulated by the U.S. Department of Defense, says the director of a chaplain alliance group. Read more about this and other news.

World News July 6: The Baptist church in Georgia that produced Fireproof and Courageous received thousands of people for its annual Independence Day celebration. Read more about this and other news.

World News June 29: Christians are reacting to this week’s Supreme Court announcement on ObamaCare. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 26: In a widely watched Swedish homeschool case, two parents and their child are closer to being reunited. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 22: Several major happenings took place in the past week’s national conclave of the Southern Baptist Convention. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 19: General Mills is supporting homosexual marriage, leaving critics surprised at its abandonment of traditional values families. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 15: More than 6,000 people took part in a webcast on Monday to launch a program to help people who want to leave their jobs in the abortion industry. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 12: A coalition of groups seeking to overturn Washington State’s same-sex marriage law received twice as many signatures as needed for a referendum in November. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 8: Gov. Scott Walker easily survived his recall election brought on by organized labor in Wisconsin by winning 54 percent of the vote. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 5: A measure to ban abortions based on the sex of a child failed to earn enough support in the House. Read more about this and other world news.

World News June 1: A federal appeals court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act in a unanimous ruling Thursday. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 29:A “new rainbow coalition” made up of Christian pastors and leaders gathered on Capitol Hill to support traditional marriage. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 22: An influential African-American evangelical pastor says that many black Christians are in an “adulterous” relationship with President Obama over the issue of same-sex marriage. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 18: A new pastor in St. Clair, Mo., doesn’t play softball, but members of his church do. Or at least they did until their pastor’s bisexuality prompted a boycott. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 15: Leaders of some of the nation’s largest religious denominations say they are distressed and saddened by President Obama’s support for gay marriage. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 11: North Carolina voters approved a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 8: Tennessee lawmakers are now backing Christian student groups at Vanderbilt University. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 4: Iranian officials have sentenced a human rights attorney to prison, putting the pastor he was working for in greater danger. Read more about this and other world news.

World News May 1: As many as 100 high school students walked out of a national journalism conference after Dan Savage, an anti-bullying speaker, began attacking the Bible. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 27: Students at an elementary school in Phoenix, Ariz., will be allowed to pass out fliers promoting a Good News Club after-school program as the result of a settlement. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 24: Chuck Colson, who became a Christian amid the Watergate scandal and later an advocate for the spiritual transformation of prisoners, died Saturday. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 20: Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has signed into law a bill that allows classes that focus on the Bible and its influence on western civilization. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 17: The National Organization for Marriage explains why it has endorsed Mitt Romney for president, even though his state was the first to legalize same-sex marriage. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 13: In response to the political battle for female voters, the exchange elevated to “mommy bashing” when Hilary Rosen leveled a blow at Mitt Romney’s wife. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 10: A school under fire for changing “God Bless the USA” to “We Love the USA” reversed course after drawing a backlash and legal threats. Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 6: President Obama gave an ultimatum on a pending U.S. Supreme Court case, saying that if the justices overturned his healthcare law, it would amount to “judicial activism.” Read more about this and other world news.

World News April 3: For the first time, the U.S. military has hosted an event specifically for atheist and agnostic soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 27: The U.S. Supreme Court has begun hearing arguments in the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 23: The abduction of a 7-year-old is being called one of the worst cases of government abuse ever committed against a homeschooling family. Read more about this and other news.

World News March 20: The White House is in talks with faith groups about the administration’s contraception mandate. Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 16: A Christian minister at Southwest Minnesota State University was threatened with a citation for trespassing. Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 13: A New York imam has declared that he will start a campaign on April 22 to make the April 26 birthday of the Muslim prophet Muhammad a national holiday. Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 9: Franklin Graham has said if the government passes an edict forcing him to hire employees who do not share his Christian outlook, he will “break the law.” Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 6: After vicious storms ripped through the South and Midwest, stories of survival and God’s protection have begun to emerge. Read more about this and other world news.

World News March 2: A state lawmaker is proposing to allow nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurse midwives to perform abortions as a way of expanding access to the procedure across California. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 28: Kentucky Baptists were victorious in their effort to stop seven casinos from entering the state when a bill fell short of the votes it needed in the state Senate. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 24: A Southern Baptist Convention task force has recommended that the SBC keep its name, but introduce the descriptor “Great Commission Baptists.” Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 21: The contraceptive mandate harms not only Baptists and other religious adherents, but all Americans, says a Southern Baptist ethicist. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 17: Conservative Christian groups are outraged that a school decided a lunch a preschooler’s mother prepared was not healthy enough and replaced it with chicken nuggets. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 14: President Obama announced a change in the way that employees of religious organizations will receive free contraceptives, but it fell short of what is needed to protect religious liberty. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 10: A resurgent Rick Santorum has been declared the winner in three states. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 7: A surprise announcement by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to reverse its decision to fund Planned Parenthood has pro-life groups and advocates shaking their heads. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Feb. 3: Wycliffe Bible Translators is in hot water over new Bible translations they have worked on that purport to avoid offending Muslims. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 31: A former Eastern Michigan University student has the right to present her religious discrimination suit to a federal jury, ruled the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 27: Tens of thousands of pro-lifers joined together Jan. 23 for the annual March for Life that followed a weekend of pro-life events in the Washington area. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 24: Christian and pro-life groups are decrying President Obama’s order that health care plans must cover contraceptives, including abortion-causing drugs. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 20: Should a Christian church be allowed to practice its faith in all of its activities? Not according to a New Jersey judge. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 17: As the Republican voting moves South, the religion of front-runner Mitt Romney may be an inescapable issue in many voters’ minds. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 13: The United States Supreme Court has delivered “a knockout blow to the White House in the cause of religious liberty.” Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 10: Police have arrested New York City councilman and pastor Fernando Cabrera and six others on charges of “criminal trespassing.” Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 6: Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum won a plurality of support from evangelicals in the Iowa GOP caucuses Tuesday. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Jan. 3: With changing social trends and approaches to tying the knot, the church’s message on marriage is going to have to be repackaged for 2012. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Dec. 30: Since 1998, WORLD magazine has selected one Christian who has stood up against ungodly trends. This year WORLD has chosen Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Dec. 28: On Christmas Day, police across China tear gassed and beat Christians for worshiping at “unofficial” Christmas services. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Dec. 23: Several defectors from North Korea have noted their sympathies for the North Korean people, who they say will be forced to cry over their leader’s death. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Dec. 20: The battle over a nativity scene in Athens, Texas, reached new heights this past weekend when up to 5,000 supporters flooded the town square. Read more about this and other world news.

World News Dec. 16: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reaching out to Christians with warm wishes. Read more about this and other news.

The Christian Post has published an article by R. Albert Mohler Jr. in which Mohler ruminates on decades old research by Dean Kelley and a …

Here’s a great quote from the book Extreme Righteousness: Perhaps an even more telling gauge of our self-righteousness is the stance from which we offer …

Over the weekend The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader opened in theaters across the country. I had the opportunity to attend …

From major metropolitan centers to rural back-road hamlets, America is becoming increasingly multiethnic. Accompanying this increasing demographic reality are churches’ attempts to Biblically respond and think through issues related to multiethnic ministry.

When God calls us into His service, He often calls us to a specific place. We call it our Jerusalem. How do we best go about reaching and ministering in our Jerusalem? Do we just put up a sign and expect that people will come to us when they have a need?

A critical matter in ministering to your community is understanding the local culture and customs. When one pastor from the South began a new ministry in the northern part of Minnesota, he required all of the men to wear suits when they ushered or sang in the choir. Most of the men did not even own suits.

As the director of Project Jerusalem, I’d like to share what God has been teaching us about reaching our Jerusalem. It is our conviction that effective outreach ideas discovered on the front lines of new church planting can be fruitfully applied to older, established congregations as well.

As I look around my neighborhood, I see a variety of things. I see economically burdened people, physically stricken individuals, broken relationships, hurting children, hatred among friends, destroyed families. But the thing that I see the most is people who have not heard the good news of the gospel.

Among other requirements for the local church, evangelism, worship, edification, and fellowship are among the main priorities. Each area brings different challenges and blessings as they meld into the whole of ministry. Focusing on one of those areas, music has brought challenges and joys that have been important in our ministry to those who are in our Jerusalem.

Oramos Cantando/We Pray in Song is a bilingual Spanish/English hymnal produced by GIA Publications, Inc. You may find it beneficial in a cross-cultural ministry.

When David and Tricia Johnson moved to Austin, Minn., in January 2006, they discovered a sizable Hispanic population—and were quickly burdened to start a Hispanic ministry. The hindrance: they didn’t speak Spanish and didn’t know the Hispanic culture.

As a church plant, we run into unique situations all the time. Here is one I would like some input on. We are making plans …

Kevin Bauder has done it again. He’s been detailing differences between conservative evangelicals and fundamentalists. It’s been an interesting series. In his last article he spoke …

G. Jeffrey MacDonald wrote an interesting piece in the New York Times last week concerning clergy and burnout. The article is based on the idea that congregations in America want to be entertained more than they want to be godly. This has put a lot of pressure on clergy who actually want to make a difference in people’s lives.

I just received an e-mail from a friend in another city with a link to the Wall Street Journal. My friend wrote, “I read this …

I wanted to pass along this article as an opportunity to remind each us to be praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are …

By Todd Gatto In January, Fox Valley Baptist Church, East Dundee, Ill., began a program to read through the Bible in a year. We are using the …

World News June 30: The Supreme Court refused Monday to safeguard the right of a Christian student group to associate with fellow believers who subscribe to their religious beliefs about sexual conduct outside of marriage. Read more about this and other world news.

Ed Stetzer has written a good article in Christianity Today on denominations in America and how valuable they are overall. Even though denominations aren’t seen as …

In Titus 2 Paul instructs Titus to help the Cretan believers in a wicked culture live in such a way as to beautify the teaching …

Anyone who is reading this blog is well aware that technology is constantly changing and rapidly becoming more and more a part of both Christianity …

By Robert P. Smith Have you ever had to explain the meaning of the phrase “quit you like men” in1 Corinthians 16:13 in the King …

Do antidepressants help those who have been diagnosed as being clinically depressed? Most people, including doctors, would say yes. One can hardly watch TV without …

Many of you have heard the term “missional” before. It is a buzzword among churches that are seeking to be relevant in their communities in …

Last week a plethora of helpful resources was posted online in anticipation of last weekend’s Sanctity of Life Sunday. Perhaps you can bookmark some of these …

Kevin DeYoung has written a helpful article on a definition of social justice. The term “social justice” is used a lot today, with various meanings attached. DeYoung’s main …

According to the Associated Press, Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow will appear in a Super Bowl commercial produced and paid for by Focus on the …

Professor Gershon Galil of the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa recently deciphered an inscription on a pottery shard that sheds light …

Many of us will gather together with family during the Christmas season. For some, it will be a time of sharing long-awaited reunions, enjoying scrumptious …

In case you haven’t heard, last week Tiger Woods got into a little car accident and a whole lot of trouble. He has been accused …

  Dr. Jeff Straub, associate professor in Historical and Systematic Theology at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Plymouth, Minn., delivered an address May 18 at The …

Like many of you, I subscribe to various and sundry blogs in order to keep up on what’s out there in theology, church ministry, and …

Today the film Collision: Is Christianity Good for the World? is released. Collision documents the public debates and private interactions between atheist Christopher Hitchens and …

Although it is two years old, an article by Time magazine on crisis pregnancy centers titled “The Grass-Roots Abortion War” is quite telling. It is …

A few years ago, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton wrote a book titled Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. In …

This page contains a link to a transcript of a lengthy but extremely helpful series of lectures John Frame gave on the relationship between Christ …

In the first post on this topic, I began to compare and contrast two books that diagnose our current cultural situation and prescribe ways in …

At a recent conference of world leaders, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran called the nation of Israel a “cruel and oppressive racist regime.” The leaders …

How should the church address the changing culture? Two diametrically opposed answers to that question can be found by comparing two books: David Wells’ The …

D. A. Carson in his book Christ and Culture Revisited writes, It is hard to ignore the many injunctions of Scripture to do good, to …

Newsweek spotlights what might be the next front in the culture war now that homosexual marriage is well on its way to full legalization: polyamory. …

I am leading our Adult Bible Fellowship group through a study titled “Always Ready to Give an Answer: Addressing Contemporary Cultural and Theological Issues.” Recently …

I am thankful for Christian movie reviews—that is, movies reviewed by professing Christians, not necessarily reviews of Christian movies. Before considering whether or not to …

 by Scott Greening A frantic morning of getting the family ready for church results in you sliding into your traditional seat toward the back of …

by Scott Greening One of the beloved studies of the Bible is the examination of the “one another” passages. We are told to love, not …

by Scott Greening Who is your church following? Who is following your church? The answers that leap to your mind may reveal your familiarity with …

I was interested to read Terry Mattingly’s review of Jon Mark Yeats and Thomas White’s book Franchising McChurch. Mattingly states, Today’s megachurches offer members new …

“Christianity and Culture.” That’s the heading of this section of The Quest blog, the section over which I have been given some measure of responsibility. …