“I’m here to tell you that the water is poisoned.” These are the jolting words that open Chris Martin’s new book, Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media. The water he’s referring to is the social internet, a term he uses to describe not just social media but the entire internet. And like …
Continue...There is an ongoing clash occurring in much of American Christianity to see who will occupy the seat of supremacy in the church. While that seat rightly belongs to Christ, who Scripture says is “head of the church” (Col. 1:18), we’re witnessing a growing number of Christian focus more on self that on the Savior. …
Continue...Beneath many—if not all—of the pressing social and cultural questions that our nation faces today sits a fundamental question about the nature and role of religion in the public square. From the often-fraught debates over abortion and sexuality issues like transgenderism to the increased discussions over online governance and the role of the technology industry …
Continue...The term “dumpster fire” has been used so frequently as a metaphor over the last few years that Merriam-Webster decided in 2018 it warranted inclusion in the dictionary. It’s not difficult to understand why after even a cursory glance at cable television or social media. Americans seem to hate each other. Worse, hating each other …
Continue...In 2016, as in every presidential election year, there was no shortage of writing and descriptions of evangelicalism—from exit polls about the infamous 81% of white evangelicals who voted for then candidate Donald Trump, to those who were choosing to no longer use the term evangelical. As Russell Moore, leader of the Southern Baptist Convention’s …
Continue...After giving a talk at a local church one evening, Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, recounts his sobering interaction with an elderly black man who proudly wore his civil rights scars, his “medals of honor” as he called them. Stevenson writes: “He stopped in front of me, leaned …
Continue...One of the most disturbing revelations from the #MeToo movement was the realization that these horrific events weren’t only happening in Hollywood but also under steeples and in churches. The Houston Chronicle conducted an investigation within Southern Baptist congregations, in paritcular, and exposed horrific information about sexual abuse in America’s largest Protestant denomination. The terror …
Continue..."Ugh," was the grimacing response of someone in my church when I told her the book I was reading is titled The Politics of Ministry: Navigating Power Dynamics and Negotiating Interests. Politics is not pretty, and we'd prefer not to put such a tainted concept together with the noble enterprise of ministry. In a positive …
Continue...Even at the relatively small college where I work, the diversity of our student body is impressive. If you come to our cafeteria at lunch, you will find students from almost all 50 states, more than a dozen foreign countries, and a variety of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Amid so much diversity, there is …
Continue...Western Christians have long lamented their loss of influence in the public square. As secularism continues to take root in Europe and the United States, Christianity appears ill-equipped to combat many of the claims made by secular moralists and atheists, who argue that universal morality, benevolence, and human rights are achievable without the aid of …
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