Gospel.com Blog

We’re talking about culture this week, and thinking about one of the most basic and important questions that Christians ask today: how do we engage and challenge our culture with the Gospel of Christ? Society around us is saturated with false and destructive ideas, memes, and values; how do Christians bring the Gospel message to bear in such an environment? (more…)

Is it possible to have a discussion about serious moral and political topics without it devolving into a partisan shouting match? Writer and blogger James Watkins has been seeking the Holy Grail of serious-but-civil dialogue for years through his columns, speaking engagements, and blogging.

Watkins’ daily blog talks about just about everything you can imagine, from the humorous to the deadly serious. But rather than shouting angry opinions from a soapbox, he prefers to step back and weigh both sides of any given debate, always from a Christian point of view. And he usually finds a way to inject some good-natured humor into even the most divisive topics. For some examples, see his posts on the same-sex marriage controversy, the US presidential race, and the Jeremiah Wright controversy. He also contributes to our own ThinkChristian blog, which explores the intersection of faith and culture.

So if you’re a bit tired of the Culture War and the bitter debates it sparks even between Christians, take a look at what Watkins is saying—it might prompt you to look at the Big Issues of the day from a more balanced, and even Christlike, perspective!

Jonalyn Grace Fincher, the author of Ruby Slippers, reacts to the recently released statistic that 1 in 4 teenage girls have an STD:

There is a discouraging, though not altogether unsurprising, statistic making headlines. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 1 in 4 teenage girls have a sexually transmitted disease (STD). The New York Times covers the findings, “Sex Infections Found in Quarter of Teenage Girls”. My thoughts kicked into high gear when I heard that. What are my friends and sister’s friends going to be inheriting in the coming years? Infertility will continue to rise as infections from disease destroy the fine-tuned fertility micro-climate in a woman’s body.

…

But I suppose the thing that bothers me the most is that STDs are infiltrating the core of a woman’s body, targeting her capacities for vulnerability in the future. You know how hard it is to raise your voice when you have a sore, inflamed throat? Or to laugh a deep, vulnerable belly guffaw when you have a cough? Well, that’s a taste of how hard it will be for these young women to be vulnerable in intimacy when the sensitive parts of her body, her reproductive capacities, her sexual pleasure and recreation has been damaged, ravaged by disease, inflamed from infection. The physical pain is just a small slice of the problem. I haven’t even touched on the psychological aspects of sex without the safety and freedom of marriage…

Vulnerability means we have places that can be touched, wounded or pleased. As I’ve written in Ruby Slippers, “Vulnerability requires that we have places that are tender, places we can be affected, touched and even destroyed. A sparrow is more vulnerable than a rock. But because a sparrow is alive, it whistles, and soars, even though it can also be caught by a cat and clawed to death.” (p 112).

You can read more of her thoughts at her blog.

Has Christianity lost the “culture war”? Our society’s moral values have been on a steady decline for decades, and despite our best efforts, Christians seem unable to stem the tide. If Christians are losing the war of ideas, maybe it’s time for a new battle plan. A reflection from the Delve Into Jesus ministry suggests a better way to win back the hearts and minds of our culture–by following the example of the early Christians, who conquered the mighty Roman empire with their faith and ideas.

What does it mean to be human? It might sound like a cliched question from a Philosophy 101 class, but it’s an important one–how can we make moral decisions about life, death, and ethics if we can’t define exactly what it means to be a human being? The philosophy of “humanism” has taken widespread root in our culture–but do we know what that means?

These are the questions asked by apologist Ravi Zacharias in a moving and insightful talk about his new book The Grand Weaver. Listen to his talk in MP3 or RealMedia. If you couldn’t explain what it means to be human, or what your purpose in life is, Ravi’s talk will give you plenty to think about.

James Watkins turns ten today! Well, James isn’t turning ten, but his website, JamesWatkins.com, is celebrating its tenth straight year of publishing Jim’s often amusing, always insightful commentary. This week, he’s talking about the latest news and cultural developments–he offers his thoughts on the Imus scandal, on the roots of the violence currently plaguing Iraq, and the Duke Lacrosse team controversy. If you’re not acquainted with Jim’s unique take on current events, stop by and see what he has to say!

GetReligion.org has a new look! The GetReligion team has been talking about religion and the media for three years now, and in that time have made their group blog one of the top journalism blogs on the web. Recent posts have talked about journalists’ treatment of Rapture theology, efforts to reinvigorate Christian radio, and more. Stop by and check out the new design–and if the subject of the media and its treatment of religion interests you, consider giving it a place in your newsreader.

The last several months have seen a number of essays and articles in the mainstream press about the phenomenon of “new atheism”–a resurgence of interest in atheism, as expressed by charismatic writers and speakers. Atheism presents many challenges to the church, raising questions about Jesus, the reliability of the Bible, and even the rationality of religious faith. Can Christians answer these challenges?

Many Christian apologists are responding to the questions raised by “new atheism.” Over at Uplook Ministries, Will Bennett has posted a lengthy essay summarizing important atheist claims and pointing out what he sees as their weaknesses. Elsewhere in the Gospelcom Alliance, the Just Thinking” column archive at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries is a good apologetic resource, particularly an essay on doubt and certainty by Alistair McGrath. And over at RBC Ministries, the “Answers to Tough Questions” site has a section devoted to questions about the existence of God.

There’s a lot of reading material to absorb in those links, but if the atheism/religion debate interests you, these apologetic essays are a good place to find the beginnings of a Christian response to atheism’s challenge.

According to a recent New York Times article, for the first time, 51% of American women now live without a husband. That might not sound like a terribly interesting statistic, but as Jim Dahlman of The Culture Beat points out, it holds a great deal of significance for church congregations:

What’s clear is that congregations will be affected along with everyone else. Religious communities, after all, focus keenly on the home: premarital counseling, children’s programs, care for the elderly and more. Many even organize their schedules around the family. So what happens when the shape or even the definition of “family” changes?

How will churches evolve in response to changing American family demographics? Jim’s piece looks at how one church is responding, and offers some thoughts on the challenges that more and more churches will face as families change.

Do you feel “called” to do the work you do? The idea of “calling” is an important one in the Bible, and many people today struggle to find their life calling–the primary task, job, or duty that God wants us to do with our lives.

But when we talk about a life calling, it’s important to understand the Biblical concept behind the idea. Does a true calling mean that you need to work in the church or in a Christian ministry? Is working in the secular world a “lesser calling”–somehow less important or spiritually worse than being a missionary or pastor? An article at The Navigators looks at the Biblical idea of calling, and at the misconceptions that can sometimes keep us from doubting or fulfilling the tasks that God puts in our lives to accomplish.