Jacob Phillips on why the success of individual African-Americans or Christians doesn't disprove allegations of systemic racism or bias against Christianity. ...

Janelle, a white mother, writes about what she wants to teach her sons about their black friends ...

Jake Phillips talks about the "God's Not Dead" franchise and why it's problematic. ...

Part 2 of Joey's article about John Piper, guns and lethal self-defense...

It is a temptation within American evangelicalism to conflate cultural and political values with biblical teaching. John Piper might be right about guns and self-defense, or he might be wrong. Either way, we can learn from him how to approach our own values based on the Bible rather than only the Constitution....

There's a recent debate in evangelicalism about when, if ever, to call abortion "murder." Jake Phillips weighs in. ...

Bob Putman analyzes The Brain with David Eagleman, a PBS production, and how it both wildly misses the point, but also demonstrates the glory and power of God. ...

Janelle Garrett writes about searching our own hearts, and being honest about what we find....

A young guy about age 20 walked into the lobby and asked for a job application. I explained we weren’t hiring, so he said he wanted a pack of Marlboros. I walked over behind the counter, handed him the cigarettes and told him that would be 50 cents. (Yes, you read that right.) He produced a $1 bill and when I opened the drawer to get change he told me he wanted all t...

Jake Phillips writes about for-profit prisons and the problem of fiduciary duties. ...

Jake starts the first of a couple of posts about Christian ethics and for-profit prisons by dispensing some facts....

Jake Phillips discusses the ERLC summit on racial reconciliation and the lectures delivered by Trip Lee and Thabiti Anyabwile. What type of unity is our goal? ...

Combining two older posts into one, Joey and Jake argue that immigration is a theological issue more than a political issue, which should inform the way we think about it. ...

The HBO show "Girls" covered the topic of abortion, and they got it wrong. But their portrayal of the issue is part of the shift in rhetoric by pro-choice advocates. How should the Church respond?...

Jake Phillips asks whether the modesty movement contributes to the rape culture. Does talking about modesty necessarily objectify women?...

This past week, Senate Democrats released a 6,000 page report about CIA tactics in the post-9/11 but pre-Obama world. It is colloquially known as the “torture report,” although it centers around what the CIA called “enhanced interrogation techniques,” which were approved by the Bush administration, funded by Congress, and considered legal by various...

I watched a man die once. It was not an experience I’ve ever wanted to repeat again. He was a quiet, pleasant patient whom I had taken care of a few times since he had been placed within our unit. That day, my friend was his nurse. She called me in to come help her, stating he was having difficulty breathing. Sure enough, he was in his recliner gasping for breath. As she...

Jake Phillips wraps up our posts on elections with a call to unity. Our identity in Christ is more important than our political affiliations, and it is important to remember, as Joey preached this past Sunday, that the believer is not permitted to make distinctions based on classes. ...

How we contextualize Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2 within the United States' governmental structure? What does it mean to honor the governing authorities if the government under which we live is a government "of the people, by the people, for the people"? Jesse Phillips argues the answer is to locate the supreme authority within a governmental structure, and to apply the command...

How should Christians think about voting, elections and democracy? Ryan McLaughlin argues that the way we should think about these issues should be informed by what we know about the kingdom of God, the resurrection, and the preeminence of Christ. ...

Jake Phillips writes about Amendment 2, the amendment votes will face tomorrow about allowing the legalization of medical marijuana for medicinal purposes. What are the issues facing Christian voters? What would the passage of Amendment 2 actually mean? Jake's goal is not to convince anyone to vote one way or another, but to clarify some of the issues surrounding Amendmen...

Jake Phillips discusses the rise of New Age spiritualism and what it means for college preparation. The key in combating New Age spiritualism is in being able to define what it actually is. How do we identify New Age thoughts where they exist, and how do we combat the consequences of the ideas?...

Kyle Davis writes about race, the gospel and the home. If we accept the premise that racism and discrimination are problems in our society, where do we go from there? What is the solution? And how do we ensure that we properly teach our children about both the problem and the proper solution?...

Jake Phillips writes about Christopher Columbus, Christian subcultures, and legitimate conversion. Are we placing more value in seeing unbelievers begin to look, act and talk like us, or in seeing them act more like Christ? Do we value legitimate conversions or cultural assimilation? ...

Benny Phillips and Jacob Phillips discuss race, racism, racial reconciliation and the necessity of dialogue regarding these topics within the church. How does our theology inform our practical involvement and discussions regarding issues of race and racism? ...

Jake Phillips addresses issues related to the death of postmodernism and the rise of pseudo-modernism, which he calls "narcissism as epistemology." How does this impact how we should prepare (either ourselves or our kids) for cultural engagement in college?...

What does it mean to pursue wealth? We know that the love of money is the root of evil, but is pursuing wealth necessarily a bad thing? Eric Garrett explores what can often be a touchy subject....

What does it mean to internalize illegitimate criticism? For starters, it is evidence not of humility but of false humility, and it neither serves nor is loving towards others. Jake Phillips explains further, using 2 Corinthians 11 as an example. ...

“Oh, great,” said everyone. “Another church railing against promiscuity, homosexuality, and how society is going to hell in a handbasket. Just what I want to read today (this is not what I want to read today).” I know there is something archaic and cliché to read a blog post about sexual ethics from an evangelical church. Having admitted that, I hope you’ll bear...

My cousin Doug Hodges (pretty much a big brother to the Phillips kids), pointed me to an article he had come across recently by a gentleman named Thomas Umstattd Jr. regarding why he felt like courtship, as opposed to traditional dating, was fundamentally flawed. Since the article was very thorough, if haphazard, and encapsulated a lot of the criticism I have heard of cour...

In Part 1 of the #CulturalValues post about Immigration, Joey pointed out that fundamentally, Christians should think about this issue through the lens of Jesus’ teaching about the “least of these.” Our primary concern about this issue should be for people, not fences. It’s important to remember that neither of us are advocating for a specific policy position. Our ...

By all accounts, thousands and thousands of children are entering the United States from Mexico every month. What has been a political issue for a long time has become something of a crisis. It is at the point that the government is asking for help from churches in the areas most affected. (See http://tinyurl.com/ow93le3) This issue has a lot of facets, not the least of w...

Walking purposefully along the winding sidewalk towards the host hotel for my final day at The Gospel Coalition’s national women’s conference, I was stopped by an inquisitive taxi driver who looked at my name tag and asked me what was going on inside. As if to aid me in my answer, I held out my nametag for him to read and replied “It’s an event put on by The Gospel...

The recent opinion issued by Justice Samuel Alito on behalf of the Supreme Court in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case gives us reason to rejoice, although not, I think, for the reasons most Christians (and people of all faiths and religions) have been rejoicing thus far. In Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court held that the obligations imposed on closely-held corporations by the ...

It’s the 4th of July. So naturally I was the chosen contributor for today’s blog. Running for office and naming my daughter Liberty has probably guaranteed me a featured column on this blog for every civic-related occasion until the end of time....

“Work-life balance” is a popular buzzword in the business world these days. In basic terms, it's the idea that a person needs to be careful not to spend so much time at work that they have no life. It’s receiving much attention due to recent efforts to explain and remedy something of an epidemic of burnout among people in high-level, high-pressure positions throughou...

"Live your life with such freedom and joy that uptight Christians will doubt your salvation."...

This #CulturalValues talk is about homosexuality " well, sort of. It’s about the LGBT movement, or the LBQGTITZFOB or whatever they are called now " although,as you’ll see, that’s kind of the point. This talk has two major points. I want to address the present reality (homosexuality) and I want to address the future possibilities, or the future goals of the LGBT move...