With the release of The Cabin in the Woods last month, audiences were given another rare little piece of thoughtful entertainment from the restless minds of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard. “Nothing here is what it seems,” said the Operative, a character in Whedon’s earlier film Serenity, and that is precisely how to describe what these filmmakers keep giving us.

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If you want to start an argument at your next family gathering, tap your drinking glass with your fork, take a deep breath, and ask, “Was America founded as a Christian nation?”

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Nine days before Easter 2011, Lady Gaga released her song "Judas," which she said was about her tendency to always fall for the wrong man, the one who would betray her, as in Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Jesus. The accompanying video, in true Lady Gaga form, was rather shocking. Read More >

I believe we could end abortion virtually overnight—if we really wanted to.

But much as I hate to say it, it appears we don’t really want to. At least, not badly enough. Permit me to explain. Read More >

The Hunger Games film is an adaptation of the first book in the bestselling series by Suzanne Collins. In its opening weekend, it established itself as a box office smash by bringing in over $155 million dollars in the United States alone. Read More >

Easter is just around the corner (April 8), and Christians around the world will be celebrating the Good News of redemption made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

However, as Easter approaches, I have a different kind of good news related to Easter, coming from what many think would be an unlikely place: our public schools.

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“A bunch of snolly-gusters.” That’s what Harry Truman called Republicans in 1952. A tried and true tactic in political campaigns, name-calling and insults add to the drama leading up to an election. As the popularity of a particular candidate increases, so does the number of attacks. Take Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum, for example. His opponents have labeled him a “coward,” a “zealot,” and a “fake.”

Such remarks are typical of the rough-and-tumble political arena, but here’s one I was not expecting: “not very Christian.”

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Religious freedom is a precious thing, especially in a world bloated with politically correct pabulum. But that freedom is not absolute. Unlike freedom of belief, it is subject to restrictions. For example, you can sincerely believe your religion requires you to have multiple wives or to kill those who blaspheme your god, but you can't legally practice those beliefs in the United States.

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The time to abandon racial reconciliation has not and never will come. This ideal is at the very center of what it means to be Christ’s church, as Kenneth Mathews and M. Sydney Park contend in their recent book The Post-Racial Church (2011).

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In recent years, Christians have become increasingly active in the fight against human trafficking and prostitution. We’ve reached out to the victims, helping them to take steps toward freedom, recovery, and new lives.

But what about the customers?

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At a recent gathering of seminary students who were engaged in ministry internships, one of the students began talking about her work as a children's minister. She was enjoying the experience, and the children all seemed to be enjoying their time with her on Sundays, but she expressed her concern that the curriculum she was using was not theological enough. "I don't want them just to hear Bible stories all the time," she said. "I want them to learn theology."

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In a recent issue of the Washington Post Magazine, Susan Baer wrote a very touching story, “A family learns the true meaning of the vow ‘in sickness and in health.’” It tells of the marriage of Page and Robert Melton, a marriage that was a happy one with two little girls and everything positive going for them. This all changed in 2003, when Robert had a heart attack and stopped breathing for at least 30 minutes.
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Being a different Worldview Perspective on Calvinism Old and New, from one who was himself a Five-Pointer for 30 years, but who 12 years ago reached the settled conclusion that four-and-a-half of the five points of TULIP are utterly bankrupt, and who now argues with his Reformed brothers, without apology, (ironic pun intended) for semper reformanda on the so-called “doctrines of grace” (he DOES, however, apologize for the ridiculous length of this subtitle).

Divisive? Well, Duh

It would not be difficult to demonstrate that a generous portion of the heat being generated in the resurgent debate, outlined in Shane Morris’s recent article, stems from the Calvinist’s very-often-offensive vocal insistence that “real Christians” are morally obliged to be Calvinistic.

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A debate is mounting over the increasing interest in theology among young Evangelicals—and how it has motivated many to embrace the doctrines historically known as Calvinism.

This sharpening exchange is drawing harsh words and battle lines within churches and even denominations. But while genuine disagreements in some areas are a given, a closer examination reveals that the “New Calvinism,” more than anything else, is drawing attention back to an old truth of the Christian worldview—and counteracting the growth of an equally ancient heresy.

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When I was a kid, one of my favorite Christmas gifts to receive was a calendar. This was due largely to my affection for posed portraits of puppies. But it was also because I loved the ritual of taking down one calendar and putting up a new, blank one every year. Not that the previous year’s calendar was full. No kid in elementary school has that much to put on a calendar, and I liked those puppy dogs way too much to risk smudging them up. Read More >