My first years following college were some of the most difficult of my life. I partied often, worked out of necessity, and spent countless hours staring into my bedroom ceilng and wondering, "What am I supposed to do with my life?" The problem for me, and I think the problem for many twentysomethings today, is that we aren't grounded in our...

I my heart palpitates for the work of Compassion International and World Vision. But in these economic times, some people don't have $40.00 per month in disposable income. Many people are living on low, fixed incomes but still want to give something to a worthy cause. These people have a widow's mite, but they need a treasury that works for...

This week, my friends over at Renewal released their Green Awakenings Report, a run down of creation care initiatives at fifty Christian colleges. Some of the findings weren't expected. I assumed I'd find schools like Goshen College, Calvin College, Eastern Mennonite University doing good work. But I was shocked to find conservative Christian...

I first learned of Matthew Paul Turner when I read The Christian Culture Survival Guide, a satirical look at the wonderful world of American Christianity. I laughed, I cried . . . Actually, I just laughed. A lot. I knew then that Matthew Paul Turner wasn't going away. Today, Matthew has written or contributed to over a dozen books on subjects...

Oprah Winfrey is one of the wealthiest and most influential people in America. She is also one of the most controversial among people of faith. Winfrey's motto is "Live your best life," a maxim which bears eerie resemblance to the title of Joel Osteen's bestselling book and influences her talk show, magazine, book club, and unique brand of...

This article was originally published on RelevantMagazine.com.

I don't know when it began. The moment when Napster launched, maybe. Whenever it was, it set off a cultural ripple infecting the masses with an insatiable desire for more, faster and free. It's called the free culture movement, and it advocates increased access to creative goods...

Some sins are really inconsequential and not worth talking about. But getting drunk, having sex before marriage, and breaking any of the Ten Commandments: these are definitely sins and we can't let them slide. At least, this is what many Christians (and pastors) believe whether or not they would admit it. We believe some sins are "serious" but...

In 2006, my frustration with the Church had reached fever pitch. I was having a hard time relating to it like many in my generation. Then I stumbled across Sarah Cunningham's book, Dear Church: Letters to a Disillutioned Generation. In 14 letters written to the Church, Sarah vented her frustrations and mine. She also gave me...

As one of the three brothers, I know a little something about sibling conflict. We often joke that we fight with each other and we'd fight for each other. I think this is true. Still, sibling conflict can be one of the most frustrating dynamics in any family. I wrote a little bit about this in a piece published by LifeWay Christian Resources....

Alvin Reid is author or coauthor of more than 10 books and considered one of the leading evangelical thinkers on evangelism. He is also Associate Dean for Proclamation Studies and Bailey Smith Professor of Evangelism at my alma mater, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. I recently caught up with Dr. Reid to ask him...

The other day I was talking to a pastor friend about where America is right now from the economy to political partisanship to the state of the Church. "I've never seen it this bad in my lifetime," my 57-year-old friend commented. "People are discouraged and hopeless. They need encouragement."

Can you think of a moment in your own life when...

This article orginally ran on RelevantMagazine.com

It’s been one year since Aretha Franklin belted out “My Country ‘tis of Thee” and America’s first Black President raised his hand to swear an oath to faithfully execute the duties of our highest public office. Barack Obama ran on the promises of change, hope, and progress. As the reviews of...

Garden to the City is a film project with the mission of "revealing the story of God's renewal of all things." (The web site is rad, so check it out.) I can't wait to see the film series, which is divided up into four units: creation, fall, redemption, consummation. The web site for the project says the films will be available in 2009. That...

On the 700 Club Wednesday, the one-time conservative Christian leader was claiming that Haitians brought this tragic earthquake on themselves because they made a “pact with the... Read more...

Is green becoming a new "religion?" Stephen T. Asma of Columbia College Chicago thinks so. He writes to prove it in his article, "Green Guilt," which was published by the The...

"Why Can't We All Just Get Along?"

That was the cry of Rodney King, the African-American man who was mercilessly beaten on March 3, 1991, by members of the Los Angeles police department. It became a rallying cry for the nation in the midst of hostile race wars. And it’s applicable today, as we find ourselves in very different—but no less...

This Spring, I will officially achieve a lifelong dream. My first book, Green Like God: Unlocking the Divine Plan for Our Planet, comes out in April with FaithWords, a division of Hachette Book Group USA. The book catalogues my two-year journey in search of God's plan for the creation. It has been a labor of love and one that I hope will push...

It was no joke. On April Fool's Day in 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to pursue a significant reduction in nuclear arms with "effective verification measures." America and Russia possess the largest nuclear stockpiles in the world by far, which is why Obama told reporters in Moscow, "We must lead...

Recently, I've been thinking about the free culture movement. Wikipedia aptly defines it as "a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify creative works in the form of free content by using the Internet and other forms of media." If you lay awake at night seething over copyright laws, you're probably a proponent of this...

I've heard so many people talking about "The War on Christmas" recently that I decided to gather my own thoughts on the subject. This is a two-part post. The first is "Who is the enemy?" and the second is "What is the answer?"

In my last post, I spoke about how consumerism grips Americans--both Christians and non-Christians--during the...

I've heard so many people talking about "The War on Christmas" recently that I decided to gather my own thoughts on the subject. This is a two-part post. The first is "Who is the enemy?" and the second is "What is the answer?"

A few weeks ago, I walked into the mailroom at our church office and found a stack of "I Say Merry Christmas" bumper...

Recently, I was offered an opportunity to become a blogger for The Huffington Post. I was a little reticent at first because I have heard others characterize the site, founded by liberal pundit Arianna Huffington, as "very liberal." I knew there would be some people who would attempt to cast me as a liberal in sheep's clothing if I published...

The climate debate has been raging for some time, but recently it has reached fevor pitch. Normally, I don't post much on climate, but I felt this conversation needs to be explored in light of recent events. First, reports of hotter summers poured in. Then colder winters. There was the so-called "climategate" scandal. And now we're getting...

When American soldiers returned from World War II, the so-called mainline churches were pillars of Protestantism in the United States. (The six denominations typically considered to be "mainline" are the Episcopal Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ and...

Holidays at the Merritt household would make Henry Ford proud. Every occasion from Independence Day to Christmas manifests itself in the same structure: a winding assembly line of food. This Thanksgiving was no different. My mom worked the drink station and was filling red plastic Solo cups with sweet tea as fast as she could. When it was time...

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Last Friday, a robust and incredibly influential group of Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox leaders released a 4,700 word document titled "The Manhattan Declaration." The declaration argued for a hierarchy of issues in America with abortion, gay marriage, and religious liberty as the crown jewels. These are the issues we should be supremely...

In the worlds of fashion, dance clubs and vacation destinations, exclusive is an attractive term. It invokes a sense of glamour and poshness. It makes one think of VIP rooms and all-you-can-eat buffets and clothes no one else has. But when it comes to salvation by faith, exclusive isn’t so pleasant.

Exclusive in this sense means that no matter...

Clearly, there is a mammoth difference between Christianity as Scripture describes and the Christian Universalist’s variation. And it is not simply a matter of preference; it is a matter of Scripture. “Anyone who affirms universalism has a problem with biblical authority and ultimately with Jesus, Peter and Paul,” says Daniel Akin, President of...

There is a growing belief among many that perhaps there are numerous ways to get to heaven outside of the Christian gospel. I have called it "The Rising Tide of Universalism," and I think we need to be talking about it. Recently, I published an article in Relevant Magazine exploring this phenomenon and I am bringing the conversation to you in a...