violence — Articles — Jonathan Merritt

Jerry Falwell Jr.'s troubling remarks on guns

If good people armed themselves, he says, "we can end those Muslims"

PoliticsJonathanDecember 6, 2015Bible, education, gun control, guns, Jerry Falwell, justice, Liberty University, Russell Moore, violence

Mass murder and the problem with prayer

Prayerless action is mere activism. Actions prayer is useless piety.

TheologyJonathanDecember 5, 2015Activism, Bible, California, gun laws, gun reform, guns, ISIS, Islam, murder, news, politics, prayer, shooting, theology, violence

Tim Keller finds Jesus in the Psalms

"There are two ways to read the Bible," Keller says.

TheologyJonathanNovember 21, 2015Bible, Devotional, Evangelical, evangelicalism, God, gospel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, justice, Kathy Keller, King David, Music, New Testament, Old Testament, Psalms, sin, theology, Tim Keller, Timothy Keller, violence

What does it take to forgive someone like Dylann Roof?

How does one serve forgiveness to a person who hasn’t even ordered it?

CultureJonathanJune 24, 2015Charleston shooting, crucifixion, Dylan Roof, Forgiveness, guns, hate, hate crime, Jesus, Jonathan Merritt, murder, Race, Racism, violence

Religious extremists like ISIS carve bloody path through history

"America was founded by folks who thought like this," the Yale professor says.

CultureJonathanFebruary 17, 2015Boko Haram, Christianity, Egypt, ethics, extremism, God, Iraq, ISIL, ISIS, Islam, Islamist, Jesus Christ, Jonathan Merritt, justice, media, Miroslav Volf, Muslims, news, Nigeria, peace, reporting, terrorism, theology, Trinity, violence, War, Yale Divinity School

Why my Dad regrets spanking his children

At more than 60 years , he regrets spanking even though he won't say the Bible condemns it.

CultureJonathanSeptember 23, 2014apology, Bible, children, discipline, ethics, fathering, James Merritt, Jonathan Merritt, parenting, peace, Science, sorry, spanking, theology, violence

Christians have no moral rationale for spanking

80% of born-again believers support spanking, but science and the Scriptures don't.

CultureJonathanSeptember 23, 2014abuse, Bible, children, Controversy, family, Jonathan Merritt, Marriage, NFL, parenting, peace, punishment, Science, spanking, sports, violence

Pastor Brian Zahnd Preaches a Gospel of Non-Violence

With violence raging from Gaza to Iraq, Zahnd preaches peace and non-violence.

CultureJonathanJuly 23, 2014Brian Zahnd, ethics, evangelicalism, Gaza, Iraq, Jesus, John, Jonathan Merritt, justice, nonviolence, peace, politics, Revelation, theology, violence, War

Was World War I a Religious Crusade?

Philip Jenkins argues that The Great War was also a holy war.

CultureJonathanMay 28, 2014Baylor University, Catholicism, Christianity, History, Hitler, Holocaust, Interfaith dialogue, Islam, Jonathan Merritt, Judiasm, Muslim, Naziism, The Great and Holy War, violence, War, World War I, World War II

Mega-church Pastor's Scandalous Take on Scripture

Adam Hamilton is sparking intense debate with his provocative new take on the Bible.

Philip Yancey on How to Find God in Tragedy

The author shares how faith shapes the way we confront suffering, evil, and tough times.

CultureJonathanFebruary 18, 2014Bible, Christian, church, Death, evil, Jesus, natural disasters, Newtown, Philip Yancey, philosophy, questions, suffering, theology, tsunami, violence, War, Zondervan

Craig Groeschel Says Men Need to Learn How to Fight

The pastor of one of America's largest churches says men should "man up."

CultureJonathanNovember 6, 2013Christianity, church, Craig Groeschel, female, finances, Gender, Jesus, John Piper, Jonathan Merritt, LifeChurch, LifeChurch-tv, lust, male, Marriage, men, parenting, pride, Sex, violence, Virtue

American Christian in Iraq Works to Save Lives

Jeremy Courtney talks about building bridges in Iraq.

CultureJonathanOctober 18, 2013foreign policy, Islam, Jeremy Courtney, John Kerry, Jonathan Merritt, Love, peace, politics, Preemptive Love Coalition, violence, War

On Syrian Conflict, Three Christian Perspectives

As America considers military intervention in Syria, Christians gravitate toward three perspectives.

Fixing America's Failing Families: An Interview with T.D. Jakes

Jakes shares why he thinks the American family is failing and how he plans to fix it.

CultureJonathanAugust 14, 2013Art, drugs, families, family, fatherhood, fathers, Film, George Zimmerman, justice, media, motherhood, mothers, Oprah, President Obama, Race, Racism, Sony, Sony Pictures, T-D- Jakes, Trayvon Martin, violence