Articles — Jonathan Merritt

Pat Robertson, Christianity's crazy uncle

Pat Roberston's extreme rhetoric and insensitivity has diminished his influence. He needs to step down.

Church, PoliticsJonathanNovember 10, 2016Christianity, Controversy, Donald Trump, Evangelicals, Pat Robertson, sexual abuse

InterVarsity authors and alumni protest policy terminating employees who support gay marriage

InterVarsity Christian Fellowship faced widespread backlash after it announced last week it would begin “involuntarily terminating” employees who hold a theological position supporting gay marriage. In a a public letter obtained by Religion News Service, 40 IVP authors call on IVCF head Tom Lin to immediately replace the policy with one that makes space for opposing views.

Church, Current EventsJonathanOctober 12, 2016gay marriage, Intervarsity, Intervarsity Press, LGBTQ, protest

InterVarsity's Move on Gay Marriage

InterVaristy will begin firing employees who voluntarily share that they have progressive views on marriage.

Church, Culture, TheologyJonathanOctober 12, 2016di, discrimination, Intervarsity, LGBTQ, religious freedom, same sex marriage

Theologian Miroslav Volf makes a surprising case for one candidate

Which candidate does Miroslav Volf think Christians should vote for?

Church, PoliticsJonathanOctober 12, 2016christian voters, ELECTION 2016, Miroslav Volf, politics, vote

Billy Graham’s grandson on his near suicide and whether he’s planning a comeback

Billy Graham’s grandson, Tullian Tchividjian, revealed this week that he was severely depressed and almost killed himself after extramarital affairs cost him his ministry and marriage. It seemed to me that there was more to this story so I spoke with Tullian about the details of that tumultuous period.

ChurchJonathanOctober 12, 2016affair, Billy Graham, Redemption, salvation, suicide

What a gay Christian rocker’s woes tell us about American Christianity

In August, it seemed that Trey Pearson of “Everyday Sunday” would become the first openly gay artist to grace the stage at a major Christian music festival. But when he publicly announced that he would be performing at Joshua Fest, not everyone was excited about the milestone. Eleven members of Joshua Fest’s production team threatened to quit if Pearson performed, so event leaders dropped him from their roster.

Arts + Entertainment, Church, CultureJonathanOctober 12, 2016American Church, evangelicalism, LGBTQ

God, child abuse, and the limits of religious freedom in America

Does religious freedom have limits? If so, then surely child abuse exceeds those limits.

Church, Current Events, TheologyJonathanSeptember 11, 2016child abuse, convictions, evangelical culture, religious liberty, SCOTUS

How the Christian 'masculinity' movement is ruining men

The “masculinity crisis” is perpetuated in Christian self-help books like John Eldridge’s Wild At Heart, which ascribes glory to the man who conquers mountains, charges hills, and takes no prisoners (his loving wife excepted). What message do they send to those who connect more with God-as-the-great-Lover than God-as-the-ultimate-He-Man? Not much that’s biblical, in my view.

Church, Culture, TheologyJonathanSeptember 11, 2016church, evangelical culture, gender identity, identity, masculinity, Wild at Heart

The death penalty killed Jesus. Is it killing us, too?

Amid the seismic shifts happening within American Christianity, a growing number of the faithful now oppose the death penalty. Though evangelical Christians have generally favored the death penalty, even the National Association of Evangelicals has shrunk back from its previously supportive stance. Enter Shane Claiborne, an evangelical leader and author who has recently released a book, “Executing Grace: How the death penalty killed Jesus and why it is killing us.”

Church, Culture, TheologyJonathanSeptember 8, 2016capital punishment, death penalty, Evangelicals, Executing Grace, NAE, Shane Claiborne

Trump Isn't Relying on Faith Alone; Hires Palin's Religious-Outreach Director

Donald Trump Isn't Relying on Faith Alone. H Hires Palin's Religious-Outreach Director Donald Trump isn't relying on faith alone. He has hired Sarah Palin's former religious-outreach director, Pam Pryor.

Church, PoliticsJonathanAugust 19, 2016Donald Trump, ELECTION 2016, Pam Pryor, religion, voting