Jonathan Merritt

Articles

Posts in Culture

3 Reasons We’re Afraid to Talk About Hell

3 Reasons We’re Afraid to Talk About Hell

A majority of Americans believe in heaven and hell, yet they shy away from discussing the latter.

CultureJonathanApril 28, 2014afterlife, Brian Jones, Francis Chan, heaven, Heaven is for Real, hell, History, Jason Boyett, Jonathan Merritt, Kirsten Powers, Preston Sprinkle, Public Opinion, Rebecca Price Janney, theology, trends, USA Today, Westboro Baptist Church

God and Gays: Albert Mohler & Matthew Vines

God and Gays: Albert Mohler & Matthew Vines

Jonathan talks to two leaders about the Bible and same-sex relationships.

CultureJonathanApril 28, 2014Albert Mohler, culture wars, gay marriage, Harvard University, Homosexuality, Matthew Vines, politics, same sex marriage, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Barbara Brown Taylor Tells Christians to Embrace Darkness

Barbara Brown Taylor Tells Christians to Embrace Darkness

One of the 12 most effective preachers in the English-speaking world wants to redeem darkness.

4 Surprising Places to Encounter Jesus

4 Surprising Places to Encounter Jesus

Jonathan takes a journey to encounter Jesus in fresh ways. Here are four places he found Him.

CultureJonathanApril 17, 2014Absence, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, Jonathan Merritt, Madeleine L’Engle, Mother Teresa, Paul Tillich, sacrilege, silence, Spirituality, theology, Waiting

Hobby Lobby & Contraception: 'It's Complicated'

Hobby Lobby & Contraception: 'It's Complicated'

New data analysis shows a sizable gender gap among Christians on contraception.

Mega-Church Pastor in Sin City Preaches a ‘God of Yes’

Mega-Church Pastor in Sin City Preaches a ‘God of Yes’

Jud Wilhite says believers have reduced Christianity to a series of rejections.

CultureJonathanApril 17, 2014Bible, church, Ecclesiastes, Faithwords, Jud Wilhite, Las Vegas, Ministry, Old Testament, Ten Commandments, The God of Yes, theology

Can Calvinism Make Sense of The Cross?

Can Calvinism Make Sense of The Cross?

Former Calvinist Austin Fischer is challenging a prominent theological movement in America.

CultureJonathanApril 7, 2014Austin Fischer, Bible, Calvinism, Controversy, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jonathan Merritt, reformed theology, theology

Why I Shared My Sexuality Story

Why I Shared My Sexuality Story

Jonathan's personal story has gone viral. Here's why he decided to share it now.

CultureJonathanApril 7, 2014Christianity, Christianity Today, church, Gay, Homosexuality, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, Jonathan Merritt, Karl Barth, Madeleine L’Engle, Sex, Sexuality, Will Willimon

What To Do When You Don’t Like What You See in The Mirror

What To Do When You Don’t Like What You See in The Mirror

Kyle Idleman says Christians need to take an honest look in the mirror.

CultureJonathanMarch 29, 2014difficulty, help, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jonathan Merritt, Kyle Idleman, self-image

Leonard Sweet on How to Make Faith Fun

Leonard Sweet on How to Make Faith Fun

Prominent Christian writer says pleasing God is not hard work.

CultureJonathanMarch 29, 2014children, church, fun, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jonathan Merritt, Leonard Sweet, Pharisees, play, sin, sinners, The Well-Played Life, theology, work

Setting the Record Straight on Jesus, ‘Friend of Sinners’

Setting the Record Straight on Jesus, ‘Friend of Sinners’

What does the New Testament mean when it refers to Jesus as a “friend of sinners?"

Dismantling the “Old White Guy” God-Myth

Dismantling the “Old White Guy” God-Myth

Margot Starbuck seeks to expose false images of God and help people see God's true face instead.

CultureJonathanMarch 23, 2014Baker Books, Christianity, Controversy, faith, God, identity, Jesus, Jonathan Merritt, Margot Starbuck, Not Who I Imagined, Scandal, The Shack, theology

Will Evangelicals Miss the Boat on Paramount’s ‘Noah?’

Will Evangelicals Miss the Boat on Paramount’s ‘Noah?’

Noah's critics have supported other imperfect productions and misunderstand how art functions.

CultureJonathanMarch 23, 2014Art, Bible, cinema, Controversy, Darren Aronofsky, entertainment, Film, Hollywood, Jonathan Merritt, Mel Gibson, Noah, Paramount Pictures, Passion of the Christ, Scandal, Scripture, theater

How Can We Discover the True God?

How Can We Discover the True God?

Is the God who created us better than the God we've created?

CultureJonathanMarch 17, 2014book, God, Jesus, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, Jonathan Merritt, theology, videos

Finding God at America’s Most Infamous Divinity School

Finding God at America’s Most Infamous Divinity School

An intriguing story of one woman at Harvard Divinity School.

CultureJonathanMarch 14, 2014Andrea Raynor, conservatism, education, feminism, First Things, Harvard Divinity School, Jonathan Merritt, liberalism, R-R- Reno, seminary, Sex, Sexuality, theology

5 C.S. Lewis Quotes That May Shock You

5 C.S. Lewis Quotes That May Shock You

Lewis' comments on topics such as hell and sexual chastity may surprise his modern fans.

CultureJonathanMarch 14, 2014atonement, Bible, C-S- Lewis, chastity, CNN, evangelicalism, evolution, fornication, Genesis, hell, History, John Blake, Jonathan Merritt, Mere Christianity, piety, quotes, Scripture, Sex, sexaulity, theology

You're spiritually empty. Can the answer be this simple?

You're spiritually empty. Can the answer be this simple?

Many today experience spiritual emptiness. Here's how to combat that?

CultureJonathanMarch 11, 2014Faithwords, Jesus is Better Than You Imagined, Jonathan Merritt, Spirituality, vitality

Are Evangelicals Experiencing a Crisis of Authority?

Are Evangelicals Experiencing a Crisis of Authority?

Historian says evangelical Christians don't have a single source of authority guiding them.

CultureJonathanMarch 9, 2014anabaptist, Apostles of Reason, Bible, Calvinism, Christian right, church, evangelicalism, Evangelicals, History, Mainline Protestantism, Molly Worthen, politics, reformed theology, theology, Wesleyan

Athiest-Turned-Believer's Radical Ash Wednesday Practice

Athiest-Turned-Believer's Radical Ash Wednesday Practice

A former atheist in San Francisco decides to take Ash Wednesday to the streets.

CultureJonathanMarch 9, 2014Ash Wednesday, Atheism, church, City of God, Communion, Easter, liturgy, ritual, San Francisco, Sara Miles, Take this Bread

How the Christian Story is the Greatest Ever Told

How the Christian Story is the Greatest Ever Told

Author argues that the Christian story is more than a myth and the greatest story ever told.

CultureJonathanMarch 9, 2014Anglicanism, books, Catholic, Catholicism, Christianity, Dwight Longenecker, gospel, Jesus, Jonathan Merritt, literature, Narrative, The Romance of Religion, theology