If identity is the new guilt, then idolatry is the new sin.
Protestants used to claim that Roman Catholics were idolaters because they had statues in their buildings. A couple of years ago an elder from a conservative Protestant denomination explained to me how Vietnamese people more easily came to Roman Catholicism from Buddhism because both [...]

For western Christianity the question for which Jesus is the answer was guilt. A much deserved hell was a clear and present danger for the general population and the church offered forgiveness and release from that threat. Money poured into the church through the sale of indulgences. Luther transformed the church when he discovered that [...]

(Guest blogger: Todd Hertz.  Todd is the E-Marketing Manager for ReFrame Media.  That basically means he works to build online relationships plus develop web and social media strategies.  He formally worked as the editor for multiple projects at Christianity Today.)
2009 has been a big year for celebrity confessions and apologies. The most notable cases:  Alex [...]

At our partner ministry Walk the Way, Jeff Klein has been talking about Halloween the last few days.  In this video, he’s talking about masks.  While many folks will throw on a literal disguise this weekend, every other day of the year many of use wear a metaphorical mask by the hiding who we truly [...]

(Guest Blogger: Dave Trout.  Dave is the host of the nationally syndicated program ‘Under the Radar’ which features the best in under-appreciated Christian music.  He also writes a weekly column called ‘The Gourmet Music Report.’  In this post, he’s taking a little break from music to talk about culture.)
Should a pastor friend of mine have [...]

(Guest blogger: Paul Vander Klay.  Paul is currently a pastor in Sacramento, California.  Before that, he was a missionary in the Dominican Republic with Christian Reformed World Missions.  He has his own blog LeadingChurch.com)
The Vancouver Sun recently published a piece lauding the therapeutic effects of religion in general.  Studies that support this and media reports [...]

As you enjoy a holiday weekend, consider how nice it would be to have a three-day weekend every week. It may sound like a dream but it’s become reality for state government employees in Utah. The state has saved $1.8 million and 6,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the past year [...]

(Guest Blogger: Dr. Robert Heerspink is director of Back to God Ministries International and a regular speaker on the weekly Back to God Hour radio program.  Before joining BTGMI, he served as the pastor for four churches in Michigan.)
This summer, I conducted a graveside service. Since I moved from congregational ministry, I don’t do many [...]

I’ve been looking for a meaningful but concise overview of a biblical perspective on health care reform, and this petition from Sojourners is the best I’ve found. I signed it and encourage other Christians to do so. And I encourage all readers to comment about whether this statement articulates your Christian convictions as they relate [...]

A blog post this morning from Phil Cooke, got me thinking a little more about something that happened over the weekend. You may have heard about the Continental Express flight where passengers were stuck in a plane overnight for nine hours.  Much of that time was sitting on the tarmac 50 yards away from a [...]