Exploring Faith and Spirituality

Religion

Save the Humanities from the Slop

The rise of AI, the ubiquity of cheap and accessible entertainment, the power of social media, and the progressive, secular biases of many educators have caused some Christians to question whether ...

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Leading Worship Is Worship

C; is the next note F? Which verse am I in? A minor; make sure to look up at everyone. G; don’t lose your place. Keep the tempo so everyone stays together. C; build the energy here, and look up! Is...

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Why the Gospel Is Better News than Wokeness

In 2020, the Smithsonian Institution declared that an “emphasis on [the] scientific method” and “objective, rational linear thinking” are “aspects and assumptions of whiteness and white culture.” ...

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I Might Owe My Students an Apology About Josephus

Flavius Josephus was a Jewish aristocrat (AD 37–100) who witnessed firsthand the great Jewish war with Rome. After surrendering to the Roman general Vespasian (soon Emperor Vespasian) in Galilee, J...

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Come to Jesus, All Those Who Feel Overwhelmed by Work

Many scenarios could make the seasonal burdens of work feel overwhelming—think of an accountant in April, a teacher in August, or a pastor in December. But our work can also feel overwhelming on a ...

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The FAQs: What Should Churches Do When Protest Enters the Sanctuary?

What just happened? Protesters disrupted a Minnesota church service on Sunday after activists determined one of the pastors works as the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

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Older Believers Still Have Important Work to Do

My husband and I are members of a young church located in Baltimore. We didn’t intend to become part of a church in the city, but the first Sunday we visited changed and challenged us. We were surr...

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‘He Will Be Called a Nazarene’: Matthew’s Messianic Clue

Matthew’s infancy narrative ends with a passage that has baffled biblical scholars: “And [Joseph] went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfille...

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When ‘Stranger Things’ Stopped Being Strange

After 10 years, five seasons, and 42 episodes, the hit Netflix show Stranger Things has now concluded. Directed by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things follows a group of kids (and a few adults) i...

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College Minister, Consider Why Students Come to You for Counsel

A weary college freshman flops down across from me in the student center. He looks bedraggled and sleep-deprived. I wonder when he last showered. When I ask how his week is going, he talks about fa...

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7 Novels to Help You Think About Technology

Most of my reading is nonfiction. That habit is driven, in part, by necessity. As an elder who teaches Sunday school in the local church, I’m often deep into commentaries and monographs that help m...

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Growing in Spiritual Disciplines

Paul commanded Timothy, “Train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim. 4:7). The spiritual disciplines are essential to our growth into Christlike maturity, so we must learn to invest ourselves in these pa...

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Let the Bible’s Sexual Ethic Point You to Christ

We know that our culture’s sexual ethics are anything but biblical. Secular sources like Fox News, Human Rights Campaign, and USA Today report that 20–30 percent of Gen-Z Americans identify as LGBT...

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How Law and Culture Shape America’s Abortion Conscience

In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that closely held private companies like Hobby Lobby don’t have to provide abortifacient contraceptive drugs in their health coverage. The basis of the majorit...

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The Trouble with Watching Religious Trends

Here are two headlines you might have seen recently. In September, Barna Group announced, “Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance,” with Gen Z and millennials attending more frequently...

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Seminary Wives Need Each Other (More Than You May Think)

The Florida heat would have been enough to convince me to stay home. But it wasn’t the only reason I didn’t want to attend the seminary’s welcome-back supper. I was working two jobs and had no ener...

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Daniel Treier (1972–2025): A Theological Life

My friend, colleague, and former student Daniel Treier finished his earthly race on December 22, 2025, and Christmas for me will never be the same. In the Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life, Ge...

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What We Learn from the Black Church About the Culture War

Here in Birmingham, Alabama, I often teach about the civil rights movement as the most effective faith-based movement for social change in American history. We have a bitter heritage of violent seg...

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Debunking 4 Justifications for Masturbation

I used to live entrenched in promiscuity and sexual sin. Masturbation and occasional pornography use were accepted, often-joked-about parts of life among my unbelieving friends. But after God lifte...

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Discover Life After Anti-Wokeness

In recent years, few issues have generated as much confusion and concern among evangelicals as those related to “wokeness.” Discussions around “wokeness” generate heat, but evangelicals need more l...

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On My Shelf: Life and Books with Stephen O. Presley

On My Shelf helps you get to know various writers through a behind-the-scenes glimpse into their lives as readers. I asked Stephen O. Presley—senior fellow for religion and public life at the Cent...

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