A 2008 study by the Pew Forum indicates many conservatives have changed their position on churches speaking out on political issues. Four years ago, just 37 percent of conservatives felt the church should stay out of politics. Today, 51 percent share this view. This virtually matches the views of moderates and liberals (52 percent).

The study also found that a growing number of people are uncomfortable ...

In the opening chapters of his autobiographical classic The Seven Storey Mountain, Thomas Merton offers a unique look at the church's place in society. After his mother died, his father, an artist, traveled the world with Thomas often in tow. Religion had a more peripheral presence in young Thomas's life, but at one particular place of residence in France—the small town of St. Antonin—the ...

According to the Open Doors' 2008 World Watch List, North Korea has been named the worst place for a Christian to live for the sixth year in a row. In North Korea, citizens are strictly banned from worshiping any other gods except those enforced in state religion—a personality cult that celebrates the current dictator, Kim Jong il, and his deceased father, Kim il Sung.

"It is certainly not a ...

It is not uncommon for people to shake their fists at God in the midst of tragedy and suffering. The Bible includes the stories of righteous men who questioned God for what they considered poor management of creation.

But Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers has taken his complaints to court. In October 2007, Sen. Chambers sued God for "causing untold death and horror" in the form of "fearsome floods…horrendous ...

I once had the great privilege of traveling to Cuba to teach on worship in a little seminary in Havana and to preach in some house churches. Cuba? Yes, Cuba.

My father went with me on the trip. Our family is from Florida, and in the weeks leading up to the trip, we talked about my parents' memories of weeks of dread during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. We knew we were walking into a history of ...

The film Amazing Grace chronicles the efforts of William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffedd) to end the British Transatlantic slave trade in the 19th century. In this scene, Wilberforce attempts to awaken the consciousness of the public to the horrible practice of the slave trade by arranging for a ship carrying members of Parliament and their wives to stop alongside a slave ship.

As Wilberforce appears, one ...

An office deep within the Vatican has issued a statement called The Ten Commandments for Drivers. Cardinal Renato Martino told reporters the Vatican felt it was necessary to address the pastoral needs of motorists because driving had become such a big part of contemporary life—and even quite dangerous.

"We know that as a consequence of transgressions and negligence, 1.2 million people die each ...

Integrating creation care with academics is a growing emphasis on Christian campuses around the country. According to Paul Cortes, president of the interdenominational Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU), about 40 of 105 North American members' schools have adopted significant green initiatives. These vary considerably, from multimillion-dollar sustainable "villages" and student ...

Once upon a time, the annual celebration of Thanksgiving was also an occasion for sober reflection….

Our nation, and its pursuit of liberty and justice for all, has always had enemies, more today than ever. But in earlier times, our nation's leaders recognized that the most dangerous enemy came from within—not traitors, anarchists, or terrorists, but the very people and government committed ...

Many Christians, like most of the populace, believe the political structures can cure all our ills. The fact is, however, that government, by its very nature, is limited in what it can accomplish. What it does best is perpetuate its own power and bolster its own bureaucracies.

—Charles (Chuck) Colson, advisor to President Nixon, writer, and founder of Prison Fellowship