Journalist and pastor Mark Wingfield describes how the congregation he serves undertook a detailed study of how the church should respond to the inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender members. The study was conducted by a nineteen-member blue-ribbon task force that included wide representation of the church's various constituencies. The author served as a staff liaison, recording secretary, and resource to the study group, keeping meticulous notes of the process and the after...

Author Mark Wingfield combines his theological training as a pastor and his skills as a journalist in this exploration of truth and faithful truth-telling. Truth is often elusive in our culture, but Wingfield maintains that the Bible has been misused by some to perpetuate certain kinds of lies and untruths. Exploration of key biblical texts is woven together with stories drawn from personal experience and news stories from both church and our present-day culture.Wingfield points to...

An interfaith collection of prayers, blessings, and poems offering comfort and hope to the healthcare workers that give so much.The COVID-19 pandemic has left few of us unaffected, but our healthcare workers have borne the brunt of its impact. Chaplains and clergy across all lines of faith have ministered to those caregivers through prayers and blessings.This curated collection of interfaith prayers, blessings, and poems was written by those who minister to...

Why the call to Love Thy Body? To counter a pervasive hostility toward the body and biology that drives today's headline stories:● Transgenderism: Activists detach gender from biology. Kids down to kindergarten are being taught their body is irrelevant to their authentic self. Is this affirming--or does it demean the body?● Homosexuality: Advocates disconnect sexuality from biological identity as m...

Discover how you can bring light--not heat--to cultural conversations.We live in a reactionary culture where divisive issues arise, people on either side throw stones, and everyone ends up more entrenched in their opinions than in reaching common ground--or even exhibiting common courtesy! If there ever was a time for Christians to understand and communicate God's truth about controversial and polarizing issues, it is now.In Culture Shock, bestsell...

Twenty years ago, not one nation on earth had legal same-sex marriage. Now, access to same-sex marriage is increasingly seen as a basic human right. In a matter of less than a generation, western cultures have experienced a moral revolution.Dr. R. Albert Mohler examines how this transformation occurred, revealing the underlying cultural shifts behind this revolution: the acceptance of divorce culture, liberation of sex from reproduction, the prevalence of heterosexual cohabitation,...

WHEN IT COMES TO SAME-SEX RELATIONSHIPS, this book by Karen Keen contains the most thoughtful, balanced, biblically grounded discussion you're likely to encounter anywhere. With pastoral sensitivity and respect for biblical authority, Keen breaks through current stalemates in the debate surrounding faith and sexual identity.The fresh, evenhanded reevaluation of Scripture, Christian tradition, theology, and science in Keen's Scripture, Ethics, and the Possibility of Same-Sex Rel...

Daniel Hill will never forget the day he heard these words: *"Daniel, you may be white, but don't let that lull you into thinking you have no culture. White culture is very real. In fact, when white culture comes in contact with other cultures, it almost always wins. So it would be a really good idea for you to learn about your culture."*Confused and unsettled by this encounter, Hill began a journey of understanding his own white identity. Today he is an active participant in addressingand...

A generation of young Christians are weary of the political legacy they've inherited and hungry for a better approach.They're tired of seeing their faith tied to political battles they didn't start, and they're frustrated by the failures of leaders they thought they could trust. Kaitlyn Schiess grew up in this landscape, and understands it from the inside.Spiritual formation, and particularly a focus on formative practices, are experiencing a renaissance in...

Gay marriage has become the most important domestic social issue facing twenty-first-century Americans -- particularly Americans of faith. Most Christians are pro-marriage and hold traditional family values, but should they endorse extending marriage rights to gays and lesbians? If Jesus enjoined us to love our neighbors as ourselves, and the homosexual is our neighbor, does that mean we should accept and bless gay marriages? These and other, related questions are tearing many faith-based ...

Does the Bible support same-sex marriage? Preston Sprinkle offers biblical answers to tough questions with careful research, church history, and grace—equipping Christians, pastors, students, and small groups to engage LGBTQ conversations with conviction and compassion.Many arguments are made for and against same-sex marriage that end with divisiveness and confusion instead of thoughtful conversation. New York Times–bestselling author Dr. Preston Sprinkle ...

We don’t have to lose the next generation to culture. In this practical guide, John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle explore questions including:What unseen undercurrents are shaping twenty-first-century youth culture?Why do so many kids struggle with identity?How do we talk to kids about same-sex marriage and transgenderism?How can leaders steer kids away from substance abuse and other addictions?How can we ground students in the biblical ...