Why Does God Care who I Sleep With | Sam Allberry
Christians are increasingly seen as outdated, restrictive and judgmental when it comes to sex before marriage, cohabitation and homosexuality. In fact for many people, this issue is one of the biggest barriers for them considering Christianity. Sam Allberry, author of many books including Is God Anti-gay sets out Gods good design for the expression of […]
What God Has to Say About our Bodies | Sam Allberry
There’s a danger in focusing too much on the body. There’s also a danger in not valuing it enough. In fact, the Bible has lots to say about the body. With the coming of Jesus, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us”―flesh that was pierced and crushed for the sins of the world. In What […]
God’s Grace for Every Family | Anna Meade Harris
Weaving her own story together with nine attributes of God’s character revealed from Scripture, Anna Meade Harris speaks to vulnerable single parents and to churches who want to love them well. After the death of her husband, Anna Meade Harris discovered that single-parent families don’t seem to have a place in the local church. Because […]
True Friendship | Vaughan Roberts
In a culture where online communications and communities can be set up in seconds, it is striking that loneliness is still rampant. Even in the church, a place where we might hope for an oasis of love and acceptance, we can find interactions awkward and superficial. It is for this reason that Vaughan Roberts takes […]
The Plausibility Problem | Ed Shaw
It’s all very well to say that the Bible is clear when it talks about homosexuality. But is it realistic? Isn’t it unrealistic and unfair to those who struggle with this issue? Doesn’t it condemn them to loneliness, a lack of fulfilment and the loss of basic human satisfactions like sex and marriage? Is what […]
When the Church Was a Family | Joseph H. Hellerman
Spiritual formation occurs primarily in the context of community. But as the modern cultural norm of what social scientists call “radical American individualism” extends itself, many Christians grow lax in their relational accountability to the church. Faith threatens to become an “I” not “us,” a “my God” not “our God” concern. When the Church Was […]
Breaking the Marriage Idol | Kutter Callaway
Should all Christians be married? Although we might quickly respond “no,” our cultural stories and norms—including those in the church—often communicate “yes.” Theologian and husband Kutter Callaway considers why marriage, which is a blessing from God, shouldn’t be expected or required of all Christians. Through an examination of Scripture, cultural analysis, and personal accounts, he […]
Families at the Crossroads | Rodney Clapp
“Scant decades ago most Westerners agreed that . . . Lifelong monogamy was ideal . . . Mothers should stay home with children . . . premarital sex was to be discouraged . . . Heterosexuality was the unquestioned norm . . . popular culture should not corrupt children. Today not a single one of […]
The Single Issue | Al Hsu
Nearly half today’s adult population is unmarried. Most churches, however, emphasize marriage and family in a way that leaves many Christian singles feeling like second-class citizens. Although Jesus himself was single, the single state is often regarded as a problem in itself (rather than as having problems, as marriage does). By contrast, ‘The Single Issue’ […]
Finding God in My Loneliness | Lydia Brownback
Young or old, single or married, male or female—at some point in life, we’re all confronted with loneliness. We try to fill the void or change our circumstances so we no longer feel the pain. But what if our pangs of loneliness are meant to point us to something greater? Looking at various aspects of […]
No Greater Love | Rebecca McLaughlin
Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends. –John 15:13 Our culture idolizes romance and the love of parents for their children. But Jesus said there was no greater love than sacrificial friendship love. What’s more, He issued a command to His disciples that they live into this […]
Redeeming Singleness | Barry Danylak
Though marriage is highly esteemed throughout Scripture, the Bible also affirms singleness as an important calling for some Christians. Redeeming Singleness expounds a theology of singleness that shows how the blessings of the covenant are now directly mediated to believers through Christ. Redeeming Singleness offers an in-depth examination of the redemptive history from which biblical singleness emerges. Danylak […]
Purposeful Sexuality | Ed Shaw
If God means for us to save sex for marriage, why doesn’t he just zap us with sexuality on our wedding night? Why do most of us experience sexual feelings throughout our adult lives, not just in the safe confines of marriage? Is limiting marriage to the union of a man and a woman anything […]
The Meaning of Singleness | Danielle Treweek
Is Christian singleness a burden to be endured or a God-ordained vocation? Might singleness here and now give the church a glimpse of God’s heavenly promises? Dani Treweek offers biblical, historical, cultural, and theological reflections to retrieve a theology of singleness for the church today. Drawing upon both ancient and contemporary theologians, including Augustine, Ælfric […]
