Polling about Gen Xers

Here's a story about the religious beliefs of Gen-Xers. Bottom line: "The faith groups that grew during this period were what religion experts call 'the poles,' because they tend to be opposites politically and in their view of religion. Those are non-denominational Christians, a group which grew as a percentage of Gen X-ers — from 12 percent of the population to 16 percent — and people who say they have 'no religion,' a group that grew from 11 percent to 16 percent of the Gen X generation."

Chronology and Christology

Here's a link from New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado's fine blog summarizing evidence regarding the early development of the high view of Jesus in early Christian writings (esp. Paul).

Faith Makes it Easier to Resist Temptation - Go Figure!

Here's a report about a recent study indicating that faith in God helps people to assert self-control.

Vandy and Religious Freedom

Here's an excellent column in a recent Wall Street Journal focusing on the state government's response to Vandy's inexplicable interference with on-campus religious organizations.

Dr James Charlesworth on the "Talpiot Tomb"

Here is a link from Ben Witherington's blog in which he interviews Dr. James Charlesworth from Princeton on the so called "Talpiot Tomb."

Some Thoughts for Conservative Christians Regarding Gay Marriage

President Obama made headlines this week by reversing his opposition to gay marriage. At the same time, voters in North Carolina made that state the 31^st to constitutionally ban gay marriage. Both moves prompted outrage on the right and on the left, and guaranteed that this issue will come to the fore in the presidential election this fall.

I am not a prophet, but I believe that it is inevitable that within 20 years gay marriage will be legal in most states. This prediction isn’t the result of divine inspiration (obviously!), but simple demographics. Polling shows that older Americans generally oppose gay marriage, while younger Americans support it.  So the passing of time will lead to legal recognition of gay marriage.

From a practical point, what does this mean for us as Christians?

Religion and Politics: A Cautionary Note to Christians

This past week Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum reignited the controversy over President Obama’s religious beliefs, and triggered a larger discussion of the relationship between religious beliefs and politics. I have been concerned for some time about a dangerous trend I think I see among believers, and I would like to address it in this post.