Editor's Note: For more on these issues, see Jason S. Sexton, "The State of the Evangelical Trinitarian Resurgence," Journal of the Evangelical ...
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Features
Christian Image Is Everything
Feb 08, 2012 | Chris Castaldo
Shattered men and women are transformed and eternally captivated by the beauty of the Savior.
The Evangelical Trinitarian Milieu
Feb 08, 2012 | Jason S. Sexton
We can do better, and have begun to in these hopeful ways.
Bad Art Doesn’t Exist Apart from the Good
Feb 08, 2012 | John Starke
Art is never simply for art's sake. It is a symbol pointing to something greater.
How Could Sinful Lot Have Been Righteous?
Feb 08, 2012 | Chris Bruno
How can Peter say 'righteous Lot' was greatly distressed by the wicked?
How to Pull Out of the Burnout Spiral
Feb 07, 2012 | Interview by Collin Hansen
Once our faith slips from a tight grip on Jesus, burnout is never far behind.
Friend of the Devil, Grace from God
Feb 06, 2012 | Paul Tripp
Even in ministry, the move from desire to idolatry is a shockingly short step.
A New Testament Biblical Theology
Feb 06, 2012 | Interview by John Starke
G. K. Beale proposes a storyline for the New Testament.
Justin Taylor
A Production of Hamlet That Finally Makes Sense
February 9, 2012 | 12:00 AM CT
Edward T. Oakes argues that with the Royal Shakespeare Society's production of "Hamlet," the play finally makes sense.
This Month's Top Articles
Tim Tebow Cancels Speech at Event Organized by Prosperity Gospel Preacher
February 1, 2012 | Joe Carter
The Denver Broncos quarterback refuses to lend his credibility to false teachers.
Carson and Keller on Jakes and the Elephant Room
February 3, 2012 | D. A. Carson and Tim Keller
The purpose of this post is not to provide a re-hash of recent events, still less to assign blame. It is to provide some theological and pastoral reflection on the interlocking issues with which we have been wrestling.
When Your Preacher Is Not John Piper
January 6, 2012 | Steve Burchett
Mature believers are easily edified, even by lackluster preaching.
Megachurch Pastor Eddie Long Crowned as "King"
February 3, 2012 | Joe Carter
The controversial Georgia pastor's bizarre coronation ceremony goes viral.
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TGC Blog
Did the Army Violate the Rights of Catholic Chaplains?
Feb 08, 2012 | Joe Carter
The Story: After the Obama administration's announced that health insurance coverage would require the inclusion of contraception, Timothy Broglio, the archbishop for the military services, sent a letter to all Catholic chaplains in the military objecting to the administration's new mandate, calling it "an alarming and serious matter."
Initially, the Army refused to allow the Catholic chaplains to read it during the service.
The Background: As CNN notes, Broglio, who oversees all Catholic chaplains in all branches of the service, also wrote: "We cannot - we will not - comply with this unjust law." He wanted Catholic chaplains to read the letter aloud during their sermons on Sunday, January 28.
Although neither the Navy or Air Force objected to the letter, the Army's Army chief of chaplains, himself a Catholic, expressed concern that the line about not complying with the law was close to a call for civil disobedience. He told the chaplains to not read it in Mass, but instead pass out copies after Mass was over.
Archbishop Broglio objected to this and after a meeting with the secretary of the Army, John McHugh, he agreed to remove the one sentence about complying. McHugh agreed to allow the letter to be read at Mass last Sunday.
Why It Matters: As religion journalist Terry Mattingly explains, a similar situation occurred in 1996 when the the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services sent a letter to its chaplains instructing them to urge their flocks to back the "Project Life Postcard Campaign" in support of the Partial-Birth-Abortion Ban Act. But Pentagon officials had issued a gag order against chaplains preaching sermons that mentioned this anti-abortion effort.
The case eventually went to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Stanley Sporkin concluded:
Despite Judge Sporkin's ruling a decade ago, the issue of what military chaplains can say from the pulpit is likely to continue to be a point of tension between Christians and the government.
Initially, the Army refused to allow the Catholic chaplains to read it during the service.
The Background: As CNN notes, Broglio, who oversees all Catholic chaplains in all branches of the service, also wrote: "We cannot - we will not - comply with this unjust law." He wanted Catholic chaplains to read the letter aloud during their sermons on Sunday, January 28.
Although neither the Navy or Air Force objected to the letter, the Army's Army chief of chaplains, himself a Catholic, expressed concern that the line about not complying with the law was close to a call for civil disobedience. He told the chaplains to not read it in Mass, but instead pass out copies after Mass was over.
Archbishop Broglio objected to this and after a meeting with the secretary of the Army, John McHugh, he agreed to remove the one sentence about complying. McHugh agreed to allow the letter to be read at Mass last Sunday.
Why It Matters: As religion journalist Terry Mattingly explains, a similar situation occurred in 1996 when the the Catholic Archdiocese for the Military Services sent a letter to its chaplains instructing them to urge their flocks to back the "Project Life Postcard Campaign" in support of the Partial-Birth-Abortion Ban Act. But Pentagon officials had issued a gag order against chaplains preaching sermons that mentioned this anti-abortion effort.
The case eventually went to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Stanley Sporkin concluded:
What we have here is the government's attempt to override the Constitution and the laws of the land by a directive that clearly interferes with military chaplains' free-exercise and free-speech rights, as well as those of their congregants. On its face, this is a drastic act.
Despite Judge Sporkin's ruling a decade ago, the issue of what military chaplains can say from the pulpit is likely to continue to be a point of tension between Christians and the government.
