News | Topic: Faith & Culture

A Global Snapshot Of Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage has become legal in a growing number of countries in recent years. Read the report from Pew Research here.

Young Life Voted Off Campus At Duke

While the college ministry continues to operate without recognition, another university officially objects to its sexuality policy. Read the article here.

Get Ready, Youth Group Leaders: Teens Twice As Likely To Identify As Atheist Or LGBT

Barna findings on Generation Z pose new challenges for the church. Read the article here.

Transgenderism: A Biblical Truth and Mercy Response: Part 1

Harvest USA helps us think through an understanding of transgender issues.

Read the article here.

Majority of Americans Now Believe in Cohabitation

Shifting gender roles and expectations, the delay of marriage, and a secularizing culture are leading more American adults to believe that moving in together before tying the knot is a good idea. Read the research from Barna here.

Obama Administration To Issue Guidance On Transgender Access To School Bathrooms

The Obama administration will issue guidance on Friday directing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity.

Read the article here.

People Are Starting To Change The Way They Think About Marriage In One Important Way

From the article at Business Insider:

For a long time, monogamy and marriage were considered inseparable, at least in most modern Western societies.

But a growing body of research shows that couples are starting to consider that monogamy may not be for everyone — and in some marriages, partners are starting to actively discuss whether they want to be sexually exclusive.

Read the full article here.

The Shameless and the Unashamed: Sexual Revolution, a Step to the Past

From the article:

“Those who pushed the sexual boundaries in the 1960s fancy themselves as revolutionaries throwing off the shackles of centuries of taboos and stigmas. ‘Emancipation is now a reality,’ wrote novelist and critic Margaret Drabble in 1967, cheering what she called ‘the golden age of adult sexual equality.’

The reality is quite the opposite…”

Read the article from Alan Dowd for byFaith magazine here.

Tied In Knots: Americans Try to Redefine Marriage

byFaith magazine takes a look at some of the arguments advocates for same-sex marriage have used and how Christians should respond.

Read the article here.

Russell Wilson, Ciara, and Who Else is Not Having Sex

Russell Wilson and girlfriend Ciara made headlines when they announced they were practicing abstinence, but the current trend among young people is actually a significant decrease in early sexual activity, despite the considered norm. Read the full article here.

A New Documentary About Christian “Purity Culture” Debuts on Vimeo

A new documentary now streaming on Vimeo discusses “purity culture” through interviews and testimonies from pastors, researchers, and those who grew up under these ideals. Read the article here and watch the full documentary here.

I’m a Duke Freshman. Here’s Why I Refused To Read ‘Fun Home.’

As a Christian, freshman Brian Grasso knew his beliefs and identity would be challenged at Duke University. He explains why he opted out of an assignment for incoming students to read the graphic novel “Fun Home.” Read his article here.

Duke University Freshmen Refuse To Read ‘Fun Home’ For Moral Reasons

Incoming freshmen at Duke University are reportedly refusing to read their summer novel, Fun Home – an LGBT graphic novel – due to their Christian and moral beliefs.

Read the article here.

Christians React to the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage: 9 Key Findings

The Barna Group offers research and insight into where Christians stand in this divisive conversation.

Read the findings here.

In Australia, Children Bullied for Holding Traditional Values

Schoolchildren who don’t support gay marriage, homosexuality or gender-swapping are being bullied in classrooms and belittled by teachers, a government official says. Read the article here.

A Day Late, A Dollar Short

From the article from Carl R. Trueman for the First Things blog:

Tony Campolo has become the latest evangelical leader to declare for gay marriage. It is perhaps not a surprise: Campolo has been a gadfly in the evangelical world throughout his career and his adoption of this cause is of a piece with many of his other pronouncements over the years. While his move is unlikely to have a great impact on evangelicalism—far more significant will be the coming shifts on the issue by megachurch pastors—his statement is emblematic of the way evangelical attitudes are likely to change.

Read the rest of the blog post here.

Voices That Confuse: Reclaiming Biblical Truth…

From the article by Nicholas Black for HarvestUSA:

The church is in confusion today. The voices advocating for the inclusion of same-sex relationships in the church have been loud enough to sow confusion even among ordinary church members in solid evangelical churches. The typical layperson’s grasp of Scripture on the issue of homosexuality is weakening. Studying the Scriptures on the matter doesn’t seem to help anymore. Why? Because these passages are increasingly undermined by strong, cultural worldviews that are driving alternative interpretations of Scripture.

Read the entire article here.

The key to fighting pornography

As pornography becomes more and more accessible, church leaders and organizations look to honest conversations as the answer.

Click here to read the article.

Celibate Gay Christian Leader Urges Faithful to “Normalize” Committed Friendships

Jonathan Merritt interviews Wesley Hill about his upcoming book “Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian.”

Read the full interview here.