Culture & Public Square

Culture & Public Square helps Christians think biblically about life in society and engage today’s issues with conviction and compassion. Explore articles on current events, ethics, justice, race, technology, public life, and cultural trends—grounded in Scripture and shaped by Christian wisdom. You’ll find guidance for faithful witness, thoughtful dialogue, and making disciples in a complex world, while keeping the gospel at the center. Whether you’re navigating challenging conversations or seeking clarity for ministry and daily life, these resources equip you to live and speak with grace and truth in the public square.

April 22, 2017

Christian Standard

Do Not Call Conspiracy Everything This People Calls a Conspiracy

By T.R. Robertson I saw a comedy skit in 1970 that blew my adolescent mind. Two news producers were tasked with faking the Apollo 11 moon landing. They argued over whether the fuzzy picture made the story more believable or less. They laughed about other big events they”d faked over the years. I knew it was only comedy, but it triggered a strong enough hiccup in my adolescent worldview that it stayed with me all these years. What if? A 2015 CBS/Vanity Fair poll found 14 percent of Americans believe the moon landings were staged. That same poll found 70

April 21, 2017

Christian Standard

Forgotten Heroes

By Mark Atteberry Philo T. Farnsworth. You should know who he is. You don”t, but you should. He made a gigantic contribution to mankind, one that most people experience every single day, often for hours at a time. But I suspect you couldn”t find one person out of a thousand who could tell you what he did. On January 7, 1927, Mr. Farnsworth, then a 19-year-old farm boy, filed a patent on an invention called “television.” A few years later, he transmitted a Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie, from his Philadelphia laboratory to his home a few miles away. Ironically,

March 24, 2017

Christian Standard

Where Has All the Shopping Gone?

By Joe Boyd Traditional retail is struggling. What might this mean to local churches in the United States?  A giant of the American economy is slowly dying. You may not notice it yet because giants die at such a sluggish pace. Traditional American department stores are struggling. Over the last year Macy”s has closed nearly 100 stores and laid off 10,000 employees. Sears is also closing more than 100 stores after a 2016 holiday shopping season that dropped more than 12 percent from 2015. Kohl”s closed 18 stores and laid off more than 1,500 people in 2016. This isn”t Forbes

March 21, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Immigration: My Final Word

By Mark A. Taylor It”s true for every web post, published article, or magazine cover theme: Some agree. Some object. And many ignore what has been written. That”s been the pattern for the immigration posts appearing at christianstandard.com this month (all of them lifted from the March issue of the print magazine), and your editor is tempted to reply to each response. I”ll resist, but I am motivated to give 500 or so more words to the subject. First: the positive comments, Facebook reposts, and retweets of links to the articles are gratifying. But I”ll admit that some of this

March 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Uphold the Cause

By T.R. Robertson When I identify myself with the outcasts of society that too many condemn or ignore, I am prepared to serve them in a way that pleases God. This past fall, during the heat of the presidential campaign, yet another political link appeared on my Facebook feed. The gist of the headline was that Muslims were threatening to leave the United States in protest. Typical clickbait””it didn”t tempt me to keep reading for the details. But I did notice the comments from people on Facebook, most of whom probably didn”t read beyond the headline either: “Good-bye!” “Thank the

March 15, 2017

Christian Standard

Keeping Smartphones in Their Place

By Jim Tune The New York Times reports people spend close to three hours a day looking at a mobile screen, and that excludes the time they spend actually talking on the phones. In a 2015 survey of smartphone use by Bank of America, about one-third of respondents said they were “constantly” checking their smartphones, and a little more than two-thirds said they went to bed with a smartphone by their side. One teenager reports, “I bring my [iPhone] everywhere. I have to be holding it. It”s like OCD””I have to have it with me. And I check it a

March 9, 2017

Christian Standard

Questions and Answers about Refugees and Resettlement

By Kevin Lines Who are refugees and displaced persons? They are men, women, and children fleeing war, persecution, and political upheaval. They are uprooted with little warning and endure great hardship during their flight. They are displaced when they are forced to flee their homes, but remain within the borders of their native country. They become refugees when they cross borders and seek safety in another country. The United Nations” 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by its 1967 Protocol, defines a refugee as a person who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for

March 5, 2017

Christian Standard

A Christian Perspective on Immigration

A conversation with immigration attorney Land Wayland By Justin Horey President Trump”s election in November left many Americans wondering: Will he really “build that wall,” as his supporters chanted at campaign rallies? Will our new president follow through on his campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented (illegal) immigrants? Will he institute a ban on Muslims entering the United States? The 2016 presidential campaign brought the issue of immigration back into the news and back into the minds of many American voters. It also left millions of people in fear of imprisonment, deportation, or worse because of their immigration status.

March 4, 2017

Christian Standard

Immigration: What You Can Do

By Kevin Lines American communities today contain more migrants than ever before. The ends of the earth have come to us! You and your church can reach out to the immigrants living close to you. Within our fellowship of churches, multiple organizations have joined together to form the RISE (Refugee and International Student Engagement) Project. If you are interested in starting a ministry to refugees or international students through your church, the RISE Project website (www.theriseproject.com) has great resources and training materials. Your church can even apply for a grant to help start a new ministry! Volunteer If you”re not

March 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Learn More About Immigration

By Kevin Lines The Evangelical Immigration Table (www.evangelicalimmigrationtable.org) is an organization of Evangelical Christians seeking bipartisan immigration reform and who seek to love the stranger in their communities. Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion, & Truth in the Immigration Debate, by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Hwang (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2009) This is a great primer for learning about the current immigration situation and how Evangelicals should get involved in a proactive and biblical way. This easy-to-read book is designed for beginners, but is thoroughly researched and documented. It provides a solid framework for understanding immigration. Christians at the Border: Immigration,

March 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Defining Immigration Terms

By Kevin Lines Some assume that all people who come to the United States from another country are either here illegally or have only a temporary visa. The following list explains the various categories and statuses of immigrants in the world. Migrant (immigrant, emigrant): This general term is applied to any person who lives temporarily or permanently in a country where he or she was not born. An immigrant is someone moving into a country; an emigrant is someone moving out of a country. There are an estimated 244 million international migrants worldwide; 42 million live in the United States.

March 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Immigration: What Does the Bible Say?

By Kevin Lines There are more international migrants today than at any other time in history””more than 240 million. While two out of three international migrants live in Asia and Europe, the United States hosts 19 percent of international migrants, the most in the world. It should come as no surprise that our nation, founded by immigrants and often relying on waves of new immigrants as the labor force for our economic growth, would continue to host migrants. The United States is still seen by many in the world as a land of opportunity; a place where, no matter your

March 2, 2017

Christian Standard

The Devil, the Disbeliever, and the Politicians

By LeRoy Lawson Reviving Old Scratch: Demons and the Devil for Doubters and the Disenchanted Richard Beck Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2016 Unapologetic: Why, Despite Everything, Christianity Can Still Make Surprising Emotional Sense Francis Spufford New York: HarperOne, 2014 The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan Rick Perlstein New York: Simon and Schuster, 2015 What should we do when faith falters, either our faith in God or our faith in no God? Either loss is a life-changer. Like most serious believers, I have had my own doubts. I am not alone. Some of my best friends have

February 17, 2017

Kelly Carr

A Message of Hope and Human Flourishing

  By Patrick Nullens Anne Frank, then 13, showed astonishing wisdom when she wrote in her diary: “But feelings can”™t be ignored, no matter how unjust or ungrateful they seem.” While writing this, she was hiding from the dark powers of Nazism, a political system based on pseudoscience and strong nationalistic emotions. Anne Frank in 1940, at about age 11, while attending school in Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons) Unfortunately, and rather ironically, we are masters in ignoring the vast impact of our feelings, just and unjust alike. Take, for example, certain Evangelical leaders who tirelessly argue biblical

February 15, 2017

Christian Standard

Technological Passivity

By Jim Tune The workshop was called “Technology, Social Media, and the Church.” As the presenter spoke enthusiastically about opportunities new technologies offer the church, he explained that technology is neutral, and that it can be used for good or evil. The important thing, he said, is that we use it to advance the gospel. I”ve made similar remarks. While it”s true technology can be used for good or evil, I”m not so certain it is neutral. Christians say, “The methods change, but the message stays the same.” Not so. The medium always affects the message. In the mid-1960s Canadian

February 8, 2017

Christian Standard

Lost in Translation

By Jim Tune I wrote my message quickly and fired it off. Just seconds after clicking Send, it dawned on me with mortifying clarity that I had sent the text message to the wrong recipient. My message fortunately was not overly sensitive, rude, or confidential. Still, it left room for both misunderstanding and embarrassment. I”m guessing this experience is not unique to me. We”ve all been in a situation where someone reads a message intended for someone else that potentially could lead to misunderstanding and conflict. I was relieved when the unintended recipient responded graciously and with minimal offense. It

January 31, 2017

Mark A. Taylor

Welcome the Immigrant

By Mark A. Taylor Some Christians are ready to retreat from the barrage of controversy surrounding the first days of Donald Trump”s presidency. Some are so upset by his policies and pronouncements, they”ve just decided to turn off the news and stay away from Facebook. Others are congratulating him for keeping campaign promises, regardless of the style in which he does so. And many have taken to the streets to protest his policies. The news has reported waves of turmoil because of his executive order refusing entry to refugees from seven Muslim-majority countries. CHRISTIAN STANDARD is not a political magazine,

January 22, 2017

Christian Standard

How Social Media Is Hurting Your Ministry

By Michael C. Mack “Are we willing to quit social media (and other distractions) if the temptations are too strong . . . to overcome?” Brian Jones asks this question on Senior Pastor Central (www.seniorpastorcentral.com). Jones says for years he was convinced that switching from the study of God”s Word and sermon preparation to distractions such as checking social media, text, or e-mails didn”t hurt him at all. After reading Deep Work by Cal Newport, however, he says he better understands the costs. Newport warns about what he calls “attention residue,” the lingering effects from switching back and forth between

January 22, 2017

Christian Standard

Refugees by the Numbers

The world is currently dealing with a refugee crisis. More people have been displaced forcibly from their homes in recent years than at any other time in history. An unprecedented 65.3 million people around the world have left their homes. Among them are 21.3 million refugees who have crossed international borders seeking refuge, with more than half of them under the age of 18. As a result of conflicts and persecution, nearly 34,000 people are forcibly displaced every day. In 2016, the International Organization for Migration recorded more than 7,600 deaths of refugees while fleeing their homes. Fifty-three percent of

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