Ethics & Moral Issues

Ethics & Moral Issues gathers Christian Standard articles that apply biblical truth to today’s hardest moral questions and cultural debates. Here you’ll find thoughtful, Scripture-shaped guidance on topics like sanctity of life, sexuality and gender, marriage and family ethics, religious liberty, justice and human dignity, bioethics, and the moral dimensions of public life. These articles aim to help Christians form convictions, speak with clarity and compassion, and live faithfully in a complex world.

January 5, 2017

Michael C. Mack

5 Ways to Serve Moms & the Unborn

By Michael C. Mack Sunday, January 15, is National Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Here are five ways to serve moms and the unborn: 1. Pray. “Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons, but they are helpless against our prayers.” “”J. Sidlow Baxter “¢Â Pray that women who have suffered abortion will come in contact with people who understand their pain and are able to minister forgiveness and healing. “¢Â Pray that churches and individual Christians will take a stand on this issue. “¢Â Pray for repentance for our nation. “¢Â Pray we will be committed to

October 14, 2016

Christian Standard

Piercings

By Ron Davis Piercings are popular. It started with the ear lobe . . . and worked its way up . . . and down. But piercing is not new. And it did not come from good or noble precedent. The notoriously vicious Assyrians, in ancient times, took their captives home by inserting a hook through the cheeks of those captives. Keep up, or else, as you are dragged along! In fact, many cultures, ancient and modern “marked” their captives as slaves by a ring in the nose or ear. It was always the sign of an ultimate death penalty.

July 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Better Than a Lesbian Lifestyle

By Roger Worsham Michelle was raised in an abusive home by an extremely narcissistic mom. When she was 9 her mom married for the fifth time. This stepfather was abusive, like some of the others, and molested Michelle from age 9 to 13. When she told her mother about the molestation, her mother refused to believe her. She told Michelle, “You are too ugly for him to be interested in having sex with you.” Later Michelle”s mom remarried again. This marriage didn”t last. Michelle”s mom stole a check from her estranged sixth husband, and he sent another woman to collect

January 31, 2016

Christian Standard

Contraception? One View

By Robert Pate This is one of four views of contraception written by Bible college professors. Other views are written by Phil Kenneson, Jack Cottrell, and Mark Weedman. There are a number of issues to consider when discussing contraception. These include biological infertility, the mother”s health, financial stewardship, God”s will, adoption, sex for pleasure vs. procreation, masturbation, abstinence, relationship status, and ministry opportunities, to name a few. Before jumping in, I should note that when using the term contraception I am referring to all methods of preventing conception and pregnancy, such as condoms, intrauterine devices, hormone-based oral contraceptives, coitus interruptus, etc. I do

January 30, 2016

Christian Standard

Contraception? One View

By Mark Weedman This is one of four views of contraception written by Bible college professors. Other views are written by Phil Kenneson, Jack Cottrell, and Robert Pate. What makes contraception so tricky is that for most Americans, regardless of religious affiliation, there seems to be no question about its use. Current debates about the contraception mandate in the Affordable Care Act belie a nearly universal acceptance of contraception in the United States.1 American Christians may wait until marriage to start using some form of contraception, but very few of us question whether we should be using it. There are, however, some good reasons for

January 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Contraception? One View

By Jack Cottrell This is one of four views of contraception written by Bible college professors. Other views are written by Phil Kenneson, Mark Weedman, and Robert Pate. Is it moral for a married couple to use contraceptive devices to prevent pregnancy? By contraception we mean the prevention of conception, which is the fertilization of the ovum by the sperm. We do NOT mean the prevention of the implantation of a fertilized ovum””a newly formed baby””in the wall of the womb. This clarification is important because some so-called “contraceptives” do not necessarily prevent conception. Rather, they can allow the new baby to form, but then

January 28, 2016

Christian Standard

Contraception? One View

Four Bible professors consider how “Welcome the Children” (this month’s theme) squares with our decisions not to have them at all. This view is by Phil Kenneson. Subsequent views are written by Jack Cottrell, Mark Weedman, and Robert Pate. By Phil Kenneson My very unscientific sampling of Protestants across a wide theological spectrum suggests three things: (1) Many are aware the Roman Catholic Church has serious objections to artificial contraception. (2) Many Protestants (along with many Catholics) find the Roman Catholic Church”s prohibition on artificial contraception at least baffling, if not irresponsible and invasive. (“Why should the church,” many ask,

January 21, 2016

Christian Standard

Why Abortion Is Wrong

By Rubel Shelly Abortion is seriously and objectively wrong. This isn”t a political statement and has nothing to do with being a Democrat or Republican. It isn”t racist, antifeminist, or a bigoted judgment against people who have chosen to have an abortion. It is neither religious nor antireligious. It is the simple, straightforward assertion of an ethical position that squares with all we know about procreation, biology, and being human. Stated most simply, abortion is wrong because what is killed is human. If a developing, living collection of fetal cells is removed from a womb at, say, 8, 14, or

July 6, 2015

Christian Standard

All God”s Children: Loving Our LGBTQ Friends As We Love Ourselves

By Sean Palmer I love gay people. For many, it”s surprising to hear a Christian minister say that””especially an Evangelical minister from a fundamentalist background and with fundamentalist theological training””but I do love them. I really can”t help it. And I don”t love people because I”m a saint. I love them because I know so many by name. I know Jesus asks me to love everyone, but I must be honest; I have trouble loving people I don”t know. A plane crashes in Asia, and I”m saddened for the families of the dead, but I don”t grieve. I don”t love

April 7, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

A Middle Ground in the Religious Freedom Debate

By Mark A. Taylor Does any Christian, in the name of religious freedom, really want the right to refuse service to a gay or lesbian? I doubt it. Christian restaurant owners, gas station operators, and Wal-Mart managers have been doing business with gays and lesbians for years, without a problem. The issue isn”t service“”whether I”ll fix a grilled cheese sandwich for a hungry gay guy or sell a dress to a lesbian she”ll wear at her wedding. The issue is endorsement. No one does a morality check before someone enters his business. Every day Christians do business with adulterers, fornicators,

February 24, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

A Voice at the Table

By Mark A. Taylor New York publishing executive Joanne Lipman wrote last year about the subtle barriers and “benevolent sexism” she”s experienced in an industry that says it”s open to women leaders. After reading her article, “Women at Work: a Guide for Men,” I couldn”t help but wonder: Do women working in my world, i.e. local churches and parachurch ministries, also feel stymied by the men who dominate their workplaces? I wrote several women church leaders to get an answer, and I reported last week all of them answered “yes.” Since then, I have heard from a couple more women

February 17, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Your Church: a Boys Club?

By Mark A. Taylor Many, many years ago I bumped into the president of a parachurch ministry who was considering a woman for an executive role with his organization. “You know,” he said to me, as if he couldn”t quite believe the statement he was about to make. “She”s really sharp.” She would be the first woman to serve (with distinction, I might add) with such authority at his institution. That incident reminds me of a Christian college teacher who wrote on a student”s paper, “You write really well for a woman.” Admittedly, both these incidents occurred decades ago. But

February 16, 2015

Christian Standard

Sex Offenders in the Church

By J. Robert Ross The minister at my church recently refused to allow Sam (not his real name), a convicted sex offender in my treatment program, to attend services at our church. I understood his fear, but I cannot agree with his decision to turn Sam away. I suspect his reaction, and the reaction of many others, is motivated by anxiety rooted in several misconceptions about sex offenders, their offenses, and their victims. A common misconception, aided and abetted by the media, puts all offenders in the same boat. Anyone convicted of a sex offense is automatically labeled a “sexual

February 12, 2015

Christian Standard

Solving Sexuality

By Jason Yeatts We, as a society and a church, have unconsciously adopted an understanding of sexuality that does more harm than good. I”m not talking about our culture”s growing acceptance of homosexuality, but our acceptance of the idea of homosexuality. The two are quite different. We have picked up a language about sex that both perpetuates a wrong view of human identity and hinders the path of Christian discipleship. To understand how this has happened, we must first look at the human heart. When Scriptures declare, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and

February 10, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Something to Talk About!

By Mark A. Taylor If anybody should be talking about sex these days, it”s the church! That was our thought as we planned this month”s long string of posts. But frankly, sometimes I wondered if we were doing the right thing. After all, aren”t we a little tired of hearing about sex? We”ve become numb to sexual innuendo on television and at the movies. We”re weary with each week”s new “coming out” story on the news, and many of us have regrettably resigned ourselves to the growing acceptance of gay marriage. We watch sexual infidelity ruin families and damage local

February 9, 2015

Christian Standard

True Love and the Hookup Culture

By T.R. Robertson You”re drunk. You”re at a party, sitting on the couch. It”s three in the morning. You”re looking around. You don”t know where your roommates went. You”re tired. You don”t know how you”re getting home. You look next to you, at this person. They look at you. You say to yourself, “All right . . . “ You won”t find lines like that in your average romance novel. They”re a college student”s description of a typical college hookup situation, quoted at the 2014 Q Conference by sociology and religious studies scholar Donna Freitas. Freitas is the author of

February 8, 2015

Christian Standard

What Would Jesus Do (with My Sex Life)?

By Casey Tygrett Some won”t at first be comfortable with the question. But those who want to live more like Jesus will always think about Jesus at the same time they think about sex. It is something that”s enjoyable, even when it”s difficult or awkward. It can be enjoyed on every continent, in every country, in any place and””with a few exceptions””at any time. It involves all the senses, exploding into brilliant concert together at just the right moment. Some would say it is a God-given right, and discourage efforts to prevent it or regulate it. Some, of course, take

February 7, 2015

Christian Standard

Your Church and Homosexuals: Rethinking Our Pat Answers

By Brian Jones On an episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart defined “the gay agenda” as . . .  “Gay marriage, civil rights protection, Fleet Week expanded to Fleet Year, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance for when it”s raining men, Kathy Griffin to host everything, and a nationwide ban on pleated pants.” I would add one more: to simply be treated with respect by Christians. Last year I did a series of blog posts on the topic of homosexuality. It was the most read, discussed, and shared topic I”ve blogged about in recent memory. What surprised me, however,

February 6, 2015

Christian Standard

Pondering the Future of Marriage

By Jon Weatherly “The Gospel, Homosexuality, and the Future of Marriage” was the title of the conference convened by the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention, October 27″“29, 2014, in Nashville, Tennessee. Around 1,300 people attended, hearing speakers and panels from the SBC and beyond discuss the church”s response to contentious issues raised by the widespread legalization and popular approval of same-sex marriage. I attended all sessions of the conference. My aim was to listen as someone outside the Southern Baptist Convention, learn what I could from an event organized by a leading Christian organization

February 2, 2015

Christian Standard

The Beauty of Sex

By Paul E. Boatman For me and most people I know, sex has always been a bit perplexing. Forming a solidly Christian perspective on sexuality seems an elusive goal.   “Sex is dirty. Save it for marriage.” This was how David Seamands once summarized the sex education he received in his Christian family. I recall a vivid moment as a 9-year-old sitting in church with some peers. Randomly skimming the Old Testament, I paused at the Song of Solomon. What I read went beyond stirring my preadolescent curiosity. Right there in the Bible I was reading about a distinctly “sexy” interaction

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