Articles for tag: Rubel Shelly

January 1, 2024

Christian Standard

How Should Christians View Gender Dysphoria?

By Rubel Shelly  Stated in the most basic terms, sex is an objective category defined by empirically discernible and set-at-birth qualities, whereas gender is a subjective self-perception and option for the presentation of oneself to others. The former is biological, while the latter is psychological. The former states who a person is in terms of bodily taxonomy, and the latter offers what a person may feel about one’s placement in the world’s social structures.   A biological male with a high-pitched voice, shorter-than-average height, and/or wearing a pink shirt is still male. A biological female whose voice has a lower pitch

May 1, 2023

Christian Standard

10 Personal Practices That Will Lead to Greater Unity

By Rubel Shelly  How can you and I “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3)? Here are 10 practices each of us should consider:  • Pray for the unity of the church. If Jesus prayed for the unity of all who would believe in him through the apostles’ message (John 17:20-26), how dare we not pray for it as well? Pray for Christians you know from various backgrounds. Pray for the “tribes” other than your own. Don’t pray for them to change but for God to let you love them.  

August 3, 2017

Christian Standard

Now More Than Ever: Embracing the DNA that Created a Movement

By Rubel Shelly Did you ever agree to something””only to regret it later? As I begin writing this piece, that feeling hovers over me. I will not characterize the Stone-Campbell Movement as others would. (Some have already been offended that I call it the Stone-Campbell Movement rather than the Restoration Movement; it is a movement of ideas and ideals, not particular historical characters, they say. Others were offended that I dared call it a “movement” at all; it is theological rediscovery and return, not a human program.) See? I told you I didn”t feel good about this. I”m in trouble

October 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Patriotism, Idolatry, and Evangelism

By Rubel Shelly In my opinion, the United States of America is a wonderful, though imperfect, country. One could even call it exceptional in many ways among all the nations of the world, but I refuse the designation “American exceptionalist.” An American woman can love her country and be deeply patriotic because she appreciates its uniqueness and marvelous history. She might point to such things as its abundant natural resources and favorable climate. More likely, she would talk even more about the freedoms of speech, press, and religion. There is the protection under law its citizens enjoy. She could reference its

July 10, 2016

Christian Standard

The Gospel: God”s Better Story

By Rubel Shelly The Bible is a six-act drama reflecting the light of our Creator. Ivan Illich (1926″“2002) was an Austrian philosopher and former Catholic priest. As he became increasingly critical of modern education, consumerism, health care, and Western social values in general, he pondered the larger question of how to change society. When asked whether violent revolution or gradual reform was the better way to effect change, he replied: Neither revolution nor reformation can ultimately change a society, rather you must tell a new powerful tale, one so persuasive that it sweeps away the old myths and becomes the preferred story, one so inclusive

March 31, 2016

Christian Standard

Empires, Philosophies, Biases, and Jesus

AUDIO BOOKS I, Claudius Robert Graves The Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries Neil deGrasse Tyson History”s Greatest Voyages of Exploration Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius The History of Ancient Rome Garrett G. Fagan Will to Power: The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche Robert C. Solomon and Kathleen Higgins (narrators) TRADITIONAL BOOKS Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People Mahzarin Banaji & Anthony Greenwald New York: Delacorte Press, 2013 I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian . . . and I Liked Him Better Then Rubel Shelly Abilene: Leafwood Publishers, 2011   By LeRoy Lawson Heard a good book lately? I confessed in an earlier column that sometimes (regularly) I read with my ears,

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

June 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Jesus: The Middleman

By Rubel Shelly No irreverence intended, so please don”t hear it as anything other than what is intended. Jesus of Nazareth is the ideal middleman. As proof of my thesis, I quote Paul: “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity””the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:5, 6, New Living Translation). The notion of mediation involves standing between parties for the sake of communication. The ultimate hope in most of these situations is for more than communication; the mediator seeks understanding and reconciliation. A mediator seeks

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