Imitating Elisabeth Elliot

Western culture today celebrates authenticity. We want everything to be real, and we don't want to be tricked. In the United States in particular, we are becoming increasingly aware and disdainful of marketing tactics, and we have stopped trusting the news. Just this morning I heard my family's landline phone ringing, and my first thought was, "Why bother answering it? It's probably going to be a scam." And it was. This celebration of authenticity combines well with our culture's love of naturalism , the belief that nothing exists beyond the natural world. These two beliefs have serious consequences, because they lead directly into a mindset of doubt. Is that person being authentic? Who are they really? And can I truly believe in something I have not seen or experienced? How can I hope for anything beyond this world, a world that seems to be increasingly in peril? In general, it is not surprising that the United States has one of the highest rates of

Have you ever wondered what it looks like to live for Christ? Some people believe that Christianity is about saying the "sinner's prayer" once in your life. For example, when President Donald Trump was supposedly converted by prosperity gospel preacher and televangelist Paula White , many evangelical Christians accepted that story as proof of Trump's faith. Others seek to live out their faith by avoiding various things, so as to prevent becoming polluted by them. Try Googling the phrase "Why Christians should..." and the first option that comes up is "Why Christians Shouldn't Do Yoga." Type in "Why Christians Shouldn't..." and you get things like "Why Christians Shouldn't Smoke," "Why Christians Shouldn't Cuss," and "Why Christians Shouldn't Drink." Intermixed with these are some encouraging articles like, "Why Christians Shouldn't Fear Judgment," but overall the messa

You would have to live under a rock (or in an apartment without internet) to have missed the statistics. In general, experts have observed that millenials are earning less money that their parents earned, among other sobering statistics, including, but not limited to, the rise in the average marrying age, which for women is around 27 years old, and for men is around 29 . Although controversial opinions about millenials abound, it is largely agreed upon by sociologists that these generational differences are caused by economic disparity. How has this affected those who, like myself, are young Christians trying to serve the Lord? I can say from experience that feelings of shame crop up quickly when the pressure to marry or participate in extensive ministry opportunities meets my reality: I am the age my parents were when they married, but I am single. I am the age when everyone expects me to have time to run children's church, but I am exhausted from my job and from trying to

Little over a week ago, Christian author Lori Alexander caused quite a stir in the online community when she published a blog post entitled "Men Prefer Debt-Free Virgins (Without Tattoos)" . While as a blogger with free speech she has a right to present her opinion online, the danger her post presents is that she does so as a Christian writer, quoting Scripture, and making bold claims in the name of Christ. Even more dangerous is the fact that she seems to confuse male preference in women with God's own heart towards women. A Look at the Blog Post Alexander begins her post by stating what kinds of women men prefer, but immediately switches into a biblical argument that has nothing to do with men. She asks, "Do you know how much more attractive debt-free virgins (without tattoos) are to young men?" She then laments the fact that many Christian women do not fit this category and states that, "As believers in Jesus Christ, we need to live in a way that