Isaiah, Mark & More On ‘Ransom’ In Biblical Theology
Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, Preachers Institute

Let us consider what it means that Jesus life was made a ransom “for many.”

How Churches Can Respond to Mental Illness
Ed Stetzer, CNN

First, people with mental illness are often attracted to religion and the church, either to receive help in a safe environment or to live out the worst impulses of their mental illness. Second, most congregations, sadly, have few resources for help.

9 Things You Should Know About Margaret Thatcher
Joe Carter, Acton Institute

Lady Margaret Thatcher has passed away from an apparent stroke at the age of 87. Here are nine things you should know about the former British Prime Minister.

The U.S. and the Murders at the Cathedral
Jonathan S. Tobin, Commentary

[Even though we are still being told that there is no alternative to engagement with Mohamed Morsi’s regime, the escalation of anti-Christian violence ought to shock Americans into the realization that they are subsidizing a regime bent on oppressing religious minorities.

Cross & Death, Cup & Baptism, Servant & Slave
Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, Preachers Institute

In the Gospel of St. Mark there is a record of Jesus’ three prophecies of the coming drama of Redemption. These are evenly placed in chapter 8-10 of Mark and provide structure for his development of the theme of the Cross.

The Bible vs. the Heart
Dennis Prager, National Review Online

The human heart alone is a terribly flawed guide to social policy.

Cats and Dogs and Marriage Laws
Stephen J. Heaney, Public Discourse

When we define our terms based on the results we want, rather than on the reality of the thing being defined, all hell breaks loose.

Pastor Rick Warren’s son commits suicide
Associated Press

The 27-year-old son of popular evangelical Pastor Rick Warren has committed suicide at his Southern California home, Warren’s church and authorities said on Saturday.

Felix and Oscar: A Post-Modern Marriage
Anthony Esolen, Crisis Magazine

In a saner day than ours, someone would object, “There’s no knot to tie! They can’t marry! You’re confusing friendship with marriage.” That would be quite right.

Marriage, Religious Liberty, and the Ban Myth
Adam J. MacLeod, Public Discourse

It’s a myth that marriage law “bans” same-sex relationships because it treats marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

The Alpha Course: British Christianity’s Biggest Success Story
Philip Jenkins, First Things

The British newspaper The Independent has an article by Matthew Bell on the Alpha Course, which it describes, interestingly, as “British Christianity’s biggest success story.”

North Carolina getting a state religion? No.
Eric Marrapodi and John Blake, CNN

Politicians often declare that the U.S. is a Christian nation, but a group of representatives in North Carolina wants to add a new wrinkle to that argument.

Justice Sotomayor and the Path to Polygamy
Carson Holloway, Public Discourse

The oral arguments on Proposition 8 at the Supreme Court suggest that there is very good reason to believe that the declaration of a “right” to same-sex marriage will set us on the path to polygamy.

North Carolina Aims to Preserve Government Prayer—by Taking Steps Toward a State Religion
Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today

New bill asserts, “Each state in the union is sovereign and may independently determine how that state may make laws respecting an establishment of religion.”

Public School Boots Cub Scouts
Todd Starnes, Fox News

About 30 eight to 11 year-olds were told they could no longer meet at Mountain View Elementary School because the Boy Scout’s ban on gay members in leaders conflicted with the school district’s anti-bias policy.

A House of Horrors in Philadelphia
Gary Bauer, The Weekly Standard

Over three decades, abortionist Kermit Gosnell and his staff dispensed death to thousands of unborn babies, born-alive babies, and at least two women.

Jesus is On the Wrong Side of History
Trevin Wax, The Gospel Coalition

A fictional conversation from the first century A.D.

North Dakota laws ban abortions, set milestones
Tom Strode, Baptist Press

North Dakota has enacted precedent-setting laws to protect unborn children. Gov. Jack Dalrymple, a Republican, signed into law March 26 three bills restricting abortion, including two that establish new pro-life milestones.

How to Find Your Vocation in College
Gene Edward Veith, Intercollegiate Review

The idea is that what you do for a living can be a calling. From God. That He has made you in a certain way and given you certain talents, opportunities, and inclinations.

International Jurists: Marriage Is Between a Man and Woman
Sophie Giberga and Ryan T. Anderson, The Foundry

While the justices should resist the activist use of “transnational law” in interpreting the original meaning of our Constitution, some still do. If the Supreme Court justices—wrongly—look to foreign law to resolve the question of whether marriage may be defined as the union of one man and one woman, they will discover that the traditional definition of marriage is almost universally followed.

Bracketing Morality — The Marginalization of Moral Argument in the Same-Sex Marriage Debate
Albert Mohler

What makes this moral revolution so vast in consequences and importance is this: the moral dimension has virtually disappeared from the cultural conversation.

Secular Sweden Sees No Problem in Sending Christian Converts Back to Iran?
Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today

Iranian converts say asylum applications are denied because judges don’t understand their plight.

Same-Sex Marriage and the Abyss of Nihilism
Carson Holloway, Public Discourse

We cannot embrace same-sex marriage and live in continuity with our past as a civilization. To embrace it is to deny that tradition, revelation, reason, and nature have any authority over us.

Interview with Metropolitan Hilarion
Ray Nothstine, Religion and Liberty

I think the church has survived in very different circumstances across the 2,000 years of its existence. And, yes, I am optimistic in the terms of Christ’s promise to the church that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the church.

Why Do Eastern Orthodox Churches Continue Enabling Opposition to Orthodox Values on Abortion, Sexual Morality?
John Lomperis, Juicy Ecumenism

Do Eastern Orthodox leaders really have no problem with their name, through the NCC, being associated with a radical group’s work to promote religious support for abortion and sexual immorality?

Russell Moore Elected as Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission President
Interview by Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today

Why the next voice of the Southern Baptists says he wants to speak with ‘convictional kindness.’

Libyan Christians spending Easter in fear
Chris Stephen, OCP Media Network

Chrisitans in Libya are bracing themselves for a tense Easter after attacks on churches, the arrests of evangelists and the growing confidence of jihadist militias.

District Court Rejects Challenge to September 11 Cross
Marc DeGirolami, Mirror of Justice

In an opinion issued March 28, the court granted the defendants’ motion for summary judgment in a case brought by American Atheists, Inc., which challenged the constitutionality of displaying the September 11 cross in a state museum.

Neither In the Jungle Nor Out of It
Anthony Esolen, Public Discourse

Lust perverts language itself, calling sex “safe” or “protected,” and cohabitation “honest,” and relationships “mutual,” which are nothing but forays into a jungle, where the strongest and most cunning survive.

Holy Week and the Insomnia of Jesus
Russell D. Moore, Moore to the Point

Why could Jesus sleep so peacefully through a life-threatening sea-storm, and yet is awake all night in the olive garden before his arrest, crying out in anguish?

Survey: Many undecided on Easter attendance
Russ Rankin, Baptist Press

Attending church on Easter Sunday is not a cut-and-dry decision for everyone — even for self-identified Christians.

The Violence of the Crucifixion
Dr. Leroy Huizenga, Catholic World Report

The Four Evangelists glory not in the cross’ gore but rather in its shame.

North Dakota Governor Signs Strict Abortion Law
John Eligon and Erick Eckholm, New York Times

Gov. Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota approved the nation’s toughest abortion restrictions on Tuesday, signing into law a measure that would ban most abortions and inviting a legal showdown over just how much states can limit access to the procedure.

Why Christians Should Read Fiction
Russell D. Moore

Is reading fiction a waste of time?

Ryan Anderson Debates Marriage with Piers Morgan, Suze Orman
Rob Bluey, The Foundry

How do you throw Piers Morgan off his game? Stick to the facts, remain civil and win the argument. Heritage’s Ryan Anderson did exactly that Tuesday night in a showdown with the liberal CNN host of “Piers Morgan Live” and guest Suze Orman.

Supreme Court Finally Asks the Tough Questions on Same-Sex Marriage
Glenn T. Stanton, First Things

The first day of oral arguments before the Supreme Court on same-sex marriage were watched very carefully by many Americans.

Our First Right: Religious Liberty
Charles J. Chaput, Public Discourse

America’s founding documents assume an implicitly religious anthropology—an idea of human nature, nature’s God, and natural rights—that many of our leaders no longer share. Adapted from testimony submitted to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Many Unitarians would prefer that their polyamory activists keep quiet
Lisa Miller, Washington Post

Within the ranks of the UUA over the past few years, there has been some quiet unrest concerning a small but activist group that vociferously supports polyamory.

Ideology, Not Science, Behind Redefining Marriage
Kayla Griesemer and Ryan T. Anderson, The Foundry

Severe flaws and limitations exist in the scientific research into the relatively new phenomenon of same-sex parenting, argue preeminent political scientists Leon R. Kass and Harvey C. Mansfield in a brief filed with the Supreme Court by Nelson Lund.

Did Mainline Christianity Win in the End?
John Turner, First Things

Liberal Protestants may have ultimately lost the battle for membership, but they won the larger cultural struggle.