How Christ Purified Heaven
Fr. Patrick Henry Reardon, Preachers Institute

The Lord’s Ascension is essential to the work of the Atonement.

China Admits to the Greatest Slaughter in Human History
Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition

The Chinese government recently admitted that over the last four decades the country has aborted 336 million unborn children, many of them forcibly.

The Legacy of Racism and Surrogate Decision-Making
Anthony Bradley, Acton Institute PowerBlog

In 1989 Erol Ricketts, a researcher with the Rockefeller Foundation, found that between 1890 and 1950, blacks had higher marriage rates than whites, according to the U.S. Census.

Pope Francis and the Christians of the Middle East
Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap, First Things

At the start of his installation Mass this week, Pope Francis prayed at the tomb of Peter, near the place in the Vatican where the first bishop of Rome was martyred.

The Christian Fantasy
Lars Walker, InterCollegiate Review

Materialists who write about Magic are likely (though not certain) to write about it badly. They shouldn’t try it, for the same reason a Christian shouldn’t try writing porn. It’s hard to do well something you despise.

Young Opponents of Same-Sex Marriage Undaunted
Ashley Parker, New York Times

They hear that their cause is lost, that demographics and the march of history have doomed their campaign to keep marriage only between a man and a woman. But the young conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage — unlike most of their generation — remain undaunted.

Iceland, Pornography, and What Liberty Doesn’t Mean
Victoria Van Vlear, Evangelical Outpost

Good laws will encourage people to do good things, and they will be happier as a result. If laws do not lead to happiness, we had best abandon them.

How the Catholic Church can better promote a culture of life
Frank Brennan, ABC Religion and Ethics

Could not something of this new papal style help us to engage more creatively with our fellow believers and with our fellow citizens as we attempt to create a better culture for life?

We Don’t Need to Redefine Marriage to Fix Policy Problems
William W. Beach and Ryan T. Anderson, Public Discourse

Good public policy can meet the needs of all Americans without redefining marriage.

As crisis worsens, 4 million in Syria need humanitarian relief
Mark Kelly, Baptist Press

Conditions for civilians in Syria have deteriorated so badly that Southern Baptist humanitarian leaders have decided they must expand relief efforts inside the country.

Does International Child Sponsorship Work?
Joe Carter, Acton Institute PowerBlog

Billions of dollars are spent every year on child sponsorship charities. But are they effective at alleviating poverty?

‘Give Back Alaska:’ Ill-Fated Russian Attempt To Protect Christians from Same-Sex Marriage
Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today

A group of “ultraconservative” Russian Orthodox Christians is attempting to defend religious freedom in an unusual way: demanding that the United States relinquish control of Alaska.

Our Brave New World
J. L. Liedl, Ethika Politika

A recent foray into the depths of the Huffington Post‘s back pages left me convinced that I had stumbled upon some brilliant, albeit disturbing, Huxleyan satire of modern society.

The New Unmarried Moms
Kay Hymowitz, W. Bradford Wilcox, and Kelleen Kaye, Wall Street Journal

We’ve reduced teen pregnancy, but now childbearing outside wedlock is exploding among 20-somethings.

Ducks, beards, and Jesus
Tiffany Owens, WORLD on Campus

Duck Dynasty stars say faith is the most important thing in their life.

Russian Church pins high hopes on Pope Francis
Pavel Korobov, Kommersant

“We see a big area here where we can work together with the Roman Catholic Church,” said Metropolitan Hilarion. “I hope this alliance between us will develop under the new pontiff.”

A Source Critic Looks at ‘Downton Abbey’
Betsy Childs, The Gospel Coalition

It is patently obvious to this author and to those of a critical ilk that the so-called Downton Abbey storyline is the product of multiple authors with several different aims.

The Constitution & its benefits to Christians in America
Stephen Douglas Wilson, Baptist Press

March 4 is the 224th anniversary of the United States operating under its Constitution.

End of the Mainline
Mark Tooley, Juicy Ecumenism

The once prestigious and now nearly bankrupt National Council of Churches is quitting its famous New York headquarters built with largesse from John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and whose cornerstone was laid by President Dwight Eisenhower.

Marriage and Politics
Sherif Girgis, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George, National Review

Why the debate matters; why the conjugal view can prevail.

New Shepherd, Same Wandering Flock
Mary Eberstadt, Time

[T]he chief conundrum facing the new Pope is the same as it was for the exceedingly aware emeritus Pope before him.

Why Pope Francis Excites (Most) Evangelical Leaders
Ruth Moon, Christianity Today

Bergoglio expected to focus on poverty and set a friendlier tone in Protestant-Catholic relations.

Why serving the common good isn’t enough
Jeff Haanen

Cleaning a beach or planting a community garden is well and good. But what makes Christians unique in the world?

Kids These Days
R.C. Sproul Jr., Ligonier Ministries

It’s a funny thing about slippery slopes—you can slide down them slowly. The principle behind the concept isn’t that you must move swiftly from here down to there if you have no moral brakes, but that you will move.

9 Things You Should Know About Pope Francis
Joe Carter, Acton PowerBlog

Here are nine things you should know about Pope Francis.

Persecution and the Pope
Nina Shea, The Christian Post

Pope Francis I should be a strong defender of persecuted religious believers of all faiths. The world is in dire need of such leadership.

Goodbye, Faith in Humanity
Derek Rishmawy, The Gospel Coalition

When even Holocaust historians are shocked at their own findings, you know the picture is horrifying.

Abortion and Our “Moral Sense”
S. Adam Seagrave, Public Discourse

When intellectual arguments against abortion fail to persuade, recourse must be had to images and strategies that awake what David Hume considered our “moral sense.”

C. S. Lewis on Selfishness vs. Self-Interest
Art Lindsley, The Gospel Coalition

To Lewis, there is a huge difference between self-interest and selfishness, and there is a proper place for self-interest.

First ‘Fetal Pain’ Abortion Ban Struck Down by Court
Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today

Ten states have such restrictions. Three have been challenged; Idaho’s is the first to fall.

Turfan and the Christians of the Silk Route
Philip Jenkins, First Things

Besides its economic importance, the Silk Route was also a highway of ideas and faiths, which was used extensively by Muslims, Buddhists, Manichaeans, and of course Christians.

Sex-ed for kindergartners mandated in Chicago
Erin Roach, Baptist Press

A new sexual health program in the Chicago Public Schools mandates that a set amount of time be spent on sex education in every grade, beginning in kindergarten. The program also will discuss sexual orientation and gender identity for the first time.

Should a Christian Dentist Fire His Too-Hot Hygienist?
Russell D. Moore

Jesus said “If your eye offends you, gouge it out.” He didn’t say “If you find your neighbor’s eyes are too sexy, gouge them out.”

Church vs. Chavez Highlighted Power of a Faithful Fight Against Tyrants
Bridget Johnson, PJ Media

Venezuela’s clerics didn’t fear tangling with the ruler when moral principles and human rights were on the line.

Patriarch Kirill calls Chavez one of brightest contemporary political leaders
Interfax

Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Kirill offered his condolences on the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

School’s transgender ruling: fairness or discrimination?
Josh Levs. Ed Payne and Ashley Fantz, CNN

A Colorado school’s ruling over a transgender child has sparked questions that could affect schools all over the country.

The Supreme Court’s First Assault on Marriage
Patrick Fagan, Public Discourse

The Supreme Court first put marriage on its track of decline forty-one years ago, when it ruled that states could not limit the sale of contraceptives to married couples.

Christian protesters decry Muslim mob’s arson spree following blasphemy charge
Nasir Habib, CNN

Outraged Pakistani Christians took to the streets of Lahore on Sunday, protesting a rash of violence against their community over the weekend.

Scotland Strips Christian Adoption Agency of Charity Status
Melissa Steffan, Christianity Today

Charity regulator: Catholic agency ‘does not provide public benefit because [it] involves unlawful discrimination.’

What You Should Know About ‘Monogamish’ Relationships
Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition

What you should know about the redefinition of monogamy and same-sex relationships.