The vast nation of China remains under the control of one of the few surviving Communist regimes on the planet.  Over the last two decades, that regime has redefined Communist economic theory, allowing private capital and a consumer market to emerge alongside state control and ownership.  Nevertheless, the totalitarian nature of the regime reaches even into the most intimate dimensions of life.  The most insidious example of this totalitarian impulse is China’s infamous “one child only” policy.

2009 marks the fifth anniversary of the publication of The Kingdom of Christ: The New Evangelical Perspective [Crossway] by Russell D. Moore.  Okay, so a fifth anniversary is not such a big deal, but I was grasping for an excuse to put this book where it belongs — on your reading list.  I recently had the opportunity to reread this book, and I was reminded how helpful it really is.  Russell D. Moore, Senior Vice President and Dean of the School of Theology (where, you ask?) at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, clarifies so many of the issues swirling about evangelicals as we discuss the Kingdom of God, eschatology, and Christian political engagement.  He offers a really helpful survey of these issues, and an even more helpful theological and biblical framework for understanding the Kingdom of Christ.

The Monday “On Religion” feature in USA Today is consistently interesting, even if often exasperating.  That is what should be expected of an opinion column — strong opinions in both the column and the reaction it prompts.  Well, get ready to form your own opinion about today’s feature, for it is likely to make a lot of waves.

The pattern of the Christian year is an exercise of the Church’s discipline. The annual celebrations of Christmas and Resurrection Day force the Church to ponder again the truths of Christ’s incarnation and resurrection.

The past two weeks have brought new cogency to a question many have been asking for some time — Is the legalization of same-sex marriage now inevitable?