American churches and denominations had better take note. When a church or Christian institution bows to the authority of the state on a matter of such direct biblical importance, it is destined to lose biblical fidelity.

It is a non-negotiable of the Christian faith, deeply rooted in the teaching of Christ that he is “the way, the truth, and the life,” and that no one comes to the Father, “but by Me.” [John 14:6].

Is God a Christian? presents a trajectory and set of theological arguments that reveal what happens when biblical authority is denied and the faith once for all delivered to the saints is repudiated.

When the Bible, in part or in whole, is dismissed as “clobber Scriptures,” it is not only the Bible that is subverted, but also the Gospel. The Church must recognize that fact clearly — and fast.

Today’s church cannot remain faithful if it tolerates false teachers and leaves their teachings uncorrected and unconfronted. Harold Camping is not the first false teacher to present the church with such a test of faithfulness, nor will he be the last.

This is the season of commencement. High schools, colleges, and universities mark graduation at the end of the academic year. Auditoriums, chapels, convention centers, stadiums, and campus lawns are filled with graduates, family members, faculty, and guests for what is almost always a formal event.

The church is not to be arrogantly setting dates, but instead to be eagerly waiting for him. Of that we can be truly certain.

This is yet another tragedy in the sad history of mainline Protestantism’s race toward total theological disaster.

Marriage is so essential to human happiness and to the organization of human society that it simply cannot be ignored or denied.

When a church forfeits its doctrinal convictions and then embraces ambiguity and tolerates heresy, it undermines its own credibility and embraces its own destruction.

As is always the case, we are left with a sense that a higher court is still needed. Christians know that Osama bin Laden escaped the reach of full human justice and a trial for his crimes, but he will not escape the judgment that is to come. Bin Laden will not escape his trial before the court of God. Until then, sober satisfaction must be enough for those still in the land of the living.

What sociology cannot do is deal with the most important question of all — the truth question.