Kainos Project

The term "gay Christian" has long been disputed, even among those who agree with the traditional Christian sexual ethic. Christian author Rosaria Butterfield continued that argument in a recent article, titled "I Don’t Have an LBGTQ Neighbor—And Neither Do You." In the article, Butterfield argued that there is no such thing as an LGBTQ+ person, because sexual orientation is a social construct. Fur...

This week, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a law requiring public school teachers to feature a poster of the 10 Commandments in their classrooms. While many conservatives are hailing the law as a victory, it is likely to be struck down in the courts. Landry indicated that he's looking forward to the legal battle, saying, "I can't wait to get sued." Opponents of the law are citing the establi...

It has been a busy couple of weeks as far as pastor scandals are concerned. Each case is extremely different from the others. But the fact that they have happened in such rapid succession raises common questions about how churches and church leaders should respond to them. What level of transparency should be demanded? Do pastors who have morally failed to the point of needing to be removed from t...

For Christians, the hope of heaven is one of our most important beliefs. But it’s also one of the most mysterious and even one of the most misunderstood.  And that makes sense. No one has ever been there and come back to tell us about it—although some have claimed to. When we think about heaven, we tend to think about a giant gated community in the sky. Saint Peter stands at the gates, looking thr...

Pope Francis recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview on "60 Minutes." And, as you might imagine, some people were quick to pick apart everything he said. Some even accused him of committing heresy. To be sure, this is strong claims to make against the pope. While we aren't Roman Catholic and certainly have some deep disagreements with Roman Catholic theology, we thought it might be helpful...

Pastor John MacArthur recently made waves by claiming that mental illness doesn’t exist. He made these remarks during a Q&A session at a church conference. "Psychiatry and psychology is finally admitting the noble lies they’ve been telling for the last hundred years," MacArthur said. "And the major noble lie is that there is such a thing as mental illness." He went on to add, "There’s no such...

It has often been said that “the church is God’s Plan A for working in the world, and there is no Plan B.” We don’t disagree with that. Similarly, third century theologian Cyprian of Carthage once said, “No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the church for his mother.” Cyprian also said, “Outside the Church, there is no salvation.” While we don't take his meaning literally, this ax...

When you think of the word "righteousness," any number of images and ideas might come to mind. Many of them are good, although some are probably incomplete.  If you look at the concept of righteousness as presented in the Bible, what you'll quickly realize is that it is inextricably connected to the concept of justice. And Jesus says that those who are desperate for righteousness and justice are t...

Richard Dawkins, a biologist who is perhaps one of the world's most prominent apologists for atheism, recently said that he considers himself a "cultural Christian." "I do think that we are culturally a Christian country, and I call myself a cultural Christian," Dawkins said of his home nation, Britain. "I’m not a believer, but there’s a distinction between being a believing Christian and being a...

Last week, a firestorm erupted on social media after a Christian writer described disciplining his four-month-old son. While he later clarified that he was referring to sleep training, a wave of criticism ensued. Some called into question whether this father was abusing his infant, and some even claimed to have contacted Child Protective Services. The original social media post described the infan...

Immigration is always a contentious issue in America, as well as in the evangelical church. In an election year and with the current crisis at the border, that is especially true right now. And while Christians have a rich history of caring for marginalized people, including refugees and immigrants, the current political climate has caused distrust or even disdain for migrants to creep into the ch...

When it comes to the devil, plenty of misconception circulate not only in our culture but in the church as well. Some of what we believe about Satan is informed by the Bible. But a lot of it comes from cultural traditions and misinterpretations of what the Bible says. On this episode, we do a deep dive on what the Bible says about the devil. Who is he? What should we know about him? And what shoul...

A recent Alabama Supreme Court decisions has ignited a passionate discourse about the morality of in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and pro-life Christians stand on either side of the debate. The case centers on a wrongful death lawsuit that was brought against a fertility clinic in 2020 after the embryos of a couple using the clinic's IVF treatment services were accidentally destroyed. The Alabama Su...

From time to time, we receive questions from folks who are trying to figure out an important point of theology or biblical doctrine. And we enjoy getting to offer our thoughts in the context of those personal interactions, whether in-person or online.  While we don't always have great answers, we think it's important to faithfully wrestle with the questions we receive (and that we have ourselves)....

As Christians, we look up to people who pray and read the Bible a lot. But the sad fact is that some of the people we think of as the most devout are actually suffering from a condition known as religious scrupulosity. Scrupulosity is a subset of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and is marked by the constant presence of intrusive thoughts about sin, hell, or blasphemy, resulting in compulsive r...

Alistair Begg has become the subject of considerable criticism in recent weeks after he said that he had advised a woman to attend her grandson's wedding with a trans person. While Begg gave the advice with the caveat that the woman was clear that she had not changed her views on marriage and gender, he said that reaching hearts for the gospel would "take risks." Amid a bevy of criticism, Begg has...

In a recent video that went viral, progressive Christian minister Brandan Robertson claimed that the problem with evangelicalism is that it focuses too much on the teachings of Paul and not enough on the teachings of Jesus. Robertson went on to claim that Paul even contradicts Jesus on a number of important points, and that when that happens, we should go with the teachings of Jesus instead of Pau...

President Joe Biden recently held a campaign event at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, denouncing white supremacy and casting his vision for a second term as president. Notably, Mother Emanuel has been a historic part of the Reconstruction era and Civil Rights movement. It is also the place where a racially motivated mass shooting claimed the lives of nine people in 2015. R...

Throughout the millennia, Jesus has been portrayed by artists across every conceivable medium. Some of these depictions of Jesus have sought to prioritize historical accuracy, while others have focused on conveying theological significance through artistic expression. Depending on the culture of the artist, depictions of Jesus have varied greatly. Nevertheless, for American evangelicals and other...

After the fall of Roe v. Wade, pro-life Christians around the nation celebrated the nearly half-century of advocacy that led to the decision. However, a little more than a year after the Dobbs decision, national abortion rates are up. What's more is that Christians within the pro-life movement disagree about how best to move forward. On the one hand, you have mainstream, incrementalist pro-life mo...

Christmastime is here, and that means the annual worldwide tour of Santa Claus is upon us! While Santa is a hallmark of the Christmas season, what many people might not know is that this mythical character is based on a real person—a Christian hero, in fact. Saint Nicholas was an early church leader who served as a bishop during the third and fourth centuries. And he was actually around for some p...

The Gospel Coalition recently came under fire after publishing an article written by Trevin Wax titled "Prone to Dechurch, Lord I Feel It." In the article, Wax suggests that the scandals and abuses that have taken place within evangelical institutions aren't as responsible for the dechurching of America as we might think. Instead, the cultural move away from church attendance is best explained as...

Ghosts are a major part of American culture. Whether it is the celebration of spirits on Halloween, myths and fables, blockbuster films, or reality television shows about people who hunt them, ghosts feature heavily in the stories we tell each other. For some, that's all they are—stories. But for others, their belief in ghosts is unshakeable. But what does the Bible say about spirits and souls on...

Halloween is an important celebration in American culture. Trick-or-treating , costumes, and themed parties are all time-honored traditions in most communities. But what are the origins of the holiday? And what do they mean for us as Christians? That’s exactly what we want to discuss. In this episode, which was originally recorded in October 2020, we dive into the history of Halloween, which is ac...

War has broken out in Israel and Palestine following the heinous attack on Israel by Hamas. On Oct. 7, the terrorist organization attacked Israel by land, air, and sea, launching thousands of missiles and engaging in a barbarous ground offensive. As they stormed the streets of Israel, Hamas brutalized Israeli citizens, committing war crimes that they gleefully filmed on their phones. They raped an...