God & culture

The great 20th century theologian Karl Barth advised generations of ministers to approach life with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in another. He realized  faith isn't of much heavenly use unless it's up to earthly good. The only way for that to happen is for Christians to apply their understanding of Scripture to the situations they face in the world around them.

That's Jim Denison's sweet spot. He developed a reputation for practical preaching as pastor of Texas and Georgia congregations, most recently Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas.  He began applying those truths more broadly about two and a half years ago, when he founded the Center for Informed Faith—recently re-named the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture—and  became theologian-in-residence for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

God Issues …

For awhile now, Denison has written the enormously popular "God Issues" blog. I enjoy reading it every morning, because it causes me to think theologically about news of the day—sometimes earth-shaking events, sometimes the latest from sports, and occasionally simply the downright weird. Click to see "God Issues" here. To receive it in your e-mail in box every morning, fill out the simple registration form on the right side of the "God Issues" homepage. To visit the Denison Forum's Facebook page, click here.

A longtime ally of the Baptist Standard, Denison writes the "Reading the Culture" column in the first edition of the paper each month, and he also pens the "Short Answers to Tough Questions" column in Baptist Standard E3, our enhanced electronic edition.

Facts about radical Islam

Also, plan to read Denison's new book, which will be released just ahead of the 10th anniversary of 9/11,—Radical Islam: What You Need to Know. “The battle waged against the West by radical Muslims is the war of our generation,” Denison says. “Killing bin Laden doesn’t end this war.” He has become one of the foremost Western experts on radical Islam. At a time when we're engulfed in so much misinformation and fear, his factually grounded, Scripture-based, clear-eyed analysis will help you understand this important aspect of our dangerous world. 

Jim Denison and the Denison Forum on Truth and Culture are invaluable assets in your quest to live a thoughtful, practical, useful Christian life. Say a prayer for Jim and his staff, visit their website and Facebook page, and join them in their quest to apply Christian faith to the important issues of our lives.