Former megachurch pastor Rob Bell appeared in a recent radio discussion with Christian British minister Andrew Wilson to discuss his new book, What We Talk About When We Talk About God, and grew frustrated when pressed by Wilson to explain his theological reasons for affirming homosexuality and same-sex relationships.

Bell and Wilson appeared on the U.K. faith debate program "Unbelievable?" hosted by Justin Brierley on Premier Christian Radio. Wilson is a published theologian and elder at Kings Church in Eastbourne, East Sussex. The men, moderated by Brierley, started the discussion by debating various issues during the hour-plus program, but it was during their discussion on homosexuality that Bell appeared to grow visibly upset.

"Do you believe that this is an area where actually God is ahead of the church, that affirming same-sex partnerships is actually a God thing and that we will eventually all get to see that in the course of time?" Brierley asked Bell of comments he made in March. more >>

A plethora of books have been written on the subject of manhood and what it means to be a father, husband, leader and more – and Pastor Eric Mason of Epiphany Fellowship has just added his own title to the list. But the Philadelphia minister says Manhood Restored: How the Gospel Makes Men Whole is unique in offering both a timely and theologically sound discussion on what it means to be a man in today's culture.

"I think there's a crisis in manhood in our culture and I believe Jesus is the answer to that," Dr. Mason told The Christian Post.

"Men tend to look at fallen examples of manhood throughout the culture, whether it's thugs, athletes, businessmen, whatever. It's cross-ethnically an issue. It's not just an issue in the black community or Hispanic community, but it's inclusive in all majority and minority communities as a crisis that's cross-generational and cross-ethnic," he added. more >>

Following reports that the Pentagon has been planning on court martialing soldiers for religious proselytization, the Department of Defense has clarified that only those forcing their beliefs on others will be punished.

"Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one's beliefs (proselytization)," a Department of Defense spokesperson told the Alliance Defending Freedom on Thursday.

ADF had filed a Freedom of Information Act request on Wednesday seeking clarification over the issue, after concerns arose that evangelical members of the military might be targeted for sharing their faith with others. more >>

The mainstream media and critics of historic Christianity are at it again-Christians who have done nothing but articulate what the Bible says about homosexuality are being vitrified.

Chris Broussard, an ESPN commentator who stated what he as a Christian believes about homosexuality, has received nothing but vitriol from critics. ESPN apologized for his comments, but Broussard has not. In fact, Broussard hoped that people would express tolerance for his beliefs. He said, " In talking to some people around the league, there's a lot [of] Christians in the NBA and just because they disagree with that lifestyle, they don't want to be called bigoted and intolerant and things like that. That's what LZ [Granderson] was getting at. Just like I may tolerate someone whose lifestyle I disagree with, he can tolerate my beliefs. He disagrees with my beliefs and my lifestyle but true tolerance and acceptance is being able to handle that as mature adults and not criticize each other and call each other names…" Unfortunately, his critics have not expressed any tolerance towards him.

Greg Laurie, the Senior Pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., who led the May 2 National Day of Prayer, was also criticized for his position on homosexuality and found himself under pressure to step down. He didn't. He said, "We're in a time in our country now where I'm attacked because I believe what the Bible teaches." And he's not alone. more >>

Thursday, May 2, 2013 is the National Day of Prayer. Yet things are not right in the land. We pray, "May God bless America." But perhaps it should be, "May God have mercy on America."

As we survey the modern American landscape, we see many examples that things are not right…more than 55 million abortions in America since 1973…rampant pornography…mass shootings…promotion of gay marriage…dissolution of marriage in general…runaway debt that will enslave our children and grandchildren…threats to our religious liberty like never before.

And yet our national motto is still "In God We Trust." I always remember the sign in the ice cream shop (by the cash register) that said: "In God we trust. All others pay cash." more >>

While publications like the Daily Beast and Mother Jones and networks like NPR are exposing the scandal of – gasp – Evangelical adoptions, perhaps they should cover a different religious scandal. Thanks to Jim Geraghty's must-read Morning Jolt e-mail (subscribe if you haven't — it's consistently my favorite read of the day), I ran across this chart from The Economist detailing Muslim attitudes towards Sharia law and apostasy:

Read it and weep. In Egypt, for example, more than 70 percent of the public supports Sharia law, and almost 90 percent of those individuals also support executing those who leave Islam. I feel comfortable saying this is a problem, a much, much greater problem than any alleged American "Islamophobia," and if we turn away from these statistics and believe the fault for continued jihadist bloodshed lies primarily within us — or is primarily the fault of Israel — then we are truly willfully blind.

To be clear, I do not share this chart as evidence of the nature of "true Islam." Unlike our recent presidents, I don't claim to understand the religion so deeply as to pontificate on its true nature. In fact, this chart shows considerable diversity of views (if only Egypt were like Kazakhstan), and I know many Muslims who not only are marvelous people but have provided indispensable help in the war against jihadist terror. Instead, I defy anyone to read this and argue that there aren't deep cultural problems — tied directly to religious belief — in vast and important swathes of the Muslim world. more >>