Cultural Engagement

“Welcome One Another as Christ Has Welcomed Us"

Welcoming people into your home may not seem like a supernatural act, but as Marshall Segal posits in his article for Desiring God, “There’s a spiritual power that pulses through the floors and walls and furniture of a Christian home — a strong, even overpowering aroma, a wild and compelling story unfolding for anyone who comes close enough to hear. Beneath the dirty clothes, behind the unwashed dishes, just below the dusty surfaces, a glory hums and unsettles and woos. A 1,500-square-foot sermon.”

Roe was an "Indefensible Decision"

By Dr. Michael L. Brown

Despite being reinforced and even expanded by the Casey decision of 1992, Roe was a bad ruling by the Supreme Court that simply had to go. It had no legal ground on which to stand and no Constitutional logic behind it. That’s why few, if any, pundits are challenging Justice Alito’s legal reasoning in dismantling Roe. That’s also why late last year, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch openly targeted Roe in conjunction with the Court agreeing to hear the Dobbscase.

David French: Humility, Absence of Malice Are Paramount

The overturning of Roe v. Wade was momentous. But as David French argues in this article for The Atlantic, what happens next is just as important. 

The Power of Persevering Prayer

Friday, June 24, 2022, will go down in history as a momentous day—the day Roe v. Wade was overturned. Though much of America roils at the decision, for Christians, the ruling is not only a giant step toward saving the lives of thousands of children every year, it is an answer to decades of prayer for the Lord to intervene. 

Report Details ‘Pivotal Moment’ for Gen Z and Millennials

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

Editor's note: This Throwback Thursday article originally appeared in January of 2021.   

With its report, The Great Opportunity: The American Church in 2050, the Pinetops Foundation examines the fruitfulness, or lack thereof, when it comes to the engagement of today’s teens and young adults. According to its 2018 report, approximately one million young people are leaving the church each year—but a “great opportunity” exists if we can reverse the current trends assigned to Generation Z and younger Millennials. 

Maturity in Christ Is Never Formulaic

The church exists to make disciples of all men and women, sending them out to love and transform the world as ambassadors of Christ. But how exactly do churches make disciples? 

CU Gloria Director: ‘We Want to See Christ Lifted High’

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

Christian Union Gloria and other ministries at Harvard Law School were recently featured on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). The report, seen on major television stations and online, highlighted a strong Christian presence there and a unified desire to see God move mightily.

Young Professionals Reflect on CU Gloria, Post-College Life 

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

On Good Friday, six Harvard College alumni gathered for "Community at the Cross," a panel discussion hosted by Christian Union Gloria.

John Piper Podcast Addresses the Question

The relationship between holiness and answered prayer appears throughout Scripture. John 15:7 says, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." Psalm 66 says, "I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer."

Male and Female and the Word of God 

Complementarianism, the idea that men and women are not identical, but rather equal and distinct, is a concept we see written throughout Scripture. And as Andrew Wilson argues in this comprehensive article for The Gospel Coalition, it is also written into creation.

Scholar Clearly Defines Popular Phrase

There’s been a lot of talk about civil discourse lately—and how we’ve forgotten how to do it. In a recent conversation with Public Discourse,author Teresa Bejan notes that there is a lot of confusion about the meaning of civil discourse. Bejan is a Professor of Political Theory and a Fellow of Oriel College at the University of Oxford.

Jonathan Haidt Shares His Views on Russell Moore Show

Jonathan Haidt thinks things changed in 2014. The NYU professor, psychologist, and author recently wrote a lengthy article for The Atlantic, "Social Media Is Making America Stupid." He has been trying to put his finger on what has been shifting in our culture for the past eight years. 

The Call to Worship

When it comes to the arts, creativity, and beauty, most people gravitate toward different disciplines. Whether it's poetry or painting or playing guitar or cultivating a garden, each person pursues their own interests and talents. But in Scripture, everyone is commanded to sing. 

Are You a Chronological Snob?

It’s easy to look back on the generations who have gone before us and think, “I’m so glad we've figured things out.” There’s a name for this—chronological snobbery, and unfortunately, it’s a problem for Christians as well.

Q and A with Eileen Bakke and Kristen Short

Editor's note: In light of the recent leak of the Supreme Court's pending and potentially monumental decision regarding Roe v. Wade,Christian Union: The Magazine is republishing this timely article (which originally ran in February, 2022). 

How Christians Can Effect Cultural Change

By David John Seel, Jr., Ph.D.

Christian leaders in the marketplace and in vocational ministry are uniquely "change agents"—they want to make a difference with their lives. However, almost all the models and approaches presented to them for social or cultural engagement are premised on individual action. This could be their undoing.

Christian Union Celebrates 20th Anniversary

By Anne Kerhoulas, Staff Writer

“They say Aslan is on the move—perhaps he has already landed.” 

Werchan ’23 Emerges as a Leader for CU Martus 

By Tom Campisi, Staff Writer

Seth Werchan appreciates every moment he can play baseball this spring, whether it’s using his speed to stretch a single into a double or roaming the green grass of the outfield and camping under a fly ball.

Establishing the Christian Voice, Conscience, and Imagination

As the West grows more and more post-Christian, engaging the predominant culture with the gospel in coherent, winsome, and theologically sound discourse has never been more important. Though apologetics have long been practiced as the way to argue for the plausibility of Christianity and its tenets, cultural apologetics takes those practices a step further to apply gospel and biblical principles to our culture so that we might actually engage people who are uninterested in Christianity.

Fondly Remembering An Evangelistic Blitz from 1985

By Tom Campisi, Managing Editor

Christian Union is currently in the midst of an ambitious evangelistic initiative called CU Rise, which includes social media campaigns and outreaches at the nine universities where it hosts leadership development ministries. CU Rise will run for eight weeks.