Public Square
A bibliography of resources on addressing the questions that are currently debated in the public square
Bioethics
- The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, a trove of resources for pastors and churches to navigate ethical issues of embodiment
Race Issues, CRT, BLM
- Be The Bridge, by LaTasha Morrison
- Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth by Thaddeus Williams, and the Study Guide
- Embracing the New Samaria, by Alex Mandes, and the Study Guide
- King Race Theology, by Tony Evans (requires a RightNow Media account, which MWD pastors can get HERE)
- The Myth of Equality, by Greg Wystma
- One Blood: Parting Words to the Church on Race, John Perkins
- Project 378. An approach to the discussing race from the biblical perspective using the EFCA Statement of Faith. Coming Spring 2023.
- Stuck in the Present by David George Moore (CRT and other current issues)
- “What Happened to You?” by Andrew Sullivan (CRT)
LGBTQ+, Gender, and Sexuality Issues, the Equality Act
Start with the Image of God
- Desert Stream: seeking wholeness as image bearers
- What It Means to Be Human: ...and the Challenge of Biomedical Technology & Practice, by Stan Way
LGBTQ+
- Calibrate Ministries / Brady Cone (LGBTQ+ and the Gospel) - (Brady is available to equip churches and parents to minister to those with same-sex attraction)
- Christopher Yuan - See also the ReachStudents interview with Christopher
- “Downplaying the Sin of Homosexuality Won’t Win the Next Generation” by J. D. Greear
- Josh Klein and FreeThinking Ministries - They exist to equip churches to address difficult cultural issues biblically, including, but not limited to, race, sexuality, and identity.) website; YouTube channel
- The Great Exchange - a series of podcast on the topic, with Brady Cone
- LGBTQ+ roles in the Church - article by Lifeway
- “Pride Month Is a Road to Nowhere” by Casey Shutt
- “Should Christians Ever Wear an LGBT+ Pride Patch?” by Patrick Miller
- Washed & Waiting, by Wesley Hill
Gender and Sexuality
- Embodied: Transgender Identities, the Church, and What the Bible Has to Say, by Preston Sprinkle
- "How Christians Can Respond to Gender Dysphoria" from Lifeway Research
- How to love trans people
- "How to Talk with your Kids About Transgender Ideology" - article by TGC
- How Trans Ideology Contradicts Itself, by the Standing for Freedom Center
- The Most Overlooked Aspects of Gender Dysphoria Treatment (video) by The Great Exchange (Brady Cone)
- To Be a Woman: The Confusion Over Female Identity and How Christians Can Respond, by Katie McCoy, Ph.D.
- "Transformation of a Transgender" by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra of the Gospel Coalition
- Transgender, by Vaughn Roberts
- When Harry Became Sally, by Ryan Anderson
Equality Act
- The wording of the act
- Brotherhood Mutual's assessment
- Caleb Kaltenbach / The Messy Grace Group (LGBTQ+ and the Gospel, and a resource for The Equality Act efforts in Congress)
- Continuum of Facility Use: a helpful chart on the risks of using your facility that could be impacted by the Equality Act
- Heritage Foundation's explanation
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement
Women in Ministry
Note that the EFCA and the MWD hold a complementarian position, but as per the EFCA values, we collaborate with churches who may hold a different position.
- EFCA's position on women in ministry
- Embracing Complementarianism, by Graham Benyon
- Developing Female Leaders: Navigate the Minefields and Release the Potential of Women in Your Church, by Kadi Cole
- Men and Women in the Church, by Kevin DeYoung
- Neither Complementarian nor Egalitarian: A Kingdom Corrective to the Evangelical Gender Debate, by Michelle Lee-Barnewall
- 7 Views on the Role of Women within the Inerrancy Camp, from Bible.org
- "Women and Ministry Matters" by Greg Strand (2020)
Grab Bag of Issues
Abortion
- A critique of the methods of the Abortion Abolitionist movement and their opposition to the Value Them Both amendment
- Choose Life: Answering Key Claims of Abortion Defenders with Compassion, by John K. Goodrich and Jeanette Hagen Pifer
- Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion, by Rebecca McLaughlin
- Embryo: A Defense of Human Life, by Robert George and Christopher Tollefsen
- "How would Jesus Treat ..." - a short video presentation by our own Rick Hattan on Jesus' heart for the marginalized
- A Theology of Abortion - an argument against abortion based on the Traducian view by C. Michael Patton with Credo House
- "5 Tough Truths on Abortion & Your Church" - an article by Lifeway Research
Culture
- ApollosWatered - equipping you in your missionary encounter with Western culture
- Axis Culture Translator - tools to help you understand current culture, especially how it affects our children (you can sign up for a weekly newsletter)
- Cross Cultural Servanthood, Duane Elmer
- Mockingbird - Mockingbird is an organization devoted to “connecting the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life”. This site is one of our chief venues for doing so. We also publish books and magazines, host conferences, and distribute podcasts.
- Strange New World: How Thinkers and Activists Redefined Identity and Sparked the Sexual Revolution, by Carl Trueman
Evangelicalism
- Can evangelicals get along? (sent in by Eric Hoehn)
- Deconstructionism - Part 1; Part 2
- 6 Fractures in the Evangelical Church
- "Future Church: 8 Church Trends to Watch in 2023" by Carey Nieuwhof
- Identity Theft: Reclaiming the Truth of our Identity in Christ, Melissa Kruger (ed.)
- Moralistic Therapeutic Deism - "fake Christianity"
- On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living, by Alan Noble
- One Year Later: Reflecting on Evangelicalism’s Six-Way Fracturing, by Skyler Flowers and Michael Graham
- Jesus v. Evangelicals, by Constantine R. Campbell
- National Association of Evangelicals - resources for discussing issues in the public square
- We Will Not Be Silenced: Responding courageously to our culture’s assault on Christianity, by Erwin Lutzer
- "Pastors Around the World Apply Romans 13", by the Gospel Coalition.
- Politics and the Christian Witness: https://helps.efca.org/resources/politics-and-the-christian-witness
- Responding to accusations that the EFCA has adopted a "woke" worldview, an unofficial statement by Greg Strand, plus a transcript of Kevin Kompelien's remarks at the national conference. You can request a copy of either from Colby Kinser.
- Science for the Church
- Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims, by Rebecca McLaughlin - how to respond to sensitive issues. For the free e-book from the Gospel Coalition, click HERE. See also her talk on the same topic HERE.
- 3 Essays by Young Adults, from the Gospel Coalition. Titles: "“Advice from a College Student: Go to Church” by Luke Engstrom; “I’m a Gen Zer, and I Believe the Bible Is Inerrant” by Ashley Kim; “‘But God’: Hope and Certainty for My Disillusioned Generation” by Sara Gonzalez
Human Trafficking
- Human Trafficking Training for Law Enforcement in your Community
AI, Blockchain, NFT, Crypto, Metaverse
AI
"7 minutes on AI" - by Axis, a video unpacking the way that AI is already shaping our world, offering guidance on how Christians can respond
Blockchain, NFT, Crypto
- How Blockchain Works
- What is an NFT?
- Crypto Coin Vs Token
- "Accepting and Valuing Crypto" by ECFA (not EFCA), requires membership
Metaverse
- Metaverse: "Should Your Church Be Metaverse?" - article by Lifeway Research
- Metaverse: "How to Get Started in the Metaverse"