It’s becoming culturally harder for Americans to talk about God, a recent study has shown. But there’s a solution.

Nearly three out of every four Christians are reluctant to talk about their faith with others but “good spiritual practices” could help them overcome their fears, according to Barna research.

In an op-ed for The New York Times on Saturday, Jonathan Merritt, a contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of the book, Learning to Speak God From Scratch: Why Sacred Words Are Vanishing — And How We Can Revive Them, highlights the lack of spiritual or religious conversations among more than three-quarters of Americans.

Citing a survey he conducted with Barna’s help, Merritt said just a mere 13 percent of practicing Christians who attend church regularly had a spiritual conversation once a week. He then pointed to a number of reasons why Americans are shying away from discussions about God or their faith.

“According to my survey, a range of internal conflicts is driving Americans…

A new survey from LifeWay Research has found that many Christians are confused about the core beliefs of Christianity. 

Ligonier Ministries released their 2018 State of Theology survey results this week, and they have found that a majority of evangelicals have found these statements to be true despite the bible distinctly teaching otherwise:

• 
  Most people are basically good
• 
  God accepts the worship of all religions
• 
  Jesus was the first and greatest being created by God the Father

The survey found that in all three cases a majority of survey takers believed these statements to be true. 

In the case of human nature, 52 percent of the 3,000 participants found that everyone sins a little, but most people are generally good by nature. This is contrary to what Romans 3:10 dictates of human nature, that it is fundamentally sinful.

In regard to worship, the survey found that 51 percent of evangelicals believe that God accepts the worship of all religions, which, according to a press release from Ligonier Ministries, includes Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Again, this is contrary to what the Bible teaches in John 14:6.

The survey also found that 78 percent of participants believe that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God, which John 1:1 shows is not the case.

Additional results found:

• 
  More than two-thirds (69 percent) of Americans…

The Lilly Endowment has donated a combined $70 million to dozens of Christian colleges and ministries across the nation to help them establish pastor support networks and programs in 29 states.

The Indianapolis-based philanthropic organization is awarding 78 institutions nationwide grants ranging from $31,000 to $1 million through its Thriving in Ministry initiative to help develop or further programs to assist pastors in building relationships and help them deal with the wide range of issues they could face in urban, rural or suburban ministry life.

Grantees include various theological schools, faith-based colleges and universities, church congregations, denominational agencies, independent religious organizations and religious communities that span mainline, evangelical, Catholic and orthodox Christian traditions.

Azusa Pacific University, a private evangelical university in the suburbs of Los Angeles, received nearly $1 million from the endowment. The school plans to use the money to help launch a new certificate course in pastoral health that among other things will help inner city pastors deal with the trauma of urban life.

According to APU Center for Vocational Ministry Executive Director…

Two Christian filmmakers are going before the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday, to challenge the state’s law that is forcing them to create videos that contradict their religious beliefs.

According to CBN, Telescope Media Group owners Carl and Angel Larsen wanted to enter into the wedding industry, but the state’s Human Rights Act prohibits the couple from pursuing this avenue unless they make films promoting same-sex marriage, a union that their Christian beliefs define as between one man and one woman.

“The government shouldn’t threaten filmmakers with fines and jail time to force them to create films that violate their beliefs,” said their counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom Jeremy Tedesco in a press release. “Carl and Angel are storytellers – they script, stage, conduct interviews, capture footage, select music, edit and more – all to tell compelling stories through film that promote their religious beliefs.” 

“The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Masterpiece that the government must respect the belief—held by countless Americans from all walks of life—that marriage is between one man and one woman,” he continued. “The 8th Circuit should reinstate the Larsens’ lawsuit and order the state to stop forcing the Larsens to speak messages about marriage that violate their beliefs.”

The Larsens previously…

Thousands from across the nation will gather at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, this weekend for a millennial-led evangelism event focused on calling and equipping the next generation to move closer to one another, Jesus, and the world He loves.

PULSE founder Nick Hall, who has been called “the next Billy Graham,” told The Christian Post that Together 2018, held Saturday and Sunday, is the culmination of a number of movements, ministries, and denominations wanting to worship Jesus and equip the next generation to share “go out and make disciples of all nations.”

“Together 2018 is a massive training and commission event geared toward millennials and Gen Z,” he said. “This is a revival generation. If revival is going to happen, we feel like now is the time to equip this generation for the best of what’s available. We want to bring Christians from all over the nation together in prayer to empower the Church and awaken the culture to Jesus.”

The free event will feature a number of prominent pastors, speakers, and recording artists including Hall, Matt Chandler, Francis Chan, Hillsong Worship, Andy Mineo, Jesus Culture, Lecrae, Priscilla…

The city of Atlanta agreed Monday to pay former fire chief Kelvin Cochran $1.2 million, four years after he was suspended and then fired for publishing a book containing historic Christian beliefs.

Cochran’s self-published 162-page book, “Who Told You That You Were Naked?: Overcoming the Stronghold of Condemnation,” included Bible verses addresses sexuality and homosexuality. It was the latter topic that sparked a controversy and an investigation and eventually, his termination. He wrote the book on non-work time. 

A federal court ruling in December 2017 ruled against a city policy that required employees to get permission from the government before writing books or giving speeches. The judge said the policy was too broad and “stifled speech.”

On Monday, the city council agreed to pay Cochran $1.2 million. 

Alliance Defending Freedom represented Cochran.

“The government can’t force its employees to get its permission before they engage in free speech. It also can’t fire them for exercising that First Amendment freedom, causing them to lose both their freedom and their livelihoods,” said ADF senior counsel Kevin Theriot, who argued before the court. “We are very pleased that the city is compensating Chief Cochran as it should, and we hope this will serve as a deterrent to any government that would trample upon the constitutionally…

A group of evangelical bishops have sent a warning about the consequences that could arise if the Church of England decides to alter its stance on sexuality.

Eleven bishops affiliated with the Church of England Evangelical Council signed onto a joint letter sent Saturday to the head of the Church of England’s Living in Love and Faith project, which was established last summer by the House of Bishops as a two-year initiative to develop a deeper understanding on sexuality in light of the cultural push for LGBT affirmation and rights.

The project will culminate in the production of teaching resources expected to be released in 2020.

The letter sent to the Bishop of Coventry Christopher Cocksworth urges him and other leaders involved in the LLF initiative to clearly articulate the “traditional teaching” of sexuality in which intercourse is only permitted in the confines of a one man-one woman marriage.

The letter also urges those involved with the project to “enable us as a church better to understand and proclaim this unchangeable Christian standard afresh in…