Evangelical leaders who signed onto a statement reaffirming traditional Christian teaching on sexual ethics and gender have reaffirmed their support at a symposium held on the anniversary of its release.

Known as the Nashville Statement, the declaration was released in August 2017 and signed by more than 20,000 evangelical leaders, activists, and theologians.

Notable signatories included: Denny Burk, president, Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood; John Piper, founder of Desiring God and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary; Dr. James Dobson, former head of Focus on the Family and founder of Family Talk; Karen Swallow Prior, professor at Liberty University; Fred Luter, the first African-American president of the Southern Baptist Convention; and David French, columnist with the National Review.

The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, which organized the statement, held a symposium on Saturday that featured notable evangelicals reflecting on the impact of the statement.

Answering criticism about his attendance at the White House evangelical dinner, Southern Baptist Convention president J.D. Greear says he attended“ in order to listen and meet other leaders and offer perspective where asked.” 

Critics questioned why Greear attended the dinner in Washington, D.C. The SBC President has said the church should not say what political policy God has. 

“I received an invitation from the White House to attend a dinner in which the administration would address faith leaders. I weigh every decision carefully and consulted with a number of leaders across the political spectrum,” Greear said in a statement. “In this case, I chose to attend in order to listen and meet other leaders and offer perspective where asked.” 

He added that he is “as committed as ever to decoupling the Church from partisan politics.” 

“[M]y desire for the SBC remains what it always has been — promoting a culture in which the Gospel is above all,” he wrote. “Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones for the sake of the Gospel.” 

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were given a Bible signed by evangelical leaders that said: “History will record the greatness that you have brought for generations.” 

Greear said he did not sign the Bible. 

In a piece for the New Yorker he said: “One person said to me,…

This Spring the Department of Education released a document outlining the results from the Civil Rights Data Collection survey (CRDC). In the document the Department of Education included the number of school shootings that happened in the U.S. during the 2015-2016 school year, reporting, “Nearly 240 schools (0.2 percent of all schools) reported at least 1 incident involving a school-related shooting.”

In an effort to verify this data, National Public Radio (NPR) began to reach out to the schools that reportedly had one or more incidents involving a school shooting.

Over the course of three months NPR repeatedly reached out to the schools to ask them about what they reported and if the results of the survey were accurately representing them. Of the 240 shooting related incidents recorded in the document, NPR was only able to confirm eleven, finding that most of the shootings never happened.  

NPR was not able to contact every school despite repeated efforts, however, in 161 cases, they found that representatives from schools or school districts confirmed that nothing happened and if something regarding a firearm did happen, it was not within the government’s definition of a shooting. A school shooting as defined by the government is, “any discharge of a weapon at a school-sponsored event.” 

It is unclear how this error occurred. This was the first year…

Christian author Randy Alcorn has warned in the wake of the Bill Hybels and many other evangelical sex abuse scandals that too often the same mistakes are repeated.

Alcorn, who is also founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, mentioned in a blog post on Monday several recent cases of sexual misconduct and abuse that have rocked the evangelical world, from university professors to pastors taking advantage of students and congregants.

While he did not mention Willow Creek Community Church and its former senior pastor Bill Hybels by name, he summarized the scandal at the megachurch:

“One of the most prominent pastors in the country, from one of the most prominent churches has had numerous women come forward accusing him of sexual advances going back many years. The entire board and most of the pastoral staff have resigned, some of them due to realizing they had defended the pastor and discredited the victims and hence disqualified themselves,” Alcorn described.

“Last I heard the pastor was still denying he’d done anything wrong, despite the…

John McCain, long time US senator, presidential candidate, veteran, and Vietnam war hero, died this week, at the age of 81. He had fought a year-long battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The day before his death, he had shared the announcement that he’d no longer be receiving treatments. 

His death was confirmed with the following statement:

“Senator John Sidney McCain III died at 4:28pm on August 25, 2018. With the Senator when he passed were his wife Cindy and their family. At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for sixty years.”

Known as “the Maverick,” McCain leaves behind his wife of 38 years, Cindy, and 7 children, along with a legacy of great courage and strength for our country. He was willing to take a stand on issues that were difficult. He was authentic, he was real. He was willing to act even in the midst of uncertainty. He believed in his country, and when asked about that in an interview with Tom Brokaw just a year before his death, he said this, “I believe in America, I believe in its people…I am not a pessimist about the future, I still think we’re still a shining city on a hill.”

McCain first stepped into the public spotlight as a Navy fighter pilot during the Vietnam War when his plane was shot down. He was then taken prisoner and sadly suffered five and a half years of torture and confinement before…