Dr Paul Allen

When public health collides with identity politics The fact that even such a bastion of contemporary cultural orthodoxy as the New York Times carried an article that highlighted the role of Pride Month in the spread of monkeypox is a fascinating sign of the times.  In retrospect, the monkeypox outbreak brought about the collision of two of modern America’s moral absolutes:   1. The unconditioned legitimacy of consensual sexual self-expression, and the  2. The imperative of public health.  In such a scenario something clearly had to give, and in this case, public health got the boot. At least in the short term, the general policy among the nation’s public health officials was to avoid making a clear connection between gay promiscuity and a highly elevated risk of catching the disease. But the victory was somewhat Pyrrhic, coming at the cost of the health of the very people this policy was meant to protect. Cultural protection of a politically favored community came at...

In The Secular Creed, Rebecca McLaughlin outlines five contemporary claims that form a statement of belief for many of our secular neighbors. Since God has called us to live among neighbors and friends with diverse backgrounds and beliefs and called us to love them and point them to the saving knowledge of Jesus, these are claims with which the Christian community must interact. These are claims with which the Christian community must interact. This book helps us dive deeper into some of the critical issues society is facing and shows how contemporary controversies point us back to our need for the rock-solid foundation of the love, mercy, dignity, and justice taught in our sacred text that was written 2,000 years ago. Yard Sign Creed McLaughlin boldly engages on sensitive topics that we’re taught to avoid at family gatherings. With intellectual precision and genuine humility, she models how to engage opposing viewpoints with grace and truth. She frames her chapters around five claims ...