Would Jesus bake cakes for same-sex weddings? It's a good question, but there's more to this whole issue than just WWJD. Every good baker and photographer I know who take their work seriously see themselves as participating in the ceremonies they service, especially weddings.

No one can guard your heart but you. That is why I believe it is essential to spend time with God, studying His Word yourself, and learning how to be led by the Holy Spirit. What is in your heart will eventually show in your actions and the way you live your life, therefore, the question is what will you allow into your heart?

These questions are but five of a whole host of questions any belief system must ask and answer. The concerning thing about modern-day atheism is not its existence, but its shallowness. Again, atheism is not new. But one gets the sense that the atheism of the current day is not dealing with the great questions of life and death honestly and forthrightly; rather the new atheism seems to be the yearning for humanity to be totally free from any temporal, external, objective, or eternal explanations, restraints or accountability.

In 2010, a federal appeals court ruled that the humanitarian organization World Vision could continue its H.R. policy of only hiring Christians. The verdict came following a 2007 lawsuit, where three former employees had challenged the measure.

There's a right way and a wrong way to watch the upcoming "Son of God" movie. Just as with Gibson's blockbuster ten years ago, we also need to be a little careful.

The issue of mental health and Christians is finally getting some attention. Among the Christians who have challenges, many pastors struggle with depression. We hear too frequently about a pastor committing suicide. And many wonder how such a tragedy could happen to someone whose life was committed to serving the Lord.

"There are no people here anymore." The line was a shocker. The church leader was explaining to my wife and me why his congregation was selling its massive church facility and moving away. Yet we could see hundreds of houses, all full of human beings. But to reach them required a stretch he and the congregation couldn't even conceive.

Why are Christians, as a new Pew report documents, the most persecuted religious group in the world? And why is their persecution occurring primarily throughout the Islamic world?

I don't venture too much into politics in my writing… or even in my own personal thought life. I really just don't care; which is probably due to my young age and my ignorance about the political terminology being thrown around in the news. But the recent talk of Arizona's SB1062 and other changes in legislature regarding gay marriage has finally got me thinking on these things. So the question is…. which is more important? Gay rights or religious rights?

Fear continues to cast a shadow over major international events, and terrorism experts warn that diligence should always be exercised. But should event participants, and those of us observing from afar, be fearful? When the Bible tells us over and over again to not fear people or circumstances, just how should we respond to the very real threat of terrorism that reverberates all around the world?

As someone who is often asked to speak my opinion on radio or television, I know that sound bites can bring powerful results, either positive or negative. Take for example the words of Rev. Fred Lucas Jr., the chaplain for the New York City sanitation department, which he prayed at the recent inauguration of Mayor Bill de Blasio, "Let the plantation called New York City be the city of God, a city set upon the hill, a light shining in darkness."

This month has seen op-ed pieces in CNN and other locales saying that recent discoveries about domesticated camels in Israel prove the Bible has erred. One needs to realize that archaeology deals with recovered remains and the realization that we have not found everything that was (and surely will never recover most of what was).

To be effective in the new America, churches must move away from their "nationalisms" (which we discussed in Part 1 of this series) and extend out beyond their preferred range of reach.

But just who is the wise man? Is it the one with the highest IQ, or maybe the person who loves others the most? Some people are genuinely kind, while others seem to be downright mean-spirited. Is that a result of DNA, or something else entirely?

A Christian author claims that husbands are "dropping the ball" when it comes to shepherding their families' prayer lives, but not all Christian leaders agree that the man should be the spiritual leader of the home.

There has been no shortage of headlines in recent weeks about Paramount Pictures' upcoming feature film Noah – with a fair amount of the coverage speculating about how closely or loosely the movie adheres to the story of the title character as found in the Bible. Now the filmmakers' biblical adviser explains why people of faith should embrace the Noah movie.

That is the question that Peter Greer and Chris Horst, both of microfinance non-profit Hope International, attempt to answer in the recently released "Mission Drift: The Unspoken Crises Facing Leaders, Charities and Churches."

How am I going to find the right person to marry? It seems so overwhelming. Where should I start? And how will I know when I have found the right one?

Current budgetary recklessness is bringing the Unites States government into violation of one of its crucial biblical mandates.

I don't pay much attention to Christian theories of social justice that minimize the Gospel message in the whole process of ministering to the poor. I would guess that many experts who've been perpetuating these theories have never been poor themselves.

The "digital church attendees" likely view the worship services online. Some churches now view these persons as integral participants in the life of the church. A small but growing number are willing to grant them membership.

I remember the very first time I ever had to deal with someone who told me they were struggling with anxiety and depression. I did not understand and could not relate — so, I told them what I thought was the typical "Christian" answer to all problems…they should pray more, read their Bible more and memorize more Scripture.

Some have claimed that a bill recently passed by the Arizona legislature would give businesses broad license to not serve someone for being gay. This claim, though, may be a misreading, according a CP legislative analysis. While the bill is an attempt to broaden who is covered under its religious freedom protections, in all cases it actually narrows when a religious belief could be used to refuse service.

So our culture has evolved (regressed?) to the place where being married with a child is as counter-cultural as being a Gypsy.

New findings out of my alma mater, Yale University, would seem to suggest that humans are born with an innate sense of morality. Where have I heard that before?

There is a disturbing trend I am noticing in churches. Maybe it is more in larger, contemporary churches than smaller, traditional churches. But since the majority of all churchgoers now attend larger churches this is of real concern. The trend is the decline in percentage attendance. In other words there are less people attending each church service in comparison with the number of people who call the church their home.

There's a story about a little boy who was very poor and needed shoes. He was standing in front of a shoe store, barefoot and shivering with cold. A woman approached him and asked him why he was standing there, looking through the window. He told her, "Well, ma'am, I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes." The woman took the boy into the store, washed his dirty, bare feet and put new socks and shoes on them. The boy was so touched by her compassion that he asked her, "Ma'am, are you God's wife?"