In my book Bearing the Standard, I offer many statistical examples to demonstrate how far the Body of Messiah has moved (and is continuing to move) away from the standard of Scripture. Earlier this month, Steve Cable, speaking at Southern Evangelical Seminary’s 20th annual Christian Apologetics conference in Charlotte, N.C., provided further evidence why we need to take most seriously the issue of bearing the standard of Scripture… because our children hang in the balance.

The latest statistics bear out exactly what the message of Bearing the Standard proclaims: many people think that the Bible is vital for establishing our values, determining our beliefs, and dictating the boundaries of our behavior… yet only a small portion are willing to actually live by what the Word of God says.

On August 24, students and friends of Dr. Michael Brown‘s ministry school conducted a survey at the Charlotte, North Carolina gay pride event. The results of the survey reveal the incongruent and emotionally-driven thoughts behind the respondents’ opinions about same-sex marriage and related topics.

But what is most jaw-dropping about the report is Dr. Brown’s conculsion, which highlights a dialogue with “two young ladies who identified as straight churchgoing Christians.” The following is my analysis of this exchange.

Rachel Held Evans—Christian blogger, turned author, turned unofficial spokesperson for disillusioned, millennial evangelicals—recently wrote a special opinion piece for CNN, in which she challenged the concept that religious convictions are set in stone. As I point out in my book, Bearing the Standard,

… tradition, though presenting the face of certainty and stability, is actually wildly erratic. In contrast with Scripture, tradition is self-determining and self-governing. It can choose to indulge in its slow reconstruction over time, potentially setting itself at odds with its own past and predecessors. (p. 30)

So, I agree with the statement that “not all religious convictions are set in stone.” The problem with Ms. Evans’ challenge, however, is in her definition of “religious convictions”—she is confusing religious or cultural tradition with the immutable Word of God. She does not accept the supreme authority of Scripture.

For nearly forty years, the Christian umbrella organization Exodus International has sought to help people with what are termed “unwanted homosexual desires.” After a serious shift in message and some fallout within the organization over the last couple of years, last week, president Alan Chambers announced Exodus would soon be shutting down, and issued a very public apology “to the people that have been hurt by Exodus International through an experience or by a message… people who went to Exodus affiliated ministries or ministers for help only to experience more trauma.” Chambers’ apology, however, reveals a deeper issue.

Rob Bell, the former mega-church pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, created a firestorm in 2011 with his book Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. The popular book and it’s author were also highly criticized in evangelical circles (eventually including a mass exodus of congregants from Mars Hill) because of its Scripturally contradictory suggestion that all people will eventually be saved (that is, “love wins”), and that Hell is not a real place of eternal torment, punishment, or destruction for those who do not follow the Messiah Yeshua. By what means did Bell come to contemplate such unfounded ideas?

History Channel’s The Bible miniseries recently took Hollywood by storm, surprising everyone with it’s overwhelming commercial success. In a related article, media consultant Phil Cook suggested that believers in Yeshua need to get behind Christian and Christian-themed films without being critical with regard to Scriptural accuracy. Of course, we ought to be excited and supportive whenever the Good News is being broadcast to and consumed by millions of people. But what if the message being broadcast and consumed is not the Good News according to Scripture? The following is an analysis of Mr. Cook’s argument, and how it demonstrates the influence of expediency—”doing all the good we can without due attention to the way in which that good is done.”

Today, Rob Portman, a Republican U.S. senator from Ohio and self-professed Christian, revealed in an op-ed piece for the Columbus Dispatch that he has changed his position to be in favor of same-sex marriage, because his son now identifies himself as gay. The following analysis of Senator Portman’s explanation demonstrates how relying upon tradition, while under the influence of rationalism, and justifying one’s actions through expediency, will always lead to a complete failure to uphold the standard of Scripture.

Teen pop music sensation and self-professed Christian Justin Bieber recently endorsed his pastor’s new book, Jesus Is: Find a New Way to Be Human, instantly sending it to #1 on Amazon’s Christian charts. The book was written by Seattle’s The City Church pastor Judah Smith, with the intention to “further [reveal] the character of Jesus.”

In an exclusive interview with The Christian Post, Smith begins to explain the underlying premise for the book: