pursuing the human…

Up for Debate: An article I wrote for Christianity Today on my good friendship with one of my main opponents on the same-sex marriage issue.

The Conservative Humanist: a case for a Christian humanism published in Christianity Today as part of their Christian Vision Project.

Same article, but different layout posted at the Christian Vision Project site.

family-formation trends...

marriage…

Married, with Children: an op/ed that examines how Census data on the family can be misleading.

How Marriage is Dying in Our Culture: an quick examination of three ways marriage is declining in Western nations.

Why Marriage Matters for Children: a survey of leading research on how marriage benefits children’s development.

 Why Marriage Matters for Adults: a survey of leading research on how marriage increases adult well-being

Why Marriage Should be Priviledged in the Workplace: A case for why marriage among employees is beneficial for business and corporations.

fatherhood…

How Fathers Matter for Healthy Child Development: a look at how fathers tend to parent differently and how this is vital for healthy child development.

What Does Intentional Fathering Look Like: the importance of parenting with a goal in mind.

Appreciating How Fathers Give Children a Head Start: Book 1 of a set of books I wrote for the National Head Start Bureau, which gives an overview of the problem of fatherlessness and the important contributions fathers make to healthy child-development.

sexuality… 

A Glorious Story: What story does Christianity tell about human sexuality? It is more than merely about behavior.

Human Sexuality as a Picture of the Inner Life of God: Sexuality, rather than something to be merely tolerated or managed, is something far grander.

Sex: Where it All Starts: an exploration of how “awe-fully” consequential sex can be.

How We Dishonor God with Our Sex Lives: God’s rules are not meant as limiting prohibitions, but life-giving, ennobling guidelines. We fail to follow them to our peril.

Teaching Our Children to Honor Christ in their Sexuality: Do our children honor Christ in their sexuality simply by drawing boundaries? It takes more than merely saying “no.”

cohabitation…

How Cohabitation is Growing: A look at the numbers on our Western nations’ fastest growing family form.

How Healthy are Cohabiting Relationships: an examination of the sociological research on whether cohabitation leads to happier, healthier lives.

Does Cohabitation Protect Against Divorce?: Is it true that the test-drive of living together before marriage makes for healthier marriage? Perhaps not.

Cohabitation and Children: How many children live with cohabiting parents and how do they fare in such homes?

divorce…

Divorce, Bible Belt Style: a cover story in Citizen magazine examining the truth behind higher divorce rates in the Bible Belt and how marriage fares in evangelical churches.

Divorce Still Hurts: A summary of two very long-term and sophisticated primary studies on the impact of divorce upon children. 

Do Half of all American Marriages Really End in Divorce?: What is the truth behind this oft-cited statistic?

The Role that Faith Plays in Marriage and the Likelihood of Divorce: a look at what sociological research says about the role of faith in marital success.

same-sex marriage…

Two articles (here and here) for Citizen Magazine responding to two key portions of Lisa Miller's silly Newsweek cover story supposedly offering a "religious case for gay marriage."

Medical Organizations' Support for Same-Sex Parenting?: A careful analysis showing that the so-called support from professional medical organizations for same-sex parenting is not quite what it appears to be.

Differing Definition of Marriage and Family: A comparison and contrast of classic definitions of marriage and family from some leading anthropologists of the last 80 years with those employed by leading ssm advocates.

The Human Case Against Same-Sex Marriage: Starting from what we all have in common -- our humanity -- a case for why ssm is not a good human idea.

Why Children Need Mother-Love and Father-Love: an explanation of how mothers and fathers, as male and female parents, are vital to healthy child development.

How Ronald Reagan Gave Us Same-Sex Marriage: SSM is about changing the definition of marriage. No-fault divorce did the same thing in the 70s. We can learn something today from the first experiment.

Are Same-Sex Families Good for Children?: A number of medical organizations have said same-sex families are just fine for children. This essay takes a deeper look at the research on what children need.

Refuting Points No One is Making: A reasoned response to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ July 2006 statement on ssm. (Written with Kjersten Oligney)

Staying True to the Research on Same-Sex Marriage and Parenting: a reasoned response to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) query into endorsing same-sex families. (Written with Geremy Keeton)

Debate Tested Soundbites on Same-Sex Marriage: a brief summary of the most persuasive arguments I use on university campus debates on ssm.

How Good is Goodridge?: A careful analysis of the MA Supreme Judicial Court case that gave us our nation’s first same-sex marriage law.

Why Not Gay Marriage?: A brief booklet presenting ten key questions and answers on the same-sex marriage proposal. This booklet accompanies a DVD presentation on the same information.

Talking Points on Civil Unions: An examination of why some close relationships are favored over others in public policy.

book reviews…

The Postmodern Moment: review for Christianity Today of Brian McLaren’s A New Kind of Christian.

The Social Experiment that Failed: a review for CT of Linda Waite and Maggie Gallagher’s The Case for Marriage and Judith Wallerstein’s The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce.

Do it for the Children: a review for CT of Robert George and Jean Elstain’s The Meaning of Marriage.

Two Women Tell All: A review for boundless.org of two books by two women who have found the promises of feminism less than satisfying.