Mark 12:30-31 declares that we are to love God with our heart, soul, mind and strength. The challenge for the believer is what theologians call the noetic effect of sin: 2 Corinthians 4:4 affirms the depths of sin’s effect on our minds. For that reason, one of the weighty commands of the New Testament is to “renew our minds” (e.g., Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:23). Colossians 3:2 commands: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” In 2 Corinthians 10:5 Paul speaks of taking “every thought captive to obey Christ.”

One of my hobbies is astronomy. When I retired from higher education in 2012, my wife bought me a telescope. Studying the stars and the planets is breathtaking. But beyond my amateurish investigations, I love to view the amazing photos provided by NASA from the Hubble Telescope and now the James Webb Space Telescope. The beauty, scale and sharpness of these photos are magnificent. And when I realize that these stars, galaxies and nebula are millions of light years away, I am drawn to King David’s affirmation, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky above proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1, ESV).

Marriage was the first institution God created (Genesis 2:24-25). Given how important marriage is to God, what is the state of this institution in the early decades of the 21st century?

The mission of Issues in Perspective is to provide thoughtful, historical and biblically-centered perspectives on current ethical and cultural issues. In line with this mission statement, several times I have addressed the issue of what does it mean to be a “conservative” in the 21st century? A label that captures my personal convictions is the phrase “principled conservativism.” The views and convictions I expressed in the 17 January 2026 edition of Issues are a helpful summary of what I believe. In this edition of Issues, I want to think about the future of the conservative moment in America.

In the Pastoral Epistles of the Apostle Paul (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus) the phrase “sound doctrine” appears nine times. The Greek term translated “sound” means that which is conducive to health—in this case spiritual health. Paul connects sound doctrine with godly living; in God’s eyes, sound doctrine produces righteous living. For that reason, the church needs to review the command of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20: “make disciples” by going, baptizing and “teaching all that I have commanded you.” This is the task of the church, and making disciples involves teaching what God has revealed in His Word. How is the church doing in fulfilling this part of the Great Commission? How is it doing in teaching and promoting sound doctrine?

One of the most precious terms of the American Republic is liberty. This Republic’s founding documents are rooted in expressing and protecting individual freedom. In the Declaration of independence, Jefferson argued as a “self-evident truth” that we are “endowed by our Creator” with certain “inalienable rights” and among those are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The Bill of Rights (the Constitution’s first Ten Amendments) articulates and guarantees a set of rights each citizen enjoys. “Liberty” is indeed a precious and unique dimension of this Republic. But, in 1992, Justice Anthony Kennedy, in the famous Casey abortion ruling, posited a re-definition of human liberty: “At the heart of liberty is the right to define one’s own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life.”

In previous editions of Issues in Perspective, I have cited evidence of spiritual revival within American Culture. This is especially true among Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012). Daniel Williams, associate professor of history at Ashland University, observers that “About a third of Gen Z-ers are nonreligious. Thirty-eight percent never go to church — a mark of the rise of the Nones, or Americans with no religious affiliation . . . [But] According to survey data from the Barna Group, a Christian research organization, Gen Z-ers who go to church are more frequent attendees than churchgoers from older generations. Twenty-four percent of Gen Z-ers go to church every week (a slightly higher rate than for millennials and Gen X-ers).”

The intersection of digital technology and the church is a profoundly important issue in the 21st century. The COVID pandemic resulted in an explosion of livestreaming church services, with Zoom being the preferred platform for board meetings, Bible studies, mentoring sessions, etc. Digital technology enabled the church to continue its various ministries during that deadly pandemic, But, the end of the pandemic did not end the use of digital technology. It continues to have a deep impact on the church. Digital technology that accesses the various forms of social media has had a deleterious impact on the “flock” of the typical church. I want to address both aspects of the digital revolution and its impact on the church.

In past editions of “Issues,” I have referred to this summary of American religious history I wrote in one of my books: To fully understand the development of American civilization, one must come to terms with the strategic role revivals have played. Colonial America was shaped and transformed by the First Great Awakening of the 1740s and the Methodist revival that followed. America of the early national period (1815-1850) was impacted by the Second Great Awakening. You cannot understand the energy for the abolition of slavery, the passion for women’s rights, the temperance movement and other social reform movements without coming to terms with this revival.

The Bible reminds us that at the core of the human condition is sin. And, if we are intellectually honest, the evidence is abundantly pervasive and compelling. The Bible defines sin as “lawlessness” [anomia] (1 John 3:4). Sin is defiant, intentional, deliberate disobedience of God’s revelation to humanity (be it in creation, conscience, His moral law, or Jesus). There has always been a clearly understood standard against which sin is committed.