Over the past half century, America has moved from a culture of self-effacement to a culture of self-expression: think Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, etc. This week's TIME magazine cover calls out the "Me, Me, Me Generation" and the ways today's culture and technologies feed a present narcissism. But even with this apparent rise of self-love, there's also an institutional bent in Millennials that wasn't there in Gen X. So is it "me" or "we"? No matter the answer, it's...

Public libraries in urban areas have often become de facto homeless shelters—and many have risen to the occasion, offering services to those who seek refuge there. These libraries are not only addressing a poverty crisis, they’re also addressing a serious mental-health crisis. Like libraries, churches are common points of contact for people in need, including those with mental illness—homeless or not. So what can churches learn from these pioneering libraries?

Virginia Woolf once wrote, “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” Lucky for us, Woolf’s words no longer ring true. Women are now showing up everywhere—from the marketplace to the church to the culture at large. They are finding their voice, evolving into a gender that resembles something more like a lion, and perhaps a bit less like a lamb.

A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 75 per cent of adults think higher education has become unaffordable — and most believe it's not worth the money. Liberals see a "student loan crisis" and denounce cuts in government spending on education. Conservatives, for their part, criticize the expansion of federal loan programs for encouraging inflated tuition rates and student indebtedness. Missing from the discussion, however, is meaningful talk about the fundamental purposes of higher education and how best to achieve them.

Day two of Q LA may not have had the clear thread that yesterday did and yet there was an underlying feeling connecting one talk to another … a sense of now. That right now is the time—there is an urgency and a significance to our days. Here's a wrap-up from day two of 2013 Q Ideas in Los Angeles.

If there was a theme that emerged from opening day of Q LA, it was the idea of "constraint." What does it mean to be bound? How do limits, in fact, offer more freedom? Whether they intended to or not, each of the presenters spoke into this idea in their own way—offering a perspective on the creativity available within constraint. A round-up of Day One here at the 2013 Q Ideas conference in Los Angeles ...

Many in our communities suffer from the rising air- and water-borne toxin levels in our local environments. From Asthma to Autism, one of the most hotly contested debates in the medical world today is, “How much does our polluted environment contribute to our diseases and sicknesses?” In this important Q panel, we’ll hear from two activists on the front lines of the conversations who help us understand our roles as creation stewards.

Since 1952, the first Thursday of every May has been set aside as “The National Day of Prayer.” It’s the one day that everyone from politicians to pastors bow their heads to seek God on behalf of our nation.

Thousands will pause today to reflect on the importance of prayer—both in their own lives and in the great social arenas of our world today. Prayer is powerful and it has always characterized the "political" and social engagement of Christians ...

While Christianity remains a majority, the West is becoming more pluralistic. As the religious dynamic of the country shifts, Christians must learn to have better interactions with people of other beliefs. Atheist and interfaith activist Chris Stedman offers these six outsider tips for how Christians can engage in constructive dialogue.

Many Christians argue America (or Europe) needs to return to its Christian roots. Others will contend a secular society is the only truly free one. In this Q talk, Miroslav Volf argues that neither really works—because both stem from misunderstandings about human flourishing, abundant living and co-existing alongside others. He explains how pursuing the common good in a pluralistic context doesn’t mean compromising our deeply held convictions.

The word “power” often brings to mind the image of a mighty dictator or rolling tank, marble floors and wealthy exuberance. Power in our world is synonymous with force, violence, and poorly wielded influence. But could power mean something different? Something more redeeming? Andy Crouch asks what it would mean, as Christians, to wield power well ...