Karen Swallow Prior's Blog

Hour 1: Living An Authentic Faith The road to recovery following a disaster or humanitarian crisis can be very challenging for the marginalized. What is the role of the church in caring for the vulnerable in times like these?  We discuss how serving one another can lead us close to Jesus. Then, we delve into the life of an amazing woman who influenced literature, education, the abolition movement and the church in an era that did not easily recognize strong single women. Hear how her faith and convictions compelled her to engage in the culture and ultimately transform it.

At the Evangelical Press Association's 2017 convention, Christianity Today made a strong showing, winning a total of 32 awards. Particularly notable was Christianity Today magazine's First Place Higher Goals Award for "The Shaken Conscience of a Pro-Life Activist," by Karen Swallow Prior.Prior recently sat down with Joy Beth Smith, a managing editor with Christianity Today, to discuss her article and why she believed CT to be the best outlet for this particular story, one that's taken 20 years to unfold.

#AmplifyWomen is a two-month-long series running on CT Women, designed to generate a new conversation about women’s leadership and discipleship. Last week we heard from Sharon Hodde Miller on how sharing your platform with others is an act of stewardship, and this week, Karen Swallow Prior invites us to practice “hospitable orthodoxy” in divisive times.

Imagine the words of scripture being taken entirely out of context and used to advance an evil action, such as a husband and wife seeking God’s blessing in bringing a third person into the marital bed. Imagine the names of historical figures from the Bible being applied to wicked deeds, such as indoctrinating and maiming female sex slaves.Imagine the world of The Handmaid’s Tale .

This Week on Seminary Dropout… Karen Swallow Prior is professor of English at Liberty University, Research Fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, a member of the Faith Advisory Council of the Humane Society of the United States, and a regular contributor to Christianity Today’s Her.meneutics. Her most recent book is Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More: Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist.
Some questions discussed in this episode…When does life begin?How many abortions happen every year in the United States?When is abortion legal and illegal?What does Planned Parenthood do?Do tax dollars fund abortions?What are productive ways for Christians to respond to abortion?

It’s time for another episode of “Only The Good Stuff”!In this episode, I sit down with author/professor Karen Swallow Prior. We discuss:Her long romance with the newspaperThe joys of Chemex coffee (I’m a snob too)Her various and sundry animalsHer love of iPhone photography and filtersPoetry (including a reading!)And a lot more…

When I posed a question about abuse on Facebook, I was inundated with responses.

An evangelical university professor on the controversy around Vice President Mike Pence’s rules of conduct.

So, what is a platform? A literal platform is something someone stands on to communicate, allowing one to be better seen and heard. A publishing platform isn’t all that different. Sometimes that something that makes one stand out from the crowd can be an experience, but most of the time it is, more simply, experience. And most experience comes from work. Platforms are built from work you have already done.