{"id":21177,"date":"1999-10-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"1999-10-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/1999\/10\/01\/preaching-that-connects-10\/"},"modified":"1999-10-01T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"1999-10-01T00:00:00","slug":"preaching-that-connects-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","title":{"rendered":"Preaching that Connects"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introducing PreachingToday.com<\/em><\/p>\n\n

I<\/strong>t’s on most everyone’s mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the\n church. No big surprise why. It takes courage and skill to preach well on\n that oh-so-delicate subject.<\/p>\n

Leadership Resources editor David Goetz asked M. Craig Barnes, pastor of\n National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., how he blends biblical\n conviction with biblical compassion.<\/p>\n

This interview (and the five pages of sermon illustrations that follow) are\n a sampling of the preaching resources available on\n LEADERSHIP’s new Web site,\n PreachingToday.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

When you preach about sex, what assumptions do you make?<\/p>\n\n

I assume my hearers are confused about sexuality. People think if you’re\nnot sexually active you are less than whole. That’s part of the whole\nhomosexual debate—because I’ve got a sexual yearning, it must come\nfrom God. And if it comes from God, he wants me to use it.<\/p>\n\n

But people are more than sexual beings. Much of the debate about sex has\nreduced people to their sexuality. That’s true whether they’re\ngay or heterosexual.<\/p>\n\n

So sexual activity does not equal our sexual being.<\/p>\n\n

Exactly. We’re created as sexual beings, but that doesn’t mean\nwe have to be sexually active.<\/p>\n\n

What should the preacher not communicate about sex?<\/p>\n\n

It’s easy to media bash. When we do that, though, we miss the real point\nof preaching, which is to say something redemptive for those who have sexual\nlongings, sexual confusion, enormous sexual guilt.<\/p>\n\n

I don’t want to make angry denouncements, but I want to make clear that\nwithin the church there’s a lot more sexual activity outside of the\nbiblical norms than people want to admit. Many have had or are having premarital\nsex. Some have had affairs they’ve not admitted to anyone. Some are\nspending enormous amounts of time on the Internet looking at pornography.<\/p>\n\n

When I talk about sexual immorality, I’m not talking about those who\ndon’t come to church. I want people to know these are really our<\/em>\nissues.<\/p>\n\n

I try to provide hope. Otherwise, if the statistics are accurate that say\n70 percent of people who are religious have had premarital sex, I’m\nonly clobbering them. I assume the people in the pews want to be righteous.<\/p>\n\n

How much should a preacher talk directly about sex?<\/p>\n\n

I don’t want to become the Dr. Ruth of ecclesiastical circles. Typically\nI bring up the topic of sex in a series of sermons on a larger theme. That\nway it’s seen as part of the larger picture of our lives. If we become\npreoccupied with talking about sex, then the preacher is also guilty of reducing\npeople to their sexuality. The temptation for the preacher is either to ignore\nit or to be preoccupied with it.<\/p>\n\n

I refuse to limit a discussion \nabout sex to the lectionary \nof secular society.\n—M. Craig Barnes<\/em><\/p>\n\n

What larger themes lend themselves to addressing sex?<\/p>\n\n

Loneliness is a huge one. Most people I’ve talked to who have engaged\nin sex outside of marriage are not promiscuous, but they are lonely. The\nmistake they make is thinking that sex will take care of the loneliness.\nSex just complicates their lives.<\/p>\n\n

The doctrine of the body is another larger theme; so is the topic of choices.\nSexual activity, for example, is fundamentally a question of choices. I’ve\nalso spoken on sex as a subtheme of stewardship.<\/p>\n\n

The least helpful way to speak about sex is as an issue. As soon as you do\nthat, you’re in an argument with your congregation. I want to talk about\nit pastorally through some of these human themes, giving people relief from\ntheir struggles.<\/p>\n\n

Is it possible to preach sex in a wrongful, provocative way?<\/p>\n\n

It’s dangerous for the preacher to talk too much about his or her own\nsexual temptations or longing. I understand the value of personal illustration,\nbut you’re begging for trouble if you do that on this topic. It’s\ntoo much vulnerability for a congregation to handle. Vulnerability by the\npreacher on the topic of sex simply says, “Come see me with your longings.”<\/p>\n\n

How blunt should a preacher be?<\/p>\n\n

I refuse to limit a discussion on sex to the lectionary of secular society.\nIt’s best to stick with the biblical images and the church’s own\ntheological language. That’s why I have used the term sacrament<\/em>\nto describe intercourse. I don’t say sex itself is a sacrament, but\nit’s sacramental in that it’s given for a holy and sacred purpose.<\/p>\n\n

I prefer to use the church’s language because it’s our own, but\nalso because it’s beautiful language. For example, I can use the word\nintercourse<\/em> or one flesh<\/em>, but the biblical phrase one\nflesh<\/em> is much more elegant than the other.<\/p>\n\n

I have a high view of sex, and I make the assumption that people don’t\nvalue sex enough. I’m trying to raise their value of sexuality—that’s\nwhy I don’t want to use earthy language. I also assume many have been\nhurt sexually, and they’ve never seen the magnificence of it.<\/p>\n\n

When we proclaim the Word of God, we call people to something higher while\nrecognizing their brokenness. The preacher must find a balance between compassion\nand conviction. We always have to carry on both sides of the conversation.<\/p>\n\n

PreachingToday.com<\/a>\nis a new Internet resource for preachers. Produced by the editors of\nLEADERSHIP, it features a searchable database of illustrations,\ncurrent illustrations sent weekly via e-mail, and monthly sermon starters\nand tips for preachers. See “More Resources\nfrom LEADERSHIP<\/a>” or visit www.PreachingToday.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Copyright © 1999 by the author or Christianity Today\/Leadership<\/em> Journal.\nClick here<\/a> for reprint information on Leadership Journal.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introducing PreachingToday.com It’s on most everyone’s mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes courage and skill to preach well on that oh-so-delicate subject. Leadership Resources editor David Goetz asked M. Craig Barnes, pastor of National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., how he blends Read more…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"tax_ctp_authors":[1174],"tax_ctp_books":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[154],"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory":[],"tax_ctp_field_guides":[],"tax_ctp_format":[131],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[663,664,156],"tax_ctp_tags":[4688,4962],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-21177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tax_ctp_authors-craig-barnes","tax_publications-1999-leadership-journal","tax_publications-fall_1999-leadership-journal","tax_publications-leadership-journal","tax_ctp_tags-preaching","tax_ctp_tags-sexuality"],"acf":{"scripture_references":null},"yoast_head":"\nPreaching that Connects - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Introducing PreachingToday.com It's on most everyone's mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Preaching that Connects - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Introducing PreachingToday.com It's on most everyone's mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/ogimage.png?resize=1200,628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"628\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"An interview with M. Craig Barnes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@CTpastors\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"CMS Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3\"},\"headline\":\"Preaching that Connects\",\"datePublished\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\"},\"wordCount\":981,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\",\"name\":\"Preaching that Connects - CT Pastors\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Introducing PreachingToday.com It's on most everyone's mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Preaching that Connects\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"description\":\"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Christianity Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg\",\"caption\":\"Christianity Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3\",\"name\":\"CMS Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"CMS Admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Preaching that Connects - CT Pastors","description":"Introducing PreachingToday.com It's on most everyone's mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Preaching that Connects - CT Pastors","og_description":"Introducing PreachingToday.com It's on most everyone's mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes","og_url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","og_site_name":"CT Pastors","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","article_published_time":"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":628,"url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/12\/ogimage.png?resize=1200,628","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"An interview with M. Craig Barnes","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CTpastors","twitter_site":"@CTpastors","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/"},"author":{"name":"CMS Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3"},"headline":"Preaching that Connects","datePublished":"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/"},"wordCount":981,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","name":"Preaching that Connects - CT Pastors","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website"},"datePublished":"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"1999-10-01T00:00:00+00:00","description":"Introducing PreachingToday.com It's on most everyone's mind, yet the subject of sex often gets little press in the church. No big surprise why. It takes","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Preaching that Connects"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","name":"CT Pastors","description":"Timeless wisdom for pastors with forward-thinking solutions","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#organization","name":"Christianity Today","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/19\/2025\/08\/logo_ctpastors_black.svg","caption":"Christianity Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CTPastors","https:\/\/x.com\/CTpastors"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/85018388509706870f1ad6829069e1a3","name":"CMS Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7b746e0581dc75423e361301b595167f5234d819bbff5b0a82621db777cbfeb9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CMS Admin"}}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Preaching that Connects","url":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-that-connects-10\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"Uncategorized","author":"An interview with M. Craig Barnes","creator":"An interview with M. Craig Barnes","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"CT Pastors","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"1999-10-01T00:00:00Z","datePublished":"1999-10-01T00:00:00Z","dateModified":"1999-10-01T00:00:00Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Preaching that Connects\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/preaching-that-connects-10\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.christianitytoday.com\\\/pastors\\\/content\\\/preaching-that-connects-10\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"\"},\"articleSection\":\"Uncategorized\",\"author\":\"An interview with M. Craig Barnes\",\"creator\":\"An interview with M. Craig Barnes\",\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"CT Pastors\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[],\"dateCreated\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"1999-10-01T00:00:00Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/christianitytoday.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","byline":{"writer_byline":"An interview with M. Craig Barnes","writer_byline_override":""},"primary_category":null,"secondary_categories":[],"featured_video":null,"related_articles":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21177"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21177\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21178,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21177\/revisions\/21178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_authors?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_books","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_books?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_categories?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guide_subcategory?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_field_guides","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_field_guides?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_format?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_multimedia","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_multimedia?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_point_editor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_point_editor?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_publications","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_publications?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_tags?post=21177"},{"taxonomy":"tax_ctp_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tax_ctp_topics?post=21177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}