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See all of the sections for module 12.

When institutions weaken, governments may face increasing difficulty responding to crises. In severe cases, political instability can lead to state fragility or even state failure.

Three concepts frequently discussed by political scientists are corruption, clientelism, and institutional decay. Although distinct, all three can undermine governance, reduce public trust, weaken state...

A state may possess significant capacity, but how effectively does it actually use that capacity? Are institutions competent, accountable, fair, and responsive to the needs of society? Political scientists...

Political scientists often ask why some states govern effectively while others struggle to maintain order, enforce laws, or provide basic services. Some governments collect taxes efficiently, control their...

Module 11 explains why some states govern effectively while others become weak, unstable, or even collapse. It begins with state capacity, the practical ability of a state to carry out its decisions, enforce...

In everyday political conversation, words like liberal, progressive, socialist, and left-wing are often used as though they all mean the same thing. However, these terms describe different ideas, traditions,...

Few political ideologies have had a greater impact on the twentieth century than fascism. Fascism emerged in the years following World War I during a period of economic hardship, political instability,...

Nationalism focuses on the relationship between people and the nation. Populism focuses on the relationship between ordinary citizens and political elites.

What happens when spiritual ideas are used in harmful ways? Throughout history, religious beliefs have inspired acts of compassion, courage, sacrifice, service, and personal transformation. At the same...

Conservatives generally argue that societies are complex and that institutions often contain valuable knowledge, traditions, and social arrangements that have developed over long periods of time. Because...

How can a person know what is true? Throughout Christian history, believers have claimed to receive guidance from God. Others have claimed prophetic insight, visions, miracles, spiritual gifts, divine...

Liberalism emerged during the Enlightenment as thinkers began questioning absolute monarchy, inherited privilege, and restrictions on individual freedom. Influenced by philosophers such as John Locke,...

Christianity often describes life as a spiritual battle. When many people hear the phrase spiritual warfare, they immediately think of demons, exorcisms, curses, possession, and supernatural conflict....

People often disagree about taxes, healthcare, immigration, education, crime, environmental policy, and countless other political issues. Yet beneath these debates, there are usually deeper disagreements...

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly encounters people described as being afflicted by demons, unclean spirits, and evil spirits. In these accounts, Jesus restores people to health, frees individuals...

One of the most influential economic systems in the modern world is capitalism. At its core, capitalism is an economic system in which individuals and businesses can privately own property, invest resources,...

In the previous section, we examined some of the common modern misconceptions of Satan and how the Bible instead portrays him as the adversary, accuser, tempter, and deceiver.

Every society must answer a few unavoidable questions. Who owns property? Who decides how resources are used? What should governments tax? How should wealth be created and distributed?

Satan is one of the most recognizable figures in Christianity. Yet many Christians are surprised to discover that the Bible does not present a single, detailed biography of Satan from beginning to end...

Individual elections matter, but political scientists are often even more interested in the long-term patterns that emerge across many elections. Sometimes an election changes who holds office. Sometimes...

Module 10 explains how economic systems and political ideologies are connected. It begins with political economy, showing that economics and politics cannot be separated because questions about property,...

The New Testament uses several related expressions, including demons (or devils), unclean spirits, evil spirits, and deceiving spirits. Although these terms are not always used in exactly the same way,...

See all of the sections in Module 5.

In democratic societies, voting is one of the most important ways citizens participate in politics. Yet people often vote differently even when they are faced with the same candidates and political issues....

Angels appear throughout both the Old and New Testaments and play an important role in Christian theology. They announce God’s plans, protect His people, deliver messages, execute judgment, and worship...

Many people imagine that their data exists somewhere in "the cloud." The cloud is a useful concept, but the reality is much more physical. Behind most Internet services are buildings filled with computers,...

Every society contains a wide variety of political opinions. Citizens disagree about the role of government, taxation, immigration, healthcare, education, foreign policy, individual rights, and countless...

Many people imagine the Internet as something wireless, virtual, or floating in the cloud. In reality, the Internet depends on a vast physical infrastructure made of cables, data centers, routers, exchanges,...

If spiritual gifts describe what a person is capable of doing, the fruits of the Spirit describe who a person is becoming. Throughout Christianity, the fruits of the Spirit have traditionally been viewed...