Last spring I had the privilege of speaking at a conference for NFL players put on by Pro Athletes Outreach (PAO), a group which exists to unite a community of pro athletes and couples to grow as disciples of Jesus and positively impact their spheres of influence. They have a fantastic outreach to professional football and baseball athletes and their wives. I’ve seen firsthand the amazing difference they’re making. In the off-season I exchanged emails and texts with dozens of NFL players and cha..Continue reading→
Home
Thoughts
Motherhood Is a Marathon
I wanted to do great things for God. In the spring of my senior year of college, on the brink of embarking upon my own journey into adulthood, my future was undecided and that was simultaneously terrifying and thrilling. As a philosophy major, my path was narrower than I had realized, but I was sure it would take me on some grand and glorious adventure. I knew the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. “Glorify” sounds like such a grand term. It evokes images of battlefie..Continue reading→
1 Peter 5:7–8: How Not to Battle Anxiety
Anxieties attack our faith and torment our peace. The question with anxiety is not whether it will come, but rather, how can I fight it when it does? Watch NowContinue reading→
Is Love of Money Really the Root of All Evils?
Is the love of money the “root of all evils” or only the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10)? “All evils” is the formal English equivalent of the original Greek (pantōn tōn kakōn). It is remarkable that all older versions of the Bible translate 1 Timothy 6:10 in the more literal way: “The love of money is the root of all evils” (or all evil). This includes the Wycliffe Bible, Luther Bibel, Geneva Bible, King James Version, Douay-Rheims, Darby Bible, and Revised Standard Version. Bu..Continue reading→
Daily Verses
Psalm 104:33-34 (01-06-17)
I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of him shall be sweet : I will be glad in the LORD.— Psalm 104:33-34 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Do you sing in the shower? What words are on your lips? Singing is such a wonderful gift! First, it is a gift from God to us, to help us express our joy, excitement, sorrow, and victory. Second, it is a gift from us to God, to help us communicate our respect, appreciation..Continue reading→
A Love Relationship with God
"God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him." 1 John 4:16, NKJVThe first secret to loving others is to immerse yourself in a love relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit – and abide there. I will never get over the wonder that God the Father and God the Son do not have a working kinship nor a business partnership nor a brotherly friendship nor a competing dictatorship nor a mandatory fellowship nor an obligatory guardianship but a ..Continue reading→
1 Peter 1:13
“[Be Holy] Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.”Continue reading→
Isaiah 26:9 (01-05-17)
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early : for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.— Isaiah 26:9 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... When a young couple in love is apart, they long to be with each other again. When a parent is separated from his or her child, the parent misses the child intensely. When a spouse can no longer be with a long time marriage partner because of..Continue reading→
My Home Is His, Too!
O Lord, You have searched me and known me, . . . You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:2-3, NKJVOnce, as I prepared my house for a visit by my father, I began to clean and straighten my house. I even bought fresh flowers and plants to place around the rooms to make them seem more lovely. I wanted my home to look as inviting, comfortable, and pleasing to his eyes as I could make it. Then it struck me – if I felt this way about my earthly father’s..Continue reading→
Hope
Welcoming the Dawn of a New Year
These are the words of thousands, even millions, of us who look at the New Year and worry if we're up to the changes that we say we want to make. Fear of change, uncertainty about opportunities, and worry about the future steal more from us than thieves ever will. There's just something about our human nature that makes us afraid. We don't want to lose what we have, so we pull back from anything that might threaten it — even "things" that might be a whole lot better. We fear the c..Continue reading→
New Wine and Old Skins
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks." "He's old and stuck in his ways." "She's never going to change." There is an ingrained, all-too-often-proved-true, prejudice that when we get older we can't, or won't, change any more. This is despite some great examples in the Bible — like Abraham, Sarah, Moses, and Caleb and that's just the first six books — and some great passages of Scripture that challenge us to keep on changing to become more like Jesus: Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate [or reflect] the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Two of my favorite people in the Bible are old in years, but fresh and new..Continue reading→
Hidden Treasures
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19 TNIV). But his mother treasured all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51). We are fascinated by stories of hidden treasure. Many of the blockbuster movies over the last several decades have revolved around this theme — the Indiana Jones movies, The Mummy movies, and more recently the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the National Treasure series. As kids, we were fascinated with finding old things with drawers, ..Continue reading→
Hope of the World
In the Bible, the following story is told only in the gospel of Matthew. It is powerful. It is unique. It is also as puzzling as it is captivating. If we let it, this story is not only beautiful but also as relevant today as the morning news. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." When King Herod he..Continue reading→
Thankful in ALL Circumstances
Give thanks in all circumstances... How? My daughter is in Afghanistan. I am fighting diabetes. I have no job. My son is doing drugs. My child has died. My marriage is falling apart. I'm depressed. My bank account is overdrawn. I'm tired of being sick and tired. Circumstances affect each of us differently. It is easier to say, "give thanks in all circumstances" than to actually do it. Especially, if the person saying it has never gone through troubled times. In this case, the one saying it knew what he was talking about exactly. Paul, an Apostle of Jesus, had his moments in the suffering department. Flogged 5 times with the Jews 39 lashes... Beaten by Roman rods 3 times... Betrayed by those who pretended to be friends... Pummeled with rocks... Many sleepless nights and missed meals... Paul said, "And that's the half of it, when you throw in the daily pressures and anxieties of all the churches" (1 Corinthians 11:28 MSG). No doubt, circumstances can make life difficult ..Continue reading→
Daily Wisdom
The Proof of Love
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8, NKJVHas someone suggested to you that: If God really loved you, He would heal your disease? If God really loved you, He would never have allowed you to lose your job? If God really loved you, He would bring your spouse back home? If God really loved you, you would be healthy and wealthy and problem free? Yet God has said that the proof of His love is none of those things! The pr..Continue reading→
2 Corinthians 5:19-20
“that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”Continue reading→
Psalm 100:2 (01-12-17)
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. — Psalm 100:2 (KJV) Thoughts on Today's Verse... Let's not be limited to church-house singing or sanctuary joy. Let's make today a day we listen to Christian music as we sing our thanks and praise to God. My Prayer... Dear Father in heaven, thank you so much for giving us, your human creation, the gift of music. Thank you for all those who write and share songs of praise that bring such jo..Continue reading→
Speaking Up for Jesus
"We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." Acts 4:20, NIVIt seems like just yesterday that our youngest daughter, Rachel-Ruth, gave birth to our first grandchild – a little girl named Ruth Bell Wright. Since that very first day, my husband and I were totally enthralled with this little girl. She filled my heart. I couldn’t help talking about her to anyone who would listen. I wasn’t afraid to talk about her. I didn’t plan in advance how I would talk about her. I didn’t worry abo..Continue reading→
Prayers
Daily Prayer for January 9
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:57-58, NIV Lord our God, we thank you that we are allowed to live in your love. We thank you for your promise that all the suffering on earth shall come to an end. Hear us when we turn to you with all we have on our ..Continue reading→
God’s Righteous Judgment
PassageRomans 1:32 PrayerDear Father, righteous judge,Who could argue against your righteous judgment? Who would claim that those who refuse to see truth should not be left in their blindness? Though they know that those who pervert truth deserve to die, they not only continue to practice perversion, they also glorify it!Holy God, your judgment is just! Have mercy on these derelict people to chasten them with judgments that will bring them to repentance. And dear Father, save all of your people,..Continue reading→
Daily Prayer for January 8
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Luke 17:5–6, NIV Father in heaven, we thank you for the many ways you strengthen us and reveal your life to us. We thank you for all your protection, also for your protection of our faith and hope. Grant that your Spirit may penetrate us more and more, enabling us to be your witnesses in thi..Continue reading→
Men’s Improper Conduct
PassageRomans 1:26-31 PrayerDear Father, judge of all,How awful is your judgment. When men do not acknowledge you as God and do not live by your teachings, you give them up to base minds and improper conduct. Then they become filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malignity, they gossip, slander, and hate you. They are insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthles..Continue reading→
Christian Quotes
Moffatt: writings about the new covenant
Saturday, November 12, 2016 Meditation: Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law..Continue reading→
Bonhoeffer: bringing sin to the light
Friday, November 11, 2016 Feast of Martin, Monk, Bishop of Tours, 397 Meditation: You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. —1 John 4:4 (ESV) Quotation: The heart of man is revealed in temptation. Man knows his sin, which without temptation he could never have known; for in temptation man knows on what he has set his heart. The coming to light of sin is the work of the accuser, who thereby thinks to hav..Continue reading→
Eckhart: Seeking God for profit
Thursday, November 10, 2016 Feast of Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, 461 Meditation: [Jesus:] “But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to y..Continue reading→
Barclay: Who is using whom?
Wednesday, November 9, 2016 Commemoration of Margery Kempe, Mystic, after 1433 Meditation: When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. —John 6:14-15 (ESV) Quotation: That crowd of Jews would have followed Christ at that moment because He was giving them what they wanted [bread], and the..Continue reading→
Questions & Answers
Where Was The Rich Young Ruler From? A Bible Study
Where was the “rich young ruler” from? Does the Bible tell us? Is Anyone Good? During Jesus’ earthly ministry, a “ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:18-19), notice the first thing Jesus does is to ask Him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone.” That is just what the Old and New Testament teach. The Apostle Paul wrote “None is righteous, no, not on..Continue reading→
Thanksgiving Thoughts and Prayers
Here in the United States of America we have been celebrating first harvest since 1621, when we were still colonized. That “First Thanksgiving” feast actually lasted 3 days and was attended by 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans (Wampanoag Indians) according to Edward Winslow, who was a leader among the Pilgrims. Even now, Thanksgiving Day is celebrated every year as a federal holiday in the USA since 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln gave the proclamation that we set aside one day as a day o..Continue reading→
Why Thanksgiving Will Always Be A Uniquely Christian Holiday (Podcast)
In this new audio podcast, J. Warner discusses the nature of “giving thanks” and the holiday we call Thanksgiving. Is it possible to celebrate a secular, atheistic “Thanksgiving”? Is it possible to thank the impersonal forces of physics that govern the universe? J. Warner explores several ways atheists have tried to propose secular versions of this historically Christian holiday. Can they successfully remove God from the celebration? You can also subscribe to the Cold-Case Christianity Weekly P..Continue reading→
What Did The High Priest Do On The Day Of Atonement?
What did the high priest do on the Day of Atonement, and what were the meanings of his duties? The High Priest The high priest served as a mediator between God and the people, and was the only one who had close contact with the Holy of Holies, and that only once a year (Day of Atonement). His and the other priests offering animal sacrifices along with other ordinances, would cover the people’s sins, but it had to be repeated because people kept sinning, so the high priests duty was so important..Continue reading→
Hot Topics
Your Pastor is a Sinner
As I mentioned above, I am referring here to the sorts of sins that are common to God’s people. Sins such as sexual abuse, adultery, financial improprieties, and other clearly disqualifying sins must be dealt with as matters of church discipline and perhaps civil justice. If you know of scandalous sins or illegal behavior on the part of your pastor then you ought to make the elders of your church aware. It sounds obvious I’m sure to say that your pastor sins. The Scriptures demand such recognit..Continue reading→
Pro-Life For All Life
If we’re going to claim to be “pro-life” then let us be for all of life. Let us do what we can to remove the inconsistencies that remain so that the pro-life message is not lost because of our failures. As a Christian my ethic is derived from the law of God as expressed in the Ten Commandments. The inverse of “Thou shalt not kill”—the sixth commandment—is that we are to endeavor to preserve our own life, and the life of others. It is not only life in the womb we should be concerned for, but life..Continue reading→
Grace 101
There are multiple ways I’ve heard grace misused and misunderstood. Sometimes it is nuanced in a way that leads to misunderstanding. Sometimes people emphasize grace in one area of faith but not in others. Sometimes they use it interchangeably with words like patience or forbearance. But the definition that concerns me the most is when it is used to mean overlooking something (most often sin) as in “This is who I am and God accepts me that way. He gives me grace to be myself.” I started bloggi..Continue reading→
Manipulative Repentence: 8 Red Flag Phrases
“I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me? What more can I do?” If anything more than my words (i.e., “I’m sorry”) are required in response to my actions, then you are being unforgiving, mean, weak, or hyper-emotional. Also, this response often implies that an apology should be met with an immediate sense of trust and equanimity in the relationship. Any lingering sense of mistrust by the offended person is then labeled as an unreasonable and ungodly form of punishment. The recognition ..Continue reading→
Women
Throwing Candy
I had an experience a couple summers ago that changed everything for me. That sounds hyperbolic, I know. But every once in a while we have these experiences that slice our lives into before and after, and this was one of those for me. A friend of a friend invited me on a trip. To a place I’d never been, with a group of people most of whom I’d never met. I didn’t know what to expect, but I did have this sense that there was something waiting for me th..Continue reading→
Actually, the ‘Mommy Wars’ Aren’t Universal
Most American moms, particularly women of color, don’t fit the stereotypes. Here’s a common family story among black women in my generation: My grandmother worked as a live-in maid, and my mother lived at numerous relatives’ homes for the first few years of her life so my grandmother could keep her job. Two generations later, I have a spectrum of choices beyond what was available to my grandmother. I can pursue a fulfilling career, stay home, or find something in between. While I believe women..Continue reading→
What I Needed From the Church During My Depression
3 ways our communities can support mental health. Speaking at the Democratic National Convention last week, the singer Demi Lovato took advantage of the powerful platform to advocate for mental health care in America. “Like millions of Americans, I am living with mental illness,” she said. "Too many Americans from all walks of life don't get help, either because they fear the stigma or they cannot afford treatment." “Mental illness” is a scary-sounding category that encompasses a broad ar..Continue reading→
Sexual Healing
Editor’s note: In their book Surprised by the Healer, Dr. Juli Slattery and Linda Dillow feature first-person stories from women they’ve interviewed. This excerpt from their book comes from a woman named Kathy. I snuck into bed, barely moving the covers to avoid arousing my sleeping husband. I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking I had succeeded, but before long Scott rolled over and cradled me against his body. I automatically tensed and soon one tear..Continue reading→
Life & Society
Judge Temporarily Blocks Texas From Cutting Planned Parenthood From Medicaid Program
Photo Credit: All Nite ImagesAUSTIN, Texas — A federal judge appointed to the bench by then-President George H.W. Bush has issued a temporary injunction halting the state of Texas from cutting the abortion and contraceptive giant Planned Parenthood from the state’s Medicaid program while its case moves forward in court. U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks placed a hold on the move until Feb. 21, but is expected to issue a ruling before that time. He heard three days of testimony this week, which mos..Continue reading→
Pastors Pray And Anoint The Door That Donald Trump Will Walk Through At His Inauguration
Three Christian leaders in the United States have joined to "pray and anoint" the doorway that President-elect Trump will walk through before his inauguration at the Capitol Building tomorrow.Continue reading→
New Appeal To Help World’s Poorest After Hottest Year On Record
Traidcraft is raising money to fund projects helping smallholders in some of the poorest countries.Continue reading→
Pastor Donnie McClurkin Says He Wants a Wife But Is Afraid to Fail at Marriage
Does Pastor Donnie McClurkin have any plans to get married? The gospel recording artist of New York's Perfecting Faith Church, who was dating singer Nicole C. Mullen, said he actually wants to get married but is too terrified to do so.Continue reading→
Music
Leeland Announces Pre-Order For New Album
Today Bethel Music announced the pre-order of Leeland's first album as part of their artist collective. "We're excited to announce that Leeland's first album with Bethel Music is now available for pre-order on iTunes. 'Invisible' offers a refreshing perspective on a gospel that is alive and moving in us and through us," Bethel shared. Invisible will mark Leeland's first release since 2014's Christ Be All Around Me EP and will be available July 22. Click here to pre-order the album now and get 3 instant song downloads "Invisible," "Carry It All Away" and "Son Was Lifted Up." Invisible Track Listing 1. My Treasure 2. War 3. Spirit 4. Ever Love You Lord 5. For Your Glory 6. Perfect Love 7. Lock & Key 8. Invisible 9. Breath of God [...]Continue reading→
Project 86 Announces PledgeMusic Campaign for 10th Album
Project 86 has launched a special PledgeMusic campaign in support of their upcoming tenth studio album and their 20 year anniversary as a band. The project will be comprised of ten original songs and five covers. All of the songs will be available to backers on a one song per month basis, beginning with a cover of Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" as an immediate download for all backers. The PledgeMusic campaign is designed as both a preorder for music to come and a celebration of music past, with offers including vintage merch. Accompanying tour dates are coming soon, with Project 86 promising to play fan favorites from their early days alongside current tracks. Above all, the band sees the campaign as a way to celebrate the past two decades alongside their fans. "You have stuck by us for twenty years. We want to meet you, spend[...]Continue reading→
Word Entertainment Scores Two Trophies For Christian Retailing’s Best Awards
It was announced earlier this week that Word Entertainment was honored two times at the annual Christian Retailing's Best Awards. Big Daddy Weave's acclaimed album Beautiful Offerings (Fervent Records) won in the music category and When Calls the Heart Complete Season 2 (Word Films) won for the DVD Movie division. The awards, honoring the best new products of the year, were given on Monday, June 27 in Cincinnati during the International Christian Retail Show (ICRS). "At Word Entertainment, we are passionate and intentional about delivering the best in Christian entertainment to people everywhere," shares Rod Riley, President & CEO, Word Entertainment. "Big Daddy Weave's Beautiful Offerings and When Calls the Heart Complete Season 2 are two projects that we have seen impact thousands and thousands of lives with the good news of the Gospel. To be recognized with awards for each of these projects from Christian Retailing's[...]Continue reading→
Metalcore Group Toarn Signs With Luxor Records
Christian metalcore band Toarn has announced their signing with Luxor Records, making their upcoming EP Giant Killer their debut with the label. Toarn released a new song titled "In Flander's Fields" alongside the label news, giving fans an initial taste of Giant Killer prior to its July 15 release. Preorders for the EP are available through major retailers like Amazon, BestBuy and Barnes & Noble as well as through VictoryMerch.com. The Washington-based band has developed a grassroots following through the release of past independent projects Protoevangelium and Brood of Vipers. Toarn will be hitting the road with Hemarosa in support of the release, with tour dates listed here. You can listen to "Flander's Field" below.Continue reading→
Britney Spears Endorses Pastor/Author Max Lucado
Britney Spears has a new album coming out and is about to kick off a two-year residency in Las Vegas, so she’s out there working the publicity machine. During a recent Twitter chat, a fan asked Britney what her favorite book was, and the singer replied, “Anything by Max Lucado.” Lucado is a Texas-based preacher and author of a hundred (yes, a hundred) Christian-themed adults and kids’ books. Their titles include Grace for the Moment, Outlive Your Life: You Were Born to Make a Difference, and God..Continue reading→
Katy Perry’s Song “By the Grace of God” Is a Flashback to Her Christian Singer Days
Before Katy Perry was an animal-print-and-candy-loving pop star, she was Katy Hudson, aspiring Christian singer. Though her switch to the secular side of music helped make her a star, Katy (whose parents are pastors) hasn’t given up on her Christian background. Her new album Prism features the ballad “By the Grace of God,” which probably won’t ever be released as a single but does a bang-up job appealing to one of her core constituencies. But what does John Mayer think?Continue reading→
American
More Pregnant Women Choose Life Over Abortion Than Ever Before
Last month the Guttmacher Institute released updated abortion statistics for the United States. Their latest survey of abortion facilities indicate that the number of abortions fell by approximately five percent between 2011 and 2014. The short-term abortion decline is unsurprising. The U.S. abortion rate has fallen steadily since 1980. Furthermore, these declines have been fairly consistent. They have occurred during times of economic prosperity and economic hardship. They have also occurred th..
Cecile Richards Says More Women Need to Brag About Their Abortions: “It’s Time to be Bold”
Planned Parenthood is desperate for support after Americans rejected its pro-abortion candidates in the November election and chose a strong majority of pro-life lawmakers instead. On Tuesday, the abortion business’s CEO Cecile Richards gave a talk at the Makers Conference urging people to get more involved in abortion advocacy. Richards, who makes close to $1 million a year, and her supposedly non-profit abortion group stand to lose big money from the federal government. Planned Parenthood cu..
Senators File Legislation to Stop Obama’s Rule Forcing States to Fund Planned Parenthood
In his last Christmas as president, Barack Obama made sure he played Santa for at least one group: Planned Parenthood. With just weeks to go in the White House, the abortion industry’s best friend did what it could to protect the industry from an administration sure to be bad for business. Using his power at Health and Human Services, President Obama issued a rule that not only locked down federal grants for Cecile Richards’s group through the Title X “family planning” program, but also blocked..
Washington DC assisted suicide bill puts patients at risk and prioritizes cost over compassion
Do no harm.” Three short words, but to physicians they represent a sacred charge. Three short words that now hang in the balance here in the District of Columbia, after the D.C. council passed the Death with Dignity Act (Act 21-577), legalizing physician-assisted suicide in the nation’s capital. In authorizing doctors to violate the Hippocratic oath of “do no harm,” physician-assisted suicide undermines a key safeguard that protects our nation’s most vulnerable citizens and helps to ensure our l..
Australia
Activists spy on sermons from churches meeting in public schools
Churches that meet in public school halls in NSW on Sundays are under attack for the content of their sermons. The attack comes from a one-man advocacy group linked to the campaign against scripture in public schools. Sermons found on the websites of Hunter Bible Church, Maitland Evangelical Church and The Lakes Evangelical Church (all part of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) on the NSW mid north coast were the subject of complaints ..
Three cheers for missionaries
Over at the Centre for Public Christianity, we’ve been doing a lot of research lately into some of the worst bits of Christian history. The Spanish Inquisition. Sectarian violence. Early-modern witch hunts, and torture techniques I didn’t know existed (see: “squassation”). The casualness with which Crusaders massacred peoples not remotely connected with their war aims. The end result of such disheartening research will, I hope, be worth it: CPX..
Muslim refugees open to the Good News in their own language
In a refugee camp in northern France, a Pashtun man from Pakistan was happy to hear the good news of Jesus in an audio-visual presentation in his own language. It was an evangelistic audio-visual presentation by Global Recordings Network (GRN) giving an overview of the Bible story from creation to Christ and how to become a follower of Jesus. “He sat there holding the player while I showed him the pictures,” recalls Graydon Colville, international di..
‘Christian’ parties fighting for Senate scraps
Australia’s “Christian Values” parties have been left scrabbling for the twelfth Senate spot in three states (SA, NSW and Qld), in the wake of an election that favoured smaller parties. But the protest and conservative voters went to One Nation and Nick Xenophon ahead of the small Christian parties, that include Christian Democrats, Australian Christians, Democratic Labour, Rise Up Australia and Family First. “We have a very good chance of getting the t..
Entertainment
“Prayer Woven Into the Fabric of the Film”: A Q&A with Ben-Hur’s Roma Downey and Mark Burnett
On August 19, an exciting new Ben-Hur will be charging into theaters to tell once again the epic tale of brotherly betrayal and revenge for a new generation. At a recent press event in Los Angeles, we got the chance to speak with executive producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey (The Bible, A.D., and Son of God) about this new imagining of a classic film and why they were drawn to the project. What attracted you to this production of Ben-Hur? Mark Burnett: Gary Barber, the chairman of MGM, had se..
Captain Fantastic: The Anti-Christian Christian Movie
Captain Fantastic, a little indie film out today, is a moving family parable about hippie dad Ben (Viggo Mortensen) and his eclectic family of six, leaving their near-isolation in the Pacific Northwest to attend a funeral. Did I say “attend?” I met stop. The funeral is that of Leslie, Ben’s wife and the children’s mother. Though we learn she was raised in a fairly traditional, comfortable Christian home, she became a Buddhist when she and Ben got together. And the last thing she wo..
Watch: New Trailer for Hillsong’s “Let Hope Rise” Live Today!
“Let Hope Rise,” the highly anticipated new feature film about the journey of youth-band-turned-international-sensation, Hillsong United, comes to theatres September 19. Here’s a first look at the trailer for the film, just released today.
“Let Hope Rise” Spotlights Rise of Christian Band “Hillsong UNITED”
IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE SEPT. 16 Film spotlights Hillsong UNITED’s remarkable journey from a youth group band at Hillsong Church to a worldwide recording and concert sensation Pure Flix is distributing HILLSONG-LET HOPE RISE, the highly anticipated feature film that chronicles the spectacular and miraculous rise to prominence of the Australia-based band, Hillsong UNITED. Directed by Michael John Warren (Jay Z’s FADE TO BLACK), the film explores Hillsong’s journey from a tiny church in the Sydney..
US
Obama picks a fight with Russians
President Obama has hit Russia with sanctions and the expulsion of diplomatic personnel in retaliation for Vladimir Putin’s alleged interference with the U.S. election. He has also threatened cyberattacks against Russia. In return, Russia is promising retaliation of its own. With only twenty or so days left in office, the president has stirred up a conflict with Russia that his successor is going to have to deal with. Donald Trump, with his pro-Russian leanings, will probably reverse Obama’s act..
Checking our predictions for 2016
It’s time to check the predictions we made around this time last year, something you don’t see the tabloids or most highly-paid consultants doing. Your predictions for 2016, as usual, were thoughtful, interesting, mostly-wrong, but with some remarkable accuracies. Go here to read them all and come to your own conclusions. We were still under the World Table comment system back then, so go to that link. If you do a search for the post, it will come up as there being no comments, but click the ful..
Birth as the “moral fault line of our time”
Christmas is about birth, Kevin Williamson reminds us, which is what reminds us most of our physicality. No wonder, he says, birth is also “the great political and moral fault line of our time.” Consider all of the moral issues that have to do with birth, whether preventing it or negating it: abortion, sex outside of marriage, pornography, today’s much vaunted fantasy of sex with robots. Consider the political and ideological issues: fears of overpopulation, health care, feminism, child poverty,..
Top religion stories of 2016
The Religion News Association announced its top 10 religion stories of 2016. Number one: Donald Trump’s election. Why was that a religion story? An important factor in Trump’s win was his support from evangelical voters, even though his lifestyle, moral history, and religious beliefs would not seem to be in accord with those of most Christian conservatives. What this means, though, is less clear. Does this mean Christian voters have sold out, or have they become pragmatic in choosing a candidate..
Church & Theology
Where Grace Abounds
Each year at Lancaster Baptist Church, we introduce a new theme for the year to our church family on Vision Sunday. Primarily we do this through the Sunday messages in which the theme is shared from a biblical text and then, in Sunday evening’s message, developed into ministry goals for the coming year. But one of the most memorable ways we introduce the theme is through teaching our church family a new chorus (typically written by our music team) based on the theme. Our theme for 2017 is “By ..
Growth Points 74: Three Attributes of a Great Year
When I think about a great ministry or a great minister, I think of John the Baptist. Jesus Himself called John and his ministry great: “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist…” (Luke 7:28). John wasn’t as concerned with being relevant to his culture as he was with being in touch with God. It was his heart for God and the way he uncompromisingly shared God’s message that set him apart. In this growth points video, I share thr..
A White Man’s Meditations on Martin Luther King Day
Most of my childhood, I lived in highly diverse neighborhoods. My neighborhoods and schools were a mishmash of white, black, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, Middle Eastern, and more. I recently looked up the stats of my junior high, for example, and the current student population is 33% white, 30% Hispanic, 25% African American, 10% Asian, and a few others. This type of relatively even split is how I remember it. I don’t remember my parents ever making blatantly racist comments. Race was neve..
3 Dynamics of Growth in Grace
Do you need grace today? Do you desire to grow in grace this year? I suppose these are questions with self-evident answers. We know we need God’s grace, and we know Scripture commands us to grow in grace. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.—2 Peter 3:18 This is what we desire for our lives as well as for the lives of those to whom we minister. But how? How do we grow in grace? And what does growth in grac..