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→
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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→
Hot Topics
The Federal Vision and the Magical Efficacy of Sacraments
It is a fatal flaw of the proponents of the Federal Vision that they hold to a view that replaces the work of the Holy Spirit with the magical working of the sacraments, a relic of paganism. It is beside the point that they define efficacy in such a vague way,… that it can be increased or decreased whenever necessary. By teaching that the sacraments, particularly baptism, have the power to convey new life, justification, forgiveness of sins and other graces temporarily, they have chosen a pagan ..Continue reading→
White Christian America Is Dying
I begin the book with an obituary for White Christian America, and I conclude the book with a eulogy. This construction is consistent with the book’s stark title. My argument in the book is that we have already experienced the passing of White Christian America. While this claim is grounded in demographic changes, it is also supported by the fading power of major institutions, such as the National Council of Churches or the Christian Coalition of America. There are no indicators that the country..Continue reading→
Confessions Of A Former Charismatic
This is what I found: there were many conversations among the church leaders, or with “discerning members,” who were concerned that there was a diminishing of the prophetic on Sunday or in prayer gatherings. The absence of such words was a sign of sickness. Rather than being glad at the faithful ministry of the Word in preaching, we were concerned with the absence of the prophetic. Though denied on paper, in practice, such words were given more weight than preaching — but not as much weight as S..Continue reading→
He Holds Out His Hands
There is Good News; God has also blessed you with his Gospel. You are hearing it right now. Despite the fact that you have spurned his counsel, rebelled against him, and have earned his eternal wrath, he has not stopped loving you. He promised his Son. He sent his Son. And now through the Word of God he stretches out his hands to you. A substitutionary law-keeper and a substitutionary righteousness are available for you. He is the Savior of all who give up and beg for pardon and rescue. Paul’s ..Continue reading→
Movies
Watch: Ben-Hur goes “epic” in a new featurette
With six weeks to go until the film’s release date, Paramount has posted a new Ben-Hur featurette. This one focuses on the film’s “epic” nature, and while it consists mostly of footage that we have seen before, it does have a few new bits. Here is the video, which features soundbites from producer Sean Daniel and co-stars Jack Huston and Morgan Freeman in addition to some snippets from the film: Note the audio clip in which Ilderim (Freeman) tells Judah (Huston), “Defeat your brother, and you’l..Continue reading→
Why is Jesus crying in this image from the new Ben-Hur?
Damaris Media in the UK has posted a set of community resources in connection with the upcoming release of Ben-Hur, including a church discussion guide and a youth activity pack, and along the way they have also provided some new photos from the upcoming film — including an image of Jesus shedding tears while he prays. What is happening in this scene? Two possibilities come to mind — neither of which have been depicted in any previous movie version of Ben-Hur to my knowledge. My first thought wa..Continue reading→
Ben-Hur news round-up: How big a success will it be?
Another week, another quick round-up of Ben-Hur-related news stories. Christian Retailing reports that a 20-minute preview of the film was shown at the Christian Booksellers Association’s Unite 2016 retail show last week: Another movie highlight at the show was an exclusive, 20-minute Ben-Hur preview that followed the Sunday Worship Him! service. The preview included comments from Roma Downey, executive producer of the film and president of LightWorkers Media. [Kevin] McAfee, founder of the Gold..Continue reading→
Popcorn in the pews
When I was in my twenties, my friends referred to the movies as my second church. I could be found there probably as often as I could be found at my regular house of worship, and I probably extolled some films with the same fervor I used when talking about doctrine. When I was asked to participate in the Patheos symposium on nontraditional worship, I was surprised that churches that meet in movie theaters were considered “nontraditional.” It’s been ..Continue reading→
Box office: Tarzan leads a pack of also-rans behind Dory
A Pixar cartoon just kept swimming at the top of the box office this week, while three new releases had openings that ranged from decent to disappointing. The Legend of Tarzan earned an estimated $38.1 million between Thursday and Sunday, which is either good or not-so-good depending on how you spin it. On the one hand, it’s a record for a Tarzan movie (beating the $34.2 million that Disney’s animated Tarzan opened to in 1999), but it’s also not as good as the studio might have hoped for a film ..Continue reading→
Commentary: What Do We Make of ’90 Minutes in Heaven’?
What Do We Make of '90 Minutes in Heaven'?Near-death experiences make for popular books and movies. But what should Christians do with them? Don Piper’s story, now made visible in the movie 90 Minutes in Heaven (out this weekend), records his experience of “d..Continue reading→
Review: Joy
The text at the beginning of Joy, the latest film from director David O. Russell (American Hustle, Silver Linings Playbook), says it is “inspired by the true stories of daring women . . . one in particular.” That “one” is Joy Mangano, play..Continue reading→
Review: The Revenant
One of the memorable (and most talked about) scenes in The Revenant is an epic fight between Leonardo DiCaprio and a grizzly bear. The bloody brawl occurs early in the film and is the plot’s inciting incident. Gravely injured by the bear, 1820s frontiersman Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) is left for dead by his fellow hunters/fur-traders and must survive in the wilderness in the dead of winter. As if it wasn’t already hard enough to survive the Pawnee tomahawks and arrows, subzero temperatures, blizzards, dehydration, and treacherous men within his own group (most notably Tom Hardy’s villainous character Fitzgerald), Glass must do it all having been maimed, mauled, and flayed by a bear.Continue reading→
Review: Concussion
Concussion tries to achieve the depth and stakes of the Biblical story of Esther, without quite enough unchecked power or genocide to support the claim. The movie is based on real-life Dr. Bennet Omalu’s discovery of the danger of repeated brain trauma sustained by professional football players and his battle to publicize that danger. Oma..Continue reading→
Music
Jon Bauer Celebrates Eight Covenant Award Nominations
Singer/songwriter and recording artist Jon Bauer has received eight GMA Canada Covenant Award nominations, including nods for three of the highest honors Artist of the Year, Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year, it was recently announced. In addition, Bauer's latest critically-acclaimed recording, The Light In Us, is nominated for Praise & Worship Album of the Year, while the project's "Say Something" is nominat..Continue reading→
Jean Watson Named NewReleaseToday’s Artist Of The Month
Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter and classically trained violinist Jean Watson has been selected as an Artist of the Month for November 2016 by the influential music discovery portal, NewReleaseToday.com. The site features Watson on its front page, profiling her career and highlighting music from her new CD, WONDER, which released to retail Friday, October 14, 2016 from Suite 28 Records and Shadowlands Music through Naxos of America, ..Continue reading→
The Letter Black Teases New Music
The Letter Black has been relatively quiet since their previous album Rebuild released almost exactly three years ago. However, much to the delight of their fans, the band finally "broke the silence" regarding new music, confirming today on Facebook that they are in the process of working on a new album. Fans won't have to wait long to get a taste as the band also confirmed a sneak peak teaser for Friday, November 18th. Although not many details were revealed beyond that, the band promise..Continue reading→
Trip Lee Drops New Single
For the first time in just over two years, Trip Lee has dropped new music appeasing personal and Reach Records fans alike. The track 'Too Cold' has been gaining hype on Twitter for the past week while snippets and related artwork have been released. Get the single on iTunes by clicking here. Produced by GAWVI, "Too Cold" will appear on Trip Lee's forthcoming mixtape, The Waiting Room, which is set for release on Decem..Continue reading→
Dave Barnes and Porter’s Call Founder Al Andrews Team Up To Create Christmas Book
When the hustle, bustle, and expectations of the holidays were about to overwhelm him, Al Andrews decided to take a late night stroll. Turning up his collar and pulling his jacket a little tighter, Andrews set out to clear his mind--and ended up rediscovering the true meaning behind the Christmas season. His newly updated book, A Walk One Winter Night, is inspired by these real-life events. As he walked, Andrews passed by a nativity display in a neighbor's yard, and something caused him to..Continue reading→
JJ Heller Releases Debut Full-Length Christmas Project ‘Unto Us’ Today
Indie music and radio favorite JJ Heller is releasing her debut full-length Christmas album, UNTO US, today, November 11. Funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign, UNTO US is a blend of traditional holiday songs and new originals that capture the memories and feelings of JJ's youth. "While researching other Christmas records, I was repeatedly drawn to the familiar old classics," she explains. "This music; these memories fill ..Continue reading→
Jason Crabb Partners With New Day To Distribute ‘Jase The Crabb’ Children’s Book Series
Grammy winner Jason Crabb has partnered with New Day Christian Distributers to make his "Jase® the Crabb" Children's book series available to the Christian retail market. Lifeway Christian Stores and independent retailers will carry the series along with the "Jase® the Crabb" plush figure. The ten-book series follows the Ten Commandments and is a perfect way to teach children the basics of the Bible.Continue reading→
Austin & Lindsey Adamec Release First Christmas Single
Radiate Music husband wife duo Austin & Lindsey Adamec premiere their first Christmas single, "Welcome To The World You Made," today (Nov. 11) from Radiate Music. Available now at iTunes, Apple Music and other major digital retailers, the song is also going for radio airplay and its lyric video can be seen on YouTube. While working on their full-length album, slated to release spring 2017, and following the release of their critical..Continue reading→
Yancy Releases New Christmas EP
Kid-friendly Christian singer-songwriter Yancy has released her first new Christmas music in 7 years. Little Drummer Boy, her new 3-song EP, is quickly becoming a holiday favorite for all ages and is available now via Syntax Distribution at iTunes. Along with the driving title track, Yancy has crafted unique new recordings of the seasonal standard "Silent Night" and the contemporary c..Continue reading→
American
Defending Ruth Tucker Again
From Arise, used with permission.By Maureen Farrell GarciaOn January 26, 2017Some Christians see logic as the only trustworthy and effective way to communicate and receive knowledge. Unfortunately, there is not enough space in one post to systematically present the origins of this idea. In general, though the topic is a complex one, we can trace this concept from Ancient Greece, which gained momentum during the Enlightenment, through present Western thought. Some critics of Ruth A. Tucker’s book..
Abortion Advocate Protesting March for Life Put Down Her Sign and Got a Pro-Life Sign. Here’s Why
Abortion activists show up every year at the March for Life in Washington, D.C. to counter the hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers who march for unborn babies’ right to life. This year, the pro-life message appears to have touched at least one of those protesters. A Michigan woman called in to Teresa Tomeo’s Catholic Connection radio show recently to share the change that her family witnessed in a young pro-abortion protester during the march last week. The caller, Maryanne, told Tomeo and he..
German Parliament Honors Nazi Euthanasia Victims
On January 27, 2017, the Germany’s Bundestag [Parliament] commemorated the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of the inmates of Auschwitz concentration camp. This year the focus was placed on the 300,000 disabled victims of the notorious Aktion T-4 euthanasia program. Under Aktion T-4, beginning in 1939, people were gassed or given a lethal injection and cremated in six killing facilities in Germany and Austria. This helped the Nazi regime to refine its system for processing millions, rather th..
Abortion Activists Traveling Across Pro-Life Ireland to Hand Out Dangerous Abortion Drugs
In yet another stunt designed to trivialise the abortion debate in Ireland and endanger the lives of women facing unplanned pregnancy, pro-choice activists have announced their plans to travel round the country again, handing out abortion pills. Sadly, this is nothing new for ROSA, the group behind the stunt. In October 2015, they drove an “abortion pill bus” on another tour to promote the repeal of the Eighth Amendment, Ireland’s last remaining constitutional protection for unborn children. A..
Entertainment
GRAMMY® Acclaimed Crowder To Release “American Prodigal” Sept. 23
“Run Devil Run,” First Single, Hits Today Sept. 23 will mark American Prodigal, the anticipated sophomore solo project from Crowder. American Prodigal will build on Crowder’s double-GRAMMY® nominated Neon Steeple (2014), which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200, sparking both a No. 1 hit and top 5 single at radio, a Grand Ole Opry debut, a Dove Award along with multiple nods, numerous K-LOVE Fan Award Nominations and tours throughout the U.S. and abroad. Premiering a fiery new music video for..
Modern Hymn Writers, Keith & Kristyn Getty, Debut Music Video For New Single
NASHVILLE, TN (June 17, 2016) – Keith and Kristyn Getty, the world-renowned modern hymn writers whose songs are sung by an estimated 100 million people each year in churches and concert halls on every major continent, debuted the music video for “Living Waters,” the first single off their new studio album “Facing a Task Unfinished,” released today. The project marks the 5th studio album from the couple and their first major release of new songs since their widely-embraced Hymns for the Christian..
The Conjuring 2 Finds Light in the Darkness
To understand the underlying message of The Conjuring 2, you just have to look at its calendar. The trials of the Hodgson family take place during London’s drippy, dark December. The days are growing shorter, the nights colder. And the things that go bump in the night at the Hodgson’s north London home are becoming ever more bold. Christmas spirit? More like Christmas spirits. Given the ghoulies that 11-year-old Janet Hodgson (Madison Wolfe) is dealing with, the girl would tell you ..
‘We Have a Calling:’ Conjuring 2 Writers Talk About Where Faith and Fright Meet
Some Christians believe that believers shouldn’t even watch horror films, much less write them. Too scary, they say. Too gross. The occult themes in many can even be dangerous. Screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes, twin brothers who penned The Conjuring and, now, The Conjuring 2 (in theaters June 10) have heard it all—sometimes from their own family and friends. But they have a different take. They see a dark world out there—not the world they create through their work, but the world ..
US
Statistics on churchgoing at Christmas
Over half of Americans will go to church on Christmas day. Of those who don’t, 57% said they would be open to an invitation to go. [Note the opportunity.] A LifeWay Research study of churchgoing at Christmas also found that 89% of churches will hold services even though Christmas falls on a Sunday. [But over one in ten won’t. See our discussion.] Lutherans are the most likely to hold Christmas services on Sunday (94%), while Pentecostals are least likely (72%). [Why is that, do you think?] Also,..
“That’s Christmas”
Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke writes about how when he was a kid Christmas was hugely exciting, but that it has gotten even better now that he is older. He writes about that, focusing on “a series of moments before, during and after Dec. 25 that make you stop and think: ‘That — that right there — is Christmas.'” Read what he is referring to after the jump. What are the moments that make YOU reflect, “that’s Christmas”? From Rex Huppke, Christmas gets better as you age – Chicago Tribu..
Blog news
Merry Christmas, everybody! I thought I’d pass on some news about the Cranach blog and tell you about what’s coming up next week. Patheos has been bought by the even bigger religious site BeliefNet. Patheos will have its own identity, the editors will be the same, and it will, as they say, remain its own brand. But BeliefNet has resources that will make possible some technical improvements, new features, and, eventually, a new look. I’m not sure what they have in mind, but be on the lookout for ..
The tragedies behind “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”
Let me just let Jim Priest, writing in the Daily Oklahoman, tell it: As Christmas carols were sung and Christmas bells rung, Henry thought back on two tremendous tragedies. His loving wife, Frances, had been fatally burned in an accident in their own home. His son, Charles, had been severely wounded in the war. When Frances was caught up in a fire, Henry attempted to smother the flames by throwing his arms around her. He only succeeded in severely burning himself on his face, arms and hands. He ..
Church & Theology
Theology, Church History, and Guarding the Good Deposit
Follow @BrandonSmith85 Photo courtesy: Neuestock When I began working with the Christian Standard Bible, my first priority was to dig into the history of the translation. I wanted to know who was involved, how it was developed, how it was marketed over the years, and how many Bibles were out in the wild. In order to understand fully the good and the bad about the project ahead of me, I had to take a thorough inventory of where it came from. I could’ve done my job without this investigation—but n..
Salvation by “Faith” Alone or “Allegiance” Alone?
Follow @BrandonSmith85 If you spend any time talking to me about the Trinity, you’ll know that I’m quick to recommend Matthew Bates’s book, The Birth of the Trinity. This book received wide acclaim from various tribes, and it’s on many people’s lists of go-to works on the Trinity and the early church. His new book, however, is getting a little more heat. I was provided a review copy of the book, and it’s certainly worth dealing with—whether one ends up agreeing with Bates’s proposal or not. In S..