Southern Baptists Work to Address Sexual Abuse
As one of his first official acts, J. D. Greear, the newly elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), will partner with the denomination’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), to form a study group on sexual abuse.
According to the ERLC, the group’s purpose will be to consider how Southern Baptists at every level can take discernible action to respond swiftly and compassionately to incidents of abuse, as well as to foster safe environments within churches and institutions. This group will also study both how Southern Baptists are currently engaging these issues... Continue Reading
Andrew Brunson’s Daughter Shares Emotional Testimony at Religious Freedom Ministerial
Jacqueline (Brunson) Furnari was among the family members of persecuted believers who shared the stories of persecution that their respective loved ones have faced, kicking off a much anticipated three-day conference on international religious freedom.
For the past two decades, the North Carolina native has served the Turkish people as a church leader in Izmir. But on Oct. 7, 2016, Brunson was arrested and held for over a year before finally being charged with having connections to Kurdish militants and the Islamic Gulen movement that the government accuses of staging... Continue Reading
Preaching: a 3-Way Engagement
While there are elements of overlap between the ‘preaching’ we encounter in a wide range of contexts, to authentically preach the Bible involves a unique dynamic.
All preaching requires skill in rhetoric and oratory, but perhaps the best and most influential preacher in biblical times was reputed to lack them. Indeed, by his own admission, Paul tells the Corinthians he did not come with the kind of speaking gifts and philosophical panache that was so admired in their day (1Co 2.1-5).... Continue Reading
The Cosmic Border Crisis
There is a classic Oneism, a cosmic border crisis where categories, concepts, and characteristics of creation are smuggled into our understanding of God.
Cosmopolitanism is the view that all humanity belongs to a single community. People belong to a world community more than to a local community. “The nebulous core shared by all cosmopolitan views is the idea that all human beings, regardless of their political affiliation, are (or can and should be) citizens in a single community.”... Continue Reading
The Joy of Being a Poor Evangelist
Every time we speak the gospel, we need the power of God to invade the conversation.
Evangelism is the great exercise of our trust in God – a truth we easily ignore, because we constantly fall prey to the lie that evangelism is what we do for God. We slide back into performance-driven obedience. We are not the catalyst for evangelism; the Spirit is. I feel there are probably more like me who struggle to... Continue Reading
How the Names of God Reveal the Nature of God
One of the best ways to learn about God is to focus on his names or titles in the Bible.
Here is a short sketch of several names of God in the Bible that reveal God’s nature. The names described here specifically reveal how the Father and Son relate to one another and how God is eternally beneficent and always shares of himself. One of the paradoxes of our faith is that God both... Continue Reading
The Tragedy of Misunderstanding
We should make every effort to be crystal clear in our own communication, and yet be very cautious about what other people say and do.
Should we not make every effort to prevent misunderstanding by clarity in our own words? And yet shouldn’t we also be very generous (or at the very least patient!) in how we read other people’s actions and words? Yet we live today in a society that tends to encourage people to put the onus of... Continue Reading
Stop Chasing Happiness. It’s Making You Miserable
Where do we find meaning? For a while the answer was in the pursuit of happiness.
According to recent research, we need to rediscover the power of meaning. We find meaning when we view our lives as significant: when we can make sense of them, and when we are driven by a sense of purpose. At times, meaning and happiness can be at odds, but a sense of meaning gives us... Continue Reading
The Cross and the Believer’s Home
Jesus went to the cross to prepare a final home for believers in the new heavens and new earth.
As He approached Jerusalem and the sufferings that He was about to endure there, Jesus told His disciples: “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go... Continue Reading
Accredited by Whom? And How? Some Thoughts about “Accreditation” in Relation to Christian Higher Education
An “accredited college” or “accredited university” is one that has that seal of approval from a nationally recognized accrediting society or association.
A great deal of time and energy is spent by the administration and faculty on trying to read the minds of the accreditors. What exactly do they want? What will cause them to cite the college or university with one or more demerits (which then have to be cleared up)? Based on my many years... Continue Reading
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 383
- 384
- 385
- 386
- 387
- …
- 520
- Next Page »