InterVarsity Now “Derecognized” at California State University’s 23 Campuses
InterVarsity won’t be a recognized campus organization on the 23 schools in that system; it has been derecognized because it requires their leaders to have Christian beliefs
The bigger, and ongoing, issue is the continual sanitization of unacceptable religious voices from universities. It’s ironic—those who champion nondiscrimination, in the name of nondiscrimination, are creating rules that push out those who “discriminate” based on biblical belief statements…. The irony: the university is using a rule intended to protect and to include religious groups... Continue Reading
12 Reasons Why It Is Good To Be A Church Bully
Church bullies are not good, but being a church bully is good business these days, and here’s why
It is time for the bullying to end. But it won’t be easy. Standing up to bullies means recognizing our own anxieties and need to be liked. Standing up means risking being unpopular, it means risking the wrath of the system that protects the bullies. Standing up means knowing all the advantages that bullies have... Continue Reading
Like Job, I Too Was Surrounded By Darkness
During my times of intense grief, I made a conscious decision to “search for meaning, not happiness.”
When he was 12-years-old, he was diagnosed with a synovial sarcoma which required the total amputation of his right arm. My son’s illness persisted over a six year time frame and we tried many cancer treatments; some helped temporarily, others not at all. Finally, the cancer took his life and this loss was the most... Continue Reading
Remembering Sermons
A sermon journal is easy to do, great to go back and read
What pastor wouldn’t love for his congregants to give the preached Word more careful attention? After all, if he is putting the time into preparation all week, we can put the effort in to be better listeners. God’s Word always affects us, but how many sermons do you actually remember a year from now? How... Continue Reading
The Normalization of ‘Spiritually Polygamous’ Marriages
A Utah judge bizarrely casts opposition to polygamy as racist.
Waddoups finds it impossible to conceive that any rational person would think there could be harms from the creation of a visible public subculture of polygamy, regardless of whether the marriages are state-sanctioned. To him, such a claim is not just wrong, it is literally unintelligible: “The court agrees with [Utah supreme court] Chief Justice... Continue Reading
Are You Half-Baked?
Your friendships were given to you by God to help you do what he asks of you
We don’t hear a lot else about Hur in the Bible, but in Exodus 17 we see him faithfully accepting the job of holding up some old guy’s arm for the day. It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but what if he didn’t do it because it seemed silly to think Moses would need help?... Continue Reading
Belhaven University Enrollment Highest in Its History
Belhaven’s fall enrollment shattered all previous records
Dr. Roger Parrott, Belhaven University President, noted, “I have been amazed at our growth on the main campus this year and our continued fast pace of growth in graduate and online students. This pace ranks us as one of the fastest growing Christian universities in the country. I am thrilled so many students value a... Continue Reading
Church, Stay Out of Missions!
"Insider Movements" call the established Church to stay out, God’s Word calls the Church to go in
“The modern missions movement has not been immune to the pressure of anti-ecclesial commitments. Missiologists, in fact, impose additional reasons for avoiding formal and even informal connection between churches worldwide. If you have read the previous articles on Insider Movements (IM), the reasons will not shock. In the name of cultural diversity and local autonomy,... Continue Reading
Hymns And “Drinking Songs”
Were some of our most beloved hymns written to drinking songs? No.
“Delving into 16th century music history would teach us that we’re asking the wrong question. The institutional church’s influence on society at that time was immense; it was far greater than a postmodern American perspective could really fathom. Thus, secular music was derived from the musical idiom of the church, not the other way around... Continue Reading
On the Cultivation of Christian Tradition
We affirm the importance of beginning our pursuit of sound worship and holy living within the bounds of traditions that we have inherited from the saints of the entire church age
“One of the recognizable characteristics of those Protestants who were not identified with the magisterial Reformation, is a distrust of tradition. In an oft-noted irony, this has led to many churches upholding an unexamined and hardened tradition of anti-traditionalism. The New Testament, however, repeats an emphasis on the central responsibility of receiving and passing down,... Continue Reading