The children see models of the Christian life other than their parents in all walks of life with varying pasts that educate them for the future. Kathy Keller's article on raising children in the city speaks of how others in the community can share their experiences to testify to the goodness of God in avoiding the temptations our children will face.

Regardless the comment, if it was meant to encourage you, thank them for their encouraging words. Be grateful that however small, simple, or even shallow the comment, someone took the time to share their thoughts with you

You may be a very godly and theological person, even very experienced in ministry, but if the parents in the congregation feel weird about you, your ministry to young people will never get off the ground. Don’t expect trust to just happen because of your qualifications, and don’t resent parents when they don’t give it. Just get to work earning it.

It’s important to offer a ministry of presence to those in need. But when the gospel is reduced to identifying with others, the uniqueness of Christ’s incarnation becomes an afterthought.     In recent decades, scores of books, manuals, and websites advocating “incarnational ministry” have encouraged Christians to move beyond ministry at a distance and... Continue Reading

Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, an evangelical Christian, filed an EEOC discrimination complaint on July 5, claiming that officials at the school "harassed me for some time by disagreeing with my conservative religious ideals, intimidating me, slandering my character, giving me poor evaluations and changing student grades from failing to passing with no merit."

It doesn’t take too many weeks to see that loving wisely and caring for dozens of students at the same time is not as easy as it appears and that it is only sustained long-term by the grace of God. Nor does it take too many encounters with students to realize that some will be apathetic, some very hard to connect with, and some will actively turn away from God, despite the amount of love or care you pour into their lives.

Forrester also will have a bit of added clout as university chaplain. Vanderbilt did away with that title in 2008, when it reorganized the office of religious life. Reinstating the title is a positive sign that Vanderbilt recognizes that religion on campus matters, Sims-Baker said. “That word ‘chaplain’ is really important,” he said.

What 20-year-old David Mikesell said is that he’s looking for is a balance. He grew up worshiping at College Park Baptist in Orlando and has come to love the organ in worship. But he also likes the energetic praise-and-worship style at the student services he attends at Florida State University.

I know, I know—you really don’t like the term “culture war.” The mission of the church is not to “reclaim” America. The growth of the church does not rely on political victories or societal approval. And we don’t want the people we are trying to reach to think we are at war with them. I... Continue Reading

God made us to need the companionship of fellow disciples. If you read the Scriptures and miss that, you have missed a great element in the Word. “It is not good that man should be alone” was spoken of more than marriage. That is a fact of human existence. The four-year-old who says, “I can... Continue Reading