Series: Columns

Devotionals

Poetry Is Useless

By Jim Tune The wonderful thing about poetry is that it is at once both useless and utile. I love poetry. I am pulled to words in a powerful way. They draw me in with an almost physical intensity. Many of the greatest masters of the English language throughout history have been Christian poets. Think of John Milton, who composed the magnificent epic poem Paradise Lost in order to “justify the ways of God to man.” Think of John Donne, who wrote such memorable lines as “Death be not proud,” “No man is an island,” and “Never send to know

October 21, 2014

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

Diverse, Dynamic, and Difficult to Summarize

By Mark A. Taylor Suppose you were asked to summarize the current condition of Christian churches and churches of Christ to an interested but largely uninformed audience. That was my assignment at the Sunday-evening worship service sponsored by the Stone-Campbell Dialogue in Austin, Texas, October 5. As I reported in this space last week, I was one of three speakers, each with a similar assignment; the others spoke, respectively, about the a cappella churches of Christ and the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ. Realizing that no one in our group can represent the whole group and no one can know everything

October 15, 2014

Devotionals

Living with Wonder

By Jim Tune In his book The Melody of Faith: Theology in an Orthodox Key, Vigen Guroian speaks of God as someone more like a musician than a manager, more like an artist than an accountant. He writes: “God is more like a cantor who chants his Creation into existence and rejoices everlastingly over its beautiful harmony. His song continues, and its melody moves and inspires humankind to restore beauty and harmony to a Creation that is fallen and misshapen.” I love the sense of wonder Guroian”s words evoke in my heart. Wonder seems to be in ever short supply

October 14, 2014

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

Sowing Seeds of Unity

By Mark A. Taylor Two weekends ago (October 5, 6, 2014) I attended the 19th annual gathering of the Stone-Campbell Dialogue, this year in Abilene, Texas. It was a wonderful gathering! I had the privilege of preaching at the Minter Lane Church of Christ before the Dialogue convened, and I enjoyed rich fellowship with members and leaders of all three “streams” of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. The goal of the Dialogue is to foster understanding, trust, and partnership among these “streams”: the Christian churches/churches of Christ (my group); the traditionally a cappella churches of Christ; and the Christian Church (Disciples

October 8, 2014

Devotionals

Capitulating to Grace

By Jim Tune It”s hard to get enough of something that almost works. Most people who have tried religion discover this sooner or later. I know this. I”ve tried life on the gerbil wheel of good works, knowing the futility yet running relentlessly to earn approval. Heaven knows I”ve tried””and still do. Reaching midlife and realizing I still fall far short has, in some ways, been a healthy discovery. I have not “arrived” spiritually; in fact, I”m as far away as I”ve ever been. That said, I”m not quite ready to capitulate to the demands of the flesh. Instead, I”m

October 7, 2014

Creating, Not Attacking, the Culture

By Mark A. Taylor We were visiting the beautiful Cloisters museum and gardens in New York City and browsing through its remarkable displays of 5,000 works of medieval art. Most of the paintings, sculpture, and stained-glass windows depicted Christian images, and I found myself wondering, “Centuries from now what great art from the West will the world find as a Christian witness?” Several writers at our site this monthÂ are trying to answer that question. And all of our “Christians and culture” articles appearing hereÂ present a challenge to positive culture-shaping initiatives, some of them in ways far removed from the arts.

October 2, 2014

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

A Playground for All Children

By Jennifer Johnson In 2012 Arron Chambers preached a sermon series on Nehemiah at Journey Christian Church and challenged them to do a “great work” in their community of Greeley, CO. At the same time, he and his wife, Rhonda, asked their four kids to pray about a great work they could do as a family. “At the time, our youngest kids were 8 and 10 and loved going to the playgrounds in our neighborhood,” says Chambers, who serves as lead minister at Journey Christian. “They suggested we build a playground that all children could enjoy, including kids with developmental

October 2, 2014

John”s Gospel””Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

By Jennifer Johnson Many lifelong believers find it difficult to have a fresh perspective on the Bible”s stories, and many seekers and skeptics have never heard them. Joe Boyd”s “The Bible Experiment,” live theatrical retellings of the Bible”s great stories, is designed to reach both groups. Boyd launched the project in April with two shows of the Gospel of John in Cincinnati. More than 1,000 people attended. “The goal was just to tell the story as best we could without leaving anything out and without an agenda,” says Boyd, who served in ministry roles at churches in Las Vegas and

October 2, 2014

The Greatest Story, Retold

By Jennifer Johnson There are many things I love about living in Philadelphia””the history, the proximity to New York, the water ice (look it up). But this month I”m wishing I still lived in Cincinnati . . . or Orange County, CaliforniaÂ . . . or even Nashville so I could get to a show or three of Joe Boyd”s Gospel of John and his retelling of both Old and New Testament stories next year. I also wish I could take everyone I know, both my friends who have been Christians forever and the ones who think the rest of us

October 1, 2014

Family & Relationships Marriage

A Bad Year, a True Hero, and an Invitation to Wonder

By LeRoy Lawson Diary of a Bad Year J. M. Coetzee London: Harvill Secker, 2007 The Ruby Ring: Tyndale”s Battle for an English Bible Karen Rees Crosslink Publishing, 2013 Unwrapping Wonder: Finding Hope in the Gift of Nature Carol O”Casey Greeley: Gladach Publishing, 2013 I suppose it is because “misery loves company” that books by or about other old people get my attention, but that”s not the only reason. Sometimes old people write very good books. And younger people sometimes write very good books about old people. In the case of J. M. Coetzee”s Diary of a Bad Year, we

October 1, 2014

At the Movies

By Jim Tune I”ve never been a television junkie. Five years ago a lightning strike took out our dish. We never replaced it. I don”t have a Netflix subscription either. I tend to be very selective about what I watch. Every summer my wife and I spend most of August at a secluded cabin on Cape Breton Island. We have a small television set there and a $30 DVD player. Most of our “media” consists of a steady diet of summer reading. However, we have allowed ourselves the indulgence of catching up on popular television series and movies. Based on

September 30, 2014

Church Leadership

Six Things I”ve Learned about Leadership

By Mark A. Taylor What would you preach if your sermon assignment was leadership? What could possibly be fresh or helpful to say about a topic that has already been the subject of a thousand books, articles, and workshop sessions? What would you add””or subtract””from this outline for the sermon I plan to preach this weekend? Godly leaders . . . “¢ are servants, not stars. Consider the ridicule and stress Noah must have felt, obeying a strange command and anticipating a horrible outcome. Think about Moses, saddled with the whining, self-centered, shallow, and headstrong Jews on a journey to

September 24, 2014

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

Living with the Tension

By Jim Tune Jesus Christ turned conventional views of power upside down. Jesus was remarkably indifferent to those who held political power. He had no desire to replace Caesar with his apostles. He gave civil authority its due, rebuking both the zealots and Peter for using the sword. This seems to have infuriated the religious right of his day. In an effort to discredit Jesus, the Herodians tried trapping him over the issue of allegiance to political authority. I am mystified by the Evangelical obsession with power and influence. A made-in-America Jesus seems more concerned with nationalism, patriotism, and power

September 23, 2014

Church & Ministry Community Outreach

Stopping the City Slide

By Mark A. Taylor Of all the helpful “change” pieces at our site this month, perhaps the most challenging is Glen Elliott”s account of Christians banding together to help change a city in trouble. Tucson, Arizona, according to Elliott”s report, is a decidedly un-Christian place, listed as the 12th-most post-Christian city of 100 metro areas in the U.S. And its spiritual poverty is matched by its economic and educational deficiencies. Tucson is the sixth-poorest metro area in the nation, filled with underperforming schools with terrible reputations. What kind of change could Christians make happen in a place like that? The

September 17, 2014

Salvation Theology & Bible

Gospel Confidence

By Jim Tune I”ve often been asked, “Isn”t this the only thing that really matters to God in the end: whether or not you”re a good person?” This sounds great, and being good and doing good are central to what it means to be human, but this question masks a subtle belief system. Just below the surface of this sensible and conventional way of seeing God is the flawed idea that God operates according to a merit system. Do the good or right or religious thing and you will get the points you need to get on God”s good side.

September 16, 2014

Discipleship & Spiritual Formation

A Choice, Not a Prayer Request

By Mark A. Taylor I”ve written before about a friend in ministry who was dealing with some difficult people. “Why don”t you show them why they need to approach this problem in a different way?” I asked her. “Because people don”t change,” she said. “My telling them another way is better won”t make any difference. They”re going to do this the way they want to do it, not the way I say they should.” If she”s right, how do we ever see change happen? At least a part of the answer comes in the excellent essays by Casey TygrettÂ and

September 12, 2014

Colleges & Seminaries Organizations & Events

New President Appointed at Dallas Christian College

The Board of Trustees of Dallas Christian College announced this week its appointment of Dr. Brian D. Smith as the college”s next president. Smith comes to DCC from Johnson University Florida, where he has served most recently as associate provost. Before that, he served as vice president of academics at Florida Christian College, where he had previously held the positions of associate dean of academics and institutional effectiveness, and registrar. The appointment follows a national search that began nearly one year ago after the resignation of President Dusty Rubeck. Smith will begin his tenure as president on Nov. 1. Smith

September 10, 2014

Christian Living

Food Fight!

By Jim Tune I”ve been intrigued by the topic of health and fitness for years. That doesn”t mean I always lived or even pursued a healthy lifestyle, but over the past 11 months I”ve lost 60 pounds without crash dieting or riding some fad. I guess it was just time. The thing is, I”ll be 51 soon. I can no longer take my health for granted. Some effects of aging can”t be helped. Apparently I”m losing 1 percent of my testosterone a year. My bones are becoming porous and more fragile. My brain is shrinking, my arteries narrowing, and my

September 9, 2014