Series: Featured

July 2, 2011

Christian Standard

A Firsthand Report on the Joplin Tornado

By Victor Knowles It was a searing scene straight from of the book of Revelation. Thunder crashing, lightning flashing, wind howling in excess of 200 mph, hail hammering everything in its path like a merciless Hun invasion, and “ball lightning”—big balls of red fire bouncing across the ground like bizarre basketballs from Hell. “It was like a nuclear bomb was dropped,” exclaimed a stunned Errol Bolt, who has survived several hurricanes in his native Jamaica. And when the EF-5 tornado had spent its fury, one-third of the city of Joplin, Missouri, lay in ruins. The Weather Channel’s Al Roker initially

June 30, 2011

Christian Standard

After the Japanese Earthquake

By Reggie Hundley On March 11, a powerful earthquake struck just off the island of Japan. The destruction and loss of life from the quaking earth paled in comparison to the cataclysmic power of the resulting tsunami. News of the devastation traveled around the world. And within moments, people were contacting the forwarding agents of missionaries and the offices of Mission Services Association, the National Missionary Convention, International Disaster Emergency Services (IDES), and others. People from around the world wondered how friends and residents of Japan were faring. Perhaps the words of Paul Clark, longtime president of Osaka Bible Seminary,

June 28, 2011

Christian Standard

The Church Is Alive in China

By Name Withheld When we arrived in China, we had no idea what to expect. Was it OK to bring a Bible into the country? Were there any churches? What if authorities found out we were Christians? My husband and I moved to China a few years ago so he could take a new job in his company. Since that time we have been blessed to meet many people and have some amazing opportunities. Although we are not part of any missionary organization, we have been privileged to work alongside some people who are. Let me tell you what we

June 28, 2011

Christian Standard

What I Learned When I Became Their Preacher in Panama

Timothy Keim We had heard Panama is a popular retirement destination for North Americans. During our trip to check out that nation we were providentially led to an English-speaking nondenominational church comprised primarily of Americans and Canadians living there. Since October 2009, my wife and I have been traveling to Panama each month so I can preach part time at the church. Here are a few things we have learned about this type of ministry.   International Living Is a Growing Trend According to various estimates, 6 to 8 million Americans live outside the United States (not counting government or

June 27, 2011

Christian Standard

God Does Not Have a Plan for Your Life

By Jennifer Johnson “God”s plan for your life isn”t a map you see all at once, but a scroll unrolled a little at a time, requiring faith,” Rick Warren recently tweeted. “God will accelerate his plan for your life as you put your trust in him. God is giving you victory sooner than you think,” says Joel Osteen. Less prominent Christians champion the theology as well. In responding to a new believer”s question about his career, a contributor to Bible-Knowledge.com writes, “God will now be the one to fully guide you into whatever jobs he will want you to have. .

June 26, 2011

Christian Standard

How We Got THIS Bible (Part 2)

By Jon Weatherly The Bible”s history helps us understand why we have this Bible, not a tidier, easier-to-understand, simpler-to-explain Bible. We have the Bible because God acted in history to make himself known, and faithful people responded. What God did and how the faithful responded tells us how the Bible came to be and came to us. The fact that the process happens in history helps us understand why we have the Bible we have, instead of the one that some imagine. Last week, in Part One of this article, we considered how God acted in history. We examined what

June 22, 2011

Christian Standard

The Verse that Saved My Life

By Mark Atteberry It happened on my last day of Bible college. It was a ceremony dreamed up by several members of our senior class, something inspirational to do as a part of our final chapel service. Each senior would walk to the podium and call the name of a member of the junior class. The junior whose name had been called would then stand and listen as the senior read a specially chosen verse of Scripture. Several of my classmates thought it would be a good way for us to say goodbye. When the idea was sprung on me,

June 21, 2011

Christian Standard

Why We Need to Listen to the Message of “Love Wins”

By Dustin Fulton There has been no shortage of controversy in Evangelical circles surrounding the release of Rob Bell”s latest book, Love Wins. One of the blogs I read hailed it as an “instant classic” (she was a self-proclaimed friend of his from college, with a picture to prove it), while others have called it “complete heresy” and labeled him a Universalist (apparently they weren”t his friends in college!). While Bell certainly didn”t shy away from publicity on this one, I think we ought to be a bit more careful of jumping on or off the bandwagon so quickly. In

June 20, 2011

Christian Standard

How We Got THIS Bible (Part 1)

By Jon Weatherly Where did the Bible come from? Was it delivered by angels to King James I in a leather binding with gilt-edged pages? Was it the product of church councils seeking to squelch dissent? Was it immediately and universally recognized as God”s Word until the recent rise of secular humanism? Today the Bible is the world”s most widely read and widely debated book. We Christians revere it as God”s Word, the full and final authority for what the church believes and does. But the Bible is not necessarily what people expect in God”s Word. It has many sections

June 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Mighty Big Shoes to Fill

By Cheryl A. Moen My father”s shoes were big””huge in fact. My dad, Burdett Wakeman, wore size 15AAA shoes””a size so large and unique that every pair of shoes he purchased had to be specially ordered. And even then, they were known to arrive in two separate boxes! Dad was a preacher, and I am certain no other minister was ever introduced by Romans 10:15 more than he was. “And how can they preach unless they are sent? . . . “˜How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”” But Dad was a great sport and just

June 16, 2011

Christian Standard

Our Finest Hour, Our Ongoing Challenge

By LeRoy Lawson My subject today is missions. Please don”t yawn. Sometimes preachers are made to feel a little defensive when promoting this essential part of a church”s life. Announce a “missions emphasis weekend” and watch the attendance plummet. Announce that giving has been falling behind and expenses have to be cut and you can count on a chorus of calls to slash missions giving. It”s a hard sell””this missions enterprise. That”s why I bring the subject up. Please don”t be cynical, either. You might object that I think this matter is so important only because I work for a

June 15, 2011

Christian Standard

Warm but Not Fuzzy

By Frederick W. Norris Earthquakes, a Pacific tsunami that reached California, shifting yet continuous wars, shaky economies. These events grab our attention with ghastly pictures of eroding life. There are, however, flashes of light that remind us of our abiding hope in Christ. God is not dead; neither does God sleep. The loss of schools for educating church leaders in the 1930s during the Depression, cultural secularism, and movement toward world war provided the conditions for the birth of our colleges. We made it then, and we can make it now, because God still rules. The courageous people who backed

June 13, 2011

Christian Standard

What About Christian Churches?

We asked former contributing editor Robert Wetzel to get answers from scholars to a question we have considered in several different ways in recent months: What is the future of our movement of churches? By C. Robert Wetzel ________ The future always grows out of the past, of course, so this week we decided to put the question before three historians: Paul Blowers, Dean E. Walker professor of church history at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, Johnson City, Tennessee. Doug Foster, professor of church history; director, Center for Restoration Studies, Abilene Christian University, Abilene, Texas. Newell Williams, president and professor of modern

June 10, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from Old Testament Prophets (Part 2)

Just as a Rubik”s Cube has six sides, six principles will help you understand these often-overlooked books. (This is another in a series of articles titled “Reading the Bible for All It”s Worth” that Matt Proctor is writing this year.) _____________ GO TO PART 1 ______________ By Matt Proctor In Part One of this essay, I pointed out the first four of six principles that can help you grasp the marvelous meanings in the Bible”s prophetic texts. I pointed out that the 17 Old Testament books we call the Prophets””Isaiah through Malachi””contain some of the most powerful passages in all of

June 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Read the Bible

By Jon Weece Of all the books our children will read in their lifetimes, none will prove more valuable than the Bible. But the Bible has been exiled from far too many Christian homes. I love to read. Always have and probably always will. When I was in the third grade my older brother, Jud, introduced me to the book My Side of the Mountain. It chronicled the life of a boy who ran away from home and lived in a hollowed-out tree in the Catskill Mountains of New York. At the age of 9, I did not possess the

June 7, 2011

Christian Standard

Getting the Most from Old Testament Prophets (Part 1)

Just as a Rubik”s Cube has six sides, six principles will help you understand these often-overlooked books. (This is another in a series of articles titled “Reading the Bible for All It”s Worth” that Matt Proctor is writing this year.) _____________   By Matt Proctor The 17 Old Testament books we call the Prophets””Isaiah through Malachi””contain some of the most powerful passages in all of Scripture, and yet these books remain some of the least read portions of the Bible. A nationally respected business leader, John Dasburg, saved Northwest Airlines from bankruptcy in the early 1990s when he served as CEO.

June 2, 2011

Christian Standard

Deo Est Amo””God Is Love

By Sheila S. Hudson “Mrs. Hudson. Your husband”s chances are about 50-50. He”s a very sick man. His body has been through a lot. To be perfectly honest, I”m not sure he”ll make it.” Dr. Morris”s face was grim. His eyes stared into mine, making sure I got the message. My hands trembled. The words burned into my brain. Panic overwhelmed me. Angela, interim director at Christian Campus Fellowship, and I held each other. I sobbed as she prayed. In the ladies” room as I dried my hands, I took off my wedding band and read the inscription. Deo Est

June 1, 2011

Christian Standard

Same-Sex Marriage””What Should We Do?

By Ben Cachiaras Editor”s note: As the Maryland state legislature considered a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, earlier this year, Ben Cachiaras encouraged his congregation, Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland, to respond in a way that honors Christ. (The bill ultimately died without being passed.) Below is an excerpt from what Ben wrote in March. Christians need to think carefully about this issue. Here are a few incomplete thoughts and observations, offered humbly into the discussion: “¢ The landscape in America has changed. Recent polls confirm what we already know””that a growing number of Americans are prepared to recognize gay

May 31, 2011

Christian Standard

A Biblical Response to the Gospel

By Jim Tune Whenever someone is ready to begin a life of faith and discipleship, he or she rightly asks, “What must I do now?” While salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus, most believers in Christ would agree that something must be done. Many modern-day evangelists would encourage the new believer to “come forward” at an “altar call.” Others might encourage the spiritual seeker to say the “sinner”s prayer.” That prayer might go something like this: “Father, I am sorry for my sins and want to turn away from my sinful life. I believe your Son Jesus died

May 30, 2011

Christian Standard

Alexander Christian Foundation

By Tom Scott The Alexander Christian Foundation seeks to partner with the churches of Indiana to provide scholarships for those preparing for ministry. “Now is the time of God”s favor, now is the day of salvation.” Paul wrote those words to spur on the Corinthians. He wanted them to realize it was their moment to reach people for Christ. There is a real sense of passion in these words from the great evangelist in 2 Corinthians 6:2. He believed at any moment Christ was going to return. That same message applies to our generation today. With all the unrest around

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