July 24, 2005
Reflecting on Ecclesiastes and James, Tom Ellsworth shares how God teaches wisdom through life experiences, relationships, and hard seasons—inviting believers to hold on loosely to this life and keep eternity in view.
July 17, 2005
A pastor’s mental illness can’t be ignored or handled with shame. This article shares Fosdick’s story and offers clear dos and don’ts, warning signs to watch for, and practical ways leaders can provide steady, hopeful support.
July 17, 2005
A late-night bus ride in Manhattan becomes a living illustration of Matthew 25. A former paramedic turned bus driver shows what it means to offer safe passage—meeting needs, welcoming strangers, restoring dignity, and walking with others toward freedom.
With a looming shortage of young ministers, churches must intentionally encourage teens to consider God’s call. Phyllis Fox offers practical ways to support calling, partner with parents, build relationships, teach Scripture, and give teens real responsibility and service opportunities.
July 17, 2005
Darrel D. Malcom recounts how Poplar Creek Church established a lifetime $1,000 monthly “legacy” payment honoring decades of ministry service—offering stability, freedom to keep serving, and a model other churches could consider for aging ministers.
As Eddie Bratton retires, Cathy Kissling remembers how Eddie and Lois Bratton—and a faithful church family in Kalkaska, Michigan—helped her family survive a painful season with counsel, prayer, and practical care.
July 10, 2005
Rick Chromey argues the church must adapt its “wineskins” to a new cultural moment—moving from club to community, rules to relationships, and words to images—without weakening the gospel.
July 10, 2005
Is truth personal preference or something real and knowable? Ben Cachiaras contrasts cultural relativism with Jesus as the standard of truth, urging believers to hold to Scripture and embody truth with conviction and grace.
July 10, 2005
After a 20-month RV tour across America, LeRoy Lawson shares several “druthers” for the church—hopes for growth in leadership, worship practices, ethnic outreach, missions giving, and Scripture-centered preaching and teaching.
July 10, 2005
Naomi Kouns reflects on England’s “pre-Christian” youth culture and the quiet hope of gospel renewal through relationships. Campus ministry, she argues, offers a practical path for restoring souls and forming disciples among university students.
July 3, 2005
LeRoy Lawson reflects on a 20-month RV journey and the remarkable revival he’s witnessed among independent Christian churches—through megachurch growth, church plants, community engagement, expanding schools, and healthier leadership and unity.
July 3, 2005
Eddie Lowen addresses common criticisms of megachurches, pointing to the New Testament church’s large beginnings and offering observations about what healthy large churches can look like in practice.
June 26, 2005
By Rubel Shelly As John Shelby Spong details his rejection of orthodox Christian beliefs, he reflects a type of scholarship that is more appropriate to Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code than a serious student of the Bible. To be sure, he embraces the Jesus Seminar with its flawed methodology, a priori judgments against anything supernatural, and thoroughly skeptical conclusions. He calls its founder, Robert Funk, “an unusual and gifted scholar”1 and ag rees with him that Jesus needs a “demotion” from his traditional stature as Messiah and Son of God.2 As with Brown and Funk, however, pseudoscholarship is
June 26, 2005
Rubel Shelly and John York discuss Woodmont Hills as “The Family of God,” emphasizing acceptance, honesty, and movement toward Christ. They also describe shared preaching and dialogue sermons designed to keep the focus on Christ, not personalities.
June 26, 2005
For the church’s first decades, the Old Testament was its only Scripture. This article traces how Jesus and the apostles used the Law, Prophets, and Psalms to preach Christ, guide the church, and advance the gospel to the nations.
June 19, 2005
A staff roundup of “Christianity 101” models that help guests and new members take next steps. See how churches use rotating sessions, newcomer meals, and multi-week classes covering beliefs, baptism, Communion, giving, gifts, and involvement.
A staff roundup of short “What We Believe” statements from churches across the U.S., highlighting shared convictions about Scripture, Jesus Christ, salvation, baptism, and the church’s mission in clear, visitor-friendly language.
A Theology 101 look at God’s omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence—seen in creation, redemption, and providence—grounded in Scripture and illustrated with thoughtful examples.
June 19, 2005
From ocean waves to a helicopter view of the Grand Canyon, Tom Ellsworth explores “awe” moments that point to God’s majesty—and to the greatest awe of all: Christ’s total sacrifice for us.
Rubel Shelly uses The Da Vinci Code as a metaphor in modern theology debates, warning that preset scholarly criteria and popular pseudoscholarship can unsettle believers who lack grounding in Scripture and church history.
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