Series: Featured

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

IN THE ARENA: Is It Fitting for Christians to Drink Alcohol in Moderation? (A. What If Abstinence Is the Stumbling Block?)

In the Arena In the arena of ideas and opinions, we offer a place for Christ-centered and Christ-honoring debate on nonessential issues. This month, Ken Idleman and Zach Spiering give us two opinions on a common hot-button issue among Christians: public drinking. Tell us what you think on this issue by leaving a comment below. (Also . . . tell us what other debatable issues we should discuss “In the Arena.”) _ _ _ By Zach Spiering During the time I taught at a Restoration Movement Bible college, I enjoyed the opportunities to work with wonderful, godly men and women

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

IN THE ARENA: Is It Fitting for Christians to Drink Alcohol in Moderation? (No)

In the Arena In the arena of ideas and opinions, we offer a place for Christ-centered and Christ-honoring debate on nonessential issues. This month, Ken Idleman and Zach Spiering give us two opinions on a common hot-button issue among Christians: public drinking. Tell us what you think on this issue by leaving a comment below. (Also . . . tell us what other debatable issues we should discuss “In the Arena.”) _ _ _ By Ken Idleman As I address this question, it is day four of the weeklong FBI investigation into the allegations of sexual assault leveled by Christine Blasey Ford against

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

The Past, Present, and Future of the Restoration Movement (Part 1 of 3)

(Part one of a three-part series) By Steve Carr Let me start with the story of two movements. By virtue of reading this magazine, I’m sure you can guess the first one, so I’ll introduce you to the other. About four decades after the inception of the Restoration Movement, American innovation led to the creation of a game that would quickly become the national pastime: baseball. Abner Doubleday is often credited with creating the game, but historians have virtually refuted this. Regardless of who started it, the history of baseball is robust. It continued to spread rapidly across the United

January 3, 2019

Jerry Harris

Christian Standard Interview with Fred Gray: Preacher, Lawyer, and Civil Rights Warrior

By Jerry Harris HE’S A QUIET southern gentlemen, but he wields the law like a warrior. He is fueled with a deep conviction to his calling in life. Though he is nearly 88, his recall of facts and names is instantaneous. He is friendly . . . able to distinguish lines that separate the arena of ideas from the God-given value of every human being with whom he comes in contact. He’s among the last remaining champions of the earliest days of the civil rights movement; he is the one who brought the heavy weight of the law to bear

December 24, 2018

Christian Standard

SILENT NIGHT: The Real Message of this Classic Christmas Carol . . . Then and Now

By BJ Krug It was a time of war. A time of upheaval. A time of economic uncertainty, of political uncertainty. In 1816 the Napoleonic Wars had just ended, and the nations of Europe had crashed over and against each other until their borders were no longer recognizable, even to the people living in them. In many places, occupation forces were still present or were only recently withdrawn. A young priest in Austria named Joseph Mohr wrote a poem channeling some of that uncertainty by recasting it in familiar terms of love, care, and affection—a challenge, you might say, to

December 16, 2018

Christian Standard

‘The Gospel Comes with a House Key’

What the Holy Family Teaches Us about Hospitality   By Matt Proctor My wife, Katie, has the gift of hospitality. With six kids, our house isn’t always clean, but it’s always open. Katie’s smile, fun red chairs, and paper plates have welcomed hundreds of people. Me? I’m not so good at it. I’m a professional extrovert but a personal introvert. I interact happily with lots of people in my work, but at the end of the day, I want to pull in my driveway, pull up the drawbridge, and enjoy some alone time. Also: I’m not always good at welcoming

December 15, 2018

Christian Standard

Christmas at the Movies: A Wonderful Life

By Dick Alexander Why would you bother to watch this movie? There are no motorcycle chases. No buildings blow up. Nobody dies or gets killed. There’s only one minor car accident, and that with no injuries. Everyone is fully dressed. The plot is straightforward—it’s clear who are the good guys and bad guys, and nobody switches sides. Yet, in spite of what at face value is an old-school, out-of-date movie, year after year we watch It’s a Wonderful Life. Maybe we’re hopeful the title will come true. And maybe part of the allure is a nostalgic longing for the simpler

December 8, 2018

Christian Standard

Christmas at the Movies: ‘A Christmas Story’

By Caleb Kaltenbach I triple-dog dare ya! Randy . . . show me how the piggies eat. Fra-GEE-leh. It must be Italian! You’ll shoot your eye out! If you randomly heard any of those quotes, you’d probably know the movie they come from. I mean, who doesn’t love A Christmas Story? I’m sure there are a few lost souls who don’t, but it’s a Christmas favorite for many of us. With a creative soundtrack, solid acting, and a nice plot, it puts us in the “Christmas mood.” Also, who didn’t want an “official Red Ryder, carbine-action, 200-shot, Range Model air

December 3, 2018

Christian Standard

The ‘Perfect’ Christmas Tree

By Max Lucado The Christmas tree hunt is on. Families are entering tents and patrolling sidewalks. They lift limbs and examine needles. They measure. They ponder. They consider. They barter. The tree can’t be too tall or too short. It needs to fit the room and the budget. It must be full yet not dense, mature but not dry. A noble fir for some. A Douglas fir or Virginia pine for others. The preferences are different, but the desire is the same. We want the perfect Christmas tree. And, oh, the special moment when we find it. When we lash

December 2, 2018

Christian Standard

Joy to the Church Leaders

How to Break Out of Seasonal Stress to Experience the Joy of Jesus This Christmas Compiled by Justin Horey Joy is more than the subject of a classic Christmas carol. Joy is an integral part of the Christmas story. It was “good news of great joy” that the angels announced to the shepherds outside Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. Ironically, the trappings and traditions of the modern Christmas season can threaten to steal our joy at a time when we should be celebrating Christ’s birth. This is even true—perhaps especially true—for those in full-time ministry. From staff parties

December 1, 2018

Jerry Harris

Christmas at the Movies: The Ghosts of Christmas

By Jerry Harris Besides the actual Christmas story from the Bible, one could argue that the most significant written expression of Christmas is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It’s actually an unlikely story about Christmas. The nightmarish tale features ghosts who haunt a cold-hearted moneylender, making it wholly different from the circumstances of a conventional Christmas. It’s a story about a miserly man who is the master of his own destiny—a curmudgeon with money, position, and reputation. It’s also a story of that same man alone, isolated, dried up, and hateful . . . a man dismissive of his

November 26, 2018

Christian Standard

10 Christmas Gift Ideas that Support Ministry and Mission

By Carla Williams You want your Christmas season to be as meaningful and Christ-focused as possible, but when it comes to gifts, it can be difficult to escape the trap of overcrowded malls or flash Internet sales. As you ponder your list of loved ones to shop for this Christmas, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to give something that makes a difference for the kingdom around the world? Many ministries and mission groups sell thoughtful, meaningful gifts that help sustain and serve their gospel purposes. This year, you can give gifts that truly keep on giving! _ _

November 13, 2018

Christian Standard

Mix, Weigh, Seal, Ship: Packing Meals and Sharing Jesus’ Love

Lifeline Christian Mission partners with churches, schools, and others to provide the supplies—and opportunities—to serve people locally and globally through food-packing events.   By Ben Simms Mix. Weigh. Seal. Ship. These four simple steps involve several generations, as participants gather to package shelf-stable meals for the hungry. A meal-packing event is one of the easiest and most popular ways to engage a group of people, whether large or small, in a service project together. The fun begins as you bring your group together, whether it’s your church, school, or employees. You host the meal-packing event at your location across the

November 9, 2018

Christian Standard

The Silent Struggle of Suburban Poverty

By Kelly Carr Grocery shopping can be a tedious task rather than a joyous undertaking—but stepping through this market’s doors in Parker, Colorado, you are immediately welcomed with encouraging smiles. A personal shopping assistant steps forward to guide you among the shelves packed to the ceiling with delicious options. Turning the corner, the refrigerated section has dairy, eggs, and every cut of meat you could want. The most colorful moment comes when you reach the back aisle—there before you lies a rainbow of beautiful, mouth-watering produce. It sounds like a typical visit to Whole Foods or a local farmer’s market—a

November 6, 2018

Christian Standard

Rethinking Short-Term Missions

3 Practices to Help (and Not Hurt) the People We Seek to Serve   By Josh Rouse Scenario 1: A short-term team paints three buildings on a nongovernmental organization’s campus and hosts a VBS for more than 200 so-called “street kids.” They go home proud of what they were able to achieve. The problem (aside from “street kids” being a derogatory term)? They don’t realize those same buildings had already been painted by other short-term teams twice that summer, and those same kids had attended more than a dozen similar VBS programs in the last two months. Either the host

November 1, 2018

Christian Standard

The Pocket Superhero

How to share Scripture with immigrants in their language   By Greg Pruett Weary from a long trip, I was tempted to ignore the Uber driver on my way home from the airport, but then I remembered missionaries are supposed to share the gospel. (Actually, we’re all supposed to do that!) A little reluctantly, I asked the man, “Where are you from?” “I’m from Dallas,” he responded. I could tell the story was more nuanced than that, so I probed a bit more: “Where are your parents from?” His answer intrigued me: “Ethiopia.” “What languages do you speak?” “I speak

October 30, 2018

Christian Standard

Transforming Communities through Business as Mission

By Fenton Lewis More than 20 years ago, I found myself wrestling with a desire to serve God beyond teaching Sunday school or giving to the church. The advice I received—as have many others—was to quit my job, go to seminary, and become a pastor. But I questioned that. God had given me a unique combination of education, work experience, and spiritual gifting, and I believed he had done that for a reason. I thought my unique skill-set could be used to help fulfill the Great Commission and the Great Commandment. So, I began an adventure that took me around

October 22, 2018

Christian Standard

Prayer, Power, Purpose

J. Russell & Gertrude Morse and Four Generations of Ministry to Southeast Asia and Beyond By Russell Johnson Starting from humble beginnings, the Morse family has made an eternal impact in lands few others had ever tried to reach. The Morses’ journey has taken them through some of the highest mountain passes in the world, where they discovered dozens of tribes who had never heard the name of Jesus. The early years were often devastating and discouraging. Several of the Morses’ friends were buried on unnamed mountainsides halfway around the world from their families. In time, some of these missionaries

October 15, 2018

Christian Standard

What Makes the Fastest-Growing Churches Grow?

By Jim Nieman   How do you explain your church’s tremendous growth in 2017? That’s what we asked lead ministers of the fastest-growing churches in three attendance categories from Christian Standard’s annual survey of churches: churches of 1,000 or more (megachurches and emerging megachurches profiled in May), churches of 250 to 999 (large and medium churches—June), and churches 249 and fewer (small and very small churches—July). All three churches have one thing in common—new facilities—but that wasn’t the only explanation for their growth. We spoke with and/or emailed questions to: Aaron Brockett, lead pastor of Traders Point Christian Church (Whitestown,

October 1, 2018

Christian Standard

Mission-Driven Success

By TR Robertson   Rocky Fork Fellowship in tiny Hallsville, Missouri—population 1,500—grew from 40 to more than 400 in its first 10 years while meeting in the local middle school cafeteria. On March 4, 2018—11 years after the church’s founding—Rocky Fork gathered for their first Sunday together in a new building just south of town. A combined 841 worshippers attended two services. The following week, three Easter services brought in a total attendance of 977. Not surprisingly, the founders and leaders of the congregation have grown used to fielding questions about the secret to their success. “We try to pinpoint

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