Series: Featured

October 21, 2016

Christian Standard

It Takes a Library: An Interview with C. Christopher Smith

By Jennifer Johnson In Reading for the Common Good: How Books Help Our Churches and Neighborhoods Flourish, C. Christopher Smith makes a compelling case for the importance of reading as he discusses our reading with others and using what we”ve learned to discern our call and our identity as faith communities.  CHRISTIAN STANDARD recently interviewed Smith about some of the big ideas in his new book. _____ One of the themes running throughout your book is that the church needs to become a learning organization. Can you give us a brief definition of what that means and explain why reading

October 17, 2016

Christian Standard

Faith & Virtue

How and Why America Is Still Searching By Neal Windham I fear that our ability””maybe even our desire””for dialogue is gone. What does this mean for a people whose first and greatest prayer is, “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”? I live and dwell and have my being in a nation that”s been in search mode for better than 50 years. Long before Google, in the decade of the Kennedys and Vietnam, of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Greenwich Village and Haight-Ashbury, Americans were engulfed in a search for what it means to be a free

October 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Fear Not

By Jennifer Johnson I am angry about the state of our union. And I”m not alone. But anger isn”t the core problem. In January, the Esquire/NBC News “American Rage Survey” reported that half of Americans are angrier than they were a year ago. In February, BBC.com reported that 69 percent of Americans are either “very angry” or “somewhat angry” about “the way things are going” in the United States. As I write this, the day after the Orlando nightclub shooting, I”m sure the numbers are even higher. We are angry about climate change, about those who deny climate change exists,

October 14, 2016

Christian Standard

5 Culture Wars Jesus Wouldn”t Fight

By Danielle Hance The Bible says our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual strongholds of evil (Ephesians 6:12). However, more and more, it seems like Christians are known for their attacks on those who don”t follow a “Christian” lifestyle. As Christians, we should definitely be in the world and not of it, but that does not give us the right to tell anyone what to do, since we are all sinners in need of God”s forgiveness. Considering that God himself, who has every right to judge, did not send Jesus to condemn the world but

October 10, 2016

Christian Standard

My Nation Under God

Four problems with nationalism for the Christian By David A. Fiensy I suppose when a small country church invites you to fill their pulpit on a Sunday near the Fourth of July, you should expect some flag-waving. But what I experienced was way over the top, in my opinion. The song leader led us in patriotic songs exclusively. At various times during the service, he seemed to choke up when referring to the American flag. When it came time for the Lord”s Supper, he apologized for “breaking the mood.” After the Communion service, he sang as a solo, “I”m Proud

October 8, 2016

Christian Standard

Patriotism, Idolatry, and Evangelism

By Rubel Shelly In my opinion, the United States of America is a wonderful, though imperfect, country. One could even call it exceptional in many ways among all the nations of the world, but I refuse the designation “American exceptionalist.” An American woman can love her country and be deeply patriotic because she appreciates its uniqueness and marvelous history. She might point to such things as its abundant natural resources and favorable climate. More likely, she would talk even more about the freedoms of speech, press, and religion. There is the protection under law its citizens enjoy. She could reference its

October 7, 2016

Christian Standard

Culture, Country, & Christ

Books to shed light on conventional notions of God and country By Jim Tune “Is the United States an exceptional nation? Of course it is. . . . Though not everyone may like the way the United States has used its exceptional status over the course of the last two centuries, it is hard to deny that it has been . . . extraordinary.” So says John Fea in his foreword to John D. Wilsey”s American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion. Personally, I”m inclined to agree. In my research, the authors of the books I surveyed are, for the most part, in agreement

October 6, 2016

Christian Standard

Can I Be a Christian and a Patriot?

Four biblical principles about our earthly citizenship By Matt Proctor Full confession: I love America. I was born on an overseas U.S. Army base where my father served, and I respect the office of president, sing the national anthem, salute the flag, and own the movie Captain America. But my study of God”s Word has led me to decide how I should view my love of country in terms of my higher calling. Two summers ago, I took my 10- and 12-year-old sons on a weeklong U.S. history tour. We imagined being an immigrant at Ellis Island, marveled at the

October 3, 2016

Christian Standard

Clamped Down

By Roger Palms One day I toured the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and was invited on board a training version of a craft that had been sent into space. I was shown clamps on the floor that anchor the feet of the astronauts. Out in space, there is no orientation of up or down. So when an astronaut wants to be stable, or to sleep, he or she is fixed in place by those clamps. Whatever seems like up to the astronaut, is up. Whatever feels like down, is down. I came away from that visit thinking that”s

October 1, 2016

Christian Standard

Studying the City: How Three Schools Are Preparing Students for Urban Ministry

By Jennifer Johnson Two years ago, the United Nations predicted that by 2050, 66 percent of the world”s population would live in urban areas and reported that in the United States 82 percent already do. As the global community continues to move into cities, it”s becoming crucial for today”s young people””regardless of their major or vocational plans””to understand how to serve, minister, live, and thrive in urban environments. Several of the colleges and universities affiliated with our movement understand the need to reach their own cities while preparing students for an urban future. Here”s what three of them are doing.

September 26, 2016

Christian Standard

The Case for “˜Authentics”

By Neal Windham I recently took six college students to a state park not far from my home for an afternoon of prayer. It was a dreary spring day. Intermittent rain showers soaked our plans, cooled the air, and beckoned us to drier conditions after we toured the park. So we went to a Dairy Queen””you can always pray at a Dairy Queen””where we celebrated Abbey”s birthday over Blizzards and swapped some great stories. On the drive home, students began to sing. One of them asked if I had a request. “Sure,” I said, “How about something from The Sound

September 19, 2016

Christian Standard

Why I Quit Being a Pastor to Train Elephants

By Brian Mavis I”m calling on the church, government, arts, and business to work together for the sake of kids. “Our greatest dignity as creatures is not in initiative but in response.” “”C. S. Lewis “For we are God”s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” “”Paul, in Ephesians 2:10 It”s been a great 20-plus years, but God has called me to a new challenge””training elephants. People are pretty pumped about it, but allow me to tell you the backstory before I get to the elephants. My Wife, Orphans,

September 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Motivation Through Missions!

By Janet C. Smith If you”re looking for a way to motivate people to use their gifts and talents for God, CMF International has a suggestion: Get them interested in missions! Since the Indianapolis, Indiana, mission organization launched its partnership with Missions of Hope International (MOHI) in the Mathare Valley slums of Nairobi, Kenya, in 2005, scores of churches across the country have sent teams of people with all kinds of jobs, connections, interests, and abilities there to provide medical clinics, training, education, sponsorship, and more. Most people come back saying the experience changed them. But some””like those in the

September 16, 2016

Christian Standard

What Is a Resident Pastor?

By Matt Gugel “Hello, my name is Matt and I”m a resident pastor.” Maybe you read “resident pastor” and think, What in the world is a “resident pastor?“ Good question! I actually live under the stage in the worship center! Obviously””at least, I hope it was obvious””that is not where I live. To help clarify what I mean by resident pastor, think of a person who wants to be a doctor. He spends his time going to school and finally comes to a place where he starts to put what he”s learned into practice. After graduation, that person must become

September 16, 2016

Christian Standard

Lead to Freedom

By Brian Jennings When Israel returned home after 70 years of captivity, their walls lay in ruins, their memories of God”s Law had faded, and their citizens were vulnerable. Without leadership, everything might have crumbled again. Ezra and Nehemiah emerged as two of the greatest leaders in Scripture. While dozens of leadership principles ripple through this story, here are four essential ones for leading people to freedom. 1. Lead by Studying “For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel” (Ezra 7:10). The word

September 15, 2016

Christian Standard

The Flip Side of Spiritual Gifts

By T.R. Robertson Spiritual gifts aren”t always predictable. They don”t necessarily show up on a survey of interests and tendencies. Sometimes they”re best seen in the weaknesses or temptations that often accompany them. I met Jane in prison, where she is serving a life sentence. Her lifestyle of self-absorption had led her on a downward spiral of unspeakable cruelty and violence. In prison, she was led to Christ. Soon she developed the Spirit-driven gift of encouraging other people, much to the surprise of people who knew her before. What surprised her, though, was the unexpected flip side that came with the

September 12, 2016

Christian Standard

Mission, Calling, Gifts, and Roles: How the Church Gets Things Done

By Jon Weatherly Human beings are social animals. We don”t simply enjoy being together. We need to be together to survive, let alone thrive. For as long as we”ve existed, we”ve lived together””working, serving, sharing, and trading.  We have divided our labors for efficiency and followed leaders for effectiveness. Family, neighborhood, school, business, city, nation””all are humans in community, getting things done. “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). Christ”s church is no less a human community. It is deliberately interactive and communal. It has always divided labor and followed leaders. It has surely succeeded

September 11, 2016

Christian Standard

Releasing Others to Serve: An Interview with Alex Absalom

By Kent Fillinger Alex Absalom leads Dandelion (www.dandelionresourcing.com), which empowers leaders, churches, and networks to build missional and naturally supernatural disciple-making cultures.  He is a pastor at Grace Church in Long Beach, California, and previously spent five years on the leadership team at RiverTree Christian Church in Massillon, Ohio, where he led the church in transitioning from a purely attractional to an attractive missional model, which included the starting of about 70 midsize missional communities. We spoke with him about how churches today are unleashing their members to use their spiritual gifts””and how they can do this better. What is

September 10, 2016

Christian Standard

“˜Everyone Wants a Cause”

How one church is facilitating the priesthood of all believers””inside and outside the church walls By Justin Horey Is a Little League coach a children”s ministry worker? Is a backyard barbecue a discipleship group? Is living out your faith as a public school teacher as important as serving in student ministries? At Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, the answer is yes. Lead pastor Ben Cachiaras says Mountain Christian Church encourages ministry both inside and outside the church walls, because it”s essential to do both. “We legitimize ministry even if it”s not within the four walls of the church,” Cachiaras

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