Series: Featured

July 11, 2012

Christian Standard

It’s All About the Connections

By Mark A. Taylor When the North American Christian Convention advertises itself as “the connecting place,” it’s not false advertising! Just try getting through the halls quickly from one event to another. Inevitably you’ll be stopped by people you know, friends from former ministries, or old college classmates. And if you’re not stopped, you may be doing the stopping as you see a favorite college professor, the guest preacher who visited your church, or the workshop leader who gave your church a new vision for ministry. Happy chatter is the norm in the hallways, around the exhibits, in the elevators,

July 10, 2012

Christian Standard

The Start of a Refreshing Week

By Mark A. Taylor “We”re inviting you to be refreshed by our amazing God,” said Tim Foot as he opened the first worship gathering of the 2012 North American Christian Convention in Orlando, Florida, Tuesday evening, July 10. Several thousand had gathered at the Marriott Orlando World Center Resort in two expansive ballrooms that had been turned into a worship center. The worship was heartfelt and substantive. Foot”s team augmented their music with creative video that portrayed the spirit and the message of each song we sang. The music was a comfortable mix of newer and older worship choruses, highlighted

July 10, 2012

Christian Standard

Externally Focused AND Evangelistic?

By Staff Most churches have heard about the “externally focused” emphasis that has prompted Christians everywhere to get out of their church buildings and into their communities to serve. Meanwhile, the attractional/missional debate has also prodded the push to be about going out instead of inviting people into the church. We talked about this trend at the annual CHRISTIAN STANDARD contributing editors retreat to explore the effect of this service emphasis on the church”s vision and mission. Can we effectively help and heal bodies AND save souls? CHRISTIAN STANDARD editors gathered the following leaders for this discussion: Ben Cachiaras, senior pastor

July 9, 2012

Christian Standard

Christian Standard Is Becoming a Monthly!

Nation’s longest-running Protestant weekly magazine strengthens mission, moves to monthly format CINCINNATI ““ July 6, 2012 — After 146 years, Christian Standard magazine, believed to be the nation”s oldest Protestant weekly in continuous publication, will move to a monthly schedule starting in September 2012. The Christian Standard has been continuously published since its first weekly issue rolled off printing presses on April 7, 1866.  It has produced issues every single week for 146 years, except for two weeks in 1937 when a flood put its presses underwater. Most of the time when a publication announces a change, it shuts down

July 6, 2012

Christian Standard

The President & Immigration

By Darrel Rowland As citizens of the U.S. prepare either to re-elect Barack Obama or elect Mitt Romney as president of the United States, one issue some will consider is the candidates” positions on immigration.   President Barack Obama (Democrat) “¢ Says the U.S. Border Patrol is better staffed than at any time in its almost 90-year history, with more than double the agents from 2004 (much of the hiring happened under President George W. Bush); unmanned aerial surveillance covers the border from California to Texas; some 650 miles of the southwestern border has been fenced, including about 300 miles

July 5, 2012

Christian Standard

A Ministry to Immigrants in Canada

By Jennifer Taylor “When you first get here, even the most basic things can be difficult,” says Javier Bustillos, who is originally from Cali, Colombia, and lived in the United States before arriving in Toronto, Canada, in 2003. “You don”t know where to shop for food, what school your children should attend, where to live. It”s a confusing time.” Bustillos and a small group of other Spanish-speaking members from Churchill Meadows Christian Church (also in Toronto) began visiting a local shelter to become friends with the refugees and immigrants. “We didn”t begin with a plan,” he admits. “We just listened

July 5, 2012

Christian Standard

You May Not Know You Know Me

By Mandy Smith Meet Marco Saavedra-Mendez, a young man as “American” as any you”ll meet. An undocumented immigrant with an uncertain future. I”m an immigrant to this country. I first came on a student visa, then had a temporary work visa, then a permanent work visa (or “green card”), before becoming a citizen. I read the fine print, filled in all the right forms, provided all the required information, consulted legal professionals, paid the visa application fees. And waited. Many times. So when the immigration issue comes up, my initial thought is often something like, I had to go through

July 4, 2012

Christian Standard

The Immigrants, My Friends

By Jim Phegley Let me introduce to you to some wonderful people I will never be able to forget. Twenty-seven years ago, my wife and I came to New York with our two children expecting to start one Hispanic congregation and then return to our home in Michigan. Now our children have made the Northeast their home, and we have two grandchildren. We will have roots in the Northeast the rest of our lives. Most undocumented immigrants arrive with the same expectation, go north for a few years, and return home. Then children are born, friends made, and lives established.

July 3, 2012

Christian Standard

What I”ve Learned, What I Believe About Immigration

By Gayla Cooper Congdon and Erin Illingworth As a resident of an international border city, I encounter immigration issues on a regular basis. Every time I drive down Interstate 805 to my office in San Ysidro, California, a warning sign reminds me to watch out for people running across the freeway. That sign is there to protect those who cross the border on foot and are in danger of being hit by cars. Each time I travel to our camp in Mexico near the border towns of Tijuana and Tecate, I see a fence that was constructed to keep people

July 1, 2012

Christian Standard

The Other Side of the Fence

By Fernando Soto-Dupuy Was it right and legal when Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob crossed the Canaanite border on several occasions? The Canaanites would have said no. Was it right and legal when the children of Israel crossed the border into the promised land? The Philistines and Ammonites would have said no. Was it right and legal when the Assyrians and the Chaldeans crossed the Israelite border? The Israelites would have said no. Was it right and legal when the Greeks crossed the western border of Persia? According to the Persians, the answer would have been no. Was it right and

June 30, 2012

Christian Standard

Liberty & Love

By Troy Jackson Sadly I”ve discovered that our country”s heart and the church”s compassion for the immigrant are much smaller than I would have imagined. Twenty years ago, I set out on an East Coast road trip to look at potential seminaries and graduate schools. Reared in Indiana, I had never been to New York City, Philadelphia, or Boston. I was excited to see those great American cities and some of the iconic landmarks of our nation. As I rambled down the New Jersey Turnpike, approaching New York, I caught the city”s famous skyline in the distance. As the traffic

June 29, 2012

Christian Standard

Immigration: What”s a Christian to Think?

By Alan F.H. Wisdom In spite of widespread advocacy for immigration reform by some Christian leaders, Christians remain divided on this crucial issue. Unfortunately, there are no simple answers. There is no biblical passage that lays out the details of a just immigration policy for 21st-century America. In spite of this, a chorus of voices from Christian leaders with many different groups has called for liberalized immigration measures. As a result, many Christians might be left to wonder how there could be any doubt on the issue. But there is doubt. Polls show church members deeply divided, or even inclined

June 28, 2012

Christian Standard

Immigration: What Does the Bible Say?

By M. Daniel Carroll R. The immensity of this human dilemma should drive Christians to the Scriptures to see what God might have to say about engaging the stranger. Immigration has been a hot political issue in this country for the last several years. Some in the media can be a bit shrill, labeling newcomers as part of a “tidal wave” or an “invasion” of foreigners. Heated and exaggerated rhetoric, of whatever persuasion, is not helpful and is not becoming for Christians. What might a self-consciously Christian position on the topic look like, one that doesn”t consist simply of a

June 25, 2012

Christian Standard

My Thorn

By Matt Rendulic Severe bipolar affective psychosis. It”s a condition I”m learning to live with. It”s a weakness I”m learning to thank God for. It”s a companion to every day of my ministry. Paul seems a bit anxious and reluctant as he starts the 12th chapter of his second letter to the Corinthian church, “This boasting will do no good, but I must go on. I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord” (v. 1).* Then Paul begins to describe a time he was caught up into Heaven. Upon initial reading, one probably says, “Awesome! I wish

June 21, 2012

Christian Standard

Strategies to De-stress Leadership

By Sheila S. Hudson “Put the big ones in first,” my father-in-law advises. Pop-Pop, as the great-grandchildren have dubbed him, is a very wise man. He has been an elder in the church as long as I can remember. I ponder his advice. Today Pop-Pop is in his element with his 14 great-grandchildren as his audience. He lets each of them try filling a jug with rocks, sand, and water. After putting sand, pebbles, and water in the jar, however, the children discover the larger rocks won”t fit. Then Pop-Pop shows them the secret: When you place the big rocks

June 20, 2012

Christian Standard

A Young Minister”s Heartbreak

By Darrel Rowland At 38, Jon Weece, senior pastor of Southland Christian Christ in Lexington, Kentucky, is one of the younger leaders of our megachurches. But listen to him speak his heart with the wisdom of years on why long-term ministries can be so difficult:   I fear what our limited metrics do to many faithful servants in the kingdom. For those servant leaders who are experiencing explosive numeric growth in the ministries they”ve been entrusted with, I fear a loss of humility may visit their hearts. For those servant leaders who are not experiencing explosive numeric growth in the

June 19, 2012

Christian Standard

What”s Happening with Wayne?

Editor”s note: We asked Wayne Smith collaborator Rod Huron to give us an update on Wayne”s activities these days. During May, Wayne”s schedule included a banquet sponsored by the International Conference on Missions (formerly National Missionary Convention) and speaking at a banquet to raise money for Sayre Christian Village in Lexington, Kentucky: “They started in 1972 to build a home for the elderly, and now they have 25 acres and 250 apartments, plus a medical unit. It hasn”t been easy, but look at where they”re going””a $12 million expansion.” He also spoke at a banquet sponsored by Women for Life, a group

June 19, 2012

Christian Standard

Playing Hurt

By Wayne Smith The greatest thrill, the greatest dream, the greatest goal of a football player”s career is to play in the Super Bowl. To be able to wear the ring of a Super Bowl champion is the greatest accomplishment of all. I”m told that being tackled in an NFL game is like running into a brick wall. In spite of their unbelievable conditioning, nearly all of these players play hurt. The question begs to be asked, “Why do these fellows do this?” Some do it because of the money, but for most of them, football is in their blood

June 17, 2012

Christian Standard

First Voice

By Daniel Schantz I paused by the open door of a Bible college preaching class. A nervous young man was delivering his first sermon. The video camera glared at him like an electric dragon, and the students were busy filling out evaluation forms on his performance. Thanks to accreditation, Bible college is now all about evaluation””meticulous, relentless evaluation. It may be a boon to bureaucrats, but it can be brutal to a tender young spirit. As I watched the boy, my mind drifted back to my own first sermon, when I was just a 15-year-old preacher”s son, attending the Sabina

June 14, 2012

Christian Standard

Rah-Rah for the Christian Standard

By J.K. Jones Jr. “Rah-Rah” for the CHRISTIAN STANDARD! This is so unlike me to want to lead a cheer for a 146-year-old magazine (founded in 1866 by Isaac Errett), but here I am acting the fool. Those who know me could attest that I prefer a quiet life outside of the public eye. I tend toward encouraging others to stand up and speak out, but at least in this one instance, I find myself uncontrollably vocal. I”d like to take a few minutes and tell you why I”m imitating King David who “was dancing before the Lord with all

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