John S. Dickerson warns that mission drift can take root over time and calls the Restoration Movement to prioritize spiritual and intellectual formation. His Youth Worldview Initiative aims to help students “hold to” Jesus’ teaching across generations.
January 1, 2023
Jack Cottrell (April 30, 1938—September 16, 2022) wrote many articles for Christian Standard over the years, and one of his favorite topics was truth. While we do not have space to include all his articles on different aspects of this important topic, we have excerpted from several of them here. We’ll let Dr. Cottrell introduce himself. In “What I Have Learned in 50 Years as a Theologian (Part 1),” published in our February 7, 2010, issue, he wrote, Since receiving my AB degree from Cincinnati Bible Seminary in 1959, I have been either preparing to teach or teaching theology (Bible
October 13, 2022
"With the passage of years the movement . . . has been identified with restoration, not unity," Lewis Foster wrote in 1984. "In fact, with many, this early essential unity thrust of the movement has been allowed to drift out of sight compared with the place it once occupied."
September 29, 2022
Dr. Jack Cottrell, professor of theology at Cincinnati Christian University for 48 years, died Sept. 16, 2022. He was 84. In addition to writing 43 books, Dr. Cottrell also wrote numerous articles for Christian Standard. This one, titled "Inerrancy—Does It Really Matter?" was published nearly 40 years ago.
July 1, 2022
By Matt Proctor The movie Apollo 13 tells the true story of astronauts James Lovell, Fred Haise, and John L. “Jack” Swigert. On their way to the moon in April 1970, an explosion left them in a crippled spacecraft 200,000 miles from Earth—low on power, losing cabin heat, flight trajectories off. “Houston, we have a problem.” As John Ortberg relates the story in Everybody’s Normal Till You Get to Know Them, suddenly, these three astronauts needed a community of NASA scientists to save them, and these scientists were not your normal movie heroes—no chiseled good looks or superpowers. They were
June 9, 2022
Forty years ago, Christian Standard's editor polled readers on the "most crucial" issues facing the Restoration Movement. He promised to steer editorial content toward the themes considered most important. The results were announced June 13, 1982 . . .
Spire Network is built on the vision of seeking measurable kingdom impact through practical ministry support. . . . It is a community linked together with a common identity that is working to help accelerate our movement of restorative Christian churches.
February 1, 2021
A few weeks before the pandemic’s arrival in early 2020, my wife and I drove to Grand Island, Nebraska, to speak to a conference of rural churches from across the state. We had the privilege of encouraging 125 leaders. That was a pretty long trip, even in a hybrid vehicle, so we needed to stop every so often to fill up with gas. If we were to run out of gas, it would be pretty silly to get mad at the car. It’s our responsibility to fuel up when needed. In a similar way, we need regular fuel stops to
August 24, 2020
By David Faust When astronauts take untethered space walks, they float in outer space without anything attaching them to the space station. What a feeling of complete freedom! They are untethered and free from all restraints—but in grave danger. I’m sure those astronauts feel relieved when they scramble safely back into the spaceship. They couldn’t survive out there alone. Do you want to be untethered and free from any restraint? Consider what it was like during the raucous era of the Judges. “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 17:6, 21:25)—and that remains
July 13, 2020
By Leigh Mackenzie 1. Who are you thankful for in your life? 2. What challenges did you face last week? • With whom did you share the message of God’s love for us last week? How did that go? Ask three people—two readers and one reteller—to help. Ask the readers to each read Joshua 1 (preferably from different Bible versions). Then ask the third person to retell the story from this chapter as if telling it to a small group at a middle school camp. 3. How would you describe the general mood of this passage? Why? •
June 8, 2020
By David Faust The prosecuting attorney approached the bench with a confident stride. He had done his homework. Eager for the trial to begin, he came armed with a long list of grievances against the defendant. It was time for opening statements. The prosecutor paused for dramatic effect and then began. “This trial will be an unusual one because, Your Honor, the one on trial today . . . is you!” A murmur filled the crowded courtroom. The Judge himself was on trial? Who dared to bring charges against the court’s presiding officer? Questions for God The prosecutor began to
May 17, 2020
By Melissa Wuske An identity crisis is occurring among many denominational churches today. As they wrestle to define themselves amid the competing voices of denominations and modern culture, the Restoration Movement offers leaders and their churches the freedom, in Christ, to craft an identity that fits who they are as a local body while placing Christ firmly at the center. Shifting Identity Is Nothing New Churches leaving their denominations to become independent Christian churches is not a new phenomenon. “Most of the churches that became [part of] the Stone-Campbell Movement were something else first,” said Tim Cole, executive director of
May 22, 2019
By Jim Eichenberger A lot has changed in the past 100 years, but biblical illiteracy is still a problem. And at the heart of this problem, in many instances, is society’s lack of respect for the Bible’s authority. Today the challenge to biblical authority comes as radical individualism—what the Bible says to me. How God speaks to my heart. But 100-plus years ago, the challenge came from an academic elite that questioned not only the Bible but also anything supernatural. Today the Bible can mean anything depending upon the reader. Back then the Bible meant nothing because it was seen
May 22, 2019
By Jim Estep The United States is becoming increasingly divided politically. Conservatives keep moving further to the right, liberals are gravitating toward the left, and those in the center are stretched between the two. It’s similar to what has happened to the Restoration Movement. A Formula for Effectiveness When I attempt to describe the Restoration Movement to someone, I draw on this formula: Biblical Authority + Church Unity → Global Disciple-Making The Restoration Movement affirms biblical authority and binds it to a strong commitment to church unity (beyond the level of unity by agreement), all for the sake of making
September 30, 2018
By Jerry Harris The 2018 North American Christian Convention was held where it started 91 years ago, in Indianapolis. This year’s president, Drew Sherman, his team, and the NACC staff pulled together an amazing experience with inspiring speakers, incredible worship, and great accommodations. As usual at “the connecting place,” I engaged in countless conversations with like-minded leaders in our tribe, something for which the NACC is known. Some of those conversations were powerful to me. Leadership Huddles were a new addition; these ministry intensives and roundtable discussions drilled down into real issues leaders face every day in ministry. Volunteers from
June 9, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor If you”re buying fashion, you look for the right label. But when you”re relating to people in a polarized world, labels can be as damaging as they are discouraging. I, for one, am tired of the expectation that I”ll believe and behave according to the label someone else places on me. Must I, for example, echo the rhetoric of either the blue state or red state where I live? Must I agree with every statement and every position of the presidential candidate I vote for? Must I commit to either a conservative or liberal position in
May 26, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor News outlets across the country reported the Pew Research Center”s findings that fewer Americans than ever are calling themselves Christians. Most secular reports led with the summary statistic, that only 70.6 percent of adults in the United States identified themselves as Christians in 2014, compared with 78.4 percent in 2007. Meanwhile, the “nones,” those who claim no religious affiliation, increased by about 19 million. The Pew study projects that 56 million American adults, almost 23 percent of the total adult population, say they have no religion. Christian writers tried to find a positive spin in the
January 22, 2015
By Brad Walden A longtime friend reported on the latest developments in the church where he had invested years of service. He seemed excited, but also concerned about the changes. So I asked, “Do you think your church is healthy?” He answered, “Oh, yes. We are healthy. We have the largest bank balance in our history.” So that”s it? A healthy church has a healthy cash reserve? That got me to thinking. How would I define a healthy church? Is your church healthy? Can you invite new neighbors to attend your church with total confidence they will find a healthy environment? Will involvement
January 10, 2013
CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors will enjoy their annual retreat January 16-18, a meeting that is a highlight of the year for many of us who attend it. The discussions each meeting focus on the magazine”s and this website”s content and appearance. What are the topics and who are the writers that must be included in coming issues? Which are the events and trends that our readers want to read more about? This is all very serious stuff, but in the midst of it there”s plenty of laughter, an abundance of good-natured kidding, and the brand of hilarious true stories that
By Jim Tune In my previous article on elders and submission, I suggested that church planters may be hesitant to install elders due to a misunderstanding of biblical authority. We”ve become accustomed to thinking about abuse and power in the same sentence. We have so many poor models of leadership around us today, it is easy to cringe when words like submission, authority, and rule come up. But a new church plant can provide a unique opportunity to create a workable and biblical model unhindered by any existing and entrenched system. At Churchill Meadows we followed an intentional pathway””one embarked
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