Articles for tag: Christian Unity

The Starfish Effect: Why Our Decentralized Approach Is Our Strength

By Scott Kenworthy A few years ago, I attended the International Conference on Missions with a friend from a different church tradition. As we entered the exhibit hall filled with hundreds of missionaries promoting their various initiatives, I said to my friend, “This is the strength of our movement.” When we left the same hall a couple hours later, he turned around, took one last look, and commented, “That is the weakness of your movement.” Where I saw innovation, entrepreneurship, and bold risk-taking for the sake of the gospel, he saw chaos and the lack of a centralized strategy. So,

April 16, 2020

Christian Standard Updates News & Updates

“Vitamins Club” Revisited

A comprehensive indexing of Christian Standard upon our magazine’s 100th anniversary in 1966 failed to chronicle a recurring one-page feature called “Vitamins Club”—a hodgepodge of sermon outlines, memory verse listings, random poetry, original and submitted items, and also snippets gleaned from other sources. All of these had one thing in common: brevity. Today we will feature a few of these items from early in 1935 . . . 85 years ago. _ _ _ DEFINITION OF A DENOMINATION April 6, 1935; p. 6 A. E. Sterrett, of Leipsic, O., sends the following definition of a denomination, that he says he

November 7, 2019

Key Documents Restoration Movement History

“The Sovereignty of Jesus” (Keynote Sermon at the Centennial Convention)

The signature gathering marking the 100th anniversary of Thomas Campbell’s Declaration and Address took place in Pittsburgh in October 1909. It was called the Centennial Convention of the Disciples of Christ. Here is a summary of the keynote sermon from Oct. 11, opening night of the convention. I. J. Spencer, minister with Central Christian Church in Lexington, Ky., preached on “Centralization in Christ; or, The Sovereignty of Jesus.” _ _ _ The Keynote Sermon By I. J. Spencer;Oct. 16, 1909; p. 11 I thought at first of love as a fitting theme for a “keynote sermon,” but Christ is greater

September 30, 2018

Jerry Harris

Miscellaneous

The NACC: Celebrating Our Wins . . . and Starting an Inspiring New Season

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

August 16, 2018

The Restoration Movement: Its Vitality, Quirks, and Needs in the 21st Century

Editor’s Note: Starting today, every Thursday we will post an article about the Restoration Movement from our Christian Standard archives. While some will be more recent stories, many others will be excerpts from older issues, going back to 1866, that are currently not available on the web. It’s “Throwback Thursday” . . . Christian Standard-style! Today we go back to December 2006 to an article by LeRoy Lawson, which started as a presentation in the Publishing Committee’s 50th annual meeting in October that year. The Publishing Committee provided editorial oversight to Standard Publishing (the longtime owners of Christian Standard)

June 27, 2018

Michael C. Mack

Miscellaneous

Christian Standard Interview: Back at the NACC

Why Nathan Loewen and other gospel-believing Disciples of Christ pastors are attending the North American Christian Convention in Indianapolis this year. By Michael C. Mack Much has changed and much has remained the same in the Restoration Movement over the past 90-plus years. The separation was set in motion, many say, over a two-year period beginning with the 1926 Disciples of Christ convention in Memphis, Tennessee, and then the response by the more biblically conservative church leaders who organized the first North American Christian Convention in 1927. Over the next 45 years or so, the two groups drifted apart

August 4, 2017

To Be Restored: “˜Not the Only Christians”

By Trevor DeVage Messy . . . that is part of what I love about the early church. It was full of messy and unlikely people who were chosen to usher in Christ”s message to the world. Open the book of Acts and you”ll notice that these church pioneers shared in all things, cared for one another, added to their number daily, broke bread regularly, and carried the message of hope continually. They were all ordinary and messy men and women just like you and me. And out of this mess, Christ reached the world with his message. I love

June 19, 2017

Jerry Harris

A Plea for the Restoration Movement

By Jerry Harris It”s foolish to want all Christians to be in unity if we can”t be unified in our own brotherhood. We need to fight for relationship in all the issues that could potentially divide us. Otherwise, no one should take this Restoration Movement seriously. The first-century church had more difficult challenges that threatened deeper divisions than we do now. We must learn the same lessons of living out the fruit of the Spirit that they did. We can”t allow ourselves the prideful position of proving ourselves right over the greater need of loving each other. If we can

August 31, 2016

Church Life

In ALL Things, Love

By Jim Tune For as long as I can remember, our movement has gravitated toward a familiar slogan: “In essentials, unity; in opinions, liberty; and in all things, love.” Still, we often find it difficult to offer liberty when our opinions clash, and the list of essentials varies from person to person and from church to church. One might expect that familiarity with such a gracious slogan would tilt us strongly toward accepting one another”s differences and respecting the cherished convictions of brothers and sisters who see things differently. However, our movement has been as vulnerable to division, splits, and

July 19, 2016

Conferences & Gatherings Organizations & Events

10 Reasons to Attend the Global Gathering in New Delhi Next January

By Mark A. Taylor As I”m reflecting on the soul-refreshing experience of last week”s North American Christian Convention in Anaheim, California, I”m filled with anticipation for another similar opportunity. Similar, because it promises rich fellowship and unique worship with committed believers. Similar, because it offers the chance to learn from Christian leaders extending the gospel in ways I may not have considered. But the convention I”m anticipating is different in many special ways from the NACC just finished. This month I”m encouraging Christians from across America to go with me to the 19th Global Gathering of the World Convention January

June 14, 2016

Culture & Public Square Justice

Just a Beginning

By Mark A. Taylor We know at least two things about our posts about racial justice at this site this month. First, we know they are inadequate. They do not convey the scope or the whole burden of the race problem in America. “¢ They only hint at the fact that America”s fortunes were built and wealth was created on the backs of those enslaved in a land that abused them while proclaiming “All men are created equal.” “¢ They barely mention the long history of egregious statements from both church and state claiming that Africans and African-Americans are somehow

May 27, 2016

Christian Living

Fields

By Tom Lawson Not far from where I live, vast acres of grain fields extend as far as the eye can see. It is intriguing to see the land transition from muddy brown to springtime green to harvest gold. Huge combine harvesters make their slow passage through the fields in August and September, pouring tons of harvested grain into the beds of waiting trucks, as the rich fields are reduced again to brown stubble and mud. Few of us give much thought to where our food is produced, or by whose hands and efforts it comes to our table. To

May 24, 2016

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

The First Step Toward Unity

By Mark A. Taylor What does Christian unity look like? Sometimes it takes the form of two or three preachers getting together just to talk and share common experiences, dreams, and convictions. Often this leads to joint ministry projects and worship services between congregations creating new associations where once there was only suspicion and separation. Maybe the sweet aroma of unity will create a longing for it among others ready to include more people among “us” and fewer as “them.” And that can create an expression of unity in a large, public event attracting hundreds of separated brothers and sisters

March 21, 2016

Mission & Evangelism

The World Comes to India

By Gary Holloway “The experience changed my life.” “I saw more of what God is doing in the world.” “Our churches will never be the same.” These are statements from people who have attended a Global Gathering of the World Convention. The World Convention of Churches of Christ serves the Stone-Campbell churches (Christian, Churches of Christ, and Disciples of Christ) found in 199 countries and territories, with about 10 million total adherents worldwide. World Convention seeks to connect those churches everywhere, every day. One way it connects is through a Global Gathering every few years, with the next one scheduled

March 5, 2016

Lexington Celebrating Restoration 200 on May 15

Restoration 200“”billed as a revival of unity, liberty, and love””happens May 15, 3:00 p.m., at the Courthouse Square Plaza in Lexington, KY. The gathering will celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first Restoration Movement church in Lexington. After the Cane Ridge Revival near Paris, KY, in 1801, Christians across the commonwealth shed their denominations to imitate the church of the New Testament. They said, “We are not the only Christians, but are Christians only.” This revival of the church, often referred to as the Second Great Awakening, brought to light the detriments of separation in the church, and emphasized the

December 1, 2015

Culture & Public Square Race

Moving Beyond “˜Color Blind”

By Mark A. Taylor Many thoughts have threatened my internal comfort zone since I attended a daylong conference on racial unity outside Baltimore, Maryland, last month*. I came face-to-face with the reality of racism that still flourishes in my country. I came to understand the privilege that comes automatically, systemically to white people in America. And I was forced to consider how that privilege has benefitted me and hurt others. I came to see that Jesus” prayer for unity will not be answered when Christians of different races distrust or blatantly denigrate each other. (Nor will it happen when members

June 12, 2015

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

In All Things, Charity

By Richard J. Cherok People and movements frequently search for pithy statements to encapsulate ideas they deem worthy of remembering. Within United States history, for instance, citizens were once called upon to “Remember the Alamo” or vote for “Tippecanoe and Tyler too.” Whatever the slogan or motto, it is meant to strike an emotional chord and evoke a precise belief or action. One such statement within the Restoration Movement goes something like this: “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” Though often expressed with variant wording, this slogan has become one of the movement”s most enduring mottoes.

March 11, 2015

Christian Living

Let”s Meet for Dinner

By Jim Tune Let”s meet for dinner. I”d be willing to host. Jesus himself said, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking” (Luke 7:34). Eating and drinking a lot. New Testament scholar Robert Karris says, “In Luke”s Gospel, Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal, or coming from a meal.” Interesting. What is the Son of Man doing when he comes to earth? The Jews expected him to come with a vengeance, defeating God”s enemies and vindicating his people. Instead he shares a meal. Meals are a powerful expression of welcome and friendship in every culture.

January 5, 2015