July 3, 2025
Ben Alexander was an internationally renowned evangelist and founder of Exposing Satan's Power (ESP) Ministries. He came out of a spiritualist background, but devoted his life to Christ and to warning Christians about the dangers of the occult.
April 11, 2024
The Restoration Movement is "not liberal, not really evangelical, not fundamentalist—as a group we are generally conservative, but not consistently so," LeRoy Lawson wrote in 2006. "In fact, critics could accuse us of not being consistently anything" . . .
March 1, 2024
What can we learn by reviewing Restoration Movement history? . . .
March 1, 2024
Reflections on the centennial issue of Christian Standard from 1966 . . .
February 18, 2021
We continue to celebrate the life of Sam E. Stone this week by highlighting humorous and poignant snippets from articles he wrote primarily in the years before he became Christian Standard’s editor in 1978. The “Throwback Thursday” features throughout February are dedicated to Sam, who died Jan. 25 at age 84. As you’ll see—and as friends, family, and longtime readers surely remember—Sam had a deft ability to weave anecdotes, stories, and quick asides into his articles (and sermons) to entertain the reader (and listener) while making larger points grounded in Scripture. Here are some examples . . . _ _
February 1, 2021
How One Ministry Seeks to Lead the Way in Diversity and Racial Reconciliation in the Church When Dream of Destiny was founded in the summer of 2007, I never could have imagined where we’d be as a country some 13 years later. From the coronavirus pandemic and massive unemployment, to the political divide and racial tensions, 2020 was a year like no other. Without a doubt, these will continue to be critical factors that will significantly shape our nation’s future for many generations to come. The tragic death of George Floyd shocked the entire world and became a turning point
January 5, 2021
Since I first enrolled at Ozark Christian College, Mark Scott has been my kingdom hero, and I’m not the only young preacher Mark has shaped. Over his 35 years at OCC, Mark has inspired generations of students.
November 12, 2020
I spoke with a former Christian college professor a couple of times in the past few weeks. John L. Morrison is a pleasant gentleman enjoying retirement in California. Through the years, he taught at San Jose Bible College (now William Jessup University), Milligan College (now Milligan University), and Puget Sound College of the Bible (now closed). I can’t recall Mr. Morrison’s exact age, but it’s in the neighborhood of 90. Mr. Morrison told me he had written for Christian Standard a number of times. I became curious and checked into this. Sure enough, I found articles by him from the
June 14, 2020
Learning from Our Restoration History—and the Civil War—How to Fight Well By Steve Carr An adage suggests there are three subjects one should not bring up in public conversation: sex, religion, and politics. In this article, I throw caution to the wind and bring up all three, while pursuing how political issues have impacted the Restoration Movement. One of the mottoes of our movement is, “In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, love.” In the traditional understanding of this proverb, nonessentials refers to those extra-biblical topics not specifically mentioned in Scripture. While politics would seem to fit in
May 25, 2020
(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 31, 2020: “The Look of Integrity”) By David Faust I am approximately six inches taller than my wife. Most of the time our height difference doesn’t matter, and it comes in handy when Candy asks me to reach the dishes she keeps on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet. Our difference of height creates discomfort, though, when we drive each other’s cars. Candy adjusts the seat of her Honda Civic to fit her shorter frame, so when I get in, the steering wheel presses so close to my chest
May 17, 2020
By Matthew Wilson As a pastor in an independent Christian church, I’m excited and encouraged that many denominational churches are abandoning traditions and conventions and are migrating toward movements like ours that embrace biblical supremacy. In many ways, I believe we are coming out of a dark ages and entering an era of enlightenment. People no longer follow doctrines and practices just because they are told to; instead, they demand to understand the context for what they believe. In modern history, many Christians relied on the authority of their governing bodies, but now we live in an information-driven age where
June 20, 2019
(Read Part 1 of this profile, published June 13.) Before launching into Part 2 of this profile of “Raccoon” John Smith from 1925, we should offer an explanation for how he acquired his nickname. The opening of M.M. Davis’s article about Smith from June 12, 1909, gives this account. _ _ _ “Raccoon” John Smith [1784–1868] is the most unique character in our history. . . . Just why he should have this undignified nickname is not clear, for he was never a hunter of anything, much less of raccoons. But of all names in the world needing a distinguishing
September 20, 2018
CS Archive from September 25, 1988 _ _ _ On September 25, 1988, Christian Standard published an item that had been prepared for the Encyclopedia of American Religions titled, “Who Are the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ?” The writer was Edwin V. Hayden, who served as editor of Christian Standard from 1957 to 1977. As one might expect, the article is a straightforward introduction to our churches—part history and part snapshot in time. As you read it, I believe you’ll appreciate both the clarity of the writing the clarity of the vision for our churches. Some also will note
June 23, 2018
By Victor Knowles In our American Restoration Movement, we have been paddling in separate streams for more than 100 years. Like Paul and Barnabas, we had a “sharp disagreement” (Acts 15:39) over issues like instrumental music and missionary societies. We too “parted company” and had our own journals to spread the good news (Gospel Advocate and Christian Standard), started our own Bible colleges and Christian universities to prepare gospel workers (Lipscomb University and Johnson Bible College—now Johnson University), and developed our own lectureships and conventions to encourage and equip Christians (Pepperdine Bible Lectures and the North American Christian Convention). Since
April 20, 2018
Where We’ve Come From, Where We Are, and Where We’re Going By Ken Idleman In her book Join the Club: How Peer Pressure Can Transform the World, Tina Rosenburg sought to determine how to get people to change for the better. She concluded people don’t change simply because they desire to change, or feel guilty, or learn it would be beneficial (such as by quitting smoking). Instead, Rosenburg argues, people grow and change best in community. She asserts that few things in life are more important in determining the kind of people we become than the group of people with
December 24, 2017
The most recently received obituaries are listed first. An alphabetical listing of all 2017 obituaries begins further down. Ione Etta McEathron Williams, 99, died on Nov. 23, 2017. She was the last remaining child of Alexander and Ida McEathron, pioneer missionaries and church planters to the Flambeau Hills of northern Wisconsin. She was born Sept. 14, 1918, in Hillsdale, Barron County, WI. The family moved to the Mud Brook Valley west of Holcombe, WI, when she was 2. She was baptized at age 10 in the Chippewa River by her father. At an early age she began teaching children”s Sunday
June 20, 2017
By Ben Merold The Missouri River””the “Big Muddy”””runs past the city of Omaha, Nebraska. If we wanted to get pure, unpolluted water from this river, we have two basic choices. We might, as Omaha has done, install a filter to remove the mud that has accumulated in the water during the river”s meandering path south and east. But that treats only a small portion of the water, and the great body of the river runs on as muddy as before. If, however, we go to the source, we would find pure water that comes fresh from the wellspring. Similarly, if
August 6, 2016
By Matt Proctor 1. Preach on the need for full-time kingdom workers. All Christians are ministers, no matter their vocation. There is no clergy/laity distinction in God”s church, and all believers are called to witness, lead, and serve. “You got into the ministry when you got out of the baptistery.” May we never water down the biblical teaching on the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). But this too: may we never water down the need for vocational Christian leaders. Preach on the need for those who will give their working lives to leading the church, reaching the lost,
June 20, 2016
By Dudley Rutherford The idea for Dream of Destiny came to me in the summer of 2007 after I downloaded a photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King speaking to the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Attended by some 250,000 people on August 28, 1963, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation”s capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage. I made this iconic photo my computer”s screensaver and noticed something I had not been aware of previously. I noticed there were many Caucasians
March 2, 2016
By Jim Tune As I write this, the Zika virus is just beginning to make headlines. Claudia and I are only 10 days away from embarking on our first-ever cruise. Our seven-day, Western-Caribbean cruise was a surprise I arranged for my wife to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. One of our ports of call is in a country for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already issued this midlevel travel alert: “Practice enhanced precautions.” Who knows what another 10 days will bring? This virus is spreading aggressively. The virus, which is spread mainly by mosquitoes, appears to
April 7, 2026
John B. Penrose Jr
April 7, 2026
David Faust
March 27, 2026
Rick Cherok