Articles for tag: Gospel

October 18, 2009

Christian Standard

Words of Life and Death

  by Larry W. Timm When death occurs, a minister encounters a unique and sacred duty. The deceased is someone”s loved one and God”s valuable creation; there is sanctity in both. Death erases neither. When asked to speak at a funeral service, our attitude will influence our preparation and proclamation. If we see a funeral as an interruption in our ministry instead of an expression of it, we will be poor stewards of this important opportunity. However, if we approach each funeral as a unique and sacred part of our calling, we can offer leadership and service as caring shepherds.

November 23, 2008

Christian Standard

The Emerging Church: A Brief History and Helpful Resources

By William R. Baker See the Main Article: “The Emerging Church and the Stone-Campbell Movement: Some Striking Similarities (Part 1)”     What is now dubbed the emerging church began with a few prominent, young, evangelical church leaders in the early 1990s who became disenchanted with the megachurches with which they were involved. It has grown now to an expanding network of mature, culturally savvy church leaders and thinkers who minister with congregations, mostly in large cities.  These leaders are attempting to embody the gospel within the challenges of a postmodern world. The crisis these leaders were experiencing, it turns

May 18, 2008

Christian Standard

Tune Up the E-String

By John A. Snyder   I"ll never forget a session of the North American Christian Convention held in Indianapolis a number of years ago. The speaker was the senior minister of a large and growing congregation in the Indianapolis area. In his message he said, "The E-string on my violin is evangelism."Â  That line has stuck with me through the years. What does the church need today? What will get the church moving and growing? We need to tune up the E-string. We need to make the main thing (winning the lost) the main thing. There are people in every

September 5, 2007

Christian Standard

Earthly Hurts and an Eternal Perspective

By Mark A. Taylor Thirty or 40 years ago, many in Christian churches decried what we called the “social gospel.” We criticized those who called themselves Christians but concentrated only on the commands of Scripture to seek justice, remember widows, and help the poor. We were especially critical of those who did not believe in the inspiration of Scripture or the reality of Hell and said nothing about sin or salvation to those they served. Some of us decided benevolent ministries should not become ends in themselves, but only means to the greater goal of winning the lost. With such

June 24, 2007

Christian Standard

La Convención Nacional Cristiana

By Marilyn Custer The National Christian Convention (Hispanic) began in 1984 when several church leaders in Texas and California felt the need to get together and have fellowship with one another. There is a national convention in Mexico that several of these leaders attended when they were growing up. They wanted something similar, so in July 1984 the first Hispanic convention took place in San Antonio, Texas. Feliciano Moreno was the president. For 10 years the convention was held primarily in Texas or Southern California. But since 2000 the convention has been held in Longmont, Colorado; Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Chicago, Illinois;

May 6, 2007

Christian Standard

Did We Lose Jesus” Tomb?

By David A. Fiensy Let”s face it. Jesus is big business. Writers and publishers have learned that producing a book on Jesus that in some way reduces his stature or revises traditional Christianity”s view of him can be a gold mine. Dan Brown”s The Da Vinci Code is only the most famous example of this genre. Others have also learned they can make millions of dollars off Jesus if the story is shocking enough. So we witness a continual discharge of sensationalist books, each new one trying to top the previous ones, each offering some scandalous secret about Jesus that

January 28, 2007

Christian Standard

The Parsonage: Whose House Is This?

By Robert Kitchen A house sits in close proximity to a church building. One family seems to go in and out frequently. But, wait, other families also go in and out. Whose house is this? The preacher says it”s his home. Some church members say it”s their house. Oh, the preacher rents the house! Well sort of, but not exactly. It”s the “not exactly” part that is the problem. The home is a parsonage. Parsonages are houses owned by a church but occupied by a minister; they are akin to company-owned housing from times past. There are times when a

December 24, 2006

Christian Standard

The Insignificant in Christmas

By Mark Scott The Christmas narrative has everything necessary for a great story. There is political intrigue, conflict (international, national, ethnic, and marital), anticipation (the key to every good Christmas), the drama of a delivery room, fear, and amazement. Good stuff. But one thing that makes an impression about the Christmas story is how simple and unadorned it really is. God often brings to us the profound in the midst of the ordinary. On December 26th, The Bethlehem Gazette probably read, “Joseph and Mary, a boy, 17 inches long, 7.7 lbs.” Nothing stunning. Babies are born every day. Big deal.

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