March 14, 2023
"Restoration Appreciation: The Rich Legacy and Hopeful Future of the Stone-Campbell Movement," edited by John C. Nugent, invites restorationists to rise above the partisanship of our day, rally around our core commitments, and lead out in our strengths.
March 1, 2023
By Jerry Harris It was October 21, 1999, my 40th birthday. That’s the birthday when many people start thinking they’re heading over the hill and begin contemplating their own mortality. Well, I was definitely contemplating mortality . . . just not my own. That was the day we buried my father. We headed to the same spot where we had buried my mom five years earlier. The family had picked out an oak casket for my dad, and it was heavy for the pallbearers. I was officiating and walking in front of the casket when I saw my brother buckle
January 1, 2023
By Jerry Harris This issue marks the completion of six years since Christian Standard was faced with its consignment to history. In December 2016, Doug Crozier, CEO of The Solomon Foundation, received a phone call informing him of the impending shuttering of the magazine. First published in the spring of 1866, Christian Standard quickly became the voice of the fastest-growing religious movement of the 19th century; the publication was desperately needed after the ravages of the Civil War. It persevered through division, liberalism, two world wars, and the Great Depression. In 2006, Wicks Group, a private equity firm, purchased Standard
December 23, 2022
Christmas childhood memories can blur together, but one specific Christmas—I think it was 1966—certainly left a lasting impression.
November 1, 2022
By Jerry Harris For almost two decades, Doug Crozier has had big dreams for The Crossing, my Midwestern church home for 25-plus years. And all during that time, Doug has worked with us to remove whatever obstacles stood in the way. When the idea of a multisite church was still in its infancy, The Crossing decided to reach out into micropolitan and rural communities with a fresh approach to the gospel. Conversations with Doug gave us the confidence to push forward beyond what we ever imagined. Eleven campuses and thousands of baptisms later, the dreams we dared to imagine have
November 1, 2022
By Jerry Harris I admittedly write this column with some bias. Either because of how I was raised or how God wired me, a church service just seems incomplete without an invitation to enter a relationship with Jesus Christ. When I was growing up, invitations came after the preacher finished his sermon. He would leave the pulpit and come down to the floor—to the same level as his hearers—and invite those in the congregation to come forward and do some business with God. During an invitation song the preacher would scan the audience for movement. Those who came forward—to accept
September 1, 2022
By Jerry Harris Identity is a major topic in American culture today. What do I identify as? Who do I identify with? There are hot debates about race, gender, sexual orientation, victimization, and how we see ourselves and the world around us. The words we use or the words we are discouraged from using are all tied up in identity. The American Medical Association just recommended that we not put gender on our birth certificates. An AMA report said, “Imposing such a categorization system risks stifling self-expression and self-identification and contributes to marginalization and minoritization.” Some doctors are recommending replacing
July 1, 2022
By Jerry Harris We’ve been ready for COVID-19 to end for two-plus years, but throughout this season I have seen the faithfulness of God in many ways. I’m reminded of Jesus’ words: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. . . . For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well (Luke 12:22-23, 30-31).
May 26, 2022
As SBC Leaders release the results of an investigation of sexual abuse and cover-up, what can Independent Christian Church leaders learn?
A New Collaboration with NationsUniversity to Develop Leaders Where They Are Already Planted and Working
By Jerry Harris I’m tired of several culturally popular words. The term “new normal,” which I’ve written about previously, is one of them; it seems to carry a connotation of something “less than before” that we must reluctantly accept. I’m also tired of the overuse of the word “season”—it causes me to have “friends are friends forever” flashbacks! But the one I’m seeing more and more lately is the word “transition.” That hits close to home, as I have just “transitioned” from being senior pastor of The Crossing—a position I’d held for the last 24 years—to teaching pastor; the person
March 1, 2022
By Jerry Harris Belief has incredible power, doesn’t it? And to think, in some ways, we believe the same story of the Messiah the people of Israel have believed for thousands of years. It is quite revealing. Christ is a Greek term translated from the Hebrew word Messiah, and it’s more a title than anything else. It came from a compilation of Old Testament Scriptures like Deuteronomy 18:18. It means “anointed,” and it was reserved for prophets, priests, and kings. But this one person, this “super” person, would be all three. The Jews placed all their hopes and dreams in
November 1, 2021
By Jerry Harris What is the greatest love song of all time? Ask 10 people and you’ll probably get 10 different answers. It’s said music is the language of emotion, and if true, then singing is its spoken word. Our emotions come directly from being made in God’s image because our God is an emotional God—a God who feels. Our God not only feels emotions, but he also invented them . . . and some of the best emotions are called the fruit of the Spirit. That list in Galatians 5 begins with the greatest and highest of all emotions:
September 1, 2021
As I write this in June, many have been seeing news stories coming from the Southern Baptist Convention. Just about all of the news has been less than flattering, and some of it has been scandalous. There have been stories connected to sexual abuse, a history of racism (and debate over critical race theory), leadership roles and speaking roles for women, and the list goes on. At the convention meeting, outgoing president J. D. Greear changed a gavel used to open and close ceremonies because the traditional gavel had been provided by an early SBC leader who was an outspoken
August 30, 2021
Excerpts from Jerry Harris's devotional thoughts presented on the 220th anniversary of the Cane Ridge Revival earlier this month.
April 7, 2021
In early 2017, if The Solomon Foundation not come to the rescue, Christian Standard would not be celebrating its 155th anniversary today.
Kentucky Christian University plans to host a celebration at Cane Ridge (near Paris, Ky.) on the 220th anniversary of the Cane Ridge Revival this August.
September 22, 2020
By Jerry Harris The church established in Acts 2 identified two sacred observances: baptism, which was discussed in week 1 of this series (May 2020), and Communion, termed “the breaking of bread” in Acts 2:42, that this article discusses. The word sacred is used to describe baptism and Communion for a reason. These rituals are often labeled as “ordinances,” but they are much more than obligations to adhere to, for they possess an aspect of holiness that connect us to the blood of a sacrifice. This blood is connected to both cleansing and the forgiveness of sin (Hebrews 9:22), meaning
By Jerry Harris When I started this series of articles based on Acts 2:41-47 and titled it “Closed on Sunday,” I never imagined this phrase would also describe a new reality brought on by a pandemic. But with this new reality, and as we consider the future, the prescriptions in Acts 2 become all the more important. We began this series with baptism—just like the first-century church—and then proceeded into authority and the Word of God itself. This article will explore the God-designed and commissioned delivery system for his Word—preaching. Have you ever used Amazon? Perhaps you have Amazon Prime.
June 14, 2020
By Jerry Harris Kujenga is the Swahili word for building, and it’s where the name of the building-block game Jenga comes from. The game starts with constructing a tower by stacking identical, rectangular-shaped wooden blocks in opposite rows of three. The fun begins as players take turns removing blocks one at a time and restacking them on the top. This continues until the tower, thoroughly compromised by the removal of blocks and top-heaviness, finally comes crashing down. Our lives can look a lot like this game. We are all building a life, but as priorities are rearranged, instability increases—and we
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