December 18, 2025
The Best Christmas Ever
Dr. Joe Grana recalls the story of a Christmas that changed everything in his life and was the best Christmas ever.
Articles for tag: Joe Grana
July 7, 2021
New Book Honors Joe Grana (Plus News Briefs)
Colleagues and former students of Joe Grana have written a book in honor of the educator and minister — "Looking Both Ways: At the Intersection of the Academy and the Church—Essays in Honor of Joseph C. Grana II."
Retired Prof Takes Theological Expertise to the Local Church
By Chris Moon Joe Grana is staying active in retirement. The former longtime professor and administrator at Hope International University in Fullerton, Calif.—who retired June 1—has taken his expansive biblical knowledge to the local church. Grana has signed on as an associate pastor at Refinery Christian Church in Goodyear, Ariz., near Phoenix. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Grana has been producing three-minute videos for the church teaching basic theological concepts, from baptism to the inspiration of Scripture. The idea for these “3-Minute Theology” videos is to better equip the Refinery church with theological truth, something Grana senses many Christians need today.
July 25, 2016
An Interview with Joe Grana
Joe Grana talks about spiritual disciplines and how it is possible for a Christian of any age to continue to grow spiritually. See this interview from the 2016 NACC in Anaheim here.
A Day for Hope
By Mark A. Taylor My visit to Hope filled me with hope! At Hope International University in Fullerton, California, last week, I found students serious about their studies and passionate about finding God”s will for their lives. In the two classes I visited, students were engaged with the Bible study their professors presented. (Me, too! I left each session wishing I could stick with the professor all semester!) In the morning I met one young man who told me about his upbringing by missionary parents and his pursuit of God”s will for his life. Later he sought me out to
How Long Should a Sermon Be?
By Mark A. Taylor The question came to me when I discovered Peggy Noonan”s On Speaking Well at a $5 book table. The very first piece of advice from the most famous of President Ronald Reagan”s spreechwriters? “No speech should last more than 20 minutes.” I remember all the sermons I”ve heard””and delivered””that have been way longer than that. And I wonder if Noonan”s advice should apply to sermons too. Her rationale: Reagan . . . knew twenty minutes is more than enough time to say the biggest, most important thing in the world. The Gettysburg Address went three
March 25, 2009
Highlighting the Beauty of Baptism
By Mark A. Taylor This week”s remarkable baptism story from San Dimas, California (see “CHRISTIAN STANDARD Interview: Jeff Vines”) would have fit well with baptism articles featured in our March 1 and 8 issues. But such stories are welcome anytime in CHRISTIAN STANDARD. Last fall, for example, both our weekly e-newsletter and blogger Arron Chambers reported on a similar story from Savannah (Georgia) Christian Church. Senior pastor Cam Huxford walked into a pool on the church platform October 5 and invited attendees to declare God”s “power as Lord and Savior through baptism””baptism on the spot, in the clothes people came
March 4, 2009
To Keep, to Share, to Teach
By Mark A. Taylor Many readers will want to share the baptism articles in this and last week”s issue. So we”ve colllected them in a single, convenient downloadable resource to meet that need–and we’re offering it at a special introductory rate. This is just another in a series of helpful resources we”ve made available in this format. You may remember the others: A Conversation with Skeptics. Jeff Vines helps anyone who has wondered how God can allow evil, pain, and Hell. Item number 02970. 6 pages. $2.99 Ordination. Three articles help churches decide who should be ordained, why, and how churches
February 25, 2009
Interview with Joe Grana
By Brad Dupray As a professor, Joe Grana has wrestled with the theology of baptism. As a minister, he has seen it worked out in the most practical sense. The combination of those points of view has brought him to a perspective on baptism that meets the spiritual challenges of real-world Christianity. Joe has served in the pulpit, leading churches in three different states as a senior minister for 27 years. Today, he is chairman of the church ministry department at Hope International University in Fullerton, California. Joe is a graduate of Lincoln (Illinois) Christian College, holds postgraduate degrees from
September 23, 2007
NACC: It”s Time . . . to Preach
Joe Grana reflects on North American Christian Convention preaching and why the message of the cross still matters. He urges balance with media, clearer Scripture handling, and conversational delivery—while calling churches to prioritize church planting.
November 30, 2005
Downloadable Resource on Baptism Available
A two-issue focus on baptism offers fresh perspectives, interviews, and a classic essay—available now as one convenient download: “Baptism: 7 Practical Perspectives.”
