July 1, 2023
‘A Miracle of God’s Grace’—A CS Interview with Dr. John Castelein
Paul E. Boatman Talks to Dr. John Castelein About His Crisis of Faith
Articles for tag: John Castelein
June 19, 2014
Finding a Point of Contact with Anyone
By John Castelein What does it mean that Jesus wants his disciples to be “in the world . . . not of the world” (John 17:13-19)? “In the world” involves more than merely being involved with the world or being aware of the culture. I believe it means being able to connect with people who have not committed to God”s kingdom. “Not of the world” means living out kingdom values and commitments that differ from those of worldly people. Unfortunately, as many Christians become more and more “not of the world,” they have less involvement and connection with people “in
April 3, 2012
A Room Called Remember
By a Lifelong Christian Church Member (ANONYMOUS) In 2006, the Barna Group conducted a study about church attendance and found that most twentysomethings leave the church after being active through their teen years. The data showed that “61 percent of today”s young adults had been churched during their teen years but are now spiritually disengaged, i.e. not actively attending church, reading the Bible, or praying.” One of the insights David Kinnaman, the director of the research, offered was, “Every teen has different needs, questions and doubts, so helping them to wrestle through those specific issues and to understand God”s unique
May 16, 2010
Embracing Our Questioners
By John Castelein Christians ask two kinds of questions: (1) safe questions, conceived and answered from within the faith; and (2) difficult questions about the entire faith enterprise itself. In many churches, small groups, and adult Bible school classes, persistent questioners can feel ostracized because difficult questions are not pursued. Willow Creek Community Church led many churches to respect the questions of seekers outside the church. However, in spite of such openness at the front door, church membership and attendance appear to be on the decline in the United States, especially among those 30 and younger (this follows the pattern
January 3, 2010
Local Church Membership”“Who Needs It?
By John Castelein I am pleased with the turnout. Chatting in our living room are two elders from our local church, George and Henry, and four seminary students. Jim is an intelligent MDiv student with a noninstrumental background. He can be somewhat argumentative. Diane is a new counseling major. The other students do not know she is a divorced mother who faithfully attends her church without any support from her boyfriend, the father of her little girl. Cole is single and wonders whether he belongs in seminary. Larry wants to be a church planter and has a great passion to
