September 20, 2023
Supporters have helped Ozark Christian College meet the $5.9 million goal for its Ready To Go campaign which targets three initiatives. . . . Plus briefs about SpireConference (Sept. 26-28), the Midwest Ministers' Retreat (Oct. 23-24), a tragedy in Kansas, and more.
April 19, 2023
The Common Grounds Unity Podcast will drop an episode Friday that features three Christian Standard writers discussing the Asbury Revival. Plus briefs about "Senior Saints in the Smokies," a new book ("Tombstones to Cornerstones"), Boise Bible College, and more. . . .
August 3, 2020
By David Faust It’s unfortunate that expressions like “pro-choice” and “the right to choose” have been co-opted by abortion advocates. When properly understood, the ability to choose is one of God’s greatest gifts. We don’t get to choose our birthdays, our height, or the color of our skin. But we decide what we believe, what we value, and who our friends will be. Faith, hope, and love are choices more than feelings. At age 20, I decided to ask a young woman named Candy to marry me, and I remain grateful she chose to say yes. ROCK OR SAND? What
January 28, 2020
By Jason Shreve Have you ever wondered, Whom is God for? It’s a good question that seems to come up during every big game. Before last year’s Super Bowl, people were counting which team had the most Christians. Is that an indication God is for them? During the 2012 football season, people were asked, “Do you believe that any of Tim Tebow’s success can be attributed to Divine Intervention?” Forty-three percent of Americans answered yes. Whom is God for? Is he for the most talented? The hardest working? The purest in heart? The one who needs it most? In sports
December 3, 2018
By Max Lucado The Christmas tree hunt is on. Families are entering tents and patrolling sidewalks. They lift limbs and examine needles. They measure. They ponder. They consider. They barter. The tree can’t be too tall or too short. It needs to fit the room and the budget. It must be full yet not dense, mature but not dry. A noble fir for some. A Douglas fir or Virginia pine for others. The preferences are different, but the desire is the same. We want the perfect Christmas tree. And, oh, the special moment when we find it. When we lash
September 16, 2017
The Vital Difference Between a Church that Prays and a Praying Church By Derek Dickinson I thought planting a new congregation in Fairbanks, Alaska, was a terrible idea. The winters are brutal. It occasionally hits 50 degrees below zero! In the winter, it”s a place of darkness, with only four hours of sunlight per day. This “terrible idea” wasn”t mine, thankfully, but God”s. I was so opposed to planting a congregation here that I fasted from all solid foods for 30 days on two occasions and prayed that I could plant somewhere else. But God”s answer was clear: I was to be
July 31, 2015
We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed several influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is from Tom Ellsworth, senior minister with Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, Bloomington, Indiana. ________ Theology: Jack Cottrell Devotional study: Max Lucado, Ken Gire, Mark Atteberry A deeper challenge: N.T. Wright, Dallas Willard Cultural study: Thom Rainer Inspiration and perhaps my all-around favorite: John Ortberg
June 2, 2015
By Mark A. Taylor In this space last week and the week before, I reported, evaluated, and shared comments about the Pew Research Center”s May 12 report on religion in America. It is a thorough and detailed study, full of implications for church leaders today. Especially interesting is the fact that Evangelicals are the only Christian group whose numbers grew between 2007 and 2014. The growth did not keep up with population growth, however, which means the influence of Evangelicals on the American scene is not growing. This is especially concerning when added to the fact that those claiming no
October 19, 2014
By Dave Ferguson Since I had never written a book, I was flattered when I received an e-mail from a representative of a big publisher asking to meet me. I agreed to meet, and over coffee, we talked about me authoring a book. I was very excited about the possibilities! However, within minutes I could tell this rep had made a huge mistake. He thought he was meeting with Dr. David Ferguson, the counselor and Oxford scholar. Instead he was meeting with Dave Ferguson, the church planter. Oops! We had a good laugh, finished our coffee, and I left thinking,
August 30, 2014
By Michael C. Mack 1. Use impressive, big words like regeneration, justification, and eschatology as much as possible. 2. Interject names such as Polycarp, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and, yes, Rick Warren and Max Lucado. 3. Be serious all the time. Since you are studying God”s Holy Word, there is no time for fun or frivolity! 4. Don”t allow people to share their feelings. Focus on facts. Feelings have no place in Bible study. 5. Do most of the talking. Study diligently and then share everything you learned about your topic. This is what it means to teach. 6. If no one responds
March 28, 2014
By Kay Moll In his book The Applause of Heaven, Max Lucado tells of an earthquake that struck Soviet Armenia in 1988. Just before the earthquake, a young mother named Susanna, along with her 4-year-old daughter, had arrived at her sister in-law”s apartment. The whole building collapsed, and Susanna and her daughter were trapped under tons of concrete and debris. Help was tortuously slow in coming. The two were trapped for eight days. Susanna”s heart was pierced by her child”s pitiful cries for something to drink. In the midst of the nightmare, she remembered seeing a program on television about
February 14, 2014
By Shelley Leith Christian church leaders share what happened when they committed to this plan for showing readers how the Bible fits together. What is the most biblically illiterate city in America? For one of the largest churches in the country, Christ”s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona, the answer was a wake-up call. Executive pastor Ashley Wooldridge explains: “Here at CCV, we have a very keen and sobering understanding that we live in a completely biblically illiterate age. This especially came home to us when a recent Barna study ranked Phoenix as almost the most biblically illiterate city
February 13, 2014
By Brent Adams When one of the largest megachurches in America wanted to celebrate its 50th anniversary, leaders decided there was no better way than to point people to the message of the Bible. In summer 2011, the elders and staff at Southeast Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky, started planning for the church”s 50th anniversary celebration, to be held the following year. They wanted to come up with something that would deflect attention away from the rapidly growing congregation and focus, instead, on the God who has blessed the church since its humble beginnings in the basement of a tiny
February 6, 2014
By James Riley Estep Jr. You”ll find it in almost every hotel room, usually in the top drawer next to the bed. While most studies indicate a majority of Americans hold the Bible in high regard, those same studies indicate Americans are increasingly ignorant of what”s in the Bible. A lack of biblical literacy is a challenge for the American culture and also the American church. It poses a crucial test for the Christian community”s identity, distinctives, and ministry in the 21st century. Increasing Unfamiliarity with the Bible George Gallup and Jim Castelli have concluded, “Americans revere the Bible
August 25, 2010
By Brad Dupray As senior vice president of production administration at Columbia Pictures, Bill Ewing was overseeing production of movies such as Spiderman, Men in Black II, and Stuart Little 2. About that time, Bill felt God”s call to take a new direction with his talents. He left Sony Columbia in 2002. Today he is working to tell stories that inspire people to consider faith more seriously. Among others, he has produced the movie End of the Spear, which tells the story of the Waodani people of Ecuador and the five missionaries who were killed taking the gospel to them.
June 13, 2010
By Dick Alexander This January, Standard Publishing”s Publishing Committee, CHRISTIAN STANDARD”s contributing editors, and a few other key leaders met in a retreat to discuss the future. Key questions included, “Why does the Restoration Movement exist? What do we contribute? What is our vision for what Christian churches and churches of Christ should be and accomplish in the next decades? What do we want to look like 50 years from now . . . and what can we do today to begin painting that picture?” Although much time was given to freewheeling dialogue, two speakers set the tone with their
November 1, 2009
 by Mark Atteberry By definition, a platitude is a trite remark, uttered as if it were fresh or profound. I heard a classic just an hour ago. I was driving home from an appointment and heard a radio preacher assure me that my life had value. He said that no matter how bad I may feel about myself, I am definitely worth something. Why? Are you ready for this? “Because God don”t make no junk.” Any minute I expected him to remind me that God moves in mysterious ways and that there are no atheists in foxholes. The first
February 15, 2009
By Jeff Stone A few years ago I was returning with a carload of ministers from another minister”s funeral. We stopped for lunch at a Ponderosa. As I opened the back door to climb out of my friend”s car, I accidentally clipped the truck beside it. I surveyed the damage. The door had left a white mark on the gleaming pickup. I winced, in part, because I am a truck lover. I determined I needed to locate the truck”s owner and offer to pay to have it buffed out at a body shop. As we ate, from my window seat,
February 11, 2009
By Brad Dupray Jeff Stone, president of the 2009 North American Christian Convention, is in his 17th year as senior minister of Discover Christian Church in Dublin, Ohio. Jeff has served on the executive committee of the convention twice before and has been a lifelong attender and supporter of the convention. Jeff and his wife of 28 years, Johnnie, are the proud parents of Jason, Jennifer, and Justin. Why do you go to the North American Christian Convention? I go to the North American to spiritually recharge, to reconnect with friends, and to recalibrate priorities of ministry. Are there any
December 23, 2007
By Matt Proctor Max Lucado tells of Mrs. Smith, an elderly widow who loved her parakeet Chippy. His songs brightened her lonely days. One day while vacuuming, Mrs. Smith noticed Chippy”s cage was dirty. Opening the little door, she inserted her vacuum hose . . . when the phone rang. As she turned to pick up the phone, the hose shifted slightly and””slurp!””sucked poor Chippy down into the sweeper”s bowels. Horrified, Mrs. Smith dropped the phone, tore open the sweeper bag, and dug through the dirt until she found the now-brown little feathered lump. Chippy wasn”t breathing, so she did
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