Articles for tag: Opinions

April 27, 2020

David Faust

Application for May 3: Dare to Be Different

(This “Application“ column goes with the Bible lesson for May 3, 2020: “His Holy Nation.“) By David Faust Don’t libel me with labels. Don’t put me into a cultural box. I have rooted for the Cincinnati Reds most of my life, but my main identity isn’t “sports fan.” I’m a baby boomer, but generational labels don’t tell you everything about me or my builder, gen X, and millennial friends. I have experienced what Scripture calls the new birth, but I prefer not to be called “a born-again Christian” as if that’s something strange. In the first century there wasn’t any

April 13, 2020

Stuart Powell

Redefined Perspective

By Stuart Powell How is God’s goodness displayed in COVID-19? What benefit does God intend from viruses? In “The Good that Viruses Do” from the Annual Review of Virology for 2017, two scientists [Mario Mietzsch and Mavis Agbandje-McKenna] introduced their article with this observation: If a survey were to ask nonvirologists for their opinions about viruses, the word “good” would be unlikely to arise. Instead, words such as “disease,” “infection,” “suffering,” or “life-threatening” would likely dominate, as people primarily think of viruses such as HIV, Ebola virus, Zika virus, influenza virus, or whatever new outbreak is in the news. Some

March 15, 2020

Michael C. Mack

God’s Word Achieves Its Purpose

By Michael C. Mack We believe God’s Word “is alive and active” (Hebrews 4:12). We believe it goes out from God’s mouth and will not return to him empty but will accomplish what he desires and achieve the purpose for which he sent it (Isaiah 55:11). We also believe it is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). We are a people devoted to God’s Word. We stand on the Bible alone, and not on human creeds, human opinions, or

May 22, 2019

Jerry Harris

When We Go to War in Our Movement

By Jerry Harris This past April, my wife and I had the opportunity to preach and teach at Hope Christian Church near Augusta, West Virginia. Like most, I am now fully dependent on a GPS to direct my driving in unfamiliar places, so when I heard Siri say we could save 18 minutes by taking an alternative route around an accident, I jumped at the chance. The new path took us through switchback mountain roads—not a pleasurable experience for my wife, who struggles a bit with car sickness. The detour took us right by Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, a very

April 25, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Working in the Messiness of Multigenerational Ministry

By Michael C. Mack With apologies to Abraham Lincoln (and John Wycliffe, who, it’s said, actually originated the phrase I’m referencing), Christian Standard is produced by different generations of people, with different generations of people, and for different generations of people . . . to equip and encourage people to make disciples of and effectively lead different generations of people. The Christian Standard team consists of three millennials (born 1981–2001): operations manager Renee Little and designers Megan Kempf and Abby Wittler, and four baby boomers (born 1946–1964): publisher Jerry Harris, managing editor Jim Nieman, contributing editor Shawn McMullen, and me.

January 3, 2019

Christian Standard

IN THE ARENA: Is It Fitting for Christians to Drink Alcohol in Moderation? (A. What If Abstinence Is the Stumbling Block?)

In the Arena In the arena of ideas and opinions, we offer a place for Christ-centered and Christ-honoring debate on nonessential issues. This month, Ken Idleman and Zach Spiering give us two opinions on a common hot-button issue among Christians: public drinking. Tell us what you think on this issue by leaving a comment below. (Also . . . tell us what other debatable issues we should discuss “In the Arena.”) _ _ _ By Zach Spiering During the time I taught at a Restoration Movement Bible college, I enjoyed the opportunities to work with wonderful, godly men and women

February 28, 2018

Jim Estep

Leading Through Conflict

By Jim Estep Elders are no strangers to church fires, and by that I mean the conflicts that occur far too often in our congregations. Whether the conflicts involve leaders, staff, individuals, or groups, we often find ourselves ill-prepared to understand them and ill-equipped to respond to them. As elders, we need to understand the fires of conflict so we can ease confusion and help extinguish them when they flare up.   Understanding Conflict in the Church Here are some facts about church conflict. Fires are inevitable. No church is immune to conflict, so be aware of it and alert

January 6, 2017

Christian Standard

I Love the Church . . . Because It Pushes Against ME

By Rhesa Storms My morning glance at social media often resembles a life-coaching session. Between headlines about politics and opinions about the politicians can be found several self-improvement titles: “Find Your Passion” “Know Your Home Decorating Style” “Describe Yourself in Three Characters” “Your Fall Fragrance, According to Your Meyers-Briggs Type” Self-improvement articles are enjoyable, even a bit addicting. It is wise to know what makes us tick, what gives us joy, and the gifts we possess. I suppose knowing what perfume someone with an ENFP personality should wear has some value. Our media does run the danger of becoming an

May 22, 2016

Christian Standard

Steps to Improve Political Discourse

By Joe Boyd I”ve been writing this column on culture for nearly a year now. The big idea is to look at what is happening in America to see what good or bad ramifications it may have for the local church. It”s not always easy to decide what to write about each month. Over the last several months I”ve been tempted to broach a specific subject, only to talk myself out of it. I can”t avoid it any longer. It”s politics. Though I”m sure some will look for clues to my political leanings in what I write, I”m not going

April 5, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Different but the Same

By Mark A. Taylor “CHRISTIAN STANDARD sure isn”t what it used to be.” The Facebook comment was meant as a critical jab, but it seems more like a compliment to me. With this issue, the magazine is 150 years old, and we”re proud of many ways it is different today than in the past. We have a more attractive format today. In its earliest years, CHRISTIAN STANDARD was a dense, type-heavy newspaper filled with doctrinal essays crafted from long sentences and complex thoughts. Today”s readers, bombarded by media at every turn, need something different””more graphics, more color, shorter articles, and

August 26, 2015

Christian Standard

Behind My Back

By Jim Tune I wasn”t intending to eavesdrop. It just sort of happened. I had left the company of two close friends, but realized minutes later I had left a personal item behind. My friends were still talking when I returned, and they were talking about me. I wasn”t trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn”t keep from listening as they discussed a very personal decision I had shared with them earlier. There was nothing mean-spirited in anything they said. I made my presence known almost immediately. I had heard enough to feel a flash of betrayal and embarrassment. When I

June 8, 2015

Christian Standard

How to Cope in the Radical Middle

By Ian DiOrio Gone are the days in our society when Christians could hope to occupy a “moral majority.” But two biblical qualities, modeled by Jesus and taught by the apostles, offer us strategies for relating to those unlike ourselves. “United” has become an ironic descriptor for America, for if the United States is anything during the 21st century, it is divided. Divided over power. Who should have it and how should they wield it? Is the shape of society better molded by the masses, or does history show us it best moves forward if a select few wield tremendous influence? Divided over ethics. Are moral truths merely personal restrictions of human activity, like

September 12, 2014

Christian Standard

Are We Moving?

By James Riley Estep Jr. All the steps of moving from one home to another find their parallel in the progress a church must make. It”s never easy, but the new destination is worth the thinking, planning, and hard work. “We”re moving.” These two words evoke a wide range of emotions. Announcing this to family and friends only adds to the challenging experience. A new job, new prospects, a better house, or a future possibility””all available only elsewhere. The decision to move is often greeted with the exuberance of new opportunity.  But the exuberance soon changes to despair when dealing

February 2, 2014

Christian Standard

We Are in This Together

By Glen Elliott   It”s the “secret sauce” in any successful team effort. It”s a key factor helping a church to thrive. A question for the leaders at my church: are we convinced that “we”re in this together”? Ever notice how some sports teams with mediocre talent or limited resources seem to play better than those teams with big-name stars earning lots of money? That makes for a great movie. Or maybe you”ve seen a struggling team that fires its head coach, hires a new coach, and suddenly the same group of players starts winning. (I won”t call out any

October 17, 2013

Christian Standard

Multisite Done Right

By Ed Stetzer Multisite appears to be the new big thing. Multisite churches have been regarded as the cure for all of the church”s ills, the most evil plague on the body of Christ, and everything in between. Opinions of multisite churches run rampant, but facts are often ignored in evaluating what has undoubtedly become the new normal for large and growing churches””and even for some small churches. The number of multisite churches is growing rapidly. In the 1950s, there were just a few. In 2012, there were more than 5,000 different churches with two or more geographic campuses. Sixty-two

August 2, 2013

Christian Standard

Church-City Revitalization

By Jennifer Johnson When I was 2, my mom was able to finagle free time by setting me in my crib with a pile of books. I”d sit there, chubby hands happily flipping pages I couldn”t yet read, for half an hour or more. To say I”m an introvert is like saying the Kardashians are trashy. But although I tend to prefer solitude and processing the world in my head, I”ve learned the importance of connecting to others. Conversation and discussion remind me my strong opinions aren”t infallible, and my perspective isn”t the only one. Englewood Christian Church“s story is

July 30, 2013

Mark A. Taylor

Choosing All the Priorities of Jesus

By Mark A. Taylor Dr. Frank Smith Jr.”s sermon, “Bear Witness Boldly,” began quietly, almost academically Thursday morning at the North American Christian Convention. With the style of a professor he set the stage and provided the background for the message he wanted to bring. By the time he had finished, though, his tone, and the reaction of his audience, was anything but quiet. In the spirit of legendary African-American oratory, his sermon ended with a driving cadence and rhythm that brought a chorus of clapping and amens from the crowd. Tucked in the middle were challenges that must not

March 21, 2013

Christian Standard

Scholar Professors and Our Schools: Thoughts for the Future

By William R. Baker Higher education in the colleges, universities, and seminaries supported by Christian churches has come to a critical juncture. Efforts to improve service to the church and students have led to hiring highly qualified professors with terminal degrees in their fields (PhD, ThD, DMin). This corps of bright, young scholars feels a personal responsibility not only to become excellent teachers but also to address the larger academy in their fields of expertise. This is not for ego or fame, but is just recognized as part of what God has called them to do. They have the talent

October 18, 2012

Christian Standard

Keeping it Christlike on Facebook

I”ll begin this week”s column with a couple of confessions. Confession One: I spend some time on Facebook every day, probably as much as the average user (20 minutes), and I don”t feel bad about it. After all, one in 13 people on the planet is a Facebook user, and more than half of them, like me, visit the site daily. That figures out to about 270 million others who could make my same confession; it”s a cinch I”m not alone. Confession Two: I plan to vote for Mitt Romney. And once again, with the polls consistently showing an American

July 2, 2012

Christian Standard

Immigration: Our Position

By Mark A. Taylor What is Christian Standard”s position on immigration? Read carefully the articles, opinions, and interviews posted at our site this week before you decide the answer to that question. You”ll see that our writers don”t always agree with each other, so any one of them does not speak for all the rest””or for Christian Standard. That diversity of opinion among Bible-believing followers of Christ is one reason we”ve tackled this topic. We fear that too many Christians have come quickly to their conclusions without considering counter views from others who also love God. And some Christians haven”t

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