Articles for tag: Reconciliation

June 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Slowly Savored

By Rick Chromey From mainstream Starbucks and neighborhood bistros, the local coffee cup has evolved into a symbol of connection, companionship, and community. The coffee experience is about family and friends, because great coffee naturally takes time. The beans must be roasted and ground. The coffee is percolated, heated, and even specially flavored. And, of course, every cup is sipped and savored to the last drop. Consequently, coffee is the perfect nonalcoholic drink of choice. It”s the ideal beverage for gathering because great community also happens with time. Friendships are grounded and grown. Relationships emerge through connection and communion. In

June 20, 2017

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Politics & Government

A Profoundly Influential Leader

By Ken Idleman OneÂ of the contributing factors in maintaining ourselves as a nominally Christian nation is the presence of moral leadership in the White House. Some of our presidents have used their considerable influence to point us to the God of the Bible: George Washington, John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush, to name just a few. Without question, we have been blessed as a people when our most prominent national leader has demonstrated godly convictions and character. Joseph, whose biography is detailed in Genesis 37 to 50, was just such a dynamic and deep

May 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Family & Relationships Marriage

Of Manure, Porches, and Good Fights

By Arron Chambers All married couples fight at one time or another. It”s like a pile of manure landing on your front porch. You know what manure is, don”t you? Manure on your front porch is not a good thing. Not at all. It”s a smelly, disgusting, and completely unappealing in every way kind of thing. In my experience as a marriage coach, I”ve come to believe that every married couple will have a pile of “manure” fall onto their “porch” at one time or another. Bad stuff happens to good married couples. And when the unexpected pile of manure

April 17, 2017

Christian Standard

Bible Study Theology & Bible

Lesson for April 23, 2017: Reconciling Love (Romans 5:1-11; 8:31-39)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teachesÂ preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the April 16, 2017,Â issue ofÂ The LookoutÂ magazine, and is also available online atÂ www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark ScottÂ How did the facts of Jesus” death on the cross and his empty tomb set things right between God and humanity? How to articulate the atonement is of great debate among scholars today. Twelve different New Testament words and at least six different models have to be examined. Many of those are in Romans. Romans

March 25, 2017

Christian Standard

Ethics & Moral Issues Gender

A Woman”s Place

By Tim Harlow In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, many women in the U.S. are feeling devalued. What should be the church”s response?Â Although many issues were debated during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, gender issues didn”t seem to be at the forefront. Most people seemed prepared for the possibility of a female president. It wasn”t a big deal. Even those who were dead set against Hillary Clinton for president seldom said it was because she”s a woman. And while many people were offended by Donald Trump”s comments and apparent attitudes toward women, they tended to overlook this

February 23, 2017

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Finding JOY in the Journey

By Rick Chromey How God helped me turnÂ temptation, trouble, and trialÂ into blessing and beauty. Life is a carnival of temptations and troubles. We all walk wounded with hurts, habits, and hang-ups. We”re stuck in moments we can”t escape, desperately addicted to vices and voices we can no longer ignore, resist, or deny. I suffered with my pain for many decades. Life for most of us is tattooed by loss, tragedy, abuse, neglect, or abandonment. Maybe you”ve endured an affair or addiction. Maybe you suffered salacious ridicule, unjust criticism, and unfounded rumors. Perhaps you”ve been unexpectantly fired, forcibly retired, or unfairly

January 19, 2017

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

Out of Network

By Tim Harlow My best advice for yourÂ ministry: share the Spirit. So Moses . . . brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. . . . However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. . . . Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and

January 8, 2017

Christian Standard

I Love the Church . . . Because There”s Work to Be Done

By Miriam Y. Perkins There are reasons I ought to love the church. The church refined the families who raised me. My connection to the Christian churches stretches back three generations to my great-grandparents Esther and Howard Dillon and grandparents Miriam LaRue and Hershel Dillon and Gladys and Carl Perkins. And this circle includes my mother, Linda Perkins, who has dedicated her life to family and the education of children, and my father, Gary Perkins, who was seminary-trained, ordained, and a career military chaplain. If I love the church at all, it is because of this generational legacy. Not Easy

December 7, 2016

Christian Standard

Doctrinal Issues & Debates Theology & Bible

Incarnation

By Jim Tune “”˜The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “˜God with us”)” (Matthew 1:23). We build our walls and we call it peace. In Northern Ireland, miles and miles of “peace walls” snake through Belfast and some other cities to separate Catholic and Protestant neighborhoods. The first walls were built in 1969 during the outbreak of “the Troubles.” Even since the Good Friday peace agreement was finally reached in 1998, many miles of new walls have been built. Forty-eight peace walls exist in Northern Ireland today. They divide

October 5, 2016

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

Reconciliation

By Jim Tune “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, English Standard Version). “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV). ___ A number of widely publicized events have many people concerned about racial tensions in America. Blacks and whites may not agree on underlying causes or potential solutions, but skin color aside, it seems no one is happy about the present state of

July 22, 2016

Christian Standard

Don”t Look Away

By Nancy Karpenske You probably know someone who can”t stand the sight of blood””the man who considered becoming an emergency medical technician but couldn”t deal with the blood, the mom who nearly passes out while washing off her child”s bloody knee, the friend who avoids any movie with gory scenes. Blood can make us extremely uncomfortable. But the death of Jesus, horrifically bloody, is the centerpiece of our salvation. We can”t afford to close our eyes or look the other way. “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed

June 16, 2016

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Race

Movie Nights

By Glen Elliott The church has struggled to find ways not to settle with the comfort of sameness. Significant portions of the New Testament letters deal with racial division (see Ephesians 2 and James 2 as examples) and the unity that is to be a hallmark of God”s people. That”s why Paul reminds us, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Paul says those who have been baptized and put on Christ are one in Christ regardless of ethnicity, economic status,

January 29, 2016

Christian Standard

Christian Living

Slowly Savored

By Rick Chromey From mainstream Starbucks to neighborhood bistros, the local coffee cup has evolved into a symbol of connection, companionship, and community. The coffee experience is about family and friends, because great coffee naturally takes time. The beans must be roasted and ground. The coffee is percolated, heated, and even specially flavored. And, of course, every cup is sipped and savored to the last drop. Consequently, coffee is the perfect nonalcoholic drink of choice. It”s the ideal beverage for gathering because great community also happens with time. Friendships are grounded and grown. Relationships emerge through connection and communion. In

November 30, 2015

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Race

Why White Christians Just Don”t Get It

By Brian Jones If you”re angrier with rioters for looting and pillaging than with the event that preceded it””the killing of an unarmed black man by police officers””there”s a really good chance you just don”t get it. Let me explain. One of my favorite memories growing up was going to the police station with my grandfather, who was a Franklin County sheriff in Columbus, Ohio. He pretended to lock me up in cells, fed me prison food, introduced me to all the guards, and allowed me to sit in his cruiser and turn the siren on. My grandfather was a

July 24, 2015

Christian Standard

Church & Ministry Leadership Development

Jordan Rice’s Thought Leaders

We asked 35 Christian leaders, “Who is the influencer with the biggest impact on your life and ministry?” Most of these leaders listed severalÂ influential thinkers, writers, innovators, and leaders more of us should get to know. This response is fromÂ Jordan Rice, lead pastor, Renaissance Church, New York, New York. ________ Timothy Keller“s “God Loves Cities” changed my life. In this talk, he offered a compelling, clear picture of the unique opportunity churches have to affect more people than ever by patiently and consistently engaging cities. Instead of demonizing the city for all of its ills, he offered a picture from

July 22, 2015

Christian Standard

Culture & Public Square Reconciliation

A Conversation with John Perkins

John Perkins, one of the leading evangelical voices coming out of the U.S. civil rights movement, spoke with contributing editor Jennifer Johnson at the North American Christian Convention, June 2015. In this exclusive interview, he explains why many efforts toward racial reconciliation are like trying to cure cancer with Tylenol and what the church’s role in racial healing must be. See the interview here.

July 16, 2015

A Conversation with Sean Palmer

Sean Palmer talks about his church, The Vine, in Temple, Texas, and reacts to the predominantly white complexion of the North American Christian Convention. When asked about race relations in America, he answers, “The racial problem is a gospel problem.” In this exclusive interview with Mark A. Taylor, he shares his views on the major obstacle to racial reconciliation in the United States and shares his congregation”s strategy for evangelism: “Spend some time with people who are not like you.” See the interview here.

June 5, 2015

Christian Standard

Church Leadership

Jesus: The Middleman

By Rubel Shelly No irreverence intended, so please don”t hear it as anything other than what is intended. Jesus of Nazareth is the ideal middleman. As proof of my thesis, I quote Paul: “There is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity””the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone” (1 Timothy 2:5, 6, New Living Translation). The notion of mediation involves standing between parties for the sake of communication. The ultimate hope in most of these situations is for more than communication; the mediator seeks understanding and reconciliation. A mediator seeks

February 14, 2015

Christian Standard

Family & Relationships Marriage

You Fight for What You Love

By Ryan Rasmussen My wife and I had recently moved across the country to Boulder, Colorado, in an attempt at a new life, a new ministry, and although unspoken, a fresh start to our relationship. We”d been married three years and had very little fruit to show from our commitment other than a 6-month-old daughter, who was the light in our darkness. I had accepted a student ministry position at a church in town and was excited about what God had in store for this new pastoral adventure. In the meantime, to supplement our income, my wife took a job

January 19, 2015

Christian Standard

Carpet Splitting

By Brian Jennings As a young man still in Bible college, Chuck Thomas was invited to preach at First Christian Church in Gotebo, Oklahoma. The church was searching for a new preacher. Chuck accepted, and drove to the small town the following Sunday. Chuck noticed the church (both the building and the people) seemed split down the middle. Both sides had their own Communion table, and their own elders, who separately prayed and served their half of the congregation. This strange division bewildered Chuck and his wife, Anita. A friendly family invited them over for Sunday lunch. After eating, Chuck