Articles for tag: Scripture Reading

June 21, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Three Ways Churches Can Address Biblical Skepticism

By Mark A. Taylor Americans are less engaged with the Bible than ever, according to research released by the Barna Group last week. The trend is “toward biblical skepticism,” Barna President David Kinnaman reported. The report shows, for example, that only a third of Americans agree strongly with the statement, “The Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches,” down from 48 percent in 2011. Only 45 percent agree with this statement: “The Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life,” down from 53 percent in 2011. “With each passing year, the

April 15, 2016

Christian Standard

Why We Meet

By Mark Krause Why did the early church celebrate the Lord”s Supper every week? The answer to this is very simple, but for some Christians it requires a different way of thinking. Most believers are well acquainted with the church tradition and expectation of meeting together on the first day of the week. This weekly gathering is reflected in a term we sometimes use for a particular, local church, the congregation. This word literally means “those who gather together.” Churches are made up of members who assemble, who come together. But why? If you were to ask believers why they

March 15, 2016

Mark A. Taylor

Missing God

By Mark A. Taylor Being a soldier can be boring. Especially when you”re far from home, in a dry, dirty, dusty place. When the assignment is to keep order among a stubborn people who resent you and all you stand for, the duty is all the more distasteful. And so, when a strange peasant called a king is assigned to your watch, who could blame you for having a little fun? Nothing about him looks like royalty, that”s for sure. So you find some thorns and make him a crown. Your buddy has a robe he took from some unlucky

October 31, 2014

Christian Standard

A Universal Language

By C. Robert Wetzel Have you ever found yourself worshipping in a congregation in a country where you did not know the language? Perhaps occasionally you recognized a melody of a hymn and tried to sing the words that you associated with that tune. Or saw Scripture was being read, but could only guess what it might be by looking to see how the Bible was opened. Was it about halfway? Then maybe it was a Psalm. Was it near the back? Probably a New Testament reading. But what? It becomes even worse during the sermon. Why is the preacher

January 7, 2012

Christian Standard

In Just One Year: Tell Me It’s Not Just a Dream!

Nothing challenges us to think about changing times more than the transition from one year to the next. On this first day of 2012, we asked six Christian leaders to think about the church a year from now and to draw a picture of our progress””and our problems””then.  * * * By Eleanor Daniel It is so vivid””identifiable people and places, actions, colors, and sounds. The year is somewhere beyond 2012. I see a church that intrigues me. The people include those of all colors, ethnic backgrounds, and languages. Names like Gomez and Vegas, Wong and Hasmani, as well as

November 8, 2011

Christian Standard

Using the Word in Worship

By Scott Dyer Just as in any recipe, worship suffers when a key ingredient is missing. I believe a foundational element in God-honoring worship is Scripture. And there are more ways to use Scripture than asking one of the ministers to read it. Here are some ideas we”ve tried. My wife, Vonda, and I are big fans of cooking competition shows. You know, the shows where they pick 15 aspiring chefs and pit them against one another to determine who is the best cook. The shows often put the contestants in difficult challenges that are almost impossible to accomplish, just

May 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Reading the Book Rarely Opened

By Diane Stortz I remember sitting in first-grade reading circle when the letters in the large book in front of me suddenly formed words. Sit, Spot. Run, Jane. Run, Dick. I could read! From then on I read nearly nonstop. Cereal boxes on the breakfast table. My Brownie and Girl Scout handbooks. Stacks and stacks of library books. “Dear Abby” in the newspaper. College texts. Magazines. Self-help tomes. But one book I rarely opened. And when I did, it mystified me. The Bible. In high school I bought myself a New Testament. For college graduation I asked for and received

March 29, 2011

Christian Standard

In Praise of Congregational Participation

By Becky Ahlberg Contrary to what you might think, “worship wars” have been going on for centuries. I”ll not slip back into my music history professor role and bore you with all the details, but suffice it to say that, from early church days, how we worship has been the topic of a lively, ongoing debate. As is the norm for humans, we tend to swing the pendulum from one extreme to another, rarely finding that center of balance. I suppose if we carry through with that analogy, though, the good news is that it is the swinging pendulum that

October 14, 2007

Christian Standard

TRIED & TRUE: Traditional Worship

By Don Seevers II Our congregation seems to have found its niche in the greater Lexington, Kentucky, area. Our congregation is enjoying good growth in both worship services, but our traditional worship service surpasses the blended/contemporary service in size on many Sundays. Why do some worship styles work in certain locales and not in others? I”m not sure, but I believe striving for excellence in all we do can make the difference. In some churches, the traditional service has been de-emphasized as other worship styles have developed. Unfortunately, it has been relegated to the position of providing a worship option

July 22, 2007

Christian Standard

10 Things any Church Can Do to Enrich Worship

By Shockley Flick Here are 10 suggestions that may bring a fresh spark to your worship services. As you read through them, choose one or two that appeal to you and plug them into this Sunday”s service. New additions to your service or even slight changes will help trigger the mind to be open to a fresh look at the Savior. Pray Each week ask the Lord to change lives. Recruit volunteers to walk through the seats before the service, praying for those who will be coming. Ask the choir/praise group to pray for the first four people they see

May 7, 2006

Christian Standard

Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

By Jack R. Reese Everywhere I go these days””at conferences and workshops, in hallways and classrooms””I hear people talking about worship renewal. That”s a good thing, of course. Who could be opposed to renewal? Surely we all would agree that our worship could be better. We all want it to be more engaging, more effective, more uplifting, more spiritually forming. None of our churches is all it should be in this regard. We need to be renewed, to be sure. My problem is not that people desire worship renewal. Rather it is the assumption, among many at least, that such

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