Articles for tag: Tom Lawson

Christian Living

Celebrity Doubles

By Tom Lawson During the 1930s a hopeful contender in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest in San Francisco was disappointed when he did not even make the finals. The contestant was, of course, none other than the real Charlie Chaplin. Today, an entire industry of celebrity doubles has arisen. Want Arnold Schwarzenegger at your 5-year-old”s birthday party? No problem. Want Barack Obama to speak at the church”s annual Thanksgiving dinner? No problem. Among the billions of human beings on earth, some clearly bear striking similarities to others. In European folklore this may be behind the myth of the doppelgangerÂ””a person”s

May 13, 2016

Christian Living

Crowded Tables

By Tom Lawson One thing Americans traveling in the United Kingdom will notice almost immediately involves what people call “personal space.” Houses are smaller. Automobiles are smaller. City streets are smaller. People simply live closer together. Nowhere is this more evident, or more awkward, than when eating lunch in a sidewalk cafe or British pub. Do not expect to eat alone. Even if you are by yourself, you will not be eating alone. The American custom of devoting an entire table to a group, or even a single person, is simply ignored. If there are empty places, don”t be surprised

May 6, 2016

Violent Table

By Tom Lawson Right now, in this time of worship, it is easy to forget how much violence there is outside these walls. We come into this welcoming place, we sing songs of praise, we greet friends and visitors, and we come to the time of Communion. All very nice and so very far removed from all the ugly that”s out there. It”s surprising, then, to consider for a moment that this brief meal is all about . . . “¢ a human body broken. “¢ human flesh torn and bleeding. “¢ an innocent man hanging by nails in unimaginable

December 11, 2015

Worship Worship & Prayer

Beyond Information

By Tom Lawson We”re still living with the aftermath of the Protestant Reformers who cleansed worship spaces of every piece of art. But doesn”t the Bible give us examples and a mandate to use all the arts in worship? In 1524, the great GrossmÃ¼nster cathedral in ZÃ¼rich was just a shell of its former glory. The statues had been smashed and all the artwork had been removed. Initially, even congregational singing had been discarded, along with the statues and frescoes. What was left was a nearly empty room, except for a towering pulpit, for plain and unadorned Christian worship. In

December 19, 2013

Theology & Bible

Incarnation

By Tom Lawson Stephen and Ian stood together talking, while they braved the crisp breeze of a cold December in downtown Lexington, Kentucky. They had decided to go to a popular local cafÃ© for lunch. But the people standing outside told them what was confirmed by the hostess at the door, “It will be about 20 to 30 minutes, if you want to wait.” They did. In the eight months between college and graduate school, my son Stephen decided to live and worship with a group of Christians in a depressed section of Lexington. From various denominations, the members of

April 26, 2013

Foolishness and Communion

By Tom Lawson “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18). What could be more foolish than Communion””a little bread and grape juice or wine through which we are invited to experience Christ? Perhaps the only thing more foolish is saving the world with some wood, a few nails, and torn, bleeding flesh. We like to make the chasm between the spiritual and the physical as clear as the difference between day and night. The unseen spiritual is

April 19, 2013

Theology & Bible Communion & Lord's Supper

When Jesus Missed Communion

What if a church gathered for Communion, but Jesus wasn’t at the table? Drawing from Revelation 3 and the church at Laodicea, this reflection calls believers to open the door and welcome Christ back in.

April 12, 2013

Remembering or Participating?

By Tom Lawson “Do this in remembrance of me.” Perhaps no words are more closely associated with Communion. Communion is, if nothing else, a time of remembering Jesus Christ. Many people are surprised, or at least confused, by Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians 10:16, 17. Here he teaches that the cup is a participation or sharing in the blood of Christ and the bread is a participation or sharing in the body of Christ. To some, this sounds too close to medieval ideas that had the cup and loaf actually changing into the blood and body of Christ. On the

April 7, 2013

Family & Relationships

When Conflict Comes Home

By Tom Lawson So, how do you keep church conflict from impacting your home life? The short answer is you can”t. If you”re in church leadership, serious church conflict will, in various ways, impact your family life. Church leaders, however, are not alone in this. Nearly all employed adults in America experience tensions and conflicts in their workplace that, at times, spill over to impact their home life. Church conflicts have characteristics of both workplace conflicts and family feuds. They can be conflicts over power, programs, strategic direction, allocation of resources, and dysfunctional patterns of corporate communication. And some church

April 5, 2013

Devotionals

Promises to Keep

By Tom Lawson The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. The last stanza of Robert Frost”s poem holds us balanced between reflection and the unnamed promises we must keep. In Scripture, the faithfulness of God is a transcendent theme from Genesis to Revelation. God is faithful to his promises. He promised that one day all the families on earth would be blessed through Abraham”s faith. He promised David that the kingly rule of one of his descendants would be forever.

August 27, 2012

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Preaching

Do We Believe What We Sing?

By Tom Lawson Calvinism, largely through the influence of the Church of Scotland between 1600 and 1900, has become the dominant position of the majority of English-speaking Evangelical Protestants. The Stone-Campbell Movement, along with groups such as theÂ Cumberland Presbyterians and Freewill Baptists, represent non-Calvinistic groups that have emerged within this broader majority. Since the hymns and songs used in Christian worship are widely shared across denominational lines, it is not surprising that many popular Christian songs come from dedicated Calvinists. In many cases the doctrinal distinctives of Calvinism do not emerge in the lyrics of a song, even if the

February 6, 2012

More Than a Memorial

By Tom Lawson The language we use when talking about Communion has a great deal to do with our history. A quick review of any English Bible will demonstrate words like memorial or emblematic or symbolic are not found in any of the passages about Communion. So, where do they come from and why do we hear them so often? The flip side of that question might be: Why are there a number of biblical phrases and teachings about the Lord”s Supper we rarely hear? To understand why we hear what we hear, it is important we take a brief

March 18, 2011

Apologetics & Worldview

Thinking About Hell?

With all the current flap about Rob Bell”s new book, Love Wins, perhaps you”d like to read again what CHRISTIAN STANDARD writers have said about Hell, universalism, and God”s wrath. Here are links to four helpful articles: How Could a Loving God Send Anyone to Hell? By Jeff Vines The Wide Road Is Still the Wrong Road By David Faust What Should We Believe About Hell? By Glen Elliott In Praise of Wrath By Tom Lawson

December 21, 2008

Worship & Prayer Worship

Questioning Worship

Worship often feels like a place to collect answers, but Scripture frequently leaves us with questions instead. Tom Lawson explores how those untidy questions can follow us home—and lead to fresh insight and changed lives.

December 17, 2006

Worship Worship & Prayer

Questioning Worship

By Tom Lawson For many, worship is all about answers. Big answers. Little answers. Even ordinary answers. “Where can I find meaning for my life?” “Where can I find a place to belong and be loved?” “Where can I go when I”m broken and empty and alone?” For many, worship is all about answers. Children like answers. “What is that?” “Are we there yet?” “Is it gonna hurt?” Sometimes college students like answers. “Listen, I understand the three views you presented in class, but which one is the right one? Which one will be on the test? Which one am

November 5, 2006

Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

ORDINATION (Part 3): Lifetime Ordination

Ordination is a key event in a church’s life. Tom Lawson proposes “lifetime ordination,” a mutual relationship of accountability, oversight, and crisis intervention between a congregation and the minister it sets apart.

October 29, 2006

Church & Ministry Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

ORDINATION (Part 2): Assessing Candidates

This article is no longer available online, but the entire three-part series is available for purchase as a downloadable resource/pdf. Ordination Item 02971Â “¢Â $2.99 Ordination needn”t be a mystery, but it should not be undertaken thoughtlessly. This six-page resource, originally a three-part series in CHRISTIAN STANDARD, explores ordination with an eye toward helping individuals, churches, and God”s kingdom. “¢ J. Michael Shannon makes a case for why ordination is practical and sensible for individuals desiring a lifetime of service in the Lord”˜s church. “¢ Paige Mathews considers a process for assessing the person who wants to be ordained. “¢

October 22, 2006

J. Michael Shannon

Church Leadership Ministry Training & Education

ORDINATION (Part 1): Is It Biblical? Is It Practical?

A downloadable PDF resource explores ordination and includes a sample from J. Michael Shannon’s first article. The piece asks whether ordination is biblical, practical, or necessary, and begins with a look at New Testament patterns for ministry leadership.

December 25, 2005