July 21, 2016
Contributing editor Ben Cachiaras speaks with Dr. Jerry Taylor at the 2016 North American Christian Convention about racial unity and the problem with political correctness today. In this exclusive interview, he suggests what the local church can do in troubled times like those we”re experiencing today.
By Travis Hurley My story changed when I served as lead minister for a multiethnic congregation in the Washington, D.C., area. Suddenly I was seeing an answer to Jesus” prayer for the visible unity of his people (John 17:20-23) in a way I had never seen before. As I developed deep, rooted relationships across ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic lines, my faith was sharpened, my willingness to love and serve all people was stretched, and a newfound humility and teachability was born within me. The mystery of the gospel””reconciling us to each other as well as to God himself””defies conventional wisdom.
July 1, 2016
By Michael C. Mack Cheer Up the Lonely Day””July 11: This day “is an opportunity to make a lonely person happy,” says HolidayInsights.com. Plan to visit the people in your community who have few friends or loved ones or who see people infrequently. Examples include people who are elderly, shut-in, in nursing homes, or imprisoned. “When you visit, bring happy things to talk about,” say the writers of Holiday Insights. “Keep the conversation upbeat and lively. When you leave, give a big hug and let them know you enjoyed the stay.” National Hot Dog Day””July 23: Every dog gets its day,
July 1, 2016
By Michael C. Mack The principles doctors use to diagnose health in our physical bodies are similar to those we can use in our congregations. Certain characteristics in the life of a church tell us that the church is healthy and thriving. A void of these characteristics would tell us the church needs attention and treatment. Let”™s examine a couple of church health issues that are always important. The Unity of the Congregation: The unity of a church is critical to its health. Disunity within the body brings division, strife, and risk the church won”™t fulfill its mission. If points
June 20, 2016
By Dudley Rutherford The idea for Dream of Destiny came to me in the summer of 2007 after I downloaded a photograph of Dr. Martin Luther King speaking to the crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., during his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Attended by some 250,000 people on August 28, 1963, it was the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation”s capital, and one of the first to have extensive television coverage. I made this iconic photo my computer”s screensaver and noticed something I had not been aware of previously. I noticed there were many Caucasians
June 17, 2016
By Steve Blake Catalyst of Austin is a new church plant in the fastest-growing city in the country, Austin, Texas. My prayer in starting Catalyst of Austin was that God would allow us to be a multiethnic church that advances his kingdom in our city and beyond. To God”s glory, within a few short months of the church”s launch, there are approximately 15 ethnic backgrounds and nationalities represented, including Filipino, Chinese, Indian, Puerto Rican, African-American, Jamaican, Honduran, Nicaraguan, Mexican, Norwegian, German, Hawaiian, Russian, and Spanish. Several of these people are first-generation immigrants, like myself, while an equal number are second-generation.
June 16, 2016
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,
June 14, 2016
By Mark A. Taylor We know at least two things about our posts about racial justice at this site this month. First, we know they are inadequate. They do not convey the scope or the whole burden of the race problem in America. “¢ They only hint at the fact that America”s fortunes were built and wealth was created on the backs of those enslaved in a land that abused them while proclaiming “All men are created equal.” “¢ They barely mention the long history of egregious statements from both church and state claiming that Africans and African-Americans are somehow
By Travis and Dena Hurley Society”s efforts to build racial unity are not succeeding. Only the gospel offers the possibility for easing racial tensions and bringing together those who have long stayed apart with suspicion toward each other. The church can make the difference””if we will. When the American Crime Story miniseries revisited the O.J. Simpson trial this spring, it reminded us of the “not guilty” verdict in 1995. At the time, the evidence of Simpson”s guilt seemed overwhelming. We were baffled by what appeared to be scenes of celebration among the black community. Was there no respect for the
June 2, 2016
By Susan Lawrence Encouragement for anyone who sometimes finds church a troubling place. If we insist on avoiding the messiness, we may miss the greatest blessing. Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming. If we decide to go on sinning after we have learned the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:24-26*). Encouraging each
By Mark A. Taylor What does Christian unity look like? Sometimes it takes the form of two or three preachers getting together just to talk and share common experiences, dreams, and convictions. Often this leads to joint ministry projects and worship services between congregations creating new associations where once there was only suspicion and separation. Maybe the sweet aroma of unity will create a longing for it among others ready to include more people among “us” and fewer as “them.” And that can create an expression of unity in a large, public event attracting hundreds of separated brothers and sisters
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
By Brian Jennings Dave Dunson and Brian Jennings didn”t exactly exchange places on their church staff. But Dunson gave up the senior ministry to move to another staff ministry position while Jennings moved from youth ministry to become the lead minister. Here”s why and how it happened. Highland Park Christian Church has been ministering to people in the heart of Tulsa, Oklahoma, for almost 60 years. In 2004, we first began talking about a future staff transition. Everything about our situation felt unique; we weren”t planning on anyone leaving or retiring. Dave Dunson came to the church as senior minister
By Steve Reeves For the two weeks leading up to this year”s Super Bowl, the most asked question where I live was, “Will this be Peyton Manning”s last rodeo?” (Will he retire after the Super Bowl?) Truth is, that kind of question is being asked someplace almost every week, whether it concerns the long-tenured coach, college professor, or corporate executive. It”s also a relevant issue for well-known musicians and politicians: “Will this be their last concert, election, or board meeting?” Frankly, I don”t know how long the issue of ministerial retirement and succession has been such a major topic of conversation,
By Jason Yeatts Succession depends on the interior world of everyone involved. If a person”s interior world is out of order, then failure is inevitable. When fear, pride, or indifference take up residence inside a church or parachurch organization, conflict and confusion emerge and grow. A succession process has little hope of overcoming these roadblocks unless another attitude, humility, prevails. Paul said, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (Philippians 2:3, 4). This starts with
April 8, 2016
By Mark Krause I recently read of a young mother who named her son Defy. Yes, I spelled that correctly: Defy, as in “to oppose with an attitude.” She said she wanted her child to grow up knowing he never had to accept the status quo and should always question everything. While I understand the cultural frustration that causes this sort of thing, it seems dangerous to me. If everyone in a society becomes a relentless questioner, pretty soon there is no one left to give answers, and collapse is inevitable. This can happen in the church. Is our first
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
February 11, 2016
By Mark A. Taylor Our theology affects all our actions and decisions“”how we live and serve and react and decide. But do most Christians and Christian leaders define their decisions by their theology? Can we do this? How? Why should we try? For answers we talked with four church leaders and Bible scholars: “¢ Ben Cachiaras, senior pastor with Mountain Christian Church, Joppa, Maryland “¢ Frank Dicken, assistant professor of New Testament at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University “¢ J. K. Jones, pastor of spiritual formation with Eastside Christian Church, Normal, Illinois “¢ Jon Weatherly, dean of the School of Bible
February 8, 2016
By Casey Tygrett Jesus didn”t give us words about God. He lived as the Word of God. What does that show us about what impact God”s words should demonstrate in our lives? When I was a kid, I had an uncanny resemblance to my dad. Our facial structures, mannerisms, and senses of humor were so closely aligned that the folks in my small hometown knew whose I was before they knew who I was. They looked at me””my long angular nose and the way my eyebrows elevated and separated when I spoke””and they saw my father from years past. There
January 18, 2016
By Justin Horey Kirk Bolen likes to run marathons. It”s a good thing he does, because his family”s adoption journey lasted four years and required more than 15,000 miles of international travel. Kirk and his wife, Amanda, didn”t plan to adopt. Kirk is a worship leader at Mountain Christian Church in Joppa, Maryland, and the couple has two biological sons: Asher, 7, and Eamon, 4. Around the time their second son was born, Kirk went to Uganda on a short-term mission trip with World Vision. While there, he took note of all the needy children he saw. Kirk recalls, “Everywhere we went,
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