Articles for tag: Unity

October 3, 2019

Christian Standard

Rejecting the Temptation of Isolation

Knofel Staton, at the time president of Pacific Christian College—now called Hope International University (Fullerton, California)—urged people in Christian churches and churches of Christ to turn away from their/our isolationist tendencies in this piece from 35 years ago. Here is a shortened version of his long article. _ _ _ Isolation—Leave It in the Grave! By Knofel Staton;Oct. 14, 1984; p. 4 . . . My sister Knova and I grew up in the same family but were very different. Sometimes I did not act like I was in unity with her, but I have come to realize that our

August 15, 2019

Christian Standard

‘Our Plea for Union Differs from All Others’

Here is the eighth in our monthly series of excerpts from Christian Standard, circa 1909, a year the magazine devoted an issue each month to articles of particular interest to our movement. This editorial from 1871 is a simple but eloquent primer (surely written by Isaac Errett) about what it means to be a New Testament Christian. _ _ _ Union of Christians An editorial originally published Sept. 23, 1871;republished on p. 12, Aug. 14, 1909 Our plea for union differs from all others. It knows nothing of human policy or human invention. It simply proposes to go back to

July 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Changing Church Culture to Achieve God’s Mission (Woodlawn Park Church of Christ, Baltimore)

By Melissa Wuske Woodlawn Park Church of Christ is an a cappella congregation located a few miles from the center of Baltimore. Many people would consider the church to be “real urban, but to us, we are urban-suburban,” said minister Elmer V. Sembly III. The community doesn’t deal with intense poverty and other typical inner-city issues. So, “it blew me away,” Sembly said, when he learned the top two Google search topics in his area were depression and anxiety. It made him pause to seriously consider the events and series the church was promoting. But God has been preparing the

July 18, 2019

Christian Standard

Bob Wetzel ‘Found a Home in the Christian Church’

As a “Reflections” writer in 1999, C. Robert Wetzel wrote four columns, all of them somewhat personal. This column was the most autobiographical. Wetzel was serving as president of Emmanuel School of Religion in Johnson City, Tenn., at the time he wrote this. He served in that capacity from 1994 to 2009. For the past decade, he has served as chancellor of the school (now called Emmanuel Christian Seminary at Milligan College.) Here’s some biographical info about Wetzel that isn’t revealed in this column: Wetzel received a BA from Midwest Christian College (now Ozark Christian College), an MS from Fort

June 24, 2019

Mark Scott

Lesson for June 30, 2019: Speak Up by Being His Children (Philippians 2:12-18)

Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in issue no. 5 (weeks 25-28; June 23–July 14, 2019) of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ Lesson Aim: Speak up by holding out the Word in your life. ______ By Mark Scott Words matter. God used them to create the world (Genesis 1:3). Jesus used them to give life to the world (John 6:63). The apostles used them to save the world (Acts 11:14). That being said,

June 22, 2019

Christian Standard

Practicing the Implications of Truth: How We Become Doers of the Word and Not Hearers Only

By Wes Sebree Not even an extremely gifted communicator can rival experience as a teacher. My good friend Mike would add, “Truth is discovered, not downloaded.” In other words, truth must be experienced to take root. If these statements are accurate—and they are—we need to consider whether we want to proclaim the truth or whether we want to equip people to live faithfully. The first can be accomplished without doing the second. Additionally, equating information transfer with spiritual growth robs Christ’s body of experiencing God’s truth and love in tangible ways. This results in a subtle brand of gnosticism where

June 20, 2019

Christian Standard

A Profile of ‘Raccoon’ John Smith (Part 2)

(Read Part 1 of this profile, published June 13.) Before launching into Part 2 of this profile of “Raccoon” John Smith from 1925, we should offer an explanation for how he acquired his nickname. The opening of M.M. Davis’s article about Smith from June 12, 1909, gives this account. _ _ _ “Raccoon” John Smith [1784–1868] is the most unique character in our history. . . . Just why he should have this undignified nickname is not clear, for he was never a hunter of anything, much less of raccoons. But of all names in the world needing a distinguishing

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

May 22, 2019

Christian Standard

We Believe the Bible Is True

By Johnny Pressley The B-I-B-L-E Yes, that’s the book for me I stand alone on the Word of God The B-I-B-L-E The apostle Paul encouraged his associate Timothy with a reminder of the strong faith passed on to him by his grandmother Lois and his mother, Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5). “From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures” (2 Timothy 3:15). Many of us surely appreciate the godly men and women who nurtured us in the faith. They not only taught us Scripture, they inspired us with respect and trust for the Bible as the Word of God, even in

May 22, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Moving Past the Silence: How Can We Actually Restore New Testament Christianity?

By Michael C. Mack “Have we to any great extent restored New Testament Christianity?” Christian Standard editor Burris Butler asked that intriguing question 65 years ago . . .  and we’re still asking it today. Butler’s assessment of the situation in 1954 may seem harsh. He said, A big eloquent silence is the kindest answer we can give to this question. Here and there a life thoroughly committed to the Son of God has shone out like a bright light in the darkness. Now and then a local congregation has given a hint of its spiritual potentialities. But on the

April 25, 2019

Christian Standard

LIVING IN THE TENSION

How the Church Must Respond to Sexual Identity Issues in Both Truth and Grace By Caleb Kaltenbach Not long ago, I sat in an apartment crying with two African-American lesbians. They were married and were attending a church in Houston that I was working with. After being with the church awhile, they concluded God designed sexual intimacy for marriage between a man and woman. They asked the church staff about next steps, but the ministers were as confused as the ladies. Now I was in their living room processing their situation. They had been together for 10 years and married

April 25, 2019

Christian Standard

‘Why Are My Kids Putting Off Marriage but Not Sex?’

5 Ways to Help Emerging Adults Find Good Love and Good Lovin’ By Haydn Shaw Connie wrung her hands as she confessed that her 24-year-old daughter had started having sex with her boyfriend. “My husband and I raised her in the church. Until recently she believed that sex outside of marriage is wrong,” Connie told me. “But she informed me that as soon as she can get a better job, she’s moving in with her boyfriend. She says they love each other and plan to get married in a few years.” Why are my kids putting off marriage but not

April 2, 2019

Christian Standard

Unified Anthem

By Halee Wood Queen’s song “We Will Rock You” became a worldwide sensation in the 1970s and remains popular. Even in recent years, it is still often played in many professional sports leagues. It is a stadium anthem! When the song is broadcast on stadium speakers, even the most reserved fans engage. The song delivers this message to the opponent: “There is a battle ahead; we are prepared, and we will prevail.” The song unites every fan—all races and all generations. Even those scattered folks who support the opposing team must sit on their hands while this song plays so

March 28, 2019

Christian Standard

Let the Church Be the Church

I recently came upon this “Reflections” column by Floyd Strater from our December 12, 1982, issue. For many decades, as I recall, the editor of Christian Standard would ask a group of 12 or 13 people—a new group annually—to contribute four essays during the year. The topics were not assigned. Sam E. Stone told me he would strive for a variety of writers each year: men, women, preachers, professors, missionaries, and others from a broad geographical area. Floyd Strater was serving as minister with Knott Avenue Christian Church in Anaheim, California, at the time he wrote this. He preached there

March 19, 2019

Christian Standard

Benefits of the Family Meal

By Halee Wood Close your eyes and picture a family dinner. A “June Cleaver” mom is in an apron and pearls, “Ward” in a sweater and tie. The children’s hands are washed and their hair combed. The savory aroma of a home-cooked meal fills the air. Everyone, including the family dog, listens intently to what is being said. Is this what dinner looks like at your house? In real-life families dinner can be messy—there might be cooking and dining mishaps, arguing and complaining among family members, and other things competing for our attention. Though a sit-down meal as a family

March 7, 2019

Christian Standard

Restorer of Gospel Evangelism

As promised last week, here is an article about Walter Scott by Enos E. Dowling, who was then serving as librarian of the School of Religion at Butler University in Indianapolis. This article is from January 27, 1945. Dowling begins the article by describing what some call “the most important sermon ever delivered on American soil.” _ _ _ Restorer of Gospel Evangelism Walter Scott Logically Comes First in a Series on ‘Great Evangelists of the Restoration Movement’ By Enos E. Dowling January 27, 1945 Every seat in the meetinghouse of the Baptist church was filled. Many stood around the

March 5, 2019

Christian Standard

Spiritual MRI

By Halee Wood  Have you ever had an MRI? An MRI produces detailed pictures of internal body structures. It can assist in diagnosing many things we never want to face: aneurysms, inner ear issues, spinal cord injuries, cancerous tumors, and more. A prescribed MRI makes us cringe because we don’t want anything “bad” exposed, though all the while, in our gut we already know something is wrong or we would not have sought the help of a physician. An MRI can diagnose, but it cannot cure. The physician is who leads you through the healing process. The apostle Paul once

February 27, 2019

Christian Standard

Kent E. Fillinger

Christianity in Confusion: What Happens When We Forgo Reading the Directions

By Kent E. Fillinger A year or so ago, one of my teenage daughters had several of her friends over for a sleepover. During the night, the girls decided to play a game. My daughter pulled Scattergories, which was new to her, out of the closet, and in the girls’ rush to play, they decided to forego reading the directions. Instead, they came up with a way to play based on what they thought made sense. Not reading the directions first resulted in a hodgepodge game with no winner. There were a few arguments along the way, due to the

February 25, 2019

Jerry Harris

Our Move to Not-for-Profit

By Jerry Harris It happened quietly in 2018. The owner of Christian Standard and The Lookout took on not-for-profit status for the first time ever. For about 150 years, the magazines were guided by Standard Publishing, which did business like most of the working world . . . as a for-profit. The company encouraged churches to buy and pass out their magazines for free and to purchase their books and other helps for teaching. That system endured for years, even as the business was bought and sold four times. Then, in early 2017, a church-centric organization purchased the magazines, and

January 29, 2019

Michael C. Mack

Debatable Issues

By Michael C. Mack As you read this issue, you may not agree with every writer’s viewpoint. Several articles contain debatable issues, and, in one case, we go “In the Arena” on a highly contentious matter: women’s involvement in teaching and leadership in the church. We believe it’s helpful to provide a forum in which readers can consider both sides of debatable issues. In churches large and small, leaders are discussing these issues, and we hope to provide biblical perspectives from others who have already done the hard work of studying, applying, and even teaching on these matters. I ask

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