ChristianityToday.com/ct/2019/November/cross-is-our-stairway-to-heaven.html Our salvation comes not from someone on our level, but from someone infinitely above it. The Cross Is Our Stairway to Heaven By: Jen Wilkin One of the most common evangelistic tools is a simple drawing of two cliffs with a chasm between. On one cliff is a figure representing the sinner, and on […]
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/september-web-only/megachurch-mass-wedding-cohabitation-pastor-bryan-carter.html INTERVIEW BY MARIA BAER As cohabitation continues to rise and more research details the instability of the arrangement for families, churches that champion marriage inevitably have to grapple with the issue. In a 2011 survey, more than half of Protestant pastors said they would marry couples who had been living together. Leaders at churches […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/september/matthew-avery-sutton-double-crossed-missionaries-spies.html They regretted some of what they were asked to do, but they thought defending democracy was worth it. I would welcome dialogue from any of my readers after reading this article. As you think about its message, consider going back to the Old Testament story when King David was fleeing from Absalom, but sent […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/august-web-exclusives/billy-graham-learned-art-of-preaching.html? The late evangelist called himself the “champion rambler.” By: Grant Wacker When I entered my small Methodist church one Sunday morning a few winters ago, Bob Maddry, a retired truck driver and old chum, walked over. “I lost a dear friend this week,” he said. “Billy Graham brought me to Jesus. He saved my […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/august/billy-graham-rule-sheriff-north-carolina-lawsuit.html? A North Carolina sheriff’s deputy sues his former employer for religious discrimination after it wouldn’t accommodate his request to not train a female officer one-on-one. By: David Roach A former North Carolina sheriff’s deputy may be the first to file a lawsuit alleging he faced discrimination for his commitment to the “Billy Graham Rule.” […]
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/september/forgive-us-our-medical-debts-rip-churches.html By: Maria Baer Americans shoulder a lot of debt. When it comes to past-due medical bills, the country collectively owes at least $81 billion, according to a 2018 Health Affairs study. One in six has a credit report tarnished by debt owed to someone who probably wears a white coat to work (or to […]
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2019/july-august/elliot-clark-evangelism-exiles-sharing-gospel. THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING ARTICLES I’VE READ IN A LONG TIME. IT IS A MUST READ. EVERY PASTOR AND CHURCH CAN BENEFIT. Pastor Frank By: Elliott Clark I first awakened to this reality while doing language study in Central Asia. As I took a course in spiritual terminology, a missionary teacher […]
www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/spring/no-easy-calling.html? Three honest stories about its rewards and challenges. BY: LINDA W. PERKINS The Turbulent Calling of Bivocational Ministry Ministry is changing, and so is the profile of those going into it. For many, it is no longer about leaving another life behind; it is about answering God’s call alongside—or even within—the vocation one […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2019/july-web-exclusives/most-reliable-ministry-tool-mouth-shut.html DOING COUNSELING? PLEASE READ! In a world of noise, people need us to listen with God’s ears. BY: CHRIS NYE I was only 21 years old when a family asked if they could meet with me to discuss how their marital difficulties were affecting their teenage daughter and son. At the time, I had […]
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-christianity-religion-crackdown-megachurch-chinaaid-golden-lampstand-church-linfen-communist-a8156031.html? Chinese authorities blow up Lampstand Church with dynamite in LinFen, China, Pop. 4.3 million. ‘The repeated persecution… demonstrates that the Chinese government has no respect for religious freedom or human rights,’ says Christian group. By: Chris Baynes of The Independent Chinese authorities have demolished a well-known Christian megachurch, inflaming long-standing tensions between religious groups […]