Carrying a Cross Through Political Crossfire
“Leadership is disappointing your own people at a pace that they can stand.” —Tod Bolsinger Leslie Newbigin was a well-known British missionary to India in the last century. He and his wife were effective cross-cultural church planters and understood how to translate the gospel to the culture they had come to live in. But after...
Jonathan Storment
How Do We Take the Lord’s Name in Vain?
How do we take the Lord’s name in vain? A common way to see this third of the Ten Commandments as prohibiting speech about God which misuses his name (e.g., using his name in an oath that you break). It is also possible to “take up” God’s name in a way that represents him poorly....
Jim Frech
Why Fasting in the Bible? 11 Reasons
Why fasting in the Bible? The Bible gives numerous reasons for fasting, from repentance and mourning to preparation and power for God’s mission. When planning a fast, a believer should have a specific purpose for that fast. Scripture gives us examples for determining purposes for fasting. Let’s examine these purposes and bring light to why...
What Is New Age Spirituality? The Basics of New Age Spirituality in 10 Questions, 10 Terms, and 10 Quotes
What is New Age Spirituality? New Age Spirituality is a movement which brings together monism (all is one) and pantheism (all is good) with Eastern spiritual techniques. The idea is that, if we can overcome ignorance of our true nature and dissolve our separateness from each other and from god, we can attain higher consciousness...
Daniel McCoy
Ten Reasons to Not Homeschool Your Children: Real Life Theology with Renée Sproles
Mothers Renée Sproles, Karen Costello, and Holli Turner speak on their experience of homeschooling, its risks and rewards, and the reasons it is not for everyone.
Why Women’s Ministry Matters
Why does women’s ministry matter? Not everyone’s faith develops in the same ways, and there are distinctive ways women’s faith tends to develop. Scriptures such as Titus 2:3-5 and Luke 10:38-42 point us to the importance of women’s ministry in the local church. This article explores how we can help women in church find their...
Anessa Westbrook
5 Reasons Why Church Is Important
Why Church is important: Church was God’s idea, and as such, it helps us pursue godliness and prioritize him. It’s because of the Church that we learn the truth about God and join together to disciple others to come to know him as well. It can be easy for people to assume that, as long...
Jake Sutherlin
What Is Faith in the Bible? What Faith Means and How to Live It
What is faith in the Bible? The Bible teaches us to place our faith in Jesus, which means to believe what Jesus says, trust in Jesus to save you from your sins, and place your allegiance in Jesus as king. Faith is what we give in response to God’s grace. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is...
Mark E. Moore
What Is Unitarian Universalism? The Basics of Unitarian Universalism in 10 Questions, 10 Definitions, and 10 Quotes
What are the basics of Unitarian Universalism? UU is historically a merger of two beliefs. First, Unitarianism: God is absolutely one (there is no Trinity). Second, Universalism: everyone will be saved in the end. These two beliefs assume some basic elements of the Christian worldview (God’s existence, salvation, eternity) which today’s UU does not necessarily...
Daniel McCoy
Rod Dreher and the Disciple Making Solution
In early September, I had the opportunity to interview and dialogue with author and cultural commentator Rod Dreher in a public forum about his latest book and the concerns that he raises. Dreher’s Live Not By Lies has rightly become…
Bobby Harrington
Bobby Harrington
Who Was Samuel in the Bible? Meet Your Instructor in Resisting Cynicism.
Who was Samuel in the Bible? Samuel was a prophet in ancient Israel who served as the hinge between the time of the judges and reign of the kings. He stabilized the nation after a period of national chaos and religious corruption. He led his nation for many years as judge and prophetic compass. Even...
Daniel McCoy
Demons in the Bible & in Our World
What are demons in the Bible? They are fallen angels who serve the devil in alluring people to destructive behaviors, false teaching, and separation from God. What can we learn from demons in the Bible to help us navigate our own struggles today? Christians believe that demons as described in the Bible were not mythical...
Rahel bint Younas
Creation Care: How to Steward the Earth Wisely
What is creation care? Creation care goes all the way back to God’s command in the first chapter of the Bible for humans to rule over God’s creation wisely. This was God’s reason for creating humans in the first place: “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule...
Taffeta Chime
5 Tips for Multigenerational Ministry
Our church has included a mixture of ages from day one. If you attend a Sunday worship gathering, you’ll see plenty of gray hair, hear crying babies, and encounter everyone in between. It wasn’t something we were trying to create—it just happened. The fact that we were effectively reaching the next generation made our church...
Joshua Branham
Philosophy Questions: What Is Christian Philosophy?
What is Christian philosophy? As the “love of wisdom,” philosophy is thinking hard about life’s biggest questions of what’s real, true, and good. Christian philosophy is thinking hard about life’s biggest questions from a Christian perspective. Some of the greatest Christian philosophers throughout history include the medieval thinkers Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Christians conversing with...
Daniel McCoy
6 Discipleship Insights We Learn from Watching Jesus with Disciples
Watching Jesus with disciples is one of the best ways we learn to disciple others. There are a lot of healthy conversations in churches and Christian leadership about discipleship methods. What model or program works best? As we read through the Gospels, we see steps to discipleship in Jesus’ own method of discipling people. The...
Tina Wilson