Minister, You Need a Learning Community
“Collaboration allows us to know more than we are capable of knowing by ourselves.” -Paul Solarz It occurs to me that collaboration often takes place in my study, even as I sit alone at my desk. Books are open. I’m being challenged, inspired, enlightened, and corrected by some very sharp people, some of whom are...
Mike Rosser
The Lure of the Fruit…in the 21st Century
In a conversation with my husband the other day, a question arose—a question that prompted a statement from him which sort of stopped me in my tracks. We were discussing a book I was reading on Progressive Christianity, and as we discussed the thoughts of a major progressive writer, he asked, “So they are basing...
Holli Turner
6 Hidden Signs of an Unhealthy Marriage
At Renew.org, we want to encourage faithful, healthy marriages. Although there are signs of marital unhealth which are more obvious than these six, these are six signs which should definitely be taken seriously. If any of these describe your marriage, we encourage you take time to put some serious thought and care into your marriage....
Accepting LGBTQ+ Lifestyles for Disciples of Jesus: A Response to Sally Gary and the CenterPeace Ministries Decision to be Pro Gay
*Editor’s Note: Due to some recent articles exploring what the Bible says about gender, our ability to share articles widely on Facebook has been significantly suppressed. In the interest of continuing to be able to speak biblical truth in love to an increasingly inhospitable culture, would you consider sharing this important article to people in...
Guy Hammond
Critical Race Theory: Bitter Roots
This is Part 2 in Chad Ragsdale’s series on CRT. For Part 1 “Critical Race Theory: Friend or Foe,” click here. Here’s Part 3, 4, and 5. What is critical race theory and where does it come from? Delgado and Stefancic begin to answer this question in the introduction to their book Critical Race Theory:...
Chad Ragsdale
How I Learned to Look for “God Signs”
A long time ago, our family happened upon this idea of what I’ll call “God signs.” The idea came through a friend of ours who had mentioned that, whenever he was faced with a tough decision or was feeling conflicted or particularly low, he had started noticing birds. Not just birds on a wire or...
Bonnie Blaylock
Developing a Prayer and Fasting Culture: A Q&A with David Roadcup and Bobby Harrington
Is your church waking up from the uneasy peace we have often made with the way things are? Are you and your church ready to move beyond maintaining membership rolls to seriously pursuing revival? For Christians ready for revival, it’s time to reintroduce the spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting—not as sporadic regularities but as...
Reasons Why Adolescents Attempt Suicide
There are a number of reasons why a teen might make a suicide attempt. The following are a summary of some of the most common.[1] To escape from an intolerable situation. It is important to note that “intolerable” might be anything in the mind of a developing adolescent. Any time a teen feels hopeless and...
Gary Zustiak
Critical Race Theory: Friend or Foe?
This is Part 1 in this 5-part series assessing Critical Race Theory. Here’s Part 2, 3, 4, and 5. Critical race theory (CRT). What have you heard about it? What do you think about it? What in the world is it? CRT has been in the news a lot lately. President Trump has recently banned its...
Chad Ragsdale
Church Leader, We Are So Thankful for You
Dear friends, If you’re a church leader in 2020, wherever you have served, it has been a tough year. Well done. When we think of you, these words of Paul come to mind: “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father...
Don’t Quench the Holy Spirit. Follow His Prompts.
The moment was like one of those Mission Impossible movies: Your mission, should you choose to accept, is…. But let me start at the beginning. It was the middle of March, 2020, a couple weeks before lockdowns or mask mandates, and stores were running out of food. I was in danger of running out of...
Luke Gray
Mirage: 5 Things People Want from God That Don’t Exist
These days, reasons for irritability pop up as regularly as Facebook advertisements. Of all the reasons to be irritable, this one has to be the worst: We often want things that turn out not to exist. People can spend their…
Daniel McCoy
Discipling Group for a Pandemic?
At Renew.org we believe that Jesus-style disciple making is the core mission of the church. It includes reaching lost people (evangelism) and forming people into the image of Jesus (maturation). But how do we make disciples when we are having trouble even gathering with the church? Many people are joining online instead of in person....
Bobby Harrington
What Does God Think about My Mental Disorder?
“As he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” Jesus answered. “This came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him (John 9:1-3). Disclaimer: I am...
William Butt
Lessons from the Church in Germany: Tsunami
Q: Remind me of how influential German thinkers have been. Germany has always been on the cutting edge of various kinds of progress. For example, in the early 1900s, Germany was the most technologically advanced country in the world. Their engineering was way ahead of America’s and Britain’s. When I think of influential theologians, Germany...
Brett Seybold
Sermon on the Mount: What Is God’s Answer to the Problem of Evil?
*Editor’s Note: This is the sixth article in a 13-part series on the Beatitudes. Here’s the complete list of articles in the series: Who Does Jesus Think He Is? Crowds or Disciples? The Sermon’s Most Important Word The Pursuit of Happiness Poor in Spirit God’s Answer to the Problem of Evil Meekness Hunger and Thirst...
Jeremy Bacon