Don’t Let Your Faith Be Contradicted by Your Posts
The power and navigation of social media in the 21st century is incredible. At the disposal of our devices, we have numerous ways to stay in touch with hundreds of millions of people, regardless of where they may live, who they are or which race, religion, sexual orientation, or characteristic and opinion they might otherwise...
Daniel C. Berk
Good Leaders Don’t Rush God
King David was no stranger to seasons of waiting. From his marathon-long coronation which included years of fleeing from King Saul to the years it took to finally establish a unified kingdom in Israel, much of David’s early life was lived waiting for the uncertainty of the world around him to settle. One could describe...
Daniel Koch
On Gender and the Bible: Can Women Be Elders? (Part 5)
“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” —Margaret Thatcher. “Women have discovered that they cannot rely on men’s chivalry to give them justice.” —Helen Keller. “It’s time to see what I can do, to test the limits and break through, no right, no wrong, no rules...
When the World’s All Wrong…Persevere
It is easy to make a decision, to commit oneself to a course of action. It is much harder to stick to that decision when challenges arise or roadblocks obstruct our path. I can think of numerous examples of this in my own life. I remember when I was in the third grade, I wanted...
Julia Martin
Letter to a Parent of a College Student
Dear parents of college students: This fall is significant to me in two ways in that it is the first fall in twenty-two years that I will not be welcoming college students to campus as a campus minister and because, after all those years of walking among other people’s kids, my own daughter is now...
Chris Buxton
The Inspiration of the Old Testament
Flavius Josephus, a Jewish historian during the first century AD discussed the Hebrew Scriptures in the time of Jesus in an apologetic work written against a non-Jew named Apion. Josephus writes about the superiority of the Hebrew Scriptures over pagan writings in his work, Against Apion (1.8). For example, Josephus argues in this defense of...
A Simple Way to Share the Gospel
Mortality is on the news and in our minds in a way we haven’t experienced for a while. While it has always been true that everybody dies, there is nothing like a viral disease to expose our fragility. There are going to be quiet times—away from the stocking up and checking up on 401Ks—when people...
Daniel McCoy
Reasons for Church Decline in the West
*Editor’s Note: Recently, Dr. Carol Swain interviewed Dr. Bobby Harrington on her podcast Be the People. They talked about the post-Christian trajectory we are experiencing in the US, as well as the need for Renew.org in these confusing times. This is the second of two articles excerpted from their conversation. For Part 1, click here. ...
Is a Late Canon Bad News for Bible-Believers?
Canon comes from a Greek word meaning “rule” or “standard.” Christians use the word canon to describe the authoritative books which make up our Bible. These books are our rule and standard. To review from the previous article, we don’t find all 27 books being labeled by the church as the definitive New Testament until...
Brett Seybold
On Gender and the Bible: Does God Allow Women Preachers in 1 Timothy 2? (Part 4)
This is another in-depth post where we examine what the Word of God teaches about men and women in the church. This the fourth installment and it is focused on the vitally important teaching of 1 Timothy 2. We will continue to engage with John Mark Hicks’s book, Women Serving God: My Journey in Understanding...
Promise Keepers: Stand in the Gap
*Editor’s Note: David Roadcup was one of the founding architects of Promise Keepers. In this series, David shares some of the amazing things God did through the movement. In mid-1995, Promise Keepers president Randy Phillips began discussing the idea of a great gathering of men in Washington, D.C. This day would be a special day...
David Roadcup
Exile: The Perfect Word for Our Situation
We are experiencing a time of exile. If you are like me, as a church staff member, I’ve been trying to get my head around where the church & our community is right now. What is the biblical term to explain the sense of loss, and unsettledness which is causing a lack of peace, and...
Michelle Eagle
Sermon on the Mount: Who Does Jesus Think He Is?
*Editor’s Note: This is the first 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
We Can Now Go Post-Christian
“This is for real.” In the movie Three Amigos, actors Lucky Day, Ned Nederlander, and Dusty Bottoms discover that they are being hired to shoot a movie in Mexico. As they understand it, they will be co-starring with the infamous El Guapo, who plays a villain whom they will defeat by the end of the...
Daniel McCoy
Great Leaders Are Led by Convictions
You remember how it began: There was great excitement about that new ministry that was being formed. There was great anticipation about that new mission work that was being planned. You could feel the energy growing as hearts were beginning to be aroused with a new understanding of discipleship. Then it happened. People began to...
Gordon Thompson
Progressivism and Church Decline
*Editor’s Note: Recently, Dr. Carol Swain interviewed Dr. Bobby Harrington on her podcast Be the People. They talked about the post-Christian trajectory we are experiencing in the US, as well as the need for Renew.org in these confusing times. The following is an excerpt from their conversation. Carol: There’s something that is affecting American churches...