Greg Locke Apologizes to Benny Hinn for Years of Character Assassinations and Hatred

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July 18, 2023

Greg Locke Benny Hinn — Screengrab via Facebook @BennyHinnMinistries

Last week (July 13), Benny Hinn Ministries posted a video on Facebook of Hinn interviewing controversial pastor Greg Locke. The post soon went viral, racking up over 155,000 views.

The interview took place a day after Locke reached out to Hinn asking if he’d be willing to have a face-to-face conversation so that Locke could apologize for mischaracterizing Hinn throughout his years in ministry.

Many who follow Locke’s ministry were surprised to hear of his apology, especially since Locke’s 2005 book, “Blinded by Benny,” accused Hinn of being a “false prophet,” “a deceiver,” and “a heretic.”

“Pastor Greg Locke at one time did not like me,” Hinn said to begin the interview. “In fact, he wrote a book against me. And today we’re friends, so only God can can do that.”

Locke shared that he now realizes he wrote the book “for all the wrong reasons,” because of all “the out of context clips in those days.” Locke said he “literally had no affinity whatsoever for anybody in healing ministry [or] deliverance ministry.”

“I was Baptist amongst Baptists. I was an absolute Cessationist,” Locke continued. “I was taught that the apostles had power, and when they died, the power died with them. So when I would see you on TV, I would immediately have this bitterness that would well up in me towards anybody that was on, you know, TBN or CBN or the 700 Club.”

Locke told Hinn that he had an “absolute aversion to anything that was supernatural.” But after he read the Bible more, he began to recognize the ministry of the Holy Spirit. “I tell people,” Locke said, “the theology of God’s Word ruined my man-made theology, because I was always taught, ‘Well, you know, they just believe in experience over theology.’”

“But what I found out is that’s not the truth,” Locke said. “You believe in experiential theology. You believe your theology.” Locke credits God using his wife’s unfiltered view of the Bible to show him the power God grants his followers through the Holy Spirit.

“[My wife and I] would lay in bed at night and she would read the Bible and she would be like, ‘Honey, do you realize we have power to cast out devils? We have power to lay hands on the sick. We have power to speak in unknown tongues,'” Locke said he was always careful in his responses, because he didn’t want to “take her fire away from her, because she was just so passionate. She was so innocent in what she was learning from the Holy Spirit.”

Locke shared that he put the “Jake brake” on his wife’s passion for displays of the Holy Spirit in their worship services, because he didn’t want the “invitation to go too long. If anybody falls out, somebody’s gonna see it on the live stream and think I’m Benny Hinn, right? So I just had such a scarcity and an aversion to anything supernatural in our church.”

‘Sound of Freedom’ Not Impacted by Actors Strike, Says Jim Caviezel

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Jessica Mouser

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July 18, 2023

“Sound of Freedom” is not impacted by the current actors strike, says the movie’s star, Jim Caviezel, because the actors union previously wanted nothing to do with the film.

“Those are my brothers and sisters of SAG [Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists],” said Caviezel in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News. “I support them, but we are not a part of (the collective bargaining agreement with) AMPTP [Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers]. We wanted to be, but they didn’t want any part of this film.”

Caviezel thanked the American people and Hannity for supporting “Sound of Freedom,” telling Hannity, “You were one of the first that addressed this with us and really helped get the word out.”

In addition to playing Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” Caviezel has starred in the series, “Person of Interest,” as well as the movies “Frequency,” “The Thin Red Line,” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”

Caviezel’s latest movie, “Sound of Freedom,” released on July 4 and surpassed “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” (released on June 30) by taking the No. 1 spot at the box office. Based on a true story, the film depicts former U.S. federal agent Tim Ballard’s fight against human trafficking.

SAG-AFTRA is a union that represents actors and performers. On Friday, July 14, the union initiated a strike, joining the Writers Guild of America in its ongoing strike, and effectively bringing Hollywood production to a halt.

“The Chosen,” the hit series based on the life of Jesus, had to initially pause filming, but was able to resume Monday after being granted a waiver. “The Chosen” and “Sound of Freedom” share the same distributor, Angel Studios.

Even though “Sound of Freedom” wrapped filming approximately five years ago, the rules of SAG-AFTRA’s strike stipulate that actors cannot even promote their shows while the strike is occurring.

‘Genesis II Church’ Leaders Who Allegedly Sold Bleach Solution as COVID-19 Cure Begin Trial

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Dale Chamberlain

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July 18, 2023

Leaders of the online Genesis II Church of Health and Healing have been brought to trial for allegedly selling a bleach solution as a miracle cure for COVID-19.

Mark Grenon, 62, and his sons Jonathan Grenon, 34, Jordan Grenon, 26, and Joseph Grenon, 32, have been charged with conspiring to defraud the United States and deliver misbranded drugs.

Based in Bradenton, Florida, Genesis II Church sold chlorine dioxide, calling it “Miracle Mineral Solution” (MMS) and claiming that in addition to curing COVID-19, it cured malaria, cancer, and even autism.

Although the organization’s website has been taken down, a screen capture archived in 2020 reveals that Genesis II Church claimed to have multiple local chapters. It charged $35 for annual membership for the first year and $20 every year thereafter. The website said that members would receive an identification card that could be used for a religious exemption to the COVID-19 vaccine.

The organization also offered online courses in “MMS Protocols” and training to become a “certified health minister.”

Despite calling itself a church, Genesis II Church was non-religious, stating, “We believe that it is each member’s private responsibility to form his or her own religious beliefs and thus we remain neutral to all the religious beliefs of our members.”

The website claimed that the church’s mission was to “really change the world, not all the mamby pamby stuff that the religions have been spewing for the past thousands of years.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the solution Genesis II Church sold as MMS is most often used for treating textiles, industrial water, pulp and paper, and could be fatal to ingest.

Nevertheless, Mark Grenon, who titled himself bishop of Genesis II Church, referred to MMS not only as a miracle cure, but as a “sacrament.”

In April 2020, a South Florida judge ordered the Grenons to stop selling MMS as a miracle cure, an order they allegedly ignored. Criminal charges were brought against the family in July 2020.

Jesse Jackson Transfers Presidency of Rainbow PUSH Coalition to Frederick Haynes III

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Adelle M Banks

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July 18, 2023

(RNS) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson has transferred the presidency of his Rainbow PUSH Coalition to the Rev. Frederick D. Haynes III, another Black church leader long devoted to civil rights and social activism.

At the coalition’s annual convention in Chicago this weekend, Jackson, 81, became president emeritus of the organization he helped create, a decision he made due to an ongoing diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, according to the coalition. Haynes, 62, was introduced as the new president on Sunday (July 16).

“I am looking forward to this next chapter where I will continue to focus on economic justice, mentorship, and teaching ministers how to fight for social justice,” said Jackson, in a statement. “I will still be very involved in the organization and am proud that we have chosen Rev. Dr. Haynes as my successor.”

The coalition’s history dates to 1966, when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. appointed Jackson to direct the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, boycotting white businesses that did not employ Black Americans. In 1971, Jackson founded PUSH (which first stood for People United to Save Humanity and later, People United to Serve Humanity), according to the coalition’s website. In 1996, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition formed from the merger of PUSH with the National Rainbow Coalition, creating a civil rights organization with an aim for economic and educational equality.

The Rev. Frederick Haynes III. Photo by Jack Akana Jr.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the coalition’s convention on Sunday as the transfer of power became official. She recalled Jackson’s early days of activism at a sit-in that sought to desegregate a local library in his South Carolina hometown, his work to gain freedom for American hostages overseas, and his role in his own presidential campaigns and those of Presidents Obama and Biden.

“So more than 60 years after that first sit-in at that library in Greenville, Rev has remained tireless in the fight to expand voting rights, to encourage innovation and partnerships across the continent of Africa, and to secure economic justice for all Americans,” she said in remarks at the Apostolic Church of God in Chicago, where she also expressed confidence in Haynes’ leadership.

Haynes, the pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas for four decades, has often been a speaker at coalition events. He is expected to retain his pastoral role as he leads the organization.

The megachurch pastor and Jackson appeared together at a 2021 protest at the U.S. Capitol that sought a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, immigration reform and voting rights. They both signed on to a February letter from faith leaders to President Biden seeking an executive order to create a commission to study reparations for African Americans.

“As a student of Rev. Jackson’s, I am honored to be selected for this prestigious and important position,” Haynes said in a statement. “Our communities need organizations like Rainbow PUSH to not only continue the fight for justice and equality, but to shepherd the next generation of advocates into the movement.”

Faith and political leaders expressed gratitude for Jackson’s leadership in response to the announcement that he was ending his time as coalition president.

Biden called him “a man of God and of the people; determined, strategic, and unafraid of the work to redeem the soul of our nation.” Former President Clinton, in a tweet, said, “Rev. Jesse Jackson never faltered in the fight for justice, equality, and peace, always keeping hope alive.”

The Rev. Chuck Currie welcomes the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Portland, Oregon, during Jackson's 1988 presidential campagin. Photo courtesy Currie

The Rev. Chuck Currie welcomes the Rev. Jesse Jackson to Portland, Oregon, during Jackson’s 1988 presidential campaign. Photo courtesy Currie

The Rev. Chuck Currie, a United Church of Christ minister in Oregon, recalled welcoming Jackson to Portland 35 years ago when he supported Jackson’s second presidential campaign.

The King’s College Makes Deep Cuts to Faculty, Cancels Fall Classes

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Meagan Saliashvili

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July 18, 2023

(RNS) — The last remaining evangelical Christian college in New York City, The King’s College, announced Monday (July 17) in an email that the school, which has faced dire financial challenges, would not offer classes in the fall. In an earlier meeting with faculty and staff it was announced that many teaching contracts would not renew or were canceled.

“This decision comes after months of diligently exploring numerous avenues to enable the College to continue its mission,” read the email, which was addressed to “members of the King’s community” and signed by the Board of Trustees. “In connection with this decision,” it continued, “it is with regret we share that our faculty and staff positions will be reduced or eliminated.

A faculty member who attended the Monday afternoon meeting said the mood in the room was sober, but that because the layoffs and severance terms were communicated “clearly and concisely,” those affected expressed “deep appreciation.”

It was unclear how many faculty members, if any, were retained, though several contacted by Religion News Service said they still had their jobs as of Monday afternoon. No word was offered about the school’s future. “We will continue to provide additional updates over the days and weeks ahead as more information becomes available,” said the board’s email.

The school has endured months of public financial woes that caused the Middle States Commission on Higher Education to terminate the Christian college’s accreditation in May. Since January, King’s has kept students, staff and faculty on edge, asking for prayer as officials sought $2.6 million to keep the school open. A fundraiser brought in only about $200,000.

King’s is currently in an appeal process with MSCHE that depends on showing the institution is financially viable with students actively enrolled.

Throughout the spring semester, staff and faculty helped students transfer to a handful of colleges, from St. John’s University in Queens to some as far away as Providence Christian College in California. However, many students have said they would remain at King’s if it opens in the fall.

Though it has never boasted more than 1,000 students in its 85-years of existence, King’s rose to become a top conservative liberal arts school, often compared to Hillsdale College, another small but influential conservative school, even as many King’s students and faculty fought political labels.

Operating on thin margins and depending on big donors like Richard and Helen Devos, the school community has been in turmoil since a partnership with a Canadian education investment company, Primacorp Ventures, failed to change its fortunes. In April 2021, King’s agreed to let Primacorp take over fundraising, marketing and admissions in exchange for 95% of the tuition from online students and four of nine board seats. But despite lofty promises, the company never boosted enrollment, and layoffs followed in fall 2022.

Primacorp fully exited the partnership in April, allowing King’s to bring on eight new board members, comprising two former board members, Andy Mills and John Beckett, two parents and four alumni.

A flicker of hope came on May 31, when the board said in a statement that it was in “advanced discussions” with an unnamed Christian university for “an educational and operational partnership” to remain open in New York City for the 2023-2024 academic year and beyond. But since then, the community has awaited an announcement about whether the college will close or not, receiving only breadcrumbs until the faculty layoff announcement.

Dru Johnson, a professor of Biblical literature, theology and interpretation for 12 years at King’s, said he went into the meeting Monday “straight up 50/50.”

Regret About Transitioning: When Trans Teens Have Second Thoughts

By

Stephanie Martin

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July 17, 2023

Regret can be devastating. This is especially true for kids who regret transitioning to a different gender. Children and teenagers who take medical steps to change gender but later have second thoughts face difficult dilemmas. Some teens attempt to detransition. Yet hormones and surgeries lead to lasting physical and emotional effects.

Debates about trans kids and gender identity have ramped up. Businesses that support trans rights face boycotts, often sparked by Pride Month messaging. As of June 2023, 19 U.S. states have enacted laws restricting access to “gender-affirming” health care for minors.

Americans who embrace the LGBTQ movement seek to empower people of any sexual orientation or identity. Others are pushing back against what they call a harmful movement. They say peer pressure regarding gender identity is confusing vulnerable young people.

The debate about trans kids involves important questions. Are minors old enough to make life-altering decisions about their own bodies? Are doctors rushing children into gender-affirming health care? What if kids later regret the steps involved with transitioning? Is detransitioning possible? Is it successful?

Parents and church leaders should stay informed so they can have discussions with kids.

The Debate About ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ for Kids

Teens with gender dysphoria may take hormones or puberty blockers to transition. Some have surgery to change their appearance even further. Experts say counseling and screening are essential, but many fear that isn’t occurring. Some teens describe having easy access to prescriptions for estrogen or testosterone. Others say doctors “medicalized” their cases too quickly.

“My [gender] dysphoria collided with my general depression issues and body image issues,” says a young adult who transitioned but later had second thoughts. “I just came to the conclusion that I was born in the wrong body and that all my problems in life would be solved if I transitioned.”

Another teen who regrets transitioning describes seeing all the support trans people receive on social media. “The amount of praise they were getting really spoke to me. Because at the time, I didn’t really have a lot of friends of my own.”

Although parents must give consent for minors to receive medical treatment, parents face pressures too. Some say they gave the go-ahead because they feared their teens would self-harm otherwise.

When Transitioning Regret Hits Trans Kids

According to most statistics, the number of people who regret transitioning is fairly low. But now that more people are seeking gender-affirming care (and at younger ages), cases of regret might also increase.

Dr. Erica Anderson, a clinical psychologist who’s also a trans woman, says, “I’m concerned that the rise of detransitioners is reflective of some young people who have progressed through their gender journey very, very quickly.” She added, “When other issues important to a child are not fully addressed [before transition], then medical professionals are failing children.”

Teens who later regret transitioning may end up with permanently altered bodies. Hormones affect bone structure and development, and surgeries such as mastectomies aren’t reversible. “I literally lost organs,” says one teen about the transitioning process she now regrets. “I can’t stay quiet…and [need to] to share my own cautionary tale.”

Dr. Anderson says, “Some of my colleagues are worried that conversation about detransitioners is going to be more cannon fodder in the culture wars. But my concern is that if we don’t address these problems, there will be even more ammunition to criticize the appropriate work that I and other colleagues are doing.”

Bible Lessons for Toddlers: Tips & Resources for Sharing God’s Love

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Stephanie Martin

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July 17, 2023

Bible lessons for toddlers are so important because little children are so important to Jesus! He wants the littlest ones to come to him and learn about his great love. (See Matthew 19:14.) Children’s ministry workers, teachers, and parents have the privilege of making that happen!

Whether you’re teaching toddlers at home, in the church nursery, or during a preschool Sunday school class, these tips are for you. Use the guidelines below to tailor your Bible stories for toddlers to kids’ specific needs.

Bible Lessons for Toddlers: How to Teach Young Children

Many of the tips for teaching preschoolers also apply to teaching toddlers. An extra dose of patience may be required for the short attention spans of young tots. Allow lots of space for kids to get their wiggles out. Use Bible songs with short phrases and easy motions. Also remember to use age-appropriate language and to repeat simple phrases.

Toddler Sunday school classes help introduce children (and families) to the church. So model the fruit of the Spirit, including love, joy, patience, and kindness. Hold up a Bible when you’re reading Scripture, and provide kid-friendly Bible picture books for students. Most toddlers enjoy basic object lessons and finger plays. Some will be ready for simple crafts, as long as they have lots of adult help.

Most of all, smile and have fun while teaching Bible lessons for toddlers. Let children know that our good God made them and loves them dearly!

8 Resources: Bible Lessons for Toddlers

Get started with these online resources for toddler Bible lessons:

1. God Loves Us This Much

First, check out Sermons4Kids. Some of the free Bible lessons are simple enough to use with toddlers. This love-themed lesson is based on 3 John 1:4.

2. Just for Toddlers

This website now offers free curriculum customized for infants and toddlers.

3. Journey Through the Bible

Adapt these interactive Bible lessons for your children. You also can access some Bible songs for teaching God’s Word.

4. Bible Explorers

Help young kids explore God’s Word with these free downloadable lessons. They’re tailored specifically for children ages 5 and under.

UPDATE: ‘The Chosen’ Fans Celebrate As Series Granted Exemption From Actors Strike

By

Jessica Mouser

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July 17, 2023

UPDATED July 17, 2023: “The Chosen” announced Sunday afternoon that after having paused filming because of the actors strike, the show was granted a waiver and is now able to resume.

“Great news!” said “The Chosen” in a tweet. “We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.”

Update: Great news! We just received word from SAG that we have been approved for a waiver. We’ll continue shooting on Monday.

— The Chosen (@thechosentv) July 16, 2023

“To be clear,” an additional tweet explained. “1. We’ve agreed to all of SAG’s requests and their interim agreement. 2. Season 4 is entirely independent and 100% funded by donations.”

Fans responded to the news with their excitement and gratitude. “Praise Jesus!!!” one person commented. “Answered prayer!!!!”

ChurchLeaders original article written on July 14, 2023, below.

“The Chosen” has paused filming on Season 4 for the foreseeable future as a result of the actors strike, which went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Pacific Time Friday morning. It is unknown at this point how long the strike, which is concurrent with an ongoing writers strike, will last and if it will affect the release of the series’ fourth season.

“Unfortunately, despite the requested work we did on our end, an exemption for us will not be granted in time to avoid a shutdown,” said series director Dallas Jenkins in an update Thursday night about the strike initiated by the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). “We will do a little filming tomorrow of everything that doesn’t require our cast, and then we’ll wait and hope that either the strike ends (unlikely soon), or that we’re granted an exemption and can resume filming.”

‘The Chosen’ Stops Filming Season 4

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike in May after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed. In a contract bulletin outlining the compensation issues writers are seeking to address, the WGA said, “Driven in large part by the shift to streaming, writers are finding their work devalued in every part of the business.”

The last writers strike that took place in Hollywood was in 2007-2008. On July 1, Jenkins shared an update on the writers strike, saying that he and his co-writers, Tyler Thompson and Ryan Swanson, are not members of the WGA, so that particular strike does not impact “The Chosen.” But the show could be impacted, said Jenkins, if SAG-AFTRA were to go on strike.

“SAG (actors union) just extended their negotiating deadline to July 12th, so there for sure won’t be a strike before then,” said Jenkins. “But if no deal is made and they strike, we will be shut down…we are a SAG show. That said, there is a chance we could get an exception or a temp deal because we’re independent, but that may not happen, and/or we may not do that.”

A Double Rainbow on Display As the Ark Encounter Sponsors the Rain Delay at Cincinnati Reds Game

By

Janna Firestone

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July 17, 2023

Ark Encounter Cincinnati Reds — Screengrab via Instagram / @aigkenham

Some call it a coincidence, while others call it confirmation. Many captured photos of the double rainbow over the Cincinnati Reds baseball game.

What makes this double rainbow so special? It appeared during a rain delay, alongside the ads and messaging of the Ark Encounter.

What is the Ark Encounter?

In 2016, the Ark Encounter opened to the public. According to its website, the “Ark Encounter features a full-size Noah’s Ark, built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old.”

The Ark Encounter tells the story of Noah and the Ark and invites visitors into the experience. According to the attraction’s website, there are hundreds of other flood myths from around the world, many dating back to before Moses’ writings.

Visitors can walk through three levels of the enormous ark. Deck 1 helps guests understand “the size and scope of the biblical ark as visitors walk through a storage area and learn about animal kinds.” Deck 2 helps explain what life was like before the flood and how God prepared Noah. And Deck 3 includes possible “living quarters for Noah and his family, flood geology, post-flood events, and a special Museum of the Bible exhibit.”

The Ark Encounter Sponsors the Rain Delay for Cincinnati Reds

As part of the Ark Encounter’s marketing plan, the organization sponsors local businesses and teams, such as the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. What the Ark Encounter didn’t plan on was a double rainbow to coincide with the company’s ads during a rain delay.

CEO and founder of Answers in Genesis and the Ark Encounter Ken Ham tweeted images capturing the double rainbow along with the Ark Encounter ads sponsoring rain delays for the Cincinnati Reds baseball game.

“It was exciting to see a double rainbow during a rain delay at the Cincinnati Reds game Saturday evening as storms went through the area,” Ham shared. He also posted the images to Instagram.

With nearly 60,000 views and hundreds of interactions, followers on social media were quick to add their opinions.

“The rainbow is pinky promise between him and his creation that he would never destroy the Earth again by water,” commented one follower.

Tucker Carlson on Reading the Bible: ‘The Amount of Drama’ Is Shocking

By

Stephanie Martin

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July 17, 2023

At the Family Leadership Summit in Iowa over the weekend, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson shared insights he’s learned recently from reading through Scripture. The former Fox News host, who admitted he’s not been a “particularly faithful or virtuous” person, said he wanted to do something for Lent, back in February. “I already quit smoking,” he said, “so, like, what’s next?”

Carlson, an Episcopalian, decided to read through the Bible. So far, he’s finished the New Testament and is on Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. Carlson opted against a Bible study with other people because “I’m a Protestant, so I feel like I kind of have the right to read [Scripture] myself.”

This may be one of the best 3 minutes of Tucker I’ve ever watched. pic.twitter.com/7AbKEbovQ8

— Jared Monroe (@TheJaredMonroe) July 15, 2023

Tucker Carlson Calls ‘Drama’ in the Bible ‘Unbelievable’

The experience, which Tucker Carlson called “the most interesting thing I think I’ve ever done,” has left him in awe. It’s “unbelievable,” he said, “the amount of drama in those books that has been hidden from me as a regular churchgoer…It’s like, wait, why did you never mention this?”

Carlson then shared two main takeaways from his time in God’s Word. First, everyone except Jesus is “flawed in a way where you’d be like, ‘I don’t know if I can be friends with that person.’” As an example, Carlson mentioned Abraham telling Abimelech to “take” Sarah, saying she was his sister, not his wife (Genesis 20). When Carlson asked his wife, who’s a religion teacher, about these flawed individuals, she said, “Maybe the point is that God takes people who are not perfect people…and uses them for these grander purposes.”

Second, Carlson said he’s now aware of how powerless people truly are. Although humans have free will and face consequences for their decisions, “they’re not really in charge of the arc of history at all,” he said. “They are being acted upon a lot.” As an American, Carlson said, he’s “never really appreciated that.” Referencing spiritual warfare, he added, “I feel like it’s really important to approach politics with that in mind—like, a lot of these issues are symbols of this much larger battle.”

Reading the Bible, Carlson said, makes him realize we need to stay humble while tackling tough questions. “I’ve got very strong feelings about all kinds of issues,” he said, “but it’s so important to be open to the possibility that I’m completely wrong and that what I’m espousing is actually destructive, not constructive.”

Tucker Carlson’s Controversial Interview With Andrew Tate

Carlson also made headlines last week for posting a lengthy interview with Andrew Tate, a social media influencer who’s now facing allegations in Romania that include human trafficking and rape. Tate, who has denied any wrongdoing, has made controversial statements about women, but insists he’s merely promoting traditional masculinity.

About the two-and-a-half-hour interview posted to his “Tucker on Twitter” account on July 11, Carlson told people to “make up your own mind” about Tate. Previously, Carlson has called Tate “really smart,” saying he supports the influencer’s “core message” of needing to “respect yourself.”

Church That Supports Executing Gay People, Denies Holocaust Purchases Building Following Multiple Evictions for Hate Speech

By

Dale Chamberlain

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July 17, 2023

Stedfast Bible Church — Screengrab via Twitter / @StedfastBaptist

Stedfast Baptist Church, a congregation known for calling for the deaths of queer people, as well as for its staunch antisemitism, has purchased a building in Cedar Hill, Texas, following a string of evictions for hate speech.

Cedar Hill is likely to be the permanent home of the Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church, as it now owns its meeting space and is no longer subject to the conscience of a landlord.

Steadfast Baptist Church is a part of a loosely affiliated group of right-wing Baptist churches led by Arizona pastor Steven Anderson, who is known nationally for espousing violent rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community. Anderson is also a Holocaust denier.

Preachers at Stedfast Baptist Church have repeatedly emphasized their antipathy toward the LGBTQ+ community, saying in sermons that queer people “are worthy of death” and should be “shot in the back of the head.”

In October 2022, Stedfast senior pastor Jonathan Shelley alleged that Jewish people “want to destroy everything that’s holy and everything that’s righteous.”

Bringing up the Jewish Holocaust, Shelley said, “Why do I care?”

“I mean, if someone walks into a homo bar and shoots a bunch of homos and kills all of them, you know how many tears I’d shed for that? Zero,” Shelley continued. “People that worship the devil, I don’t care how many of them die. I don’t care.”

Shelley indicated that he doubts 6 million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust, adding, “Only if we were lucky.”

Because of its rhetoric, which has not only been hateful but often violent, Stedfast Baptist Church has been evicted from several meeting spaces. In February 2022, the church was evicted from its location in Hurst, Texas, and was forced to move to Watauga, Texas. The church was subsequently evicted from that location in December 2022.

In January, Stedfast Baptist Church began meeting in hotel banquet rooms.

“The reality is nobody wants to lease to us,” Shelley reportedly told the congregation at the time.

The Rev. Steve Pieters, Who Changed Minds About AIDS, Dies at 70

By

Riley Farrell

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July 17, 2023

(RNS) — The Rev. Stephen Pieters, a minister and HIV/AIDS activist best known for his exceptional interview with televangelist Tammy Faye Messner in 1985, died Saturday (July 8) at age 70.

After four decades of defying doctors’ diagnoses of terminal conditions related to HIV, as well as the stigma associated with AIDS in the early years of the epidemic, Pieters died from gastrointestinal cancer in Los Angeles, after being hospitalized for an infection, his spokesperson, Harlan Boll, told Religion News Service.

“His remarkable story of recovery served as an inspiring example of healing and hope to many across the country and around the world,” Boll’s statement read.

It was during the depths of experimental medical treatment that Messner, then Tammy Faye Bakker, spoke with Pieters on “Tammy’s House Party,” a talk show broadcast on her and her then-husband Jim Bakker’s PTL (Praise the Lord) network that at the time drew some 20 million viewers. Messner died of cancer in 2007.

Pieters negotiated for the 25-minute interview to be live, so his responses would be impossible to edit or scrap altogether. Pieters joined the show via television from Los Angeles, with a live satellite feed to the PTL set.

The vanguard interview aired in an era when fear and false information about HIV/AIDS ran rampant in conservative Christian communities, as preachers and broadcasters such as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson perpetuated AIDS disinformation.

Some of Messner’s questions come across as antiquated to modern ears — she inquires, for instance, if Pieters “gave girls a fair try” — but she displayed an empathy toward Pieters that was unprecedented for her listeners and indeed for Americans at large. Hearing of Pieters’ faith, Messner wept and declared she wished to wrap her arms around him in a hug.

“How sad that we as Christians — who are to be the salt of the earth, we who are supposed to be able to love everyone — are afraid so badly of an AIDS patient that we will not go up and put our arm around them and tell them that we care,” Messner implored her viewers.

“Jesus loves me just the way I am. I really believe that. Jesus loves the way I love,” Pieters told Messner, after sharing his experience of coming out as gay and being hospitalized multiple times.

Appearing in November 1985, the interview followed President Ronald Reagan’s first public use of the word AIDS, which came in response to a reporter’s question on Sept. 17, four years after the crisis began and after thousands of Americans had died from the disease.

Born Aug. 2, 1952, in Andover, Massachusetts, Pieters attended Northwestern University, graduating in 1974, and in 1979, earned a Master of Divinity degree from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. He soon moved to Hartford, Connecticut, as the pastor of Metropolitan Community Church, an outpost of the Protestant denomination founded to affirm LGBTQ Christians.

In 1982, he resigned from his Hartford church and took an MCC church in Los Angeles, where he was diagnosed with AIDS-Related Complex, known then as GRID, or gay-related immune deficiency. In April 1984, he was given diagnoses of Kaposi’s Sarcoma and stage four lymphoma. The prognosis was grim. Pieters’ doctor told him he had less than a year to live.

Oh Oh Ooh Ooh La La, Whoa

By

Bob Kauflin

-

July 17, 2023

I’ve been thinking about the use of generic syllables in congregational singing for a while now. It’s not a new phenomenon. I remember singing, “Lai lai lai lai lai, lai lai lai lai lai lai,” as the last verse of the song in the 70s that was called “Then shall the virgin break forth into dance.” I think it was supposed to be the dance section. We sing, “Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la” and don’t think twice about it. And the Beatles did just fine with “ob-la-di, ob-la-da” and the epic ending to Hey Jude (Na Na Na Na na na Naaaaaaa). But recently an increasing number of modern worship songs feature syllables like oh oh ooh and whoa.

Oh Oh Ooh Ooh La La, Whoa

Generic syllables can be enjoyable to sing and can provide a musical segue that involves the congregation. They also can carry meaning as they give expression to a burst of emotion that either respond or lead into lyrics that actually say something. My good friend Matt Boswell reminded me that Paul begins his doxology in Romans 11:33-36 with “Oh,” the depth of the riches. There are times when an emotional “oh!” is the most appropriate lead in to a life-transforming truth.

But something more has been happening. Crowds are singing lengthy portions of songs using vowel sounds rather than actually singing words. Is this a good thing? Does it matter?

Music and Words

Col. 3:16 is the clearest direction God has given us for why we sing. Singing enables the word of Christ to dwell richly in us and also provides a means of teaching and admonishing one another. Beyond that, music helps combine doctrine and devotion, expresses our unity in the gospel, and is a foretaste of the songs around the throne.

When words are being sung, congregations have the opportunity to gather around the truth of the gospel and God’s Word. They are enabled to express thanks, lament, praise, and prayers together. People may be experiencing different things internally, but at least a common vocabulary helps them combine truth with music. Music serves as an instrument to deepen the emotional impact of the lyrics and possibly even help us hear them in a different way.

The Company as Church

By

James Emery White

-

July 16, 2023

A recent article on Forbes was titled “Stock or Tribe or Cult or Church?” It began by noting how people who worked at Apple, at least early on, felt like part of a movement that was ushering in the personal computer era.

Then there is “investor tribalism,” such as the Forbes reporter felt at the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting. Such tribes can be “centered on the company, some on the company’s cause, and some on the fact that a company embraces (or eschews) a cause outside of the company.”

Regardless, such shifts stand “to move the definition of a company or a stock from a business or a security to that plus a set of values.”

Consider Berkshire:

[It is able] to draw 40,000 people to take an investing vacation to a sleepy midwestern city that’s normally a boring affair reserved for guys in suits.

The meeting exemplifies that you also feel like part of a movement—aiding and abetting the capitalist goodness that Buffett and Munger stand for: Finding good companies, good business models, good managements, and rewarding them, while steering resources away from less fit endeavors – becoming an agent of the evolution of capitalism through a Buffett-y process that helps the world in a way that quantitative investing, swing trading, passive indexing or even macroeconomic investing don’t.

But it’s more than a cult-like following, or a sense of identity from a “tribe.” 96% of Gen Z believes that businesses should be involved in solving social issues. One study of 30,000 employees found that 87% believe companies should take a stance on social issues directly related to their business. 74% said companies should take a stance on social issues not directly related to their business.

As society continues to evolve, two things seem clear: 1) the church is waning in significance; and 2) what the church provided is increasingly looked for in secular sectors. Specifically, becoming the moral conscience and agent of change in society.

In recent decades, there was great concern about the contemporary church borrowing too much from the corporate world in terms of best practices and leadership strategies. Now the concern is that the business world is taking the place of the church in terms of social conscience and activism.

This is obviously tricky for any business that has, ultimately, making money in their sights. Ask Bud Light or Target, both of whom have taken massive financial hits for actively aligning with the LGBTQ community in ways that were deeply offensive to many of their customers.

7 Reasons Why Church Leaders Abuse People

By

Dr. James Scott, Jr.

-

July 16, 2023

It’s easy to throw stones at all the things that aren’t so good about the internet and social media, but we don’t nearly as often hear about the wonderful things that also come from using technology to connect with others.

Like, for example, being able to connect with some terrific people you otherwise would never meet!

Just recently, one of those terrific people I’ve recently met through social media reached out to me about the topic of why church leaders abuse people. This fellow is a devoted Christian, a sharp guy who has seen abuse happen by church leaders, and is concerned about it. He leads a ministry that has a popular website, and wanted to talk about why leaders abuse others and see how his website might be able to do something on the topic.

I pointed out to my friend that, like any other problem, it’s important to identify the root cause(s) of a problem in order to effectively address or resolve it. First, we started with this premise: When God calls a godly man, who meets His biblical standard, and follows the biblical model for church and ministry, then the fruit of that will not be someone who purposely hurts others. So our discussion turned to the question of why church leaders abuse other people, and here are seven key reasons we discussed:

7 Reasons Why Church Leaders Abuse People

1. The practice of sin; the presence of evil.

Where there are patterns of abuse, there is the practice of sin.

2. Wrong people in the ministry.

More than 1,700 pastors quit each month. We tend to automatically think it’s because these ministers have burned out, etc., but several of the pastors who quit should never have been ordained and in vocational ministry in the first place. That’s because some of them do not meet the biblical qualifications to be pastors; for others who do, many go into ministry inadequately equipped, some who even have never been personally discipled. New attention needs to be given to churches and denominations about their examination process for those they are ordaining into ministry.

3. Wrong method of how we structure a church.

Many churches today are structured in such a way as to place all “power” into the hands of a single individual, usually a senior pastor. Instead of structuring a church by biblical example, with a plurality of elders, many churches are structured as if they are a pastor’s personal fiefdom. Instead of elders or deacons, we have “management teams” who serve at the whim of a charismatic or controlling pastor, with little to no accountability to others. This kind of power position is a breeding ground for abuse.

4. Corruption from a broad-based addiction to leadership.

Leadership, leadership, leadership. That’s almost all you hear about in church leadership circles. What leadership books are you reading? What leadership conferences are you attending? How many new leaders are you developing? And sadly, much (most?) of what is written about leadership, and taught at church conferences as leadership, are business leadership models and principles, NOT biblical teaching about servant leadership. One outcome is many church leaders would rather spend their time with other church leaders than with the flock they’re supposed to be shepherding. When you adopt a worldly model, you’ll be working from the flesh, not walking, led, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. That’s why many of today’s leadership structures in the church are based on the pastor as CEO and leading an “organization,” not a structure of an under-shepherd serving the family of God. This corruption of leadership is also a breeding ground for abuse, as CEO pastors see church members as volunteers there to accomplish their vision. To get them to do that, manipulation, control, and other abuse can occur.

5. Pride.

So many who “mentor” ministers teach church leaders to create their own platforms and promote it broadly and constantly. That makes “being a leader” about pursuing and achieving “success.” Using people to achieve that often results in abuse.

6. Sin.

This isn’t the practice of sin, which was the first item mentioned, this is that occasional fall that any and all of us can have in our lives. A pastor can become so over-worked, under-rested, and under-appreciated he could snap at someone or otherwise exercise poor decision-making. This can be rectified quickly with confession and repentance, and usually isn’t an ongoing problem unless the minister fails to fix the things in his life that led him to this momentarily lapse in sin.

7. Mental health issues.

Just like the general population, many ministers struggle with mental health issues, from things as simple as temperament weaknesses and dealing with stress, to working from patterns of irrational thinking or developing habits of cognitive distortions. These can lead to conflict and, if not handled properly, may lead to abuse. Also like the general population, a sizable percentage of ministers say they do suffer, or have suffered, from a diagnosed mental illness. These can include anything from narcissistic tendencies, depression, and chronic anxiety, to bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder. If a minister doesn’t receive appropriate treatment for a mental illness, his illness could contribute to inappropriate treatment of others.

There are other reasons why church leaders abuse people, these are some of the primary reasons. When you identify a root cause to a problem, you can then identify some of the ways to fix a problem. For the issues shared above, some things to do to fix some of these issues include:

The personal holiness of those who claim to be called to church leadership of any kind. Have they been discipled, trained, and equipped? Is their covenant relationship with Jesus Christ authentic and mature enough to move into ministry?
So the assessment process for licensure or ordination of ministerial candidates must be explored and addressed.
How churches are structured must be explored and addressed.
How to address falls (not a practice) of sin must be learned.
The plight of leadership addiction must be addressed in the church. We must change what it means to be a leader in the church.
Whether there are mental health issues or illness needs to be identified and treated.
All Christians need to be discipled to spiritual maturity.

Just as there are other causes for church leaders abusing people, there is more to be done to resolve such issues as well. Abuse of any kind, by anyone, anywhere is not acceptable, but it certainly must never be tolerated in the church among church leaders. We need to look closely at why some church leaders abuse people, and take every necessary action to stop the abuse, see to healing of the abused, aim for restoration and discipleship of the leader, and be proactive in preventing any opportunity for abuse to occur in the church by its leaders.

This article originally appeared here.

What Faith Is, and Is Not

By

Randy Alcorn

-

July 16, 2023

On November 14, 2019, Nanci wrote the following in her journal:

Today I am thinking about “faith.” I have learned so much about faith.

What faith is not:

– Trying to gather as much hope and “possibilities” in my own mind to reach a certain level

– Believing in that level of possibilities as hard as I can

– Presenting that package of my own hopes and dreams to God as my personal qualification to receive my hopes and dreams

– God weighing the level of that package in order to determine the level of His answer to my prayers

– If I work up enough hope on my own, God will answer my prayers according to my wishes

What faith is:

– A deep and continued study of the character and work of God Almighty

– A deep and continued discipline of prayer—listening to the Holy Spirit—praying Scripture—seeking forgiveness—asking for enlightenment—praising Him for His character and works

– Then, based upon the above, submitting your requests to God Almighty—placing your well-grounded knowledge of His character and works into each request, always asking His will be done

Faith is being assured that God Almighty always acts according to His character and works. He never waivers. You can trust in God Almighty to always do the right thing. Nothing slips through His grid. God has everything planned, and all His plans will succeed.

The more I understand God’s character and works, the stronger my faith will be, and the more I want His will to be done.

God does all things well.

The more I understand God’s:

– Omniscience

– Omnipotence

– Grace

– Mercy

– Justice/worth

– Immanence

– Immutability

– Faithfulness

– Love

– Unity—Trinity

– Holiness

The more my faith in Him will calm my soul.

Youth Leaders: Focus on Offense

By

Greg Stier

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July 15, 2023

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)

We rant and rave about the drugs, depression, social media and violence that are ravaging our youth. And, yes, these are critical issues that must be faced head on and dealt with. We are in a cultural moment where the church is reeling. Pastors morally failing, congregations politically dividing, BLM, CRT, OMG…we are living in crazy times.

And many pastors are whirling, running from one dumpster fire to the next trying to throw a cup of water on each of them. But, as the church, we often forsake “playing offense” when it comes to youth ministry.

It’s not our job to put the fires out. It’s our job to preach the Gospel and to get our congregations doing the same. As Charles Spurgeon once said, “It’s the whole business of the whole church to preach the whole Gospel to the whole world.“

So what’s a pastor to do? What action can a church leader take that will put the fires out once and for all? It’s not just about taking vapes out of their hands or Smartphones out of their rooms.

It has been said, “The best defense is a good offense.”

It’s about calling them to something bigger, something better, something biblical. We must help our teenagers grasp the glorious reality of the Gospel, that salvation is more than a ticket to heaven, it’s a train ride through life that reveals their true identity, belonging, and purpose in Christ.

We must inspire them to be used by God, to be change agents on their campuses, and ambassadors of Christ in their communities. We must treat the teenagers in our churches, not as apathetic narcissists waiting to be entertained, but as missionaries waiting to be unleashed.

Pastors, church leaders, youth leaders: it’s time to play some offense.

Now is the time to mobilize your congregation and your youth group to advance the Gospel. Now is the time to energize your people to share the cure for racism, division, confusion, and delusion.

I saw this play out in my own family growing up. My family and our neighborhood was a violence-drenched mess. My uncles were so violent that the Denver mafia nicknamed them “the crazy brothers.” To add insult to the real possibility of injury our very Welsh and very white family was right in the middle of a largely Latino community. Suffice it to say that our streets and hearts were rife with racism.

But then a hillbilly preacher nicknamed “Yankee” shared the Gospel with my family and one by one the root of evil in the hearts of “the crazy brothers” not only got cut, but replaced with Jesus, who was nicknamed “The True Vine” in John 15:1-8. Soon, racism was replaced with relationships and violence replaced with victory through Christ!

How To Guarantee You WON’T Grow Spiritually

By

Daniel Darling

-

July 15, 2023

How does a person grow? Specifically, for followers of Jesus, how does a person grow spiritually?

Another word for growth is sanctification — that supernatural process by which the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and forms us into Christ’s image. Growth is primarily a work that God does in us — I can’t, essentially, make myself grow.

And yet you can’t escape the New Testament’s overwhelming pulse that God commands us to intentionally pursue Him, that growth is, in some ways, our job as Christians.

There are quite a few texts that illuminate this, but 1 Timothy 4:7 comes to mind. Paul here tells us to “discipline ourselves to godliness.” In other words, yes the Holy Spirit does the work in us, but we also will not grow if our Christian life consists of us sitting on the couch and waiting for growth to happen.

So how do we grow? What are the tools God uses?

That question could fill up a year’s worth of blog posts. It certainly has motivated the writing of many books, sermons, etc. But maybe a better question is this: What are some ways to ensure that we DON’T grow spiritually?

5 ways to ensure that you will NOT grow spiritually

1. Don’t Be Intentional About Your Spiritual Life.

I’m amazed at how little Christians prioritize their spiritual growth.

If you treat church as something you do if you can feel like it, then don’t be surprised if you don’t “get fed” at the place you worship. If you don’t intentionally pursue knowledge about God through reading of good books and listening to good podcasts, don’t be surprised at a lack of spiritual fruit.

If you don’t prioritize a study of God’s Word, prayer and the spiritual disciplines, you will not see continued growth. You will stay the same.

If you don’t want to grow in Christ, make sure your spiritual life is something that gets the leftovers of your time and energy and effort. Make sure you never read a book that makes you get out a dictionary. Feed your soul on the light fare and the junk food.

2. Always Hang Out With People Just Like You.

One of the ways God stretches us is by placing us with people who are radically different from us.

We live in a world of radical individualization and, if you are not careful, this can creep into your life, especially as you get older and more secure in your worldview.

You’ll be tempted to hang out only with people who agree with you and reinforce your own biases. This will ensure that you have the exact same opinion on every single issue as you did five years ago. It will also keep you from being exposed to people from differing cultures, tribes and perspectives.

If you don’t want to grow, keep looking for friends, churches, associations, blogs, books that just tell you what you like to hear all the time. Make sure you never have conversations with people who disagree with you, radically. Yeah, do that. This is a real growth killer.

Holly & Glenn Packiam: Making Healthy Rhythms in Your Life a Reality

By

Jason Daye

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July 14, 2023

As pastors and ministry leaders, we give consideration to the value of incorporating healthy rhythms into our lives and ministries, but we oftentimes struggle with making those rhythms a reality. In this week’s conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Holly and Glenn Packiam, who serve at Rock Harbor in Costa Mesa, California. Glenn serves as the lead pastor, and Holly, who earned her master’s degree in counseling from the University of Colorado, has served as pastor of parenting ministries. They are the authors of “The Intentional Year,” and the follow-up companion to that book, “The Intentional Year Journal.” Together, Holly, Glenn and Jason explore the importance of incorporating healthy rhythms into our lives. Holly and Glenn share from personal experience simple ways to not only talk or think about these rhythms but to actually implement them.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast Holly & Glenn Packiam

View the entire podcast here.

Keep Learning

Looking to dig more deeply into this topic and conversation? Every week we go the extra mile and create a free toolkit so you and your ministry team can dive deeper into the topic that is discussed. Find your Weekly Toolkit here… Love well, Live well, Lead well!

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Pentecostals: Their Growth and the Implications for Evangelicalism

By

Ed Stetzer

-

July 14, 2023

Pentecostals — Pictured: Amsterdam 2023 evangelism conference; photo by Ed Stetzer

As I was at the Empowered21 evangelism conference in Amsterdam in June, I was reflecting on an article I published on my former Christianity Today blog that I wanted to edit and expand here in a brief two-part series. (Read Part 1 here.)

Throughout the West, many churches and denominations are in a state of plateau or decline—and have been for quite some time. Since 1987, almost every major denomination in the United States has fallen in its overall membership.

However, there has been one consistent outlier to buck the trend: Pentecostals.

In my previous article, I discussed the key ingredients leading to continued growth for Pentecostals, both in the United States and abroad, at a time when most other Protestant denominations are in a state of plateau or decline.

I now turn my attention to discussing what these learnings mean for evangelicals on a mission to spread the gospel in our communities and around the world.

A Faith Worth Sharing

One key to the growth of a movement is for its people to believe with conviction that what it possesses is so important that it is worth sharing with others. This is a significant reason for the explosive growth of the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard Church movements in the 1970s and 1980s, respectively. They wanted people to experience what they had to offer. Looking earlier back, Baptists thought that way in the 1950s. Methodists thought that way during the Second Great Awakening.

Pentecostals believe they have something worth sharing. That’s a conviction from which we can all learn. Simply put, a lightly held faith is not a faith that is shared. Pentecostals seem to be less likely to hold their faith lightly, and that makes a difference.

Distinctives

Of course, to non-Pentecostals, some Pentecostal distinctives seem odd. Also, in some cases, they might be difficult to spot. For example, during the church planting boom in the United States, which began in the 1980s, many Pentecostal planters adopted more mainstream church growth strategies that downplayed their “oddities,” such as exuberant worship, altar ministry, deliverance ministry, speaking in tongues, etcetera.

This, coupled with established churches seeking to modernize and become more culturally relevant, has led to some portions of Western Pentecostalism attempting to blend in with the mainstream evangelical expressions of the church growth movement. Up until fairly recently, Pentecostalism and evangelicalism had an interesting relationship. If you were to ask 10 Pentecostals if they were evangelical, you might get 10 different answers. The relationship between Pentecostals and evangelicals is long established—the Assemblies of God joined the National Association of Evangelicals in 1943, with the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) joining a year later. But many Pentecostals will tell you they’ve always felt a bit evangelical-ish.

From the outside looking in, Pentecostals still are regarded in some circles as a somewhat confusing aberration—though more so in the West than in the majority world. Despite the overwhelming dominance of Pentecostalism in the growth of Christianity here and abroad, people sometimes still don’t know what to do with the movement or those who belong to it. This was perhaps demonstrated most acutely by the headaches Sarah Palin’s AG affiliation caused for the McCain-Palin presidential bid in 2008.

More recently, the first episode of the FX documentary “The Secrets of Hillsong” almost described the global megachurch’s Pentecostal affiliation as though it were a best kept, cautionary secret of which viewers would be surprised to learn.

While there’s room for theological nuance and disagreement, from a sociological perspective, it would be unwise for other Christians to downplay the power that fuels the Pentecostal engine. You don’t care for some of their expressions? That’s fine. But Pentecostals are trying to reach the lost and grow the kingdom—and they’re actually succeeding at it.

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Oh Oh Ooh Ooh La La, Whoa

Music and Words

7 Reasons Why Church Leaders Abuse People

1. The practice of sin; the presence of evil.

2. Wrong people in the ministry.

3. Wrong method of how we structure a church.

4. Corruption from a broad-based addiction to leadership.

5. Pride.

6. Sin.

7. Mental health issues.

5 ways to ensure that you will NOT grow spiritually

1. Don’t Be Intentional About Your Spiritual Life.

2. Always Hang Out With People Just Like You.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast Holly & Glenn Packiam

Keep Learning

Podcast Links

A Faith Worth Sharing

Distinctives

New Articles

New Podcasts