Sarah Jakes Roberts and Touré Roberts Appointed Assistant Pastors at T.D. Jakes’ The Potter’s House Church

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July 5, 2023

Bishop T.D. Jakes has installed Touré Roberts and Sarah Jakes Roberts as assistant pastors at The Potter’s House Church in Dallas, Texas, a first in the church’s 27-year history. The daughter and son-in-law of Bishop Jakes, Touré and Sarah stepped into their new roles during a special anniversary service at the church on Sunday, July 2.

The couple also co-pastors two branches of The Potter’s House Church, one in Los Angeles and another in Denver. Although the Denver church took its weekend services completely online in 2022 following a drop in giving, the congregation still operates a local food bank and offers community groups.

Last year, Bishop Jakes appointed Sarah to be his successor in leading his women’s empowerment ministry.

Also during the service, the church’s chief operation officer, Frank Dyer, was promoted to executive pastor; church elder Oscar Williams was promoted to dean of worship arts at Jakes Divinity School; and associate pastor Joel Tudman was promoted to the church’s corporate leadership team.

Speaking to those who were being appointed to new roles, Jakes said, “You might be surprised to be here, but God is not.”

“What truly sets you apart is not where you went to school or what you wear or what you know or what you think or what you heard. But what sets you apart for service is the anointing of the Holy Spirit,” Jakes later said.

Dressed in all white in contrast to the others on stage, who were wearing all black attire, Sarah and Touré knelt alongside the other ministers being consecrated. Amid cheers from the congregation, Jakes said, “We have never had an assistant pastor at this church, but together, you can. You absolutely can.”

Addressing all those being consecrated, Jakes said, “To all of you, I charge you, minister of the word and sacrament, brother or sister in Christ, you have been called of God. You have been called by God, through the leading voice of this congregation, to be its minister.”

“You have been called to help lead these people in the way of Jesus Christ. Within the common ministry of all of us, you have been set apart for special service, each one unique in its own way, to equip the body of Christ for its ministry of reconciliation in the world,” Jakes continued. “As you embark on this chapter of your life and your ministry, I charge you: Remember always that Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. I charge you to seek to live with the joy and confidence that comes from being rooted in the gospel and in knowing the giftedness of life.”

What Singer Shannon Harris, Ex-Wife of Joshua Harris, Hopes Evangelical Women Will Take From Her Memoir

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Jessica Mouser

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July 5, 2023

Shannon Harris, a singer, actor, composer and writer, as well as the ex-wife of “I Kissed Dating Goodbye” (IKDG) author Joshua Harris, is releasing a memoir about her experience inside evangelical Christianity and her journey out of it. Shannon says that she hopes her memoir, titled “The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife,” helps other women find themselves again.

“I wrote the book because I wanted to contribute my story to the conversation about churches who abuse their authority and power,” Shannon said in a statement to ChurchLeaders. “I also wanted to be a voice of permission to women and others who are wanting to reclaim their connection to themselves, their values and dreams.”

“It’s strange that I wrote a book, and I feel like it is behind me, and no one has even read it yet,” she wrote in an Instagram post in October. “I poured my heart and soul into it. I labored over every sentence. I tried to tell my story in a way any other person could understand.”

“I share my opinion but don’t demand you agree with me,” Shannon continued. “I tried to inspire you to stay connected to yourself, your values and dreams. Hopefully it will make you cry and make you laugh. My mother was a big part of it! I am so proud of what we have done and I think you’re going to love it.”

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Shannon Harris on Leaving and Finding Herself

Shannon Harris was married for 19 years to Joshua Harris, an influential evangelical pastor who became famous for “I Kissed Dating Goodbye,” a book which advocated for courtship over dating and which was emblematic of the purity culture movement of the 1990s.

Joshua pastored at a Sovereign Grace church in Maryland and was mentored in ministry by C.J. Mahaney. The Sovereign Grace network has faced controversy due to allegations that leaders, including Mahaney, concealed sexual abuse for years. Joshua implied in an interview with The Washington Post that concerns over Sovereign Grace leaders’ handling of sexual abuse allegations contributed to him stepping away from the church.

In 2015, Joshua left the pastorate to attend seminary, where he encountered people who shared with him how his books had harmed them. In 2016, he publicly addressed the idea that he was wrong about some of his past teachings and in 2018 released a documentary exploring the impact “IKDG” had on people. Joshua apologized for the damage his book had caused and stopped publication of it.

In July 2019, Joshua and Shannon Harris announced that they were separating. Days later, Joshua announced that he was no longer a Christian.

Shannon, whose stage name is Shannon Bonne and who has released a self-titled EP and a single, says that she had originally planned to share her story as a musical. On her website, she describes her book as the story of “a young woman who makes a series of choices that gradually change her into someone she doesn’t know. It is not a book about religion so much as it is a woman’s story, my story within a church and within patriarchy.”

Danielle Treweek: Why the Early Church Would Be Surprised at How We View Singleness

By

Jessica Mouser

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July 5, 2023

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Danielle Treweek: Why the Early Church Would Be Surprised at How We View Singleness

Dr. Danielle Treweek is the founding director of Single Minded and an ordained deacon within the Anglican Diocese of Sydney. She has served on the ministry team of a number of different churches and speaks regularly at various conferences, events, churches and podcasts. Her new book is, “The Meaning of Singleness: Retrieving an Eschatological Vision for the Contemporary Church.”

Other Ways To Listen to This Podcast With Danielle Treweek

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Key Questions for Danielle Treweek

-Why does the contemporary church need to recover a vision for singleness?

–You describe a diversity among singles that the term “single” fails to adequately capture. Could you explain that for us?

-How can pastors who want to teach a robust theology around singleness celebrate it without sounding condescending?”

-How would you encourage pastors, the vast majority of whom in American and western culture are married, to find ways to make their churches thriving places for singles and for married people?

Key Quotes From Danielle Treweek

“There’s a lot of Christians who are single and there’s a lot of Christians who will be single again.”

“I’m convinced who we are as the body of Christ is married and single together—we actually need each other to inhabit our identity as the body of Christ…So I think a theology of singleness is not just really essential for single Christians, but is actually essential for the church as a whole.”

“We seem to have an absence of a robust theology of singleness in a way that the early church particularly would have been very surprised at, I think.”

“The word ‘single’ in our day does a lot of heavy lifting. It kind of encapsulates a whole lot of things that we may not be aware of or we might be talking at cross-purposes about as well…And so the word singleness really is a very loaded one that we have to unpack carefully.”

“Throughout church history, we’ve kind of swung wildly from one end of the spectrum to the other on marriage and singleness.”

“Most of the early church fathers before Augustine actually thought that marriage and sex were realities that came in after the Fall, that they were God’s concession to fallen humanity rather than created goods.”

“Those who are husbands and wives now will not be husbands and wives in the resurrection. The ultimate marriage will have come. And so that has actually been a very orthodox exegesis throughout most of church history.”

Christian in Pakistan Charged With Blasphemy for Bible Post

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Morning Star News

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July 5, 2023

LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Police in Pakistan charged a Christian with blasphemy on Friday (June 30) after he posted Bible verses on Facebook that infuriated Muslims, causing dozens of Christian families in a village near Sargodha city to flee their homes.

Tensions flared in Chak 49 Shumaali village, Punjab Province, after 45-year-old Haroon Shahzad on Thursday (June 29) posted on his Facebook page 1 Corinthians 10:18-21, regarding food sacrificed to idols, as Muslims were beginning the four-day festival of Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice), which involves slaughtering an animal and sharing the meat.

A Muslim villager took a screenshot of the post, sent it to local social media groups and accused Shahzad of disrespecting the Abrahamic tradition of animal sacrifice and likening Muslims to pagans. Eid al-Adha commemorates God providing a lamb for Abraham to sacrifice instead of his son. In the passage posted from 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul states that pagan sacrifices are offered to demons.

Shahzad made no comment in the post, inflammatory or otherwise, said Sargodha resident Tahir Naveed Chaudhry, a Christian and former lawmaker.

“The post began circulating in Muslim circles on Thursday, but the situation became tense after the Friday prayers when announcements were made from mosque loudspeakers asking people to gather for a protest,” Chaudhry told Morning Star News.

Chaudhry said that he and other local Christian leaders began monitoring tensions on Thursday evening (June 29) and were in contact with the district administration and police authorities. When they heard that mobs from other villages had begun gathering after the mosque announcements, they informed Sargodha District police, which sent a large contingent to protect the 250-300 Christian families in the village, he said.

“The police reached the village in time and prevented any attack on the Christians or damage to property,” Chaudhry said. “However, the police presence did not deter the mobs from raising inflammatory slogans. Fearing that the situation could get out of hand, a majority of the Christian families fled their homes, leaving everything behind.”

Chaudhry, an attorney and head of his own political party, said that Shahzad went into hiding on Thursday evening (June 29) along with his wife and six children.

“The police registered a case against Haroon on Friday under Sections 295-A and 298, under the pressure of the mobs backed by the extremist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan [TLP],” he said. “The FIR [First Information Report] is unwarranted, because Haroon had only shared a biblical verse and had made no personal comment that could be deemed blasphemous or inflammatory.”

Section 295-A relates to “deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs” and is punishable with imprisonment of up to 10 years and fine, or both. Section 298 prescribes up to one year in prison and a fine, or both, for hurting religious sentiments.

Chaudhry said that on Friday night police took two sisters-in-law of Shahzad into custody in an effort to pressure him to surrender himself. Shahzad’s six brothers also had gone underground, fearing for their lives.

“The two women were left behind to take care of their elderly parents-in-law, both of whom are paralytic and could not leave with their sons,” Chaudhry said. “After much effort, the women were finally freed from custody on Sunday night [July 2] after one of Haroon’s brothers and two other youths presented themselves for detention.”

Shahzad’s youngest brother, Irfan Shahzad, spoke to Morning Star News from an undisclosed location.

“Haroon deleted the post when we heard that some people were using it to stoke religious sentiments in the village,” he said. “Some friends later advised him to leave the village in case the situation worsened, so he took his family and left.”

Irfan Shahzad said that he and his other brothers decided to go into hiding when they heard the mosque announcements after Friday prayers.

Pope Francis ‘Outraged and Disgusted’ by Burning of Quran

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Claire Giangrave

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July 5, 2023

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Asked about the burning of the Quran in Sweden, Pope Francis, in an interview excerpt published Monday (July 3), underlined that freedom of expression must never be used against others and encouraged interfaith dialogue.

A 37-year-old man with Iraqi origins, Salwan Momika, kicked the Quran and placed a slice of bacon on it before burning it in front of a mosque in Stockholm, Sweden, on June 28, causing an uproar from the Muslim community in Europe and beyond. Asked for a reaction to the event by Al-Ittihad, a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis said he is “outraged and disgusted by such actions.”

The interview with Pope Francis will be published in its entirety on Tuesday (July 4).

“Any book that is considered sacred to its authors must be respected out of respect for its believers and freedom of expression must never be used as an excuse to undermine others,” the pope said. Anyone who allows these acts must be “refuted and condemned,” the pope said.

The burning of the Quran had been initially allowed by the local government, but Swedish authorities have now taken a step back and condemned the act as “Islamophobia.”

The Organization for Islamic Cooperation, which represents Muslims from 57 countries, publicly condemned the act and asked the Swedish state to take action to prevent such events from happening again.

In 2019, Pope Francis, along with the Sunni Grand Imam of Al Azhar, cosigned a Document on Human Fraternity, promoting tolerance and peace among people of faith. It was considered a watershed moment for relations between the two religions.

“Human fraternity is the antidote that the world needs to heal from the poison of these wounds,” Francis said in response to the Quran burning.

“The future of interreligious cooperation is founded on the principle of reciprocity, of respect for one another and of truth,” he added.

This article originally appeared here.

The United Church of Christ Elects First Woman — And First Woman of African Descent — To Lead Denomination

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

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July 5, 2023

(RNS) — The United Church of Christ elected its first female general minister and president on Monday (July 3) at its 34th General Synod in Indianapolis.

The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson’s election also makes her the first woman of African descent to lead the mainline denomination.

“Today, United Church of Christ, we created a first together. It won’t be the last first,” Thompson, dressed in white, told delegates afterward.

Those delegates overwhelmingly approved Thompson’s nomination to a four-year term as general minister and president of the UCC on Monday morning, breaking into song and applause as the results of the vote — 626 yeses to 43 no’s — were announced.

Thompson is the third woman to be nominated to lead the UCC, which celebrated its 66th anniversary days before General Synod began.

While neither the Rev. Yvonne Delk (nominated in 1989) nor the Rev. Barbara Brown Zikmund (1999) ultimately were elected to lead the denomination, Thompson said Friday during her nomination speech, “Their ministries have individually and collectively shaped the UCC and paved the way for women to serve in ministry in the UCC, opening wide the doors of this denomination.”

That Thompson is the first woman to lead the denomination may be surprising to some given the denomination’s progressive stances on women’s rights and many other issues.

For instance, General Synod attendees took part in a prayer walk Saturday to the Indiana State Capitol to protest legislative efforts to ban gender-affirming care and restrict abortion services. Delegates also are expected to vote on resolutions expressing support for reparations for African Americans, calling on local churches to declare themselves “white supremacy-free” zones and launching a study of the denomination’s relationships with boarding schools that separated generations of Indigenous children from their families and cultures in the U.S.

“I want to hold value to the moment and to what it has taken to get to this place, because, as I’ve said before, it’s not just me — there are others who came before me — and perhaps this is a right time for the denomination,” Thompson told Religion News Service before the vote by delegates to the biennial meeting.

She pointed to Delk and Zikmund’s nominations throughout her candidacy and again in her acceptance speech Monday, because, she said, “I think when we talk about being progressive, we need to remember our own history that this has been tried and done — and without success.”

Thompson is associate general minister for the UCC’s wider church ministries and co-executive for its global ministries, and she recently was elected to the executive committee of the World Council of Churches, according to the denomination. She has served the UCC for 14 years: previously as minister for racial justice and minister for ecumenical and interfaith relations.

Before Monday’s vote, the Rev. Noah Brewer-Wallin, chair of the search committee that recommended Thompson, praised the “unique and intimate perspective” she brings to the role of general minister and president from those previous roles within the denomination.

After graduating from Brooklyn College, Thompson earned a Master of Public Administration from North Carolina Central University, a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a Doctorate in Ministry from Seattle University, according to the UCC. She wrote her dissertation on the “religious multiplicity” of African Caribbean people, which includes practices from both African Traditional Religions and Christianity.

Born in Jamaica, she said she brings “a global view to the church.”

7 Unique Traits of Spiritual Leaders

By

Dan Reiland

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July 5, 2023

spiritual leaders — Adobestock #521565952

It’s not uncommon to hear a phrase like, “He’s not a very spiritual leader.” Or, She’s a strong spiritual leader.”

These may be reasonable observations, but they’re not necessarily clear. What do they mean?

What does it mean to be a spiritual leader?

Does it suggest pious and pure?

Does it hint at potentially pretentious?

Of course, these can’t be the goal.

It may be obvious to most who are reading this post, but for clear context, we need to add Christian to the equation. For example, I have friends who consider themselves to be very spiritual, but acknowledge that they are New Age by belief and practice.

A spiritual leader is more like this: an authentic human being, who genuinely seeks to live their life by Jesus’ example, filled by the Spirit, and leading in alignment with God’s will, purpose and plan.

So, what are the unique distinctives of a Christian spiritual leader?

Let’s start with some traits that are not unique to Christian leaders, but often considered to be.

Here are a few examples:

Loving and kind
Serving others putting them first
Generous and helpful
Moral and of good character

These are practiced by spiritual leaders but also by many secular leaders.

The potential for spiritual leadership is established in transformation to new life in Christ. The process of spiritual maturity, in combination with spiritual gifting, leads, over time, to influence of an eternal nature.

Spiritual leadership isn’t something better than, or above others, it’s a humble recognition that all of our efforts and outcomes are based on the favor, power and authority of Christ, not our own.

7 Unique Traits of Spiritual Leaders

1. They Submit Their Will to the Will of God.

Jesus modeled submission to the Father’s will in His prayer on the Mount of Olives. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Jesus submission was greater than anything we’ll be asked to do, but the example is still clear.

Can you think of a time where God wanted you to do a certain thing, like leave a church and move to another state, and you didn’t want to, but you did anyway?

When it comes to the major decisions in life, it’s not always easy. In fact, its easier to rationalize why we don’t need to or shouldn’t.

Submitting our will to God’s will has three parts:

Hearing God’s will. (Are we listening?)
Agreeing with God’s will. (Are we aligned?)
Obeying God’s will. (Will we do it?)

At any point in this process, submission can easily be abandoned in the absence of deep resolve.

How to Become a Better Electric Guitarist

By

Bob Kauflin

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July 5, 2023

I first met guitarist Ben Gowell when he played on our Worship God Live album back in 2005. As an electric guitarist he regularly plays for Paul Baloche and Sara Groves and tours with Michael W. Smith. In other words, he’s pretty good.

I’ve always been struck by Ben’s humility, his love for the church and his family, and his commitment to playing skillfully for the glory of God. So I asked him recently if he had any thoughts on how an electric guitarist might improve his skills, especially if he wanted to play in the studio. While an electric guitarist in church isn’t going to end up on professional recordings, learning to play like a studio guitarist will benefit any player. Here’s what Ben sent me about becoming a better electric guitarist.

How to Become a Better Electric Guitarist

1. Grow in your appreciation for many different styles of music.

Styles like country and R&B were not things that I naturally gravitated towards in high school and college, but in the interest of trying to make myself a more well-rounded guitarist, I sought out a country guitar teacher, purchased Country and R&B albums, and focused in on what the guitar players were doing on those albums. One of the most beneficial things you can do to grow as a player is try to emulate what guitarists are doing in different styles. Although guitar lessons were a big part of my learning as a player, equally important was the process of listening to a lot of stuff and copying it. This develops your ears and gets you thinking more like a musician/arranger than just a guitar player.

2. Play as much as you can with good musicians.

There’s something to be said for ‘woodshedding’ by yourself in your own practice space, but there’s just no substitute for playing with other people. This is where you develop a few different important things, like learning to listen to what’s going on in the rest of the band, so that what you play complements and doesn’t compete with everyone else or the vocalist. Often times in a session, I’ll just sit and listen through a song a few times before I even touch my strings. I want to know, “What is the mood/vibe of the song? What is the style of the song? What is the message of the song?” These are all important questions to ask before you just start noodling around on the guitar. Again, this gets you thinking more like a musician and less like just a guitar player.

Eric Geiger: My 3 Goals in Preaching

By

Eric Geiger

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July 5, 2023

In the last decade I have invested a lot of time in public speaking. With employee meetings, plenary sessions, breakouts at conferences, consulting ministry leaders and speaking on books I have written, I have given hundreds and hundreds of leadership and ministry presentations. I have also preached weekly for the last several years as teaching pastor, interim pastor and now a bi-vocational senior pastor. Preaching is different. In both the burden of responsibility and the eternal impact, preaching the Word of God to a congregation of His people far outweighs speaking on other subjects. Preaching differs from other speaking in that the message we deliver is the only message that will endure forever (Isaiah 40:8), the only message that brings someone to saving faith (Romans 10:17), and the only message that can transform the human heart (1 Peter 1:23).

So what is my aim in preaching? My good friend Ed Stetzer asked me that recently and it caused me to jot down some of my thoughts. One way to describe this sacred stewardship is “Teach Christ and the text in their context.” The aim is three-fold:

1. Teach Christ . . .

The apostle Paul reminded those he ministered to in the city of Corinth that he decided to know nothing among them “except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). It is possible to teach a passage and not teach Christ’s work for us, but doing so isn’t faithful to the whole story of Scripture and fails to change hearts with the grace of Jesus. Of his preaching, Charles Spurgeon said, “I take my text and make a bee-line to the cross.” In other words, he would walk through the text while simultaneously moving people to Christ and the cross as quickly as possible.

5 Tips for Broken Relationships in the Church

By

Scott Thomas

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July 5, 2023

Church planting is still one of the most effective ways to make disciples. According to Bruce McNichol, in an article for Christianity Today, new church plants baptize twice as many converts per attendee than existing churches. Jesus called the local church to make disciples of all nations. Those orders from the Head of the church motivate pastors to start churches all over the world. But where many planters fail to prepare is the enemy attack as they lead others to follow the Great Commission. Relational casualties, broken relationships, will come with close friends, board members, core group participants, and treasurers, and sometimes from their own children. The Apostle Paul speaking to the elders in Ephesus said, “From among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.” (Acts 20:29 ESV)

5 Tips to Handling Broken Relationships

“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20 ESV)

1. Be Slow to Speak.

Make a decision not to react without thinking. People make foolish comments all of the time. A friend confronted me about something I did, and my response was that I had no idea why I did that. I did not have malice or intent, and my actions were completely contrary to my value system. I didn’t make excuses (oh, I had a few), and I didn’t attack his actions. Instead, I asked forgiveness, and he extended it immediately.

Jesus and Church Strategies

By

James Emery White

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July 4, 2023

church strategies — Adobestock #579041522

It’s very common to hear people critique various strategies, and simultaneously advance others, based on their observations of the ministry stylings of Jesus.

For example, some will point to Jesus’ selecting 12 disciples (and among those, seemingly, focusing on three), doing life with them as a group for three years, and from that, draw conclusions about how best to not only disciple but to “do” church. The usual translation is to eschew anything related to larger groups, carefully curated events or services, and to instead roll up your sleeves to plunge into little more than a small group-based ministry.

After all, that’s what Jesus did.

Except He didn’t. At least that wasn’t all that He did. Yes, in terms of preparing the initial, future leadership of the church, there were the 12, then the 70, then the 120, and on from there. But was that intended to serve as a timeless model for discipleship, much less church growth?

Apparently not.

First, because Jesus also incorporated very large gatherings. His three-fold ministry was essentially preaching, teaching and healing (cf. Mt. 4:23-24). All three of these were done, almost always, in large group settings.

Another reason we can question a small group-based ministry approach as the “Jesus” approach comes from continuing to read the biblical narrative beyond the biographical accounts of His life into the Acts. As in what the Holy Spirit did at Pentecost, which included dropping thousands of new believers onto the laps of those initial 12.

This simple observation is why I have long resisted those who place large, carefully curated large-group services up against individual discipleship, as if this is an “either-or” dynamic. Biblically, it isn’t. It is a “both-and.” Jesus did a lot of individual discipleship, but He also did a lot of large-group gatherings.

Further, the early church was birthed through a large-scale evangelistic gathering that, again, dumped thousands of converts on a handful of “discipled.” If the 12 strapped on the 3,000 men (that’s not even counting women and children) baptized on Pentecost in groups of 12, they would only have been able to start discipling 144 of them. That is only 4.8%.

According to Acts, they didn’t do that. Instead, they brought in deacons to share the leadership load, and they devoted themselves to teaching. Large group discipleship teaching (cf. Acts 2:42). The Holy Spirit, through Pentecost, seemed to force them away from the so-called “Jesus model” of discipleship (three, then 12, then 70, then 120) into a larger-scale model.

Was there individual discipleship? Of course. That’s not the point. The point is that individual discipleship alone, along the lines of what Jesus did with the 12, was not considered the only model to follow. Or even the primary model to follow.

One of the most important lessons of biblical interpretation is not to confuse narrative material with didactic material. Narrative material is simply describing something that happened or a series of events. It’s informative but not normative. Didactic material is intended teaching.

Why Christians Can Be Calm in a Crazy World

By

Matt Brown

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July 4, 2023

For the Christian, there should be an overwhelming and pervasive sense of well being and peace, no matter what goes on in our crazy world.

Here are four good reasons why Christians can stay positive and calm even when our crazy world seems to be falling apart:

1. God is sovereign.

Over the chaos of our world, God will always reign Sovereign.

God’s Sovereignty won’t always make sense to us, but the truth of God’s Sovereignty should serve to remind us the world will never spin out of God’s control.

We need to return to Isaiah’s vision of God high and lifted up: Our holy God, high and mighty, who is not surprised when the world rages (Psalm 2:1-6). He alone is holy. He alone is worthy. He alone rules over all.

2. We already know how the story ends.

We already know how our story ends. We have an inheritance because of what Christ has done for us. We are headed for glory.

Eric Geiger wrote:

“God has designed the end and the in between. The end is people from every tribe, tongue and nation gathered around the throne worshipping Him because they were purchased with the blood of Christ (Rev. 5:9–10).

Regardless of what happens this week, what unfolds in the news, the ending has already been made clear: God is redeeming for Himself a people from all peoples.”

3. God calls us to walk in His peace.

Jesus says in the midst of every season:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Judah Smith writes: “How much of the pain and suffering in the world is caused by humans willfully pursuing their own desires? Peace—that essential, elusive, universal need of mankind—is restored to us in Jesus. God’s peace is first and foremost peace with him. It is an internal, spiritual wellness that is the foundation for peace in every other area.”

God calls us to walk in His peace, not add our voices to the world’s chaos. Now this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t speak truth to culture. There are times for this, but our tone, motivations and heart should be completely opposite of this world.

4. We believe in a God who redeems the very worst hearts.

We serve a God who turns things around. A God of the comeback. A God of the resurrection. And His resurrection power lives and dwells inside of us. Our hope knows no bounds, because it rests in a boundless God!

Half of our New Testament is written by Paul who did worse things than almost anyone in our world today. And God redeemed Him. This is the God we serve!

Throughout human history, God has worked on behalf of His people whose hearts were His. He has done mighty wonders. He has turned nations around. He has moved in power as His gospel was proclaimed. He has built His church, and the gates of hell have not, nor will ever, prevail against it.

A different way forward

What if we walked in the peace of God. A calm and stillness in a time where it seems we should be doing anything but this. How would God’s peace in us shine the glory of God in a dark world?

This article about how to be calm in a crazy world originally appeared here.

Catechism Use Can Help Parents Develop Their Children’s Faith

By

Jonathan Cliff

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July 3, 2023

How can families incorporate a catechism into their faith-based teachings? Read on to learn the ins and outs of using catechisms at home.

My kids are learning so much! The three range in age from 9 to 12 and are tackling subjects like electricity, comparative adjectives, geology, pre-algebra, and Revolutionary War history. They’ve written papers on historical figures such as Pocahontas, George Washington, and even the ancient math-whiz Archimedes.

So much learning, so much content. Yet this is only the beginning! Our children have had to learn how to use the multiple remotes in our living room. That the milk goes back in the fridge when you’re done with it. And that you never hug Mom before brushing your teeth in the morning!

With all this memory work happening in young brains, where do we begin faith conversations? How can parents capitalize on children’s impressionable minds with something that ties them to the faith your family holds dear? How can you make the Gospel truths something kids can quickly recall and use for everyday life?

The Importance of Catechism

Devotions are a great place to start. But with upper-elementary kids and preteens, I want a great foundation that we can build devotions on as they mature and age. I’ve found something that works great for the brains of the three growing kids in our house. Catechism. That’s right.

The word “catechism” comes from the Greek katacheo, which means “to teach, to instruct.” The word appears in Bible passages like Luke 1:4 and Acts 18:25. It can reference any kind of teaching or instruction, but it came to refer to a specific type of teaching very early in church history. In the early church, new converts learned the basics of Christianity by memorizing a series of questions and answers.

A catechism is just that: Q&As that teach Bible truth. For example, here are some lessons we’ve learned this year from a catechism:

Who made you and everything? God made everything and me.
What is God like? God is our holy and almighty Creator. He cannot be seen, but he has made everything we can see.
Why did God make you? God made us to enjoy him and show his glory to others.
What is the gospel? The gospel is the good news that we enter God’s kingdom through God’s cross by God’s grace.
Why does God tell us, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy”? So we will rest in God and remember the finished work of Jesus.

We’ll learn many more Bible truths from catechism in the years to come. We’ve added a few catechism words to the kids’ weekly spelling and vocabulary lists. I’ve also thrown them into a few special “get rewarded with ice cream real quick” scenarios I create on a whim.

‘God’s Children Are Not for Sale’—Jim Caviezel Says Mel Gibson Wept While Viewing ‘Sound of Freedom’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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July 3, 2023

On Independence Day (Tuesday, July 4), Angel Studios is releasing the film “Sound of Freedom,” which is based on an incredible, true story about the fight against human trafficking.

The film will be featured on the big screen throughout the country, taking on the newly released blockbuster film “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” which stars Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, Mad Mikkelsen, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

“Sound of Freedom” stars Jim Caviezel (“The Passion of the Christ”) as Tim Ballard, a United States federal agent who quits his job to find the sister of a young boy he rescued from child traffickers.

Caviezel’s character decides to leave his family at the urging of his wife—played by Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino—to traverse the depths of the child sex trafficking world in the Columbian jungle in the hope of finding the young girl who was stolen from her family and sold into sex slavery.

The film’s reenactment of true events attempts to bring awareness to the $150 billion human trafficking business. It also reminds the church and American citizens of the unfortunate reality that the United States is one of the top destinations for human trafficking and is among the largest consumers of child sex.

“By the time Ballard left Columbia, he and the team had rescued over 120 victims and arrested more than a dozen traffickers,” the film’s description states, adding that there “are more humans trapped in slavery today any other time in history…including when slavery was legal.” Unfortunately, “millions of these slaves are children.”

During the film, Caviezel’s character is asked why he would risk his life to rescue a child he doesn’t even know. He replies, “Because God’s children are not for sale.”

In a recent interview, Caviezel shared that “The Passion of the Christ” director Mel Gibson wept when he saw the film.

“I showed this movie to two Academy Award-winning film directors,” both of whom are brutally honest critics, Caviezel said. “Both of them were absolutely stunned. One of them is my good friend, Mel Gibson. The other one likes to remain anonymous. Mel was weeping.”

In a promotional clip for the film, Gibson said that “one of the most disturbing problems in our world today is human trafficking, and particularly the trafficking of children. Now, the first step in eradicating this crime is awareness. Go see ‘Sound of Freedom.'”

Caviezel went on to say, “In a fair world, [“Sound of Freedom”] would hands down the best picture, but like ‘The Passion,’ they won’t touch this one.”

Proud Boys Must Pay $1 Million to D.C. Black Church for Burning Its BLM Banner

By

Stephanie Martin

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July 3, 2023

On June 30, a judge ruled that the Proud Boys organization must pay $1.03 million to a historic Black church in Washington, D.C. During a December 2020 protest about outcome of the U.S. presidential election, members of the far-right Proud Boys tore down and burned a Black Lives Matter (BLM) banner at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in the nation’s capital.

In his ruling, D.C. Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz referenced the “emotional trauma” that church members endured because of the incident. He also banned the Proud Boys from going near Metropolitan AME and from making derogatory statements or threats against the church and its leaders for five years. Because the defendants were no-shows in court, the ruling was a default judgment. Another hearing in the case is scheduled for August.

Judge Described ‘Attack’ on Black Church

Metropolitan AME displayed its BLM banner in June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis. Later that year, during a rally by supporters of former president Donald Trump, Proud Boys members tore down and burned the banner. According to the church’s lawsuit, members of the hate group also left threatening voicemail messages for the church.

In his 34-page ruling, Judge Kravitz said the “attack” on Metropolitan AME “resulted from a highly orchestrated set of events focused on the Proud Boys’ guiding principles: white supremacy and violence.”

Metropolitan AME sued the Proud Boys to recoup the costs of replacing its BLM banner and hiring additional security. Although those items amounted to about $36,600, the judge noted that “compensatory damages alone will not address the defendants’ reprehensible conduct or the extraordinary emotional trauma suffered by the church and its congregants.”

Kravitz added,

To the members of the church, the burning of the Black Lives Matter sign represented a complete negation of their right to worship as they please and, more fundamentally, to participate fully in the life of the community—and forced them to harken back to the long and painful history of white supremacists committing wanton acts of violence against Black churches.

D.C. Pastor Calls Lawsuit ‘a Beacon of Hope’

Metropolitan AME, which just celebrated its 185^th anniversary, “refused to be silenced in the face of white supremacist violence,” according to its pastor. In a statement following Friday’s ruling, the Rev. William Lamar IV said, “Our courage and and determination to fight back in response to the 2020 attack on our church is a beacon of hope for our community and today’s ruling showed us what our collective vision and voice can achieve.”

The congregation’s courage, however, “does not mean real trauma and damage did not occur,” the pastor added. “Merely that congregants and the church have and will continue to rise above it.”

‘I Am Really Fascinated By You’—Simon Cowell Praises Seminary Student on ‘America’s Got Talent’

By

Janna Firestone

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July 3, 2023

Lachuné Boyd Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary — Screengrabs via NBC

As a part-time voice teacher and student at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SWBTS), Lachuné Boyd broke out of her shell. She took some initiative as she auditioned for “America’s Got Talent.”

As Boyd took to the stage and shared that she was a voice teacher, judge Simon Cowell quickly prompted, “Tell me why you’ve waited so long to do something like this. Because something obviously has held you back.”

She responded, “I grew up in a singing family and spent most of my years observing them actually having the moment to be on stage and things like that, so that held me back.”

“But I started teaching,” Boyd continued. “I learned that if you can’t do the thing, try to work close to it. So that kept the spark alive.”

Boyd explained, “As a teacher, you’re always sitting on the opposite side of the piano, and you’re always pouring into them and saying, ‘Take the initiative. Don’t get too comfortable. Go for it. Be yourself.'”

That’s just what Boyd did as she auditioned in front of a live audience and celebrity judges.

Lachuné Boyd Stuns the Judges of ‘America’s Got Talent’

Boyd chose a moving rendition of “Yellow” by Coldplay for her audition. Her soft, soulful voice was pitch-perfect throughout the song.

“Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you…and everything you do,” the song begins.

After the performance—and after both the audience and judges stood in ovation—Boyd humbly appreciated the judges’ comments.

“You have a beautiful, beautiful voice and I am really fascinated by you,” shared Simon Cowell. “It was a fantastic audition.”

“You showed us that these walls that people feel like they’re stuck behind, you make them yourself,” Judge Howie Mandel said. “You tore down that wall, and luckily you did, because you made your way right here, and your life is about to change.”

Judges Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara chimed in with praise for Boyd and her performance. Vergara called the audition “perfect.” The four judges unanimously voted for Boyd to advance to the next round of the competition.

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Keeps Lachuné Boyd in High Regard

Boyd is a Master of Music student at SWBTS, with a concentration in voice, according to the school’s news blog. Among her rigorous studies, she participated in both the Cowden Hall Band and Southwestern A Cappella Choir. With just one semester left of her degree, Boyd has made an impression on students as well as faculty.

“Lachuné is nearly finished with her master’s in vocal performance,” mentioned SWBTS Dean of the School of Church Music and Worship Joseph Crider. “And not only is she gifted as a singer, she is a deep well in her understanding of aesthetics and the biblical foundations of her art as a singer/musician.”

Crider continued, “Her versatility as a singer will serve her well in the future as she continues to teach and perform as a Christian deeply rooted in her faith.”

Mark Driscoll Claims New Book Was Banned From Amazon for ‘Offensive Content’

By

Dale Chamberlain

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July 3, 2023

Controversial Arizona pastor Mark Driscoll claims that his new book, “New Days, Old Demons: Ancient Paganism Masquerading as Progressive Christianity,” has been flagged and removed from Amazon for offensive content.

“NEW DAYS, OLD DEMONS got me suspended from Amazon for ‘offensive content,’ yet these vile products are alive and well on the platform,” Driscoll tweeted on Sunday (July 2) alongside images of a “Transgender Affirmation” coloring book for children and other pornographically-themed material.

Driscoll added, “Like in the days of Elijah, they are trying to silence the word of God and faithful Bible teachers. New days, old demons, like I state in the book.”

“‘New Days, Old Demons’ is a prophetic study of sex, gender, woke politics, and how progressive Christianity is just a rebranding of ancient paganism,” the book’s description reads. “The same demons that were active in the days of Elijah are active today castrating the men, mutilating the children, closing the churches, and silencing the Bible teachers.”

The description notes that the book is self-published, as “nobody else would” publish it, “because it’s a prophetic message for pathetic times.” Driscoll also refers to the book as “Revelation meets a death metal band in a cage fight on Halloween.”

The content of the book is based on a sermon series of the same title that Driscoll delivered earlier this year.

In promoting that series, Driscoll said it was “the most controversial, the most timely, the most prophetic sermon series I’ve ever done in my entire life.” He later added that the most pressing issue in the church today is “apostasy—we can call it wokeness—the worship of God being commingled with gender confusion and transgenderism and sexuality.”

Arguing that wokeness “literally castrates men,” Driscoll said, “This is where you take Bible belief and demonic, cultural sexuality, politics, apostasy and you combine it together.”

“It’s the same thing that’s happening right now in the church with the woke-joke-folk, the rainbow flag churches, the denominations getting so overtly ungodly and anti-Bible that it causes you to shudder,” Driscoll continued. “You can’t even say, ‘Good day, men and women or boys and girls at Disney.’”

In another conversation about the life and ministry of Elijah, Driscoll compared Vice President Kamala Harris to the biblical figure Jezebel, referring to her as “a domineering, high-controlling woman who slept her way to the top.”

Whitworth University’s New Hiring Policy Will Allow LGBTQ Faculty

By

Yonat Shimron

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July 3, 2023

(RNS) — Whitworth University, a Christian school affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has revised its policies to allow for the hiring of LGBTQ faculty and to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination statement.

In so doing, it joins a sliver of Christian colleges and universities that have bucked a largely sturdy resistance to hiring married gay faculty. Last year, Eastern University, a Christian school affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA, made a similar change to its hiring policy.

Whitworth, which is located in Spokane, Washington, and last academic year had an enrollment of 2,500 students, announced the change on Thursday (June 29), following a year-long study. The school requires faculty to be Christian, but has hired non-evangelicals and Catholics, too.

“After careful consideration of this broad input, the board voted yesterday to resolutely uphold the Christ-centered commitments required of Whitworth staff and faculty; safeguard the campus environment to allow for civil discourse on topics about which faithful Christians disagree, including God’s design for sexual expression; and add “sexual orientation” to the university’s list of protected classes, which already includes color, gender, ethnicity, social or economic class, and nationality,” the statement from Whitworth President Scott McQuilkin and Board Chair Brian Kirkpatrick said.

The vast majority of Christian schools have excluded LGBTQ faculty even as some — mostly Catholic and mainline Protestant schools —have added “sexual orientation” in their nondiscrimination statements for students.

A retired Whitworth University political science professor who came out as a lesbian in a New Yorker profile last year may have played a behind-the-scenes role in the university’s move, though she was not directly involved in any of the discussions.

Kathryn Lee confided in former Whitworth President Beck Taylor about her sexual orientation in 2017. She said there were two or three other faculty at the school who were also queer but afraid to reveal their orientation.

“This was a surprise,” Lee said. “I felt, I hoped, that there had been some movement, but I really didn’t want to bank on my hopes too much.”

Lee, who was a faculty member at Whitworth from 1984 to 1990 and again from 2011 to 2022, heard about the change in the policy Thursday in a text from several former students. She applauded the school for its action.

Whitworth’s president and faculty declined to answer questions about the policy change.

The school is a “collaborative partner” with the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, the largest association of Christian schools. The CCCU requires member schools to uphold traditional Christian marriage between a man and a woman. Last year, it placed Eastern University on hiatus after it announced that it would allow the hiring of faculty in same-sex marriages and add sexual orientation to its list of protected classes.

Since Whitworth is a partner and not a member, it was not clear if it would be allowed to continue its partnership with the CCCU. The CCCU did not respond to reporter’s inquiries.

Police Charge 23-Year-Old With Hate Crime at Historically Black Maryland Church

By

Adelle M Banks

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July 3, 2023

Maryland Church vandalized — Widespread vandalism was discovered at Fowler United Methodist Church in Annapolis, Md., on June 9, 2023. Photos courtesy of Fowler UMC

(RNS) — A 23-year-old man has been charged with trespassing and burglary after an investigation of vandalism estimated at more than $100,000 at a Maryland church.

Jarren Alexander was taken into custody on Wednesday (June 28) after an incident earlier in the month at Fowler United Methodist Church in Annapolis, police said. He was also named as a suspect in vandalism at another church in the city, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, which suffered destruction of a church sign and statues on subsequent days.

The Rev. Jerome Jones Sr., pastor of Fowler United Methodist Church, said he was relieved by the development in the case involving his historically Black congregation.

“It has brought us great joy, knowing that God is a God of love, peace, mercy and a God of justice,” he said in a Friday interview. “And for my seniors, it will give them so much peace that they deserve.”

Jones said earlier that some of the older members of his congregation were apprehensive about attending church after hymnals and Bibles were ripped apart and their pages strewn across the red-carpeted sanctuary. The wooden cross, to which they lifted up their weekly offering, also was torn down and tossed into the pews.

“For me as the pastor, I feel like healing can begin for me now that we are getting some form of closure,” he said, “but yet my prayers are still going out for the young man.”

Marc Limansky, a spokesperson for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, said Alexander, a Black male who is in custody at a detention center, was not affiliated with either church. He added that “we do not yet have a motive” in the Fowler United Methodist vandalism.

The police department also announced other arrests “in recent hate crimes involving vandalism to places of worship.”

Blake Krenzer and Brandon Krenzer of Gambrills, Maryland, were charged for involvement with vandalizing Pride and Black Lives Matter signs at Ark & Dove Presbyterian Church, also in Annapolis.

“Any perpetrators who think that a house of worship is a place to express their hate should learn that justice will prevail,” said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman in a statement.

Added Deputy Chief of Police Katherine Roberts: “There is no place for hate anywhere in Anne Arundel County, and we will not tolerate these acts against our places of worship or any individual in our county.”

Jones, who has stated his gratitude for the community’s support for his church, reiterated his appreciation on Friday for letters the church has received from people “praying for us and expressing their support, even in our pain, and recognizing our pain and praying for our healing to begin.”

Pages that were torn from Bibles and from hymnals litter the pews and sanctuary at Fowler United Methodist Church in Annapolis, Maryland, on June 9, 2023. Photos courtesy Fowler UMC

Donations have totaled $10,000, he said, and in-kind donations have included new equipment, such as television screens that will again allow the older parishioners with limited vision to see the order of service more easily than with handheld programs.

11 Totally Honest Responses to the Church Meet and Greet

By

Brian Orme

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July 3, 2023

Some people hear about a church meet and greet and think, “That sounds like fun!” Others hear the same words and and have these responses:

1. The moment you hear the announcement, anxiety overcomes you.

You know, a church meet and greet is all part of being “the church,” but inside you just wanna run away.

2. The extroverts around you team with excitement.

It’s palpable, the extroverts around you are busting at the seams. This is their moment. And that makes you even more anxious.

excited

3. The first three awkward seconds are the worst.

This could be the most challenging part. Someone has to make a move, but who will it be?

4. You already forgot their name.

How is this even possible? They just said their name two seconds ago. But it’s gone from your brain.

5. Someone wants a side-hug.

You’ve only met for a few moments, and you thought your little exchange was over, but they’re going in for the hug.

6. You’re not sure you should cross the aisle…

Should you cross the divide to meet more people? WHY IS THIS LASTING SO LONG! You finally walk across, but this is how you feel.

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1. The moment you hear the announcement, anxiety overcomes you.

2. The extroverts around you team with excitement.

3. The first three awkward seconds are the worst.

4. You already forgot their name.

5. Someone wants a side-hug.

6. You’re not sure you should cross the aisle…

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