Greg Laurie: How Churches Can Use ‘Jesus Revolution’ for Evangelism

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March 17, 2023

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Greg Laurie: How Churches Can Use ‘Jesus Revolution’ for Evangelism

Greg Laurie is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest churches in the country, as well as the founder of Harvest Crusades, which nearly 10 million people have attended. He is the author of over 70 books, including “Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today.” This book is the inspiration for the new movie, “Jesus Revolution,” now playing in theaters.

Other Ways To Listen to This Podcast With Greg Laurie

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Key Questions for Greg Laurie

-How did the Lord start working in your life, and how was the Jesus People Movement birthed?

-Do you have any hope that we might see something again like a Jesus People Movement today?

-Who are the hippies today? Where are the marginalized places where we might see a spiritual outbreak?

-Tell us how you hope this movie stirs up the hearts of God’s people.

Key Quotes From Greg Laurie

“I was on my own trajectory. My mother was married and divorced seven times. She was a raging alcoholic. And so I had to grow up really quickly as a young boy and be responsible for her.”

“I was literally looking for the meaning of life at a very early age.”

“I looked around at the Christians and I thought, well, I’m not one of them. Does that mean I’m against Jesus? I mean, I always believed Jesus was out there somewhere.”

“So I’m brand new in the faith—that weekend I actually went off to do drugs. No one told me what to do. No one gave me a Bible. No one explained it.”

“I came from a home where my mother never told me she loved me. She never hugged me. So to be in an environment [church] where people are loving each other, hugging each other actually was so foreign to me. I didn’t want to be in it. I was uncomfortable.”

“I didn’t know it, but I had literally walked into the middle of a spiritual awakening. And it wasn’t until later I realized, ‘Oh wow, that was an actual revival.’ In fact, it was the last great spiritual awakening in America, the Jesus Movement…it was not until some time later that I realized how significant that particular time was.”

Preemptive Love Coalition To Merge With Search for Common Ground

By

Bob Smietana

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March 17, 2023

(RNS) — A year after ousting its founders, the Preemptive Love Coalition announced Thursday (March 16) that it has merged with the international peace-building nonprofit Search for Common Ground.

Search for Common Ground CEO Shamil Idriss called the merger a “strategic leap forward” that allows the work of Preemptive Love to continue while expanding the broader goals of the joint organizations.

“Preemptive Love’s rapid response capabilities and community development experience, paired with the established history and experience of Search, will greatly expand the ability of both organizations to serve the communities with whom we work,” he said.

The merger brings an end to a year of uncertainty for Preemptive Love.

Founded in 2007 by a pair of ex-missionaries living in Iraq, the group grew rapidly by rallying young supporters to provide funding, first for heart surgeries and then expanding to broader relief work in the Middle East and beyond. Founders Jeremy and Jessica Courtney had a knack for convincing supporters they could play an active role in responding on the ground and were especially gifted at video storytelling and the use of social media.

Even though Preemptive Love is a secular organization, its work proved particularly attractive to Christian influencers and young Christians who were disillusioned with politicized religion and wanted to change the world. The founders saw delivering aid as a form of making peace, inspired by the teachings of Jesus.

In 2021, the founders were placed on leave due to concerns about an unhealthy, abusive culture at the organization and allegations they had misled donors. The board cut ties with the Courtneys in early 2022.

Their departure led to a year of self-evaluation and the realization that Preemptive Love needed to make significant organizational changes in order to survive. That led them to seek a merger with a more established organization, according to Jen Meyerson, the chief program officer for Preemptive Love.

“We are a peacemaking organization, but we are so young,” said Meyerson. “To be able to partner with an organization that has more than 40 years of experience in this space brings a real sense of excitement and anticipation.”

Founded in 1982, Search for Common Ground works on defusing conflict and peacemaking in 31 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

The newly merged organization will have a combined budget of $76.5 million and about 800 staff.

Not all the staff of Preemptive Love will join the new organization. Myerson said Preemptive Love is working on transition plans for anyone let go due to the merger. The current board of Preemptive Love has dissolved, though at least one former Preemptive Love board member will join the Search for Common Ground board.

Hippies Find Answer To Search for Love and Peace

By

Alex Murashko

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March 17, 2023

Pastor Chuck Smith and his wife, Kay, witnessed hippies who were “high” on drugs, rebellious to the status quo, and searching for love and peace. The Smiths’ observations came prior and during the Jesus Movement (late 1960s through early 1970s), and are portrayed in the true-story movie, “Jesus Revolution.”

Telling the story of the hippies is what the JESUS REVOLUTION movie does best, Smiths’ daughter, Janette (Smith) Manderson recently told Think Eternity.

“If you want to see what it was like 50 years ago, what the culture was like, what the young people were looking for, and why they were so lost, go see the movie,” Manderson said. “The movie also depicts the answer to the yearning in their hearts and deep in their souls.”

Hippies “were more interested in achieving higher levels of consciousness through drugs, grooving on the music of the day, and enjoying sexual adventures free from the convention of marriage. … This youth revolution was in full swing when a deeper, stronger, and more radical tide began to surge.

It was called the Jesus Revolution, or the Jesus Movement.”

(Excerpt from the book, Jesus Revolution, by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn)

Manderson said she loves the movie and chalks up any discrepancies about the portrayal of herself to “artistic license.” She said she did enjoy the actress’s (Ally Ioannides) performance. Manderson’s focus during this interview was on the film’s potential for a huge impact on audiences.

She referred to what happened to the hippies in real life, and depicted in the movie, as “a complete transformation of what God wanted to do inside them.”

“And they didn’t have to change their clothing. They didn’t have to change their life, as far as living on the streets, but once they belonged to the Lord, then He transformed them. For those of us that were Christ followers, it was very satisfying to see broken lives built back better,” Manderson said.

When looking back on the Jesus Movement it’s important to understand what was happening at the time, she said.

“The Vietnam War radicalized a lot of kids,” some even to the point of violence against those supporting the war effort. Drug use was prevalent. “It was a time when just so many kids started using drugs and I think that was in rebellion to the war, their parents, and the materialism of the culture. They wanted peace and love.

“They were hungry inside and they didn’t know what they were hungry for. They just knew that they weren’t satisfied. So, I think a lot of them used drugs to try to satisfy that feeling. The movie depicts the hippies going to the Timothy Leary concert down in Laguna Canyon doing LSD.”

Thom Rainer: 6 Symptoms of a Dysfunctional Church

By

Thom Rainer

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March 17, 2023

What is a dysfunctional church? By definition, it is a congregation that no longer carries out essential biblical purposes. In other words, the church does not function properly; it is thus dysfunctional.

Unfortunately, I did not have to look far to find over 20 current examples of a dysfunctional church. In my quest, I found six recurring themes. In every one of the congregations, the church manifested at least three of these symptoms.

6 Symptoms of a Dysfunctional Church

1. Severe theological errors are pervasive.

I’m not referring to differences over minute matters of eschatology. These errors to which I refer were denials of the essential truths of the Christian faith. In some cases, leadership no longer held to the exclusivity of salvation through Christ.

2. The church is known as a “pastor-eater.”

The congregation often terminated pastors on a regular basis. At the very least, pastors felt the pressure to leave. Short pastoral tenure was thus normative.

Awesome Easter: A Free Children‘s Ministry Lesson for Sunday School

By

Daniel So

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March 16, 2023

Are you ready for an awesome Easter? Do you need some fresh ideas to teach children about the good news of Jesus’ resurrection? Then keep reading!

A Free Kids Lesson: The Garden of Gethsemane

This Sunday school lesson is about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. Children in your classes will learn about the importance of obedience. Even though Jesus was God’s sinless Son, he obeyed his Father. Out of love for us, Jesus willingly suffered and died on a cross.

Thankfully, that is not the end of the story. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are only parts of the Easter narrative. The best news happens on Easter morning, when Jesus rises back to life for us. Our Savior defeated death so we can be forgiven and have eternal life.

That’s why the Bible memory verse for this Sunday school lesson is Luke 24:5b-6a. “Why do you look for the living among the dead. He is not here; he is risen!”

Here’s how Children’s Ministry Deals describes this free Sunday school lesson. “Incredible. Unbelievable. Amazing. Awesome. What Jesus did for us on the cross is so much bigger and more magnificent than any words could adequately describe.”

This awesome Easter kids lesson package includes all these resources:

Make It Stick! Parent Sheet
A Bible Memory Verse
A Kid-Friendly Skit
An Object Lesson or Kids Sermon
A Large Group Lesson
A Small Group Discussion
Plus a Large Group Game

Get the Awesome Easter Download Now

This free resource is provided by Children’s Ministry Deals

Download Instructions: Simply follow the on-screen directions at the download site.

Want more awesome Easter ideas? Click here for a fascinating object lesson about change and forgiveness. And click here for several Easter lessons featuring slime, a kid favorite.

Enjoy all these Sunday school activities. And have an awesome Easter!

How to Engage Youth in Church: 5 Important Ways to Reach Teens

By

Josh Evans

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March 16, 2023

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

No matter your congregation’s size, you probably wonder how to engage youth in church. One major mistake many churches make is not engaging young people. This is one reason college students leave the church. They don’t feel engaged and involved in the ministry of the entire congregation.

I think most of us recognize this truth. But we rarely discuss and write about how to change it. If your faith community struggles with how to engage youth in church, this blog is for you!

5 Ideas for How to Engage Youth in Church

Check out these important tips for how to engage young people in church:

1. Create a regular youth service.

This worked well at a church I served years ago. Once a month, youth directed the entire service. They led the music, preached, ushered, etc. This allows teens and college students to feel essential at and valued by the church.

2. Engage teens in weekly worship.

Create opportunities in the music ministry for young people to use their gifts. Teens and college students are talented, and many of them are musical. So find places for them to serve. Add service opportunities for them in the band, choir, AV, usher ministry, etc.

3. Recruit teens to serve with the AV team.

Many teens are quite knowledgeable about technology. They can pick up audio-visual systems as quick as anyone. Yet many churches fail to recruit kids for this important department.

WATCH: This Is How Steven Curtis Chapman Is Celebrating His 50th No. 1 Song

By

Jessica Lea

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March 16, 2023

stephen curtis chapman — Screenshot from Twitter / @StevenCurtis

Steven Curtis Chapman recently became the first contemporary Christian musician to have 50 number one singles. To celebrate that achievement, Chapman is going to share videos of himself playing the chorus of each of those singles over the next several weeks.

“In honor of receiving my 50th #1 song a couple of weeks ago (still having a hard time believin’ that!) I thought I’d share a chorus of each of my fifty #1 songs over the next few weeks, starting with my very first in 1988 ‘His Eyes,’” said the artist on Twitter.

In honor of receiving my 50th #1 song a couple of weeks ago (still having a hard time believin’ that!) I thought I’d share a chorus of each of my fifty #1 songs over the next few weeks, starting with my very first in 1988 “His Eyes”. pic.twitter.com/7xcGLxUo59

— Steven Curtis Chapman (@StevenCurtis) March 15, 2023

Steven Curtis Chapman Sets Record

Steven Curtis Chapman has five Grammy Awards and 59 Gospel Music Association Dove Awards, as well as 16 albums listed on the Billboard 200. He is currently on tour promoting his new album, “Still,” released in October.

The song, “Don’t Lose Heart,” is the single that enabled Chapman to set his record. It is from “Still” and speaks to the grief Chapman and his family have walked through over the past few years. In an “I Am Second” video, Chapman describes a tragedy his family suffered in 2008 when his 5-year-old daughter Maria Sue was killed after being hit by an SUV driven by his teenage son.

“It’s been 14 years of a journey with my family of grief and questions and confusion and anger and, God, are we going to survive this?” said Chapman. “How are we going to survive this? For a guy who’s a fixer, to ultimately face the most unfixable thing you could ever imagine as a parent, as a husband – How am I going to lead my family through this – knowing that most marriages and families don’t survive the loss of a child because grief and that kind of grief is so devastating?”

In February, Chapman released a new version of “Don’t Lose Heart,” featuring country singer Mitchell Tenpenny. The song’s chorus says:

Don’t lose heart, don’t you darе let go
I’ve been wherе you are, you are not alone
I know it gets dark, I know it gets hard
But we’re gonna make it home
So don’t lose heart

Notably, the chorus to “His Eyes” also touches on the idea of God’s faithfulness:

And His eyes are always upon us
His eyes never close in sleep
And no matter where you go
You will always be in His eyes
In His eyes

‘Jesus Revolution’ Crosses $40M Mark, Domestically Surpassing Kelsey Grammer’s 2014 Blockbuster ‘The Expendables 3’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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March 16, 2023

After 19 days in theaters, “Jesus Revolution” has surpassed the $40 million mark, bringing its domestic box office total to $40,862,465 on Tuesday (March 14).

“You all made this possible. Thank you for supporting JESUS REVOLUTION,” the filmmakers tweeted Wednesday.

The film focuses on the story of how Harvest Christian Fellowship senior pastor Greg Laurie came to salvation and was called into full-time pastoral ministry at the age of 19, while also touching on the key stories surrounding the lives of Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee.

The movie received an A+ CinemaScore and grossed over $15 million during its opening weekend. Just this past weekend, “Jesus Revolution” was viewed in 2,519 theaters—more than the any weekend since its release—and brought in over $5 million (Friday-Sunday).

Early projections for the film, which stars Kelsey Grammer (Chuck Smith), Jonathan Roumie (Lonnie Frisbee), and Joel Courtney (Greg Laurie), only predicted $7 million in box office sales for its opening weekend.

“Jesus Revolution” has become the 79th highest grossing domestic film for distributor Lionsgate, placing it in front of “The Expendables 3” ($39,322,544 domestic box office gross). That franchise stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Wesley Snipes, Jet Li, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, and “Jesus Revolution”‘s Kelsey Grammer.

“Jesus Revolution” is also the highest-grossing domestic film for Lionsgate since the start of the pandemic.

“Jesus Revolution” is co-director Jon Erwin’s second highest grossing film, behind “I Can Only Imagine,” which brought in $86,086,881 worldwide ($83,482,352 domestic).

Erwin told Laurie that the movie is his “favorite film to watch with an audience—it’s a wonderful film to watch together.”

“There is a movement going on in America right now,” Erwin stated. “The whole heartbeat of this film is that there can be another Jesus revolution today.”

Laurie’s Twitter feed is filled with testimonies from people who have seen the film.

One person wrote, “Saw @JesusRevMovie today. Wow! I was moved to tears throughout. So moving, highly highly recommend @KelseyGrammer was fantastic as was @JonathanRoumie. Looking for hope, light and goodness, you want to see this! @greglaurie story just beautiful. Thanking God! 🙏🌻”

Others have reported that seats have been filled in theaters throughout the nation.

“Tonight was a date night to see @JesusRevMovie 🍿🎥🎬 Every seat was taken in the theatre. What an extraordinary film with a great message. Thank you @greglaurie for sharing your story,” one person wrote.

The film will expand beyond the confines of North American theaters over the next month with plans to release it in Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand. An estimated 33% of Singapore’s population identifies as Buddhist, while over 86% of Indonesians identify as Muslim.

Delivered for a Purpose: Former Porn Star Is Now an Ordained Minister

By

Stephanie Martin

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March 16, 2023

former porn star — Screenshot from YouTube / @Andy Kirkendall

For decades, Satan had a stronghold on Kevin Kirchen, one of the original Chippendales dancers. When his family and church let him down, Kirchen embraced the devil, became a porn star, binged on drugs and alcohol, and almost killed himself. But God intervened, providing a Christian wife and mentors who pointed him to Jesus.

Now Kirchen, 58, is an ordained minister who speaks and writes about redemption and peace with God. Of his 2020 memoir “My Game, My Pain, My Purpose,” one reviewer writes: “GOD turned his test into a testimony and his mess into a message.”

Former Porn Star: Childhood Trauma Led to Anger at God

On a 2022 episode of the Perseverance Podcast, Kirchen describes his difficult childhood—including the death of his father, abandonment by his mother, and homelessness. After being invited to church at age 16, Kirchen became a Christian and a family took him in. Soon, however, the church encouraged those foster parents to send him away because the family had daughters.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Kirchen describes how Satan appeared to him after that at a college party. “I didn’t have a normal childhood. I had given up on God. I was struggling with Jesus, and I wanted the devil because I was upset with God.”

Kirchen eventually ended up in the bodybuilding scene in Venice Beach, California. Friends helped him get a fake ID and took him to bars, which hosted male-dancer contests. After Kirchen performed in one, he successfully auditioned for Chippendales and worked as a male stripper for a decade. On the podcast, Kirchen describes feeling “completely empty inside” because “the devil drained me.”

Porn Lifestyle Led to Despair

The next step for Kirchen was the Hollywood porn industry, where he earned $1,000 per day as a porn star and had easy access to drugs and alcohol. “I summoned the devil again,” he says on the podcast, describing the darkness he experienced. To do his job, he “had to put on blinders and kick it into another gear.”

Depression ensued, to the point where Kirchen almost committed suicide. “Once you put yourself on camera, you can’t get that back,” he realized. “It’s gonna follow you.”

Dude Perfect Star Tyler Toney Says God Redeemed Both His Marriage and His Public Platform

By

Dale Chamberlain

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March 16, 2023

Being YouTube-famous may seem glamorous, but as Dude Perfect star Tyler Toney and his wife Bethany recently shared in an “I Am Second” video series, it can be anything but.

Tyler’s success as a content creator almost caused the failure of his marriage. Nevertheless, in the video series, titled “Not as Easy as It Looks,” Tyler and Bethany described how God has worked to redeem not only their marriage but also the platform that almost drove them apart—a platform that Tyler now leverages to publicly share his faith.

Dude Perfect, which stars Tyler alongside his former Texas A&M roommates Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, and Cody Jones, is a sports and comedy themed YouTube channel. With 58.9 million subscribers, Dude Perfect is the second most subscribed sports channel and the 23rd most subscribed channel on YouTube overall.

At the beginning of the testimonial, Tyler shared that he met his fellow Dude Perfect stars in 2009 while attending college.

“We were in a Bible study together. We were playing basketball at the rec; ended up living together,” Tyler recounted. “And we were always competing, always having fun, trying to figure out a game to play or a competition to have, making, you know, bets with each other, whatever it may be.”

These competitions were the genesis of the Dude Perfect YouTube channel, which quickly garnered the attention of Good Morning America and launched them into stardom.

Tyler described his fellow Dude Perfect stars as more brothers than friends, because “we probably spend more time with each other than we do our families.”

When Tyler and Bethany got married, Dude Perfect was still a side gig. However, Tyler soon quit his job to pursue it as his full-time career. Bethany also would go through a career change herself.

“So we were both in a place where we both were so fulfilled with what we were doing,” Bethany expressed.

Nevertheless, life wasn’t perfect. As the couple attempted to start their family, they experienced the tragedy of multiple miscarriages.

“It was just devastating to me, and heartbreaking, because I’m watching my husband be on top of the world, doing all these really cool things, where I’m at home in pain and just heartbroken and confused and angry,” Bethany said. “I was so angry at God during that season of our life because I just felt like God was ignoring me and that he wasn’t hearing my requests for things.”

Bethany expressed that her bitterness toward God continued even as the couple welcomed their first son into the world. Her pain also soon turned to resentment toward Tyler.

For his part, Tyler admitted that in his effort to “make hay while the sun is shining” in terms of capitalizing on the success of Dude Perfect, he didn’t manage “it the best as far as a family perspective of making Bethany a priority.”

Speaking about himself and his Dude Perfect costars, Tyler said, “Our families got kind of put on the back burner.”

Later, the couple would welcome their second child into the world. The following week, Tyler went on tour with Dude Perfect.

Chip Ingram: Learning To Flourish in Ministry and Life

By

Jason Daye

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March 16, 2023

As pastors and ministry leaders, what do we do when we find ourselves in a season where we’re out of rhythm or feeling like we’re burning out? In this week’s conversation on FrontStage BackStage, host Jason Daye is joined by Chip Ingram, CEO and teaching pastor of Living On the Edge. Chip’s teachings are received by millions of people around the world through television, radio and digital platforms. Chip has written over a dozen books, and has served for four decades in ministry, pastoring churches ranging in size from a few dozen to several thousand. Chip shares from his own ministry experiences those times when he felt he was imbalanced, out of rhythm, and sort of burning out. Chip also shares practices that he has incorporated into his life to help him grow in deeper connection with God and to create a healthy, sustainable rhythm for his ministry and his life.

FrontStage BackStage Podcast Guest Chip Ingram

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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17 Christians Killed by Militants in Nigeria’s Southern Kaduna

By

International Christian Concern

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March 16, 2023

17-Christians-Killed-by-Militants-in-Nigeria’s-Southern-Kaduna — Photo courtesy of International Christian Concern

03/15/2023 Nigeria (International Christian Concern) – Muslim militants recently killed 17 unarmed Christians in the Ungwan Wakili community in the Zangon Kataf LGA of Nigeria’s Kaduna State. Kaduna is in the country’s dangerous Middle Belt region, where militants have attacked Christian communities for years. Though there are several reasons for the violence, one major motivation for the militants appears to be religious animosity, given its grossly disproportional targeting of Christian communities over the years.

In the most recent attack, the militants came at night using sophisticated weapons. A local ICC staffer reviewed pictures of 14 lifeless victims on the ground in Ungwan Wakili. Three more died of their wounds in the hospital, a community leader told ICC.

Local government officials said they will investigate the attack, accusing the military of allowing the attack despite the presence of military checkpoints nearby. Policing in Nigeria is directed by federal rather than local authorities. The militants have been attacking Christians in southern Kaduna and destroying their crops in recent months.

The governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, has a long history of allowing attacks on Christian communities and punishing Christian communities who protest the security situation in the area. Since taking office as Governor of Kaduna State in May 2015, El-Rufai has repeatedly endangered Christian communities by ordering them into strict lockdowns. These lockdown orders, which trap villagers in their homes, prevent villagers from organizing early warning systems and make militant attacks even more deadly as villagers no longer have the warning they need to flee impending attacks.

Despite international condemnation of these lockdown orders, El-Rufai has continued to punish Christians through this technique. In 2020, he locked down a Christian-majority agricultural area for over two months during planting season. Militants, taking advantage of his lockdown orders, killed more than 100 Christian villagers during that time.

An ICC staffer will be visiting the village for more details. Please pray for Christians in Nigeria.

This article originally appeared here.

For United Methodists’ Top Court, 2024 Is the New 2020

By

Emily McFarlan Miller

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March 16, 2023

united methodists — Bishop Kenneth H. Carter (standing) speaks during an oral hearing before the United Methodist Judicial Council meeting in Evanston, Ill. Carter is president of the denomination's Council of Bishops. Photo by Mike DuBose, UM News.

(RNS) — An annual conference in the United States still can’t just up and leave the United Methodist Church.

The United Methodist Judicial Council, the denomination’s top court, ruled again on that question in a decision released last week (March 7) as the church goes through a slow-moving split over the ordination and marriage of its LGBTQ members.

Three other decisions released by the court as it moves through its fall docket dealt with resolutions approved by annual and jurisdictional conferences — the UMC‘s regional networks of churches and ministries — regarding LGBTQ inclusion.

The Judicial Council ruled that a 2021 resolution by some Midwestern United Methodists, titled “Covenant to Build BeLoved Community,” is mostly “aspirational” and therefore does not conflict with the Book of Discipline, the United Methodist rulebook, which denies LGBTQ people ordination and forbids United Methodist clergy to perform same-sex weddings.

The resolution, approved by a special session of the Upper Midwest’s North Central Jurisdictional Conference, calls LGBTQ members “a gift to the church.” It also asks members of the jurisdiction not to pursue charges against clergy for officiating same-sex weddings or identifying as LGBTQ.

However, the court felt Michigan Bishop David Alan Bard went too far in accepting one line in the resolution — “We will not restrict God’s calling based solely on a candidate’s sexual orientation or gender identity” — which it deemed a “declaration of non-compliance.”

In another decision, the Judicial Council reversed a previous decision by Bishop Julius Trimble upholding a resolution passed last year by the Indiana Annual Conference called “A Commitment to Grace in The Indiana Conference” that had expressed support for clergy’s ability to choose which weddings they officiate. The resolution echoed the language ignoring the gender and sexuality of candidates for ordination that the court found “prescriptive,” rather than aspirational, in the North Central resolution.

The court also upheld a decision by Bishop James Swanson Sr., since retired, who affirmed a resolution by the Mississippi Annual Conference “declaring that the practice of homosexuality is contrary to God’s standard of holy behavior, and consequently, is an immoral (sinful) act of behavior.” It said the resolution was aspirational and did not conflict with the Book of Discipline.

Since the 1880S, Southern Baptists Have Argued Over the Role of Women

By

Bob Smietana

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March 16, 2023

Southern Baptists — A photo from the 1885 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Photo via the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives

Widow of the first president of Baylor University, Graves was the first woman seated as a delegate to the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting. She returned again in 1882, according to the Journal of Southern Religion.

No one seemed to notice.

The same could not be said a few years later, when two women from Arkansas showed up as delegates. A pastor from Virginia stood up, saying women had no right to be at the meeting. That led to a hasty gathering of a five-member committee to decide the issue. The committee did not want the women there but ruled that nothing in the denomination’s constitution barred their presence.

The committee’s ruling did not sit well with delegates like a certain Dr. Hawthorne of Georgia.

“I love the ladies, but I dread them worse,” he told delegates, according to the May 16, 1885, edition of the Tennessee Baptist newspaper. “If my wife was here knocking at the door of this Convention I’d never vote against her coming in.”

Delegates to that meeting eventually voted to bar the Arkansas women. Then they changed the SBC’s constitution to make it plain only “brethren” were allowed — a rule that stayed in place for decades.

Nearly 140 years later, the role of women in the SBC is back up for debate. This time, the question is whether churches with women pastors should be expelled from the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Since 2000, official Southern Baptist doctrine limits the role of pastor to men. But that doctrine had never been enforced at the national level until recently. This past February, the SBC’s Executive Committee expelled five churches — including Saddleback in California, one of the largest churches in the SBC — for having women pastors.

Several of those churches are expected to appeal at the SBC’s annual meeting in June.

The Rev. Linda Barnes Popham, longtime pastor of Fern Creek Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky, one of the churches kicked out alongside Saddleback, told The Tennessean newspaper she was surprised that her role at the church became controversial recently. She said a number of SBC leaders have preached at the church during her three decades as pastor, including the chair of the committee that recommended disfellowshipping Fern Creek.

“If our convention continues to make ‘minor things’ the ‘main thing,’ there will soon not be many churches left in the convention,’” she told that committee in a letter last October, according to The Tennessean.

There is Only One Kind of Sinner

By

J.D. Greear

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March 16, 2023

We tend to see people in categories: the successful and the unsuccessful, the intelligent and the dull, the beautiful and the ugly, the fit and the fat, the rich and the poor. Our natural impulse is to assess everyone around us, ranking ourselves against them. We scoff at those “beneath” us and resent those “above” us.

When we think some characteristic or personal accomplishment sets us apart or justifies us before others, we are committing what Charles Spurgeon called the “pride of face and place”—so-called because this type of pride rests on the variables of how we look (face) and where we were born (place).

The Absurdity of the Pride of Face and Place

The pride of face (like pride in any form) shows that we do not fully understand the gospel.

Just think about it for a moment: How much of your physical talents can you actually take credit for? Your parents gave you your genes. God gave you your health and your opportunities. And yet, you may still say that your talents are the result of hard work:

You hit the gym on the reg so you can look good on the beach this summer.
You work overtime to make sure you’re living the kind of life you want.
You read all the best leadership blogs so you can be smarter than everyone else.

Your body, your money, your mind—you think you’ve made them what they are. But does that really hold up? Imagine you’d been born as an orphan refugee in Syria or Somalia. Do you think you’d have succeeded like you did with that start in life? (The only honest answer is “No,” by the way.)

All that you have is a gift. And taking pride in a gift is absurd.

Plus, do any of our talents matter, eternally speaking? We may think it’s nice to be pretty instead of ugly, rich instead of poor. But those metrics don’t do anything to justify us before God!

Before God, we are all sinners. And there is only one kind of sinner. There are not successful, high-capacity sinners with a lot of potential and unpromising, down-and-out sinners. Nope. Just hopeless, dead sinners.

Heaven is not a scholarship program where God rewards the best. The best résumé in God’s eyes, Paul says, is a big, steaming pile of scubala, or “garbage” (to put it mildly).

What we have now in Jesus is worth infinitely more than any of those things anyway.

It doesn’t matter if I’m not that intelligent now, because I am promised I will inherit the mind of Christ.

Gospel Emojis: Use These Symbols to Tell Kids About Easter

By

Jenny Funderburke Smith

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March 15, 2023

Gospel emojis? Yes, you read that correctly. Read on to discover an innovative way to tell children in your church and community about the good news of Easter!

Like most children’s ministers, I’m always seeking new and creative ways to share the gospel. An effective approach needs to be kid-friendly, clear, and biblically sound. I assume I’m not the only one searching for new gospel presentations for kids. If you need a last-minute Easter lesson, I hope these Gospel emojis are helpful!

My kids are crazy about emojis. (Let’s admit, many grownups are too.) I decided to use that familiar language to connect kids to the gospel. Basically, I chose 16 emojis to tell the story of the Bible, from Creation to the Resurrection.

I featured the emojis on PowerPoint slides and also printed them on cards for kids to hold. This visual helped kids engage and gave me something to move around to hold their attention.

I shared one emoji at a time, giving kids a key phrase to repeat for each. After introducing a new emoji, we repeated the previous ones.

Gospel Emojis and What They Represent

Check out these Gospel emojis. Here’s what each symbol stands for:

1. Crown: God is the King.

The Bible begins with “In the beginning, God…” He has always been and will always be. God rules over all.

2. World: God created the world.

Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

3. Boy & Girl: God made people.

God’s prize creation is people. He made Adam and Eve and put them in the Garden of Eden.

4. Snake & Apple: People sin.

Recount briefly the story of the Fall.

5. Crying: People were separated from God.

God is holy and can’t sin.

6. Death: The wages of sin is death.

Romans 6:23 says sin brings death.

7. Monkeys (See/Hear/Speak No Evil): People tried and tried and tried.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s people tried to keep the law and do good.

8. Devil: But people sinned.

For the Israelites and everyone who followed, the story was the same. People tried to keep the law, they sinned, God rescued them, repeat.

‘Legends’ — Brian Houston Expresses Gratitude for Joel Osteen and Steven Furtick

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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March 15, 2023

Brian Houston Joel Osteen Steven Furtick — Screengrab via Instagram @brianchouston

Brian Houston, Hillsong Church’s founder and former global senior pastor, recently took to Instagram to praise Lakewood Church’s Joel Osteen and Elevation Church’s Steven Furtick as “legends.”

Houston shared that he and his wife, Bobbie, enjoyed a meal with the two megachurch pastors and their wives.

“What a blessing to enjoy a meal with these legends #thankful,” he said.

Bobbie described the meal as “a beautiful time together—grateful for long distance faithful friends, who are not thrown off course by the winds of adversity, nor the fickle nature of todays dissenting and dividing world. Keep your eyes on Jesus—the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, Soon and Coming King. Xoxo.”

Houston is currently on trial for allegedly covering up the sexual abuse of his late father, Frank Houston. After being charged by the New South Wales Police Force on Aug. 5, 2021, for concealing his father’s actions, Houston “vehemently” professed his innocence and vowed to defend the charges levied against him.

“I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight,” Houston stated.

Houston later stepped aside from Hillsong Church’s leadership in January 2022 before resigning in March 2022 after being accused of questionable behavior involving two different women on separate occasions, as well as a lack of discernment in drinking alcohol while taking prescribed anxiety medication.

In February, Houston maintained his “not guilty” plea and acted as the lone witness for the defense. Houston’s wife said her husband of 45 years was a “champion” for enduring 13 days in court.

“Firstly, thank you to all who prayed,” Bobbie shared in an early February Instagram post. “We endured 13 days in court. The Crown Prosecution presented eight witnesses. Our Defense presented one—Brian Houston. All evidence was heard, all evidence is recorded. Now the case is adjourned till June for oral and written summaries, final arguments and then the Magistrate alone will rule.”

‘God Is on the Move’—Michael W. Smith Believes Revival Is Breaking Out

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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March 15, 2023

mws_revival — Screengrab via Instagram @mwsmithofficial

Christian musician Michael W. Smith believes revival is happening around the world after seeing what God has been doing during his recent trip to Vietnam.

At the beginning of March, Smith, alongside evangelist Franklin Graham traveled to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to perform during their “Spring Love Festival.”

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association noted that the Spring Love Festival is historically significant for evangelical churches in Vietnam because this is the first time the Vietnamese government has given them permission to hold an “evangelistic outreach with a foreign speaker outside of a religious holiday.”

“It was a great night in Ho Chi Minh City,” Graham posted on Facebook. “We had beautiful weather and an overflow crowd at the Phu Tho Sports Facility for the ‘Spring Love Festival.’ We give God all the glory that thousands responded to the invitation to turn from their sins and put their faith and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.”

Graham thanked those who were part of the event, which included Festival Praise Chorus with Nissi United, Isaac Thái, Lê Nguyệt Anh, Michael W. Smith, Dennis Agajanian, and The Tommy Coomes Band. “I especially want to thank the churches and pastors for their partnership, and the government officials who helped make this weekend possible.”

We praise God for all He did in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, this weekend! Join us in praying for those whose lives were transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ… pic.twitter.com/TkRY9gNoNn

— Franklin Graham (@Franklin_Graham) March 6, 2023

“NOT your ‘average’ Saturday on the WayMaker World Tour—from VIETNAM! Amazing leading worship on the other side of the world! GOD IS ON THE MOVE,” Smith posted on Facebook.

Smith posted a video of Spring Love Festival’s second night, showing wall-to-wall people worshiping Jesus in song. “Tonight in Vietnam! Atmosphere shifted. No words! Grateful,” Smith captioned.

Referencing the recent Asbury University outpouring and the release of “Jesus Revolution,” the three-time Grammy Award-winning singer told Christian Headlines, “Something’s happening, [and] I’m so grateful that I’m alive to get to see it.”

Smith described the worship during the Spring Love Festival as “authentic” and shared that he witnessed a group of Vietnamese Christians praying out loud in a tent for the Holy Spirit to move across those in the crowd.

“They were praying for what was happening out in the field where we were,” Smith said.

Smith believes God is answering the prayers for revival. “I could be wrong,” the singer explained, “[but] I think it’s happening, I think what we’ve prayed for for so long is actually happening—there’s this resurgence of faith.”

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A post shared by Michael W. Smith (@mwsmithofficial)

Zeus vs. Jesus: Tweet Calling Jesus a ‘Fake’ God Highlights His Revolutionary Message

By

Jessica Lea

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March 15, 2023

A tweet contrasting Jesus with the Greek god Zeus has highlighted the revolutionary nature of Jesus’ message. The tweet, from the account “The Hellenist,” praises the virtues of Zeus over the “fake” god Jesus and has drawn criticism from Christians and non-Christians alike.

“Nothing better summarizes why Christianity was an absolutely radical message in antiquity, that revolutionized the world by siding with victims rather than victors, than this juxtaposition by a derisive neo-Pagan Nietzsche fan-boy,” said Michael F. Bird, academic dean and lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

The original tweet shows an image of Zeus, the head god in the Greek pantheon, next to an image of Jesus on the cross. “Real gods, like Zeus, are forms of the good: strength, power, beauty, health, virtue,” says The Hellenist. “Fake gods, like Jesus, are forms of the bad: weakness, powerlessness, humiliation, ugliness, emaciation. Which gods we worship determines what we manifest. Manifest the good. Manifest Zeus.”

Zeus Was a Rapist, Twitter Users Point Out

Some responded to Bird by questioning whether the Tweet was from a parody account or was “click bait.” A cursory scan of The Hellenist’s page shows tweets supporting eugenics, praising Nietzsche and pitting Greek mythology and philosophy against the teachings of Jesus, which are portrayed as harmful.

“Wow, he totally gets it,” said one user, responding to Bird’s quote tweet of The Hellenist. “And yet totally doesn’t.”

“Props to him he really seems to understand Jesus better than a lot of Theo Bros do!” said another.

“You can almost imagine Paul‘s opponents in the Greek city mocking the foolishness of the cross in just such a manner,” one person responded, alluding to Acts 17:32, which says, “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered.” The user is also referencing 1 Corinthians 1:18, which says, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

Many who responded directly to the original tweet pointed out that Zeus, god of the sky, was anything but virtuous. He not only slept with many women who were not his wife (Hera, goddess of marriage and childbirth), but frequently ravished any woman he saw as desirable, sometimes in while the form of an animal or other creature.

One myth describes Zeus raping a princess named Leda while he was in the form of a swan. Another says Zeus turned into a bull to abduct a princess named Europa, and he subsequently raped her.

After Seeking Shelter in Church, Murder Suspect Receives Prayer From Arresting Deputy

By

Janna Firestone

-

March 15, 2023

John Skeen, a man suspected of murder, was arrested on Sunday (March 12) after seeking shelter in a church service. While that may sound like an incredible story all on its own, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said that “you could say that the devil is in the details.”

That morning, the church had a guest speaker: Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County.

Skeen attended the church service along with regular church members. When law enforcement officials learned that Skeen might be in the service, they headed to the church.

Murder Suspect Hides Out Inside a Church

According to a Polk County Sheriff’s Office news release, “56-year old John Skeen of Polk County was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday morning, March 12th.”

Skeen was on a fishing trip with a friend when he allegedly shot the friend.

“Skeen had a warrant for his arrest out of Hillsborough County for fatally shooting a man on March 10th,” The news release stated. “There’s much more to the story though. Much, much more.”

Law enforcement officials worked together to remove Skeen from the church without disrupting the service.

A Facebook commenter and friend of the suspect, Marilyn, and her family were present during the church service. She described the event as “handled very well,” adding, “I had no idea anything was going on at the time. I have also known John Skeen, as well as his family, most of my life, and would never have suspected something like this to have happened.”

“I am certain that John knew [Sheriff] Grady Judd was preaching because it was well advertised,” Marilyn said, sharing her belief that God was at work throughout the morning. “I’m sure God had a hand in all of this, and I am very impressed with Grady Judd, his morals, and his ability to remain calm, no matter the circumstances. Ironically, the sermon was titled ‘am I my brother’s keeper?'”

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The Absurdity of the Pride of Face and Place

Gospel Emojis and What They Represent

1. Crown: God is the King.

2. World: God created the world.

3. Boy & Girl: God made people.

4. Snake & Apple: People sin.

5. Crying: People were separated from God.

6. Death: The wages of sin is death.

7. Monkeys (See/Hear/Speak No Evil): People tried and tried and tried.

8. Devil: But people sinned.

Zeus Was a Rapist, Twitter Users Point Out

Murder Suspect Hides Out Inside a Church

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