‘Cancel Culture Is a Tactic the Left Uses’—Kirk Cameron Hosts Controversial Pastor Douglas Wilson on ‘Takeaways’

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January 11, 2023

Douglas Wilson on Takeaways with Kirk Cameron — Screengrab via TBN

In a recent episode of his TBN show “Takeaways,” Kirk Cameron tackled the topic of “cancel culture.”

In the course of the episode, Cameron interviewed controversial pastor Douglas Wilson. Known for wanting to make his hometown of Moscow, Idaho, a “Christian town,” as well as for his Christian defense of antebellum slavery in a pamphlet titled “Southern Slavery: As It Was,” Wilson has often been the subject of criticism for his views on race, gender roles, and Christian nationalism.

“Cancel culture: we hear about it. We feel it. We see prominent people being made examples of through pressure campaigns,” Cameron said to open the episode. “Tolerance for differing points of view seems to be at an all-time low.”

“‘Adhere to secular woke dogma or you’re toast,’” Cameron continued. “That’s how it feels, right?”

Cameron went on to say, “The fear of being canceled can sometimes result in self-censorship—arguably the most painful kind of censorship.”

The episode featured two interviews. The first was with authors and speakers David and Jason Benham, and the second was with Wilson.

David and Jason Benham: Now Is ‘Not a Time to Be a Lamb Led to the Slaughter’

Cameron’s first interview was with David and Jason Benham, twin brothers who are real estate entrepreneurs known for their dispute with HGTV, wherein the network canceled a reality show planned to feature the brothers in 2014 after controversy arose in light of their views on LGBTQ+ issues.

The controversy specifically centered on comments David made about “homosexuality and its agenda” being connected with “demonic ideologies.” He also had compared same-sex marriage with Nazi Germany.

While HGTV canceled the show, they still funded the Benham brothers’ work on six Charlotte-area homes that were to be featured in the now-defunct real estate reality program.

To begin his interview with the brothers, Cameron said, “When I look at your life, one big word comes to mind: courage. You had courage to stand up. You had courage to speak up. You don’t shrink back from the fight, but you do it in a way that is admirable.”

Cameron went on to ask the brothers where their courage comes from.

“The Spirit of the living God lives inside of us, just like he lives in you and the viewers that are watching this,” David replied. “And he is the lion of the tribe of Judah. He’s also the lamb that was slain. And so there’s a delicate balance when we are walking by the power of the Holy Spirit with the lion and the lamb.”

Speaking about opportunities he and Jason have lost because of their public comments, David said, “It’s almost always rooted in the fear of man and a man-pleasing spirit. There is an agenda. There is, what Jason and I call, a ‘spiritual thought-mafia’ that’s out there and it’s the spiritual forces of darkness that are empowering a very mob mentality in mainstream media, and even many people in the church.”

A Restored Medieval Depiction of the Crusades Shows How England Embraced Islamic Culture

By

Menachem Wecker

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January 11, 2023

Crusades artwork — Digital reconstruction of Richard the Lionheart and Saladin and proposed reconstruction of surrounding text. Eames design 466. Photo © Janis Desmarais and Amanda Luyster

(RNS) — An 800-year-old puzzle about a set of 13th-century floor tiles has added to historians’ thinking about the relationship of Europeans and Arabs at the time of the Crusades.

Amanda Luyster, assistant visual arts professor at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, has spent more than two decades studying the so-called combat series, a group of floor tiles uncovered in the 1850s at the ruins of Chertsey Abbey, some 20 miles southwest of London.

Luyster’s research findings underpin the exhibition “Bringing the Holy Land Home: The Crusades, Chertsey Abbey, and the Reconstruction of a Medieval Masterpiece,” which runs Jan. 26 to April 6 at the college’s Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery.

The tiles, which were illustrated and annotated with Latin inscriptions, are among the most significant medieval objects of their kind from England, if not all of Europe, according to Luyster. But since the discovery of the highly fragmented tiles, scholars had largely focused on reconstructing the illustrations, which include scenes of Richard the Lionheart battling Saladin in the Third Crusade a half-century before. The Latin text was too badly broken up at the time to be pieced together and read.

Working with colleagues who coded programs to digitally fit the letters together and cross-referenced them against known Latin texts of the era, Luyster assembled about half of the Latin inscriptions to her satisfaction. She also arranged the illustrations as her research suggests they would have appeared on the abbey floor.

Once restored to their original look, the new design reminded her of Muslim and Byzantine silks that Crusaders brought back as souvenirs.

Digital reconstruction of the Chertsey combat tile mosaic pavement. Photographic composite showing roundels surrounded by partial Latin texts. Photo © Janis Desmarais and Amanda Luyster

Luyster has no illusion that the Crusades, waged from 1095 to 1291, were anything less than major confrontations. But she sees the tiles as telling visual evidence that England during the Middle Ages had robust contact with the rest of the world and that Christian Europe was more porous than historians have believed.

Instead, Luyster said, while the tiles depict Europeans clashing with the Muslims who ruled Jerusalem and the Near East, their manufacture and design reflected familiarity with, and admiration for, Arab artistry. They support the idea that far from thinking of themselves as European, the English who went on Crusades and came back to create these tiles were in deep conversation with Arab culture.

“The Crusaders and other Western Europeans see themselves as Westerners becoming Easterners. Their whole identity is changing, as they move and start living in the area around Jerusalem,” Luyster said.

This cultural fluidity is at odds with a picture of medieval English society as isolated, purely Christian and culturally homogeneous — a view that is increasingly outdated among historians of the period, even as white supremacists in England and the United States have latched onto it.

The key to Luyster’s insight are tiles illustrating the English King Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart, wounding the Muslim ruler Saladin with a lance, and of a Muslim soldier with an arrow piercing his forehead.

Amanda Luyster at the British Museum photographing the Chertsey tiles in 2017. Courtesy photo

Historians had long known that Richard and Saladin appeared in the overall design of the abbey’s tiles, but other tiles were thought to represent other battles. Luyster’s high-tech detective work on the Latin inscriptions showed, she concluded, that the entire design, not just the Richard and Saladin illustrations, depicted the Third Crusade, led by Richard.

Young Evangelicals Listen to Their Pastors. Do Pastors Listen to Them?

By

Ken Chitwood

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January 11, 2023

younger evangelicals and their pastors — Photo by Jesus Loves Austin (via Unsplash)

(RNS) — “When students come back at semester breaks, that’s when the conversations really pick up,” said Jon-Michael Phillips, 35, a youth pastor at a nondenominational church in Jackson, Michigan, a city of about 31,000 between Ann Arbor and Lansing, the state’s two big college towns.

As students from the University of Michigan and Michigan State return home for the holidays, Phillips is less concerned about college football rivalries than about the political discussions he is bound to have. “Every year, students want to talk to me about things they are struggling with,” he said, “and one of the topics a few are sure to bring up is politics.”

Phillips said students often share that when it comes to LGBT issues, the environment or the Republican Party, they increasingly feel at odds with the politics they often heard from the pulpit as they grew up or what was shared at home.

As they become more politically aware and active, Phillips said, they start to question how their evangelical Christian parents and pastors have presented these issues and others.

“The nice thing is they still want to talk and want to know what I think,” Phillips said. “The question is what I can do with these conversations.”

According to a recent report from Neighborly Faith and Springtide Research Institute, young evangelicals are highly politically engaged, and they continue to be inspired, and influenced, by pastors and other spiritual leaders at their church.

The study, which surveyed 1,989 young adults ages 18 to 25, oversampling for evangelical and born-again young adults, sought to trace who young evangelical adults are listening to in their political, social and religious lives and to provide recommendations on how spiritual leaders can best partner with them for social change.

Kevin Singer. Photo courtesy of Springtide

The report suggests that young evangelicals’ political activities — from community service and volunteer work to activism as well as their voting patterns or attitudes toward the “religious other” — tend to align with their religious leaders’ emphases. The study reported that among other Christians and people of other faiths, evangelical young adults were the only group to say religious texts and leaders influenced how they felt about political issues or participated in their communities.

Kevin Singer, president of Neighborly Faith and Springtide’s head of media and public relations, said the finding that young evangelicals are inspired by their faith leaders and Scripture was expected. “What is especially striking, however, is how much more young evangelicals are inspired by their faith leaders,” Singer said. “The influence of the pastor seems to be alive and well in the lives of young evangelicals.”

Daniel Bennett, professor of political science at John Brown University, a private Christian school in northwestern Arkansas, and a consultant on the survey, said he sees young people coming to university with an earnest desire to make sense of the world around them and act accordingly.

Saying he was passionate about making sure students get faith-filled formation, Bennett was encouraged that young evangelicals continue to turn to pastors, Bible study leaders and other church mentors for advice on how to be politically engaged.

“At college, young evangelicals are disrupted in a sense,” Bennett said. “They are learning how to think, how to wade through religious, cultural and political diversity and difference.”

Ministry Equips Churches To Serve Refugees in Kansas City

By

Timothy Cockes

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January 11, 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) – More than a year after American withdrawal created massive instability in Afghanistan, refugees from the war-torn nation still need practical help and a friendly face.

RefugeKC is a non-profit ministry seeking to equip churches in the Kansas City area to step into this ongoing need.

Founded in late 2015 by Richard Casebolt, a graduate of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, RefugeKC focuses on building relationships with refugees and meeting their practical needs.

In addition to physical needs, RefugeKC offers prayer and Bible study for refugees.

Casebolt and his wife Vicki met while attending Midewestern. The two, along with their four children, served in missions in Thailand before returning to the States in 2011.

Casebolt began working for a non-profit coffee shop where he started a Bible study with refugees who had spent time in Thailand and could speak the language.

The more relationships he built, the clearer the need became.

“It just became increasingly obvious that there was a need for full-time work among the nations that God was bringing into Kansas City,” Casebolt said.

“That mission and vision ought to include making disciples among the nations according to the Great Commission. We want to help equip churches to do that and help raise awareness to the issue.”

After the fall of Afghanistan in 2021, refugee resettlement agencies around KC reached out to RefugeKC to assist with the influx of displaced Afghans coming to the area.

The organization helped coordinate thousands of volunteers, who served by picking up refugees from the airport, preparing meals, leading activities for children and transporting families to temporary housing.

Casebolt said the city’s Afghan population grew from around 300 to more than 1,200 in a matter of months.

Richard and Vicki met as students at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Richard started RefugeKC in 2015.

Now more than a year later, Casebolt said ministry among refugees from a variety of nations continues. The organization is now more focused on developing deeper personal connections with their new neighbors.

The form this personal ministry takes is small support groups called Ambassador Teams.

Cardinal George Pell, Conservative Force at the Vatican, Dies at 81

By

Claire Giangrave

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January 11, 2023

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Cardinal George Pell, who once spearheaded financial reform for Pope Francis at the Vatican, died Tuesday (Jan. 10) at the age of 81 due to complications after hip replacement surgery in Rome.

An influential conservative figure at the Vatican, he was praised for his forceful efforts to reform Vatican finances, but his life and career were marred in recent years by sexual abuse allegations.

The Priesthood of the Father Giving up the Son

By

Nicholas Batzig

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January 11, 2023

Father giving up the Son — Adobestock #448753824

In his outstanding book Christ Crucified: Understanding the Atonement, Donald Macleod gives an intriguing insight about the priestly role God the Father played in giving His Son up as an atoning sacrifice. He writes,

[Luke 22:19 and Romans 8:32] point to a priesthood of God the Father, ‘giving’ or ‘giving up’ His only Son. . .What can we say as to the precise nature of the Father’s action at Calvary? The New Testament answer is breathtaking. He acted in the role of priest. Just as Jesus ‘gave’ His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) so God the Father ‘gave’ His one and only Son; just as Christ ‘delivered up’ Himself as a fragrant offering (Eph. 5:2) so God the Father ‘delivered up’ His own Son (Rom. 8:32). Clearly, then, corresponding to the priesthood of the self-giving Son there is a priesthood of God the Father. From this point of view, Golgotha becomes His temple, where. . .He is engaged in the most solemn business that earth can witness. He is offering a sacrifice. The cross is His altar, and His own Son the sacrifice.

When we think of the priestly ministry of Christ—from His incarnation to His substitutionary atoning death on the cross—we should do so with an eye to what the Scriptures teach about the priestly act of the Father giving up the Son for the salvation of His people. The Son is the priest who offers Himself without spot to God, and the Father is the priest in giving His eternally beloved Son as a sacrifice for the sin of His people. Jesus has been ‘given for us’ by the Father (Isaiah 9:6) so that we might be reconciled to God.

This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.

25 Really Strange Things Church Members Say to Pastors

By

Thom Rainer

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January 11, 2023

It’s not a boring vocation because the things church members say to pastors are just…hilarious.

If you serve as a pastor or church staff member, there is rarely a boring moment. A few years ago, I began polling pastors and church staff and collecting some really weird things church members say to them.

Here is my current top 25.

I modified some to fit into a direct quote, but the essence remains. The words in italics are my own commentaries.

1. 1. “Will you bless me divorcing my husband so I can marry a convicted murderer? God told me to do it.”
    
    Jim In Jail GIF
    from Thejimgaffiganshow GIFs
    
    Yes, I am sure that’s exactly what God said.
  2. Said to a pastor in his ordination council: “What is your view on Christian missions in space?”
    
    via GIFER
    
    Space the final frontier…to boldly go where no man has gone before.
  3. After the church member had surgery: “Pastor, will you pray for me to pass gas.”
    
    Pink Reaction GIF from Pink GIFs
    
    Maybe there was a spontaneous answer to that prayer.
  4. “I want you to come see my display of nude art.”
    via GIPHY
    I’m still trying to find out what the pastor decided.
  5. During the offertory: “Pastor, do you have change for a 20?”
    via GIPHY
    Probably a deacon.
  6. To a worship pastor after the service: “Here’s the bulletin. I graded each song based on how worshipful it was.”
    via GIPHYThank you. We will be sending you your grades on how much the church staff likes you.
  7. “Can we put the children’s moment back in the bulletin? I know we don’t have any children but the old folks like it.”
    via GIPHY
    Yes, we will alternate it every week with the senior moment.
  8. “I used to be a warlock.”
    via GIPHY
    Was that before or after you became a deacon?

What is a Leader’s Greatest Strength?

By

Brian Dodd

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January 11, 2023

What is a leader’s greatest strength? The story of Dak Prescott gives us some insight.

A Devasting Injury

On Sunday, October 11, 2020, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott dropped back to pass and surveyed the New York Giants defense. Finding no one open, he then scrambled out of the pocket and began running downfield. Giants cornerback Logan Ryan then executed what appeared to be a routine tackle of Prescott.

But something very non-routine happened as Prescott was dragged to the ground.

Prescott’s leg bent awkwardly suffering a compound fracture and dislocation of his ankle. His season was over and future, both as a potential free agent Cowboy and NFL player, were suddenly in question.

An Unspeakable Tragedy

But this was not the worst thing to happen to Prescott in 2020.

Six month earlier on April 22, Dak’s brother Jace unexpectedly died as a result of suicide. Dak, as well, was no stranger to mental illness as he had struggled with it as well.

How does someone possibly recover from mental illness, an unspeakable family tragedy, a devastating physical injury, and the potential loss of a career all happening simultaneously?

While every person handles life’s challenges differently and professional assistance is often required, Sports Illustrated’s Greg Bishop profiled Prescott and gave us a picture into his inspirational journey in its September 15th edition.

Give Thanks In All Circumstance

It sounds counterintuitive but while laying on the field, Prescott remembered a friend telling him to thank God over and over in times of crisis. Even in the midst of tears streaming down his face, that is exactly what Prescott did. He said, “That (thanking God) was my peace in all of this.”

Serve Others

On the day of his injury, Prescott served his teammate, backup quarterback Andy Dalton, by texting him a congratulatory message on winning the game.

He also served his family by texting his Aunt Gilbeaux, “Quit crying; I will be fine. It will be fine.”

Growing, Healthy Churches Need Protectors and Advancers

By

Ron Edmondson

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January 11, 2023

Every organization needs both protectors and advancers.

A successful entrepreneur gave me this advice a number of years ago. Shortly into our meeting he dropped this nugget of insight. He didn’t unpack it a lot, but I found interesting enough that it caused me to further reflect. (Side note: These kind of comments are why I always have something with me with which to take notes when I meet with people. That way I can unpack it further after we are finished and the conversation heads in other directions.)

The business leader told me in his business all their employees are either protectors or advancers. He said protectors are usually found in HR, legal or accounting departments. They “protect” the organization. There needs to be an adequate number of protectors in every organization.

Advancers, on the other hand, grow the business. Regardless of their job title these people help the organization do more towards accomplishing their mission. They produce a product. These people are “revenue positive“. They add income to the bottom line.

Then he went on to say he always wants more advancers than protectors. Far more. In fact, nearly everyone in his company (and it is a very large company) needs to be an advancer.

Growing, Healthy Churches Need Protectors and Advancers

After the meeting I kept pondering his words. I saw relevance in his theory in business and in ministry. This logic could work in the for profit world and the non-profit. It could even apply in the church.

In simple terms the goal in business is to make a profit. The goal in ministry or nonprofits is to advance a cause. In both types of organizations we need to protect and advance. If we don’t have protectors we will eventually get into trouble. If we don’t have advancers we will eventually not exist.

Enough Already With the Smoke Machine

By

Phil Cooke

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January 11, 2023

Now that all the church and local theater Christmas productions are over, it’s time to have a serious discussion about smoke machines. A smoke machine (or haze/fog) can be a fascinating addition to any stage production, whether it features dramatic acting or a music concert. However, with most Church and local theater productions I watched this year, the production team had no clue about how a smoke machine should actually be used.

Enough Already With the Smoke Machine

Just to be clear: For most instances, smoke (or haze/fog) is designed to enhance the lighting, not overpower it. In other words, smoke effects should help define the light, not dominate the light.

EGR – Extra Grace Required?

By

Ray Hollenbach

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January 11, 2023

My friend tells the story of a pastor who had a certain way with difficult people. You know: the kind of people who are whiny, needy, angry, insecure, volatile, vain, messy, picky, overbearing, ugly, no-fun, un-hip, clueless, or otherwise not-with-the-program. This pastor asked his staff to be patient with such people, and referred to these unfortunates as EGR: Extra Grace Required. The difficult people in the church who needed extra grace.

Huh?

EGR – Extra Grace Required?

The phrase Extra Grace Required stuck with me for days. I began to wonder: how much is the regular amount of grace? Is there a Grace Manual somewhere that details the proper amount of grace for each condition? What about people afflicted with multiple shortcomings? (I qualify for several conditions listed above—but I’m not going to tell you which ones! – OK, it’s all of them.)

So here’s the first problem: the well-meaning pastor implies that grace is a tool in the pastoral tool-kit. Reach into ministerial bag and grab some ointment labeled ERG. Apply generously, as if grace is something dispensed from the Haves and given nobly to the Have-nots. As if grace is drug, and the minister is the pharmacist. But grace isn’t a salve to be applied; it’s a feast to be shared. We welcome others to the very table we enjoy, where together we revel in God’s bounty. God gives grace. We share it.

Sunday School Games: 8 Fun, Ageless Activities for Youth Groups

By

Building Faith

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January 10, 2023

Although these Sunday school games are designed for children, older kids may enjoy them too. With some adaptations, these eight Sunday school games will be lots of fun with teens!

All these Sunday school games are excerpted from Wiggle Tamers (Group, 1995) and Fidget Busters (Group, 1992) by Jolene Roehlkepartain. (Both titles are out of print, but you can purchase them used on Amazon.)

As Roehlkepartain explains, when a class takes a break for a structured, movement-filled game, kids get their wiggles out. Then they have more focus and attention on the lesson. (That definitely applies to youth group students!)

So have fun with these 8 ageless Sunday school games. Try playing them at church with kids of all ages.

8 Sunday School Games for Kids and Teens

1. Balloon Grab (suggested for preschool)

You’ll need 17 balloons: four yellow, four green, four blue, one orange, and four red.

Inflate the balloons. Place all the balloons — except for the orange one — in the middle of the room or field. Keep the orange balloon near you.
Say: I’m going to name a color. If you see a balloon that color on the ground, grab it and run all around with it. If you can’t grab one, follow someone who has that color balloon. Then when I name another color, everyone is to drop their balloons and grab the color balloon I named. Again, if you can’t grab one, follow someone who has that color balloon.
Start by naming yellow. Then after a minute or so, name a different color. Repeat the activity five or six times. End by naming all the colors.
Then say: Orange! Grab your orange balloon and hold it high. Say: Now follow me as we go back to our lesson!

2. Broken Dishes (suggested for preschool)

You’ll need a paper plate for each child.

Give each child a paper plate. Then have kids skip around the room while holding onto their plates. Whenever you say, “Broken dishes,” have kids drop their plates and shout “uh-oh!” Then have kids pretend to clean up the mess. After they pick up their plates, let them continue to skip until you call out “Broken dishes” again.
Repeat the activity three or four times. Then say: Let’s set the table back at our lesson to find out what’s cooking.
Have kids take their plates back to your lesson area to place neatly on the floor or table before you continue with the lesson.

3. Jelly Bean Roll (suggested for K-3)

You’ll need a bag of jelly beans.

On one side of the room, have kids kneel side  by side in a line. Place a jelly bean in front of each child.
Say: When I say “go,” roll your jelly bean across the room using only your nose. Remember, you can’t touch the jelly bean with your hands. Ready? Go!
Allow kids several minutes to roll their jelly beans.
Then say: Let’s roll our jelly beans back to our lesson. There I’ll trade a clean, yummy jelly bean for your dirty one.

4. Peanut Butter (suggested for mixed age groups)

Say: It’s time for the Peanut Butter Game! When I say “go,” hop around the room. Whenever I say, “peanut butter,” stick to the people closest to you no matter how many there are. Then, when I say “jelly,” unstick yourselves and hop around the room again. Ready? Go!
Play four or five rounds.
Then say: Let’s sit down now so we can stick to our lesson.

Christian Valentine’s Day Ideas: 46 Activities for Sunday School Kids

By

ChildrensMinistry.com

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January 10, 2023

Soon you’ll need Christian Valentine’s Day ideas for your children’s ministry program and Sunday school classes. Kids of all ages “love” to celebrate this special holiday. And kidmin workers give it extra meaning when we focus on God’s love.

To help with your planning, here’s a collection of 46 Christian Valentine’s Day ideas. They all celebrate God’s love for kids. Use these activities at church, in classrooms, or at home!

46 Christian Valentine’s Day Ideas to Celebrate God’s Love

Christian Valentine’s Day Ideas: Messages + Lessons

Use this children’s message to help kids know that God’s love wraps us in comfort when we’re feeling down.
Use this Valentine’s Day children’s message to show kids the depth of God’s love.
Here’s a Valentine’s Day Sunday school lesson to teach preteens about God’s loving guidelines.
Use these five experiences to engage kids with God’s grace and care. They’ll never forget his love for them!
FREE Preteen Lesson to help kids learn about God’s love.
FREE Preschool Sunday School Lesson for Valentine’s Day.
This candy message object lesson is a sweet way to teach children about God’s love.
Kids will enjoy this children’s message as they learn to pass on God’s love.
Use this Kids Sunday School Lesson to learn to show love to others.
Use this Elementary Sunday school lesson about God’s amazing love.

Christian Valentine’s Day Ideas: Crafts

A Valentine’s Day craft and object lesson that will show God’s love to someone special.
Preschoolers can make this Valentine Heart Placemat for to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Use this Valentine’s Day Love Arrow Pencil Topper to discuss how God is love.
Kids can create this Valentine craft: Peekaboo Hearts just bursting with love.
Give your congregation an opportunity to pray for kids in your ministry with this craft.
Kids create this necklace to share each bead of love with family and friends.
This Valentine Hug Craft for preschoolers makes a great gift for parents or grandparents.
Help little ones create this keepsake handprint heart for Valentine’s Day.
Free printable to make this Proverbs 3:5 Valentine card…and four other great ideas!
Free printable to make this glow stick Valentine card…and four other great ideas!
What child doesn’t love a panda bear? And this one is made out of hearts!
Kids make friendship stickers with hidden messages to encourage others.
The dots on this Valentine’s Day Card are made with a pencil eraser. Easy-peasy for kids.
A Heart Sheep Card to say Happy Valentine’s Day to Mom from craftymorning.com.
We love anything with handprints! Here’s a fun Valentine’s Day Tree made from kids’ handprints from coco29.com.
No-mess Valentine Craft for Preschoolers from sundayfamily.com
Two thumbprint heart gifts kids can make for their family from fun-a-day.com
Kids can give these Heart-Shaped paper clips from Sea Lemon to add love to paper projects.
Kids can make this valentine with a God’s Love Cross from snapguide.com

Christian Valentine’s Day Ideas: Snacks

Use this snack to teach kids that God fills our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
Kids learn that God’s love is sweeter than ever with these healthy, heart-shaped watermelon drops.
We had a Valentine breakfast to honor our volunteers in February with the theme “Touching Children’s Hearts.”
Here’s a hearty snack for Valentine’s Day that kids will love to make in your children’s ministry!
With these cupcakes, help kids understand that God wants us to hold Jesus in our hearts.

Christian Valentine’s Day Ideas: Activities

Encourage your church to give the children in your ministry a Prayer Valentine.
Kids can create this gift bag to share God’s love with others.
Use John 3:16 to create this meaningful bulletin board from mpmschoolsupplies.com
Use American Sign Language and kids’ hands to share love from busymommymedia.com
A Valentine’s party focused on encouraging kids to love one another as God loves them.
Add a growing tree of hearts in your classroom.
Sponsor a Secret Valentines program for your entire church each year.
Lead kids in this game of Heart Tag to learn about God’s love.
Use this Hidden in the Heart activity, a bulletin board craft idea, to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
This is a great glowing gift from (or to) teachers by firstgradewithacherryontop.blogspot.com
This Love Each Other song is a fun musical activity that teaches preschoolers to love their neighbors.
Use this activity for Valentine’s Day to help kids know they’re special and loved.

This article about Christian Valentine’s Day ideas originally appeared here.

Lifetime’s ‘Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation’ Dramatizes Life of Alleged Cult Leader

By

Jessica Mouser

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January 10, 2023

Lifetime has released its first trailer for “Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation,” a movie based on the life of church leader and diet guru, Gwen Shamblin Lara, who has been accused of leading a cult and who died in a plane crash in May 2021. The film stars Jennifer Grey (“Dirty Dancing”) and is set to release Feb. 4.

“Based on a true story, the movie centers on the controversial religious leader and faith-based diet creator who positioned herself as God’s prophet and preached the virtues of being thin,” says Lifetime in a description of the film, marketed as a movie “ripped from the headlines.”

Gwen Shamblin Lara According to Lifetime

Gwen Shamblin Lara became well-known in the 1990s due to her Weigh Down Workshop, which was offered in many churches, and her book, “The Weigh Down Diet.” The “Way Down Approach” is based on the idea that people who struggle with disordered eating should look for a spiritual solution to those challenges.

Shamblin Lara founded Remnant Fellowship church in Brentwood, Tennessee, in 1999 with Weigh Down participants as core members and was the primary leader of the church. HBO Max’s docuseries, “The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin,” chronicles Shamblin Lara’s rise to prominence and describes in detail a culture of control and spiritual abuse at the church.

The docuseries portrays Shamblin Lara as someone who began with biblical principles and good intentions, but who came to lead a ministry characterized by brainwashing and manipulation. Former members report child abuse, eating disorders, depression, and suicidal ideation. In a statement responding to the docuseries, the church said, “Remnant Fellowship categorically denies the absurd, defamatory statements and accusations made in this documentary – yet another Hollywood attack on religion.”

Gwen Shamblin Lara was one of seven people who died in a plane crash on May 29, 2021. Among the deceased was her husband, former “Tarzan” actor Joe Lara, as well as Remnant Fellowship church leaders David Martin and his wife Jennifer, Jonathan Walters and his wife Jessica, and Shamblin Lara’s son-in-law, Brandon Hannah.

Lifetime’s minute-long trailer portrays Gwen Shamblin Lara’s ministry and influence. At one point, she tells her followers, “This demon isn’t food. It’s sin.” Elsewhere in the trailer, the character says, “Satan does not give up,” “I’ve always had what I would call a crush on God,” and “Your stomach doesn’t need food. It needs God.” Another scene shows a man standing with his wife and son. He tells Shamblin Lara, “We’ll follow you wherever you lead us.”

Jennifer Grey, who plays Gwen Shamblin Lara in the film, has been teasing the movie on her Instagram page. “Up to no good in Montreal,” she said in one post.

‘God Using Me in a Different Way Today,’ Says Bills’ Damar Hamlin; Josh Allen Proclaims ‘God’s Real’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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January 10, 2023

On Sunday (Jan. 8), 24-year-old Buffalo Bills’ player Damar Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest six days earlier during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, tweeted, “GameDay.. Nothing I Want More Than To Be Running Out That Tunnel With My Brothers. God Using Me In A Different Way Today. Tell Someone You Love Them Today!”

Medical personnel were forced to administer CPR to Hamlin while he was still on the field, shocking teammates and opposing players as they dropped to their knees in prayer. After Hamlin spent three days at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center’s ICU, the Bills released an update on January 5 sharing that Hamlin had started communicating through writing, even asking doctors “who won the game Monday night.” Doctors responded, “Yes, Damar, you won. You won the game of life.”

Hamlin’s injury impacted players, sportscasters, and fans throughout the nation leading up to the NFL season’s final week of play. On Tuesday (Jan. 3), former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky prayed for Hamlin on live television.

“Maybe this is not the right thing to do, but I want to,” Orlovsky during an episode of NFL Live. “I’ve heard the phrase ‘thoughts and prayers’ all day, and people asking others to pray for Hamlin. I’ve heard the Buffalo Bills organization say ‘we believe in prayer,’ and maybe this is not the right thing to do, but I want to—it’s just on my heart that I want to pray for Damar Hamlin right now.”

Orlovsky then led his cohosts in prayer for the young NFL player as millions of viewers watched.

That same night, former NFL tight end and Super Bowl champion Benjamin Watson shared the gospel during a guest appearance on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360.

“These times bring us face to face with our own mortality, and we all have a day to be born and we all have a day to die,” Watson said in that interview.

Watson told Cooper that watching what happened to Hamlin should make someone ask, “Where are we? Where do our hearts stand?”

On Saturday, the Bills shared a comment from Hamlin wherein Hamlin recognized how God was using his situation to unite people, expressing gratitude for everyone who prayed for his recovery.

“The love has been overwhelming, but I’m thankful for every single person that prayed for me and reached out,” Hamlin said. “We brung the world back together behind this. If you know me you know this only gone make me stronger. On a long road keep praying for me!”

A Novel Approach to Tackling Common Temptations in the Western Church

By

ChurchLeaders

-

January 10, 2023

temptations of western church — Lightstock #803608

Jeff Christopherson is a missiologist, movement catalyst, and author. He leads Church Planting Canada and Canadian National Baptist Convention and is the founder of Send Network and co-founder of Church Multiplication Institute. He’s authored a new and unique book, “Once You See: Seven Temptations of the Western Church – a Novel.”

ChurchLeaders had the opportunity to interview Christopherson, asking questions about the message of the book and how he hopes it will help pastors and church leaders break away from the status quo and “relearn” an ancient vision for church as laid out in the New Testament.

The choice of a novel is an interesting/unique medium to get your message out to Christian leaders. Why did you choose to go this route?

Many books have already been written on many of these subjects, including several of my own. But somehow, despite the numerous discouraging trends, the status quo seems stubbornly resistant to change.

Taking a page from Jesus’ teaching methodology, I guess I wanted readers to “see” and “feel” the striking difference between approaches—and the consequences of continued allegiance to the status quo. I believe that stories have staying power—they roll around in our brains giving the Holy Spirit opportunity to “change our minds”—which is biblical metanoia/repentance.

Briefly, what are the “Seven Temptations of the Western Church” that you weave into your novel’s storyline?

I would list them as contrasts because the very things that we often celebrate as marks of faithfulness might in reality be the very opposite. Here is what I mean…

Philosophicalism: “We are a Bible-believing people.”

Kingdom Corrective: Essential to a sincere belief in the inerrancy and infallibility of God’s Word is an assumption that God calls his disciples to become a Bible-obeying people and not merely intellectual stakeholders of theologically orthodox positions. We understand that true orthodoxy affirms that biblical belief is a verb—doctrines that we humbly live and practice—rather than a noun—theoretical precepts to which we philosophically subscribe. Therefore, we choose to measure spiritual maturity and doctrinal integrity with the benchmarks found in our everyday obedience to God’s Word.

Professionalism: “We have a gifted pastoral team.”

Kingdom Corrective: The gospel is every disciple’s calling—not just a chosen few. Because of this, we seek to multiply Jesus’ disciples by developing and deploying the body of Christ into a diverse and infinitely reproducible co-vocational mission-force. Therefore, our vocational leaders see their primary assignment as equippers and multipliers of Jesus’ disciple-making insurgency.

Presentationalism: “Our worship is inspiring, and our preaching is strong.”

Kingdom Corrective: We are the functioning body of Christ in community, not a well-tuned Sunday service. Though we value the weekly gathering of believers for corporate worship and biblical instruction, we also understand that Jesus’ purpose for his body cannot be contained in that hour. Therefore, what we most highly prize, publicly celebrate, and consider as our ultimate act of worship is preparing the entire body of Christ as sacrificial servants for Jesus’ 24-7 mission and his imminent return.

Passivism: “Everybody is welcome.”

Kingdom Corrective: We actively search for lost sheep—not hope that lost sheep look for us. Therefore, we happily inconvenience our personal comforts and disrupt our religious preferences for the sake of effectively participating in Jesus’ selfless and courageous search and rescue mission.

Pragmatism: “We are one of the fastest growing churches.”

Kingdom Corrective: The kingdom of God is our only goal, and not the advancement of our individual brand. Because of this, we choose to measure growth in terms of city-wide gospel impact rather than excelling in a competition for an evaporating market share of the evangelically predisposed. Therefore, for the kingdom outcome of gospel proximity, we prefer to selflessly invest in united efforts of gospel collaboration rather than pragmatically contending for our own interests.

Tim Keller on Spiritual Life After Terminal Diagnosis: ‘I’m Closer to Where I Should Have Been Most of My Life’

By

Dale Chamberlain

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January 10, 2023

In a recent interview, pastor, author, and theologian Tim Keller reflected on his prayer life in the two and a half years since his terminal cancer diagnosis, saying that while he often prays for complete healing, the knowledge that death is certain has actually caused him to grow into more of the person God intends him to be.

Keller is a well known figure in American evangelicalism, having authored multiple best selling books and serving as the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City for three decades. He co-founded Redeemer City to City, which trains pastors for service around the world, and he was also a co-founder of The Gospel Coalition.

His remarks came in the context of a live interview with apologetics show “Premier Unbelievable?”

Keller, who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer in May 2020, said that despite the pain and fear associated with cancer, he and his wife, Kathy, “would never want to go back to the kind of prayer life and spiritual life we had before the cancer. Never.”

“I spent all of my life saying that communion with God, the real presence of God, can ‘satisfy us every morning with your steadfast love,’” Keller explained. “So what does it mean to ‘satisfy us every morning with your steadfast love’? That can’t mean ‘remind me.’ It means ‘satisfy me with your love.’”

Keller continued, “And I spent all of my career telling people that it was available—and experiencing some of it—but, actually, every so often, Kathy and I will say, ‘We’re having a much better life now.’”

“When it comes to prayer, I, you know, really thought that I had a good prayer life. And when I broke through into another dimension, I realized, my goodness, I was much, much, much less—frankly, my prayer life wasn’t very good,” Keller said. “But the other thing I would say is, everyone knows they’re going to die…and everyone knows that they really, in some ways, repress that and live as if they’re never going to die.”

Recounting when he first received his terminal diagnosis, Keller expressed, “I realized, I never really did believe I was going to die. At some deep level, I just didn’t…Looking back on it, I just don’t think there’s any way to go through the change that happens in you when you know that you really are going to die: the way you look at your time, the way you look at God, the way you look at your spouse—the way you look at everything just changes when you actually realize time is limited and ‘I’m mortal.’”

Keller added that, “frankly, I would have lived a better life” if he had come to this realization sooner, further reflecting, “I’m closer to where I should have been most of my life.”

“I wish I’d been able, without getting cancer, to just know how mortal I am,” Keller said later in the conversation. “And Psalm 90 says, ‘Teach us to number our days that we get a heart for wisdom.’ What does that mean? I know what it means now. But I don’t know how you do that before you have something like this. I just don’t know. There’s just a breakthrough in the way in which I look at everything once I realize, ‘My goodness, I’ve been in denial.’”

‘Woke Preacher’ Denied Access to Oklahoma Inmate’s Upcoming Execution

By

Stephanie Martin

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January 10, 2023

Scott Eizember. Image courtesy Oklahoma Department of Corrections

The presence of pastors in execution chambers continues to be a disputed topic. The latest case involves Oklahoma death-row inmate Scott Eizember, who’s scheduled to receive a lethal injection on Jan. 12.

State corrections officials denied Eizember’s request to have his spiritual adviser, Arkansas pastor Jeff Hood, present in the execution chamber. Authorities cite Hood’s anti-death penalty activism, including an arrest during a protest in Texas. The pastor can meet with Eizember beforehand, they say, and can watch the proceedings on closed-circuit TV from elsewhere in the penitentiary.

Yesterday (Jan. 9), Hood and Eizember filed a federal lawsuit, requesting the execution be paused until the pastor is granted full access. A similar delay occurred last fall in Texas, with inmate John Henry Ramirez ultimately receiving the okay to have a pastor present for prayer and laying on of hands.

Scott Eizember’s Pastor: DOC Is ‘Not the Department of Theology’

During a press conference yesterday, Hood told reporters that Oklahoma’s Department of Corrections labeled him a “woke preacher”—which he considers an honor because the Gospel has social implications.

The DOC, Hood argues, is “not the department of theology” and “should not and cannot be in the business of determining which religions and which spiritualities are appropriate to the ministers of persons in the chamber.” Being denied access is “not just a violation of religious liberty,” adds the pastor, “but also a violation of other First Amendment protections.”

In a written statement, Hood expounds on his history, saying Oklahoma’s DOC “can slander me for three arrests for peaceful protest and a national reputation as an activist all they want. What they can’t do is trample on the religious liberty of their prisoners and the ministers who serve them. Protest and protected speech against injustice doesn’t make me an enemy of the Department of Corrections. It makes me a follower of Jesus.”

State DOC: We’re ‘Ensuring the Dignity of All Involved’

Josh Ward, spokesman for the state’s DOC, says its decision is based on respect for victims’ family members. The agency is responsible for “ensuring the dignity of all involved” in an execution, he says, and “will not allow the outbursts of activists to interfere, regardless of that activist’s declared role in this process.”

Ward continues: “The spiritual adviser in this case has been arrested multiple times for such outbursts in other states, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the experiences of victims’ families and the solemnity of the process.”

Excavation of Ancient Pool of Siloam Evidences Scriptural Accounts

By

Diana Chandler

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January 10, 2023

Northern perimeter of the Pool of Siloam. Photo by Koby Harati, City of David Archives courtesy of Baptist Press.

JERUSALEM (BP) – Assyria’s King Sennacherib was planning to capture Judah. Somehow, King Hezekiah had workers dig a tunnel through solid rock and divert Judah’s water supply to the Pool of Siloam, hiding it from the enemy.

That was 2,700 years ago.

Rendering of the Pool of Siloam, Second Temple period. Credit: Shalom Kveller, City of David Archives

Clues to how the work was done, as well as biblical evidence from Jesus’ earthly ministry, might be unearthed as Israel excavates the full Pool of Siloam that has fascinated archeologists for more than 150 years.

New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary professor Jim Parker viewed the excavation site and tunnel on a current instructional tour he’s leading of Jerusalem through Jan. 13, he told Baptist Press.

“It’s still a great mystery how they did it,” said Parker, NOBTS professor of biblical interpretation and executive director of NOBTS’ Michael and Sara Moskau Institute of Archeology. “He (Hezekiah) was able to protect and defend the water system.”

The work is referenced but not detailed in 2 Kings 20:20, which indicates the details are written in “The History of the Kings of Judah,” an extrabiblical historical book.

“We don’t know that there were written sources that went forward that went into the (biblical) canon,” Parker said. “It seems like there was another set of writings where they kept up with all of the details of what the king did and everything. But today, we don’t have those. Those are lost.”

Excavation of the full pool, believed to be about one acre in size, will be valuable in affirming Scripture, Parker told Baptist Press.

NOBTS Professor Jim Parker, center, with First Baptist Church of New Orleans Pastor Chad Gilbert and the pastor’s wife Cole, who participated in the Jerusalem tour.

“It affirms the biblical fact that this pool existed, and the tunnel existed, and it operated together,” he said. “It also gives an idea into some of the rituals of the temple.”

The Pool of Siloam is where Israelites washed to spiritually purify themselves before entering the temple. At the pool, Jesus healed a blind man, as told in John 9:1-11.

The site of the pool was discovered in 2005 when workers unearthed steps to the pool while repairing a sewage line, but only a small portion of the site has been excavated. The pool was the reservoir for the waters of Gihon Spring, which were diverted through Hezekiah’s tunnel.

“This was all pure water,” Parker said, “and coming out of a spring, it’s called living water. Water that’s moving, by nature, it’s called living water.”

The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation announced in December 2022 the beginning of the full excavation of the pool.

“The Pool of Siloam, located in the southern portion of the City of David and within the area of the Jerusalem Walls National Park, is an archeological and historical site of national and international significance,” the groups said in a press release. “Due to its location and importance, the Pool of Siloam was renovated and expanded some 2,000 years ago at the end of the Second Temple period. It is believed that the pool was used during this time as a ritual bath by millions of pilgrims who converged at the Pool of Siloam before ascending through the City of David to the Temple.”

Chicago Pastor James Meeks Bids a Tearful Farewell After 38 Years at Salem Baptist

By

Bob Smietana

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January 10, 2023

The Rev. James Meeks, right, speaks before passing a ceremonial torch statue to the Rev. Charlie Dates, left, during a Salem Baptist Church service on Jan. 8, 2023, in Chicago. Meeks is retiring after leading the church for 38 years. Video screen grab

Standing in the pulpit on Sunday (Jan. 8) at the House of Hope, the home of Chicago’s Salem Baptist Church, Meeks held a glass statue of a torch, which he was about to pass to the Rev. Charlie Dates, who would succeed him as leader of one of the city’s largest churches.

Meeks tarried in prayer for a moment, every eye upon him.

“I’m almost afraid to hand you this because I know the burden that comes with this role,” Meeks told Dates, warning him of sleepless nights and the temptations that come with power and authority.

“And Charlie, the only thing I can tell you is that God’s word will hold you.”

Then Meeks passed the torch to his successor and blessed him — and the church filled with the sound of applause.

Sunday’s two-and-a-half-hour service was a tribute to Meeks’ remarkable four decades as the church’s pastor, which began on a frozen January morning in 1985, with temperatures at 20 below. That year, Meeks and more than 100 former members of Beth Eden Baptist Church, where he had been a pastor for several years, launched a new congregation in a rented building with the aspirational slogan, “The Greatest Church in the World,” the Chicago Tribune once reported.

Meeks grew Salem to 15,000 members, with the congregation moving from that rented building to a former Catholic church in the West Pullman neighborhood on the far South Side and later to the 10,000-seat House of Hope, a massive worship center and arena.

Known for his passion for teaching the Bible, his evangelistic fervor — the church claims to have baptized 20,000 people during his tenure — and his passion for education and economic justice, Meeks has wielded spiritual and public influence in the city, serving for a decade as a state senator and running twice (unsuccessfully) for mayor.

During his tenure, the church helped shut down dozens of liquor stores, turning one into a Christian bookstore. The church has held funerals for victims of gun violence, promoted education, pushed for gun-control legislation and worked for the spiritual and economic thriving of its community. As a state senator, Meeks was most known for his efforts to improve funding for local schools.

Sunday’s service reflected both spheres of influence. Meeks’ longtime friend, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., joined a host of other pastors in attendance — a number of former members of Salem who are now pastoring elsewhere stood on the stage. Politicians like U.S. Congresswoman Robin Kelley (D) were also in attendance at the service, which featured video greetings from megachurch pastors TD Jakes and Joel Osteen, as well as a word from Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The mayor praised Meeks for his role in the community and told worshippers not to worry about the pastoral transition at the church.

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The choice of a novel is an interesting/unique medium to get your message out to Christian leaders. Why did you choose to go this route?

Briefly, what are the “Seven Temptations of the Western Church” that you weave into your novel’s storyline?

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