Thanksgiving Dinner Ideas for Thankful Kids & Families

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November 3, 2022

At Thanksgiving dinner, many families take time to share what each member is thankful for. But ideas for expressing gratitude during the big meal aren’t always super creative. In fact, they usually begin (and end) like this: “Let’s go around and say one thing we’re each thankful for.” Yes, that’s a great start. But a grateful heart goes so much deeper.

This year, help families explore what it means to be thankful in a fresh way. Plus, with these ideas for Thanksgiving dinner, kids get to take the lead. Let children be in charge of sharing thanks at the family meal! Empowering kids not only lets them practice verbalizing gratitude. It helps them develop leadership skills (even at home!).

Use these fun ideas to put kids in charge of expressing gratitude during Thanksgiving dinner (and beyond).

The Power of Gratitude

Every summer at VBS, we see the power of kids being thankful. For years at our Group VBS field tests, kids each choose a different role in their small group. And one role is devoted entirely to thanking staff throughout the day! Team members’ faces light up when kids say “thanks” at the end of a lesson or game. And children start seeing the impact that an attitude of gratitude can have.

You can incorporate service projects to instill a sense of thankfulness. However, here’s a simple, Thanksgiving-themed way to let kids take charge of giving thanks.

Thankful Ideas for Thanksgiving Dinner

Print out these thankfulness “sparks” on colorful paper. Make one copy per child. Let kids cut apart the sentences, color them, and fold each one in half.
Hand out paper coffee cups with lids. Let kids use stickers or crayons to decorate the outside of the cups.
Kids can drop their slips of paper in the cups, snap on the lids, and take them home.
Then, around the table, kids can take turns pulling out a thankfulness spark and asking everyone at the table to join in the feast of gratitude!

You can also email families this link to Spotify for an hour’s worth of free, faith-focused, kid-friendly music. All the songs have a theme of thanksgiving and praise! Or have families check out Group’s buddy book Good, Gooder, Goodest! Thank you God! It’s packed with vibrant illustrations and relationship-reinforcing Bible truths that encourage kids to be thankful for all they have.

Looking for bigger ideas to use at your church? Check out this idea for bringing families together for a Thanksgiving gathering event!

Have fun sparking family discussions filled with gratitude. “Thanks” for empowering kids to lead and engage in faith conversations!

Looking for more Thanksgiving dinner ideas? Check out these articles.

This article about ideas for Thanksgiving dinner originally appeared here.

Mohler on Conservatives’ Response to Pelosi Attack: ‘We Bear Responsibility for Weaponizing Language’

By

Jessica Mouser

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November 3, 2022

paul pelosi — R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., speaks during the joint seminary report June 15 at the 2022 Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting. Photo by Adam Covington

Conservatives need to take responsibility for “weaponizing language” and so leading some people into violence, said Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Dr. Albert Mohler in his Monday edition of The Briefing. Mohler made his comments while reflecting on the recent attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

“I want to speak to those on the right, to conservatives,” said Mohler. “We bear responsibility for weaponizing language in a way that…can mislead someone who is deluded or troubled into thinking that the answer to a political problem is some form of violent act. That is something we simply must keep in mind. The incendiary context of social media, many of the memes and themes and much of the language that is being used is not going to age well, and it just might serve as a reminder that we had better watch our language.”

Paul Pelosi Attacked While Asleep at Home

In the early morning hours of Friday, Oct. 28, a man named David Wayne DePape, 42, broke into the San Francisco home of Paul and Nancy Pelosi. According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Paul Pelosi, 82, was asleep in his bedroom when he was accosted by DePape, who was looking for Nancy.

A court filing says that DePape was holding a hammer and zip ties when he confronted Paul, saying, “Where’s Nancy? Where’s Nancy?” Nancy was in Washington D.C. at the time. During the confrontation, Paul was able to make a 911 call from the bathroom, and two officers later arrived at the scene, where they witnessed DePape strike Paul on the head with the hammer. Officers subsequently tackled DePape and arrested him. Police recovered “a roll of tape, white rope, a second hammer, a pair of rubber and cloth gloves, and zip ties” from the scene of the crime, says the DOJ.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said that DePape’s intent was to take Nancy Pelosi “hostage and to seriously harm her.” DePape has entered a plea of not guilty and is being held without bail. The court filing further states that DePape said he was on a “suicide mission” and planned to target other politicians.

A press release issued Friday by Nancy Pelosi’s office says, “Mr. Pelosi was admitted to Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he underwent successful surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands. His doctors expect a full recovery.”

The DOJ’s press release states:

DePape is charged with one count of assault of an immediate family member of a United States official with the intent to retaliate against the official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison. DePape is also charged with one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the performance of official duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Brian Houston Denies Substance Abuse Led to Resignation From Hillsong, Reveals Now Defunct Succession Plan

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 3, 2022

On Wednesday (Nov. 2), former Hillsong Church global senior pastor Brian Houston released a video statement addressing the circumstances of his departure from the Australian-based international megachurch, seeking to clear his name of what he described as “gossip” and “innuendo.”

In March, Houston announced his resignation from Hillsong Church amid ongoing scandal, just two months after he had been asked to step back from all pastoral leadership for the entirety of 2022. Previous to his hiatus from the pulpit, he had also been asked to step down from all of Hillsong’s global leadership boards.

At the time, Houston stated that the reason for these sabbaticals was to allow him to focus on defending himself against criminal charges alleging that he had covered up clergy sex abuse perpetrated by his late father, Frank Houston.

Roughly a week prior to Houston’s resignation, the Hillsong Board revealed that his time away was also the result of disciplinary action relating to moral indiscretions that had recently become public via media reports. These indiscretions included Houston acting inappropriately toward women in two separate instances, as well as abuse of alcohol and prescription drugs.

In April, Bobbie Houston, who had served as Brian’s co-pastor and led Hillsong’s annual women’s Colour Conference and Colour Sisterhood, an advocacy ministry for vulnerable and marginalized people, was told that her role had been “made redundant” and she would no longer be serving in those capacities.

Houston’s statement on Wednesday was simulcast across his social media channels.

“I actually thought it was time, almost eight months since my abrupt resignation from Hillsong Church, to bring some clarification from our perspective to the events surrounding my resignation and much of the current narrative,” Houston said.

Houston went on to describe his decision to resign from Hillsong as “the hardest decision” of his life. Houston founded the church in 1983, serving as its senior pastor for 39 years.

“I guess a big part of me hoped that the board, knowing the pressure I was under, would reject my offer and continue to fight for me,” Houston said, “but that was not to be.”

“We’ve been through utter grief this year, as we’ve come to grips with all that has happened and the overwhelming sense of loss and so much—and so many we have loved and given our whole life to have been ripped away from us,” Houston continued. “We would have loved the opportunity to have said a proper goodbye to the Hillsong congregation, but, sadly, to date that opportunity has not been afforded to us.”

After expressing his love for the Hillsong congregation, Houston addressed what he believes are mischaracterizations of the circumstances surrounding his resignation. Describing his departure from the church as “a progression,” Houston alleged that he was slowly “squeezed out” by the Board through successive requirements that he step back from more and more of his leadership responsibilities.

“I want to be clear: the media and others incorrectly say I resigned because I breached the Hillsong code of conduct, but that’s just not true,” Houston said. “I didn’t resign because of my mistakes. I resigned because of the announcements and statements that have been made, which Bobbie and I felt made my position untenable. And I spelled out my reasons for my resignation in my resignation letter to the Hillsong Church Board.”

Examples of Christian Nationalism Are the ‘Greatest Argument’ Against It, Says Southern Baptist Ethics Professor

By

Stephanie Martin

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November 3, 2022

Without an “orthodox gospel” underpinning it, “Christian Nationalism is a complete waste of time,” writes Andrew T. Walker. The ethics professor recently tweeted about the hot topic, framing his thoughts from a Baptist perspective.

“The greatest argument against Christian Nationalism are the examples of Christian Nationalism,” writes Walker, who teaches at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. “It has shown itself to not work and in the process, leaves the culture and the church in a beleaguered condition.”

Andrew Walker: ‘Government Isn’t Suited to This Responsibility’

On November 2, Walker begins a thread by tweeting: “England, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden all have Protestant state churches, presumably ‘promoting true religion.’ But to what end with what success? These nations are socialistic, de-churched, secular, and progressive. Sounds like Christian Nationalism is working superbly.”

He continues: “This is one of the primary errors of Christian Nationalism: It requires a static and homogeneous culture. And even where those conditions are present, it doesn’t ensure actual orthodoxy. History shows just the opposite, in fact. Christian Nationalism is a complete waste of time if there isn’t an orthodox gospel. But where it has been tried, the gospel becomes obscured. This leads me to believe that’s a feature—not a bug—of the system. All (perhaps) because government isn’t suited to this responsibility.”

Believers “should absolutely want a Christian culture that honors Christ in every sphere,” Walker clarifies. “We should intentionally transmit the faith to our children and order our culture accordingly. But that should be done organically on the basis of voluntary commitments, not top-down nominalism.” In practice, the professor concludes, Christian nationalism “has shown itself to not work and in the process, leaves the culture and the church in a beleaguered condition.”

Walker, whose books include “God and the Transgender Debate,” was previously a senior fellow at the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

Debating the ‘Fruit’ of Christian Nationalism

Among those responding to Walker’s thread is California Pastor Aaron Burkhart, who tweets: “Christian nationalism is no different than Pharisaism. Only when it’s put like that do some folks start to get it.”

Tennessee Quarterback and Brother Use NIL Money To Produce Children’s Book on Scripture

By

Scott Barkley

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November 3, 2022

tennessee-qb — Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker holds a copy of "The ABC's of Scripture for Athletes," which is based on the method for learning Scripture that his parents used when he, his sister and younger brother, also a college quarterback, were children. Photo from Twitter @CFBHeather - Courtesy of Baptist Press.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Before he became the Heisman frontrunner leading the most feared offense in college football for the nation’s top-ranked team, Hendon Hooker thought it would be nice to write a children’s book.

That sentence can give you whiplash, much like the Tennessee quarterback’s bombs have given opposing defensive backs this season for the undefeated Volunteers.

Football has always been a huge part of the Hooker family. Alan Hooker was an All-American at North Carolina A&T in the ‘80s who still holds many school records including throwing for six touchdowns in one game (something he likes to point out his sons haven’t matched). Alston is a freshman at his father’s alma mater while Hendon is in his second season with Tennessee after transferring from Virginia Tech.

But the game was merely a vehicle for something much more important when they were children.

“This sport brings tremendous challenges,” Alan Hooker told HBCU Gameday, “and both Hendon and Alston have had challenges. There are highs and lows, and the lows are sometimes lower than the level of the highs – especially emotionally.

“When they were young, they would come to my wife and me and we did not have enough wisdom to give them words from us, so we sought the Bible. We would tell them to ‘read this, read this.’ And they started collecting those things, studying them, meditating on them.

“And so a year ago, they said, ‘Let’s do a Scripture book, and we can put them in alphabetical order based on our favorites and some of the things we’ve dealt with.’”

The result was “The ABC’s of Scripture for Athletes,” written in a comic book format and available at hookedonsports.org.

When NIL deals became a reality for college athletes last year to earn money on their Name, Image and Likeness, it led to a world where 18-year-olds received big paydays before their freshmen class schedules. For Hendon and Alston Hooker, it led their minds to those days of learning Scripture from their parents.

So, they used the opportunity to become authors.

“It’s a huge deal to me and my brother. We’re very firm in our faith,” Hendon said Sept. 28 on The Paul Finebaum Show. “… Growing up, we had these flash cards with the alphabet on it and the Bible verse to match the alphabet letter.”

Similar flashcards based on the ones Alan Hooker and his college-sweetheart-now-wife-of-31 years, Wendy, used for their sons as well as their daughter, Nile, are also available on the website.

In the Finebaum interview, Hendon went on to talk about his little cousin, Landon, who idolizes him and Alston.

“All he wants to do is play ball, so we wanted to encourage him to read a little bit more. We put some nice graphics in there to be a little appealing to the child’s eye but it’s also a book that can be read by any age group when you’re looking to build your faith and get into a little Scripture as well,” Hendon said.

As his platform has grown, so have the opportunities to stand out. This weekend it gets as big as it has in his young life when Tennessee faces third-ranked Georgia in Athens.

ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was asked the difference between the two teams on a panel this week. His answer related to football, but even more for kids like Landon.

“Hendon Hooker,” Herbstreit said, then sat quietly with nothing more to add.

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Barber, Wellman Issue Statement on Proposed Constitutional Amendment

By

Scott Barkley

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November 3, 2022

bart barber — SBC President Bart Barber addresses SBC Executive Committee members at their September meeting. Photo by Brandon Porter

NASHVILLE (BP) — A commitment to affirming Southern Baptist polity and the Baptist Faith and Message remains central during a discussion over women serving as pastors, say SBC Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman and SBC President Bart Barber in a joint statement.

“Both of us have the responsibility to protect the messengers’ rights, answer the messengers’ questions and implement the messengers’ instructions,” reads the statement issued Wednesday (Nov. 2).

Over the last week a public document written by Mike Law, pastor of Arlington Baptist Church in Arlington, Va., has received more than 800 signatures in support of his motion to amend the SBC Constitution.

Law originally made the motion at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting to amend Article III, Section 1 to add an exclusion for any church that affirms women as pastors. The Committee on Order of Business referred the motion to the Executive Committee. The EC is expected to take up the referral at its February 2023 meeting.

“As offered and referred to you at this past June’s annual meeting, the enumerated 6^th item would read: ‘6. Does not affirm, appoint, or employ a woman as a pastor of any kind,’” the letter states.

The document is addressed to the EC and titled “Re: A Call to Keep Our Unity.” In addition to pointing to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, it also cites the 1984 Resolution On Ordination And The Role Of Women In Ministry that messengers in Kansas City passed with 58 percent in favor.

The statement by Wellman and Barber reads:

As President of the SBC and Chair of the SBCEC, both of us have the responsibility to protect the messengers’ rights, answer the messengers’ questions, and implement the messengers’ instructions. With regard to current conversations within the SBC regarding women serving as pastors, together we say:“We affirm our polity. Although we did not reach a moment in Anaheim where the messengers were able to vote on these questions, as far as it lies within our authority to do so, we are committed to letting these questions come before the messengers at our 2023 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. We plan to protect the messengers’ rights to discuss and decide these questions. This is how we resolve conflict and answer questions; we trust this process to give us the clarity we need.“We affirm our statement of faith. We believe that the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture. These words represent our own individual doctrinal convictions. More importantly, these words represent the sentiments of the messenger body in their past decisions. As we discharge our own duties, we will do so in ways that implement these past decisions that the messengers have given to us.

‘In Jesus’ Name’: Southern Baptists Observe Global Prayer Day

By

Diana Chandler

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November 3, 2022

Editor’s note: Sunday, Nov. 6, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

CORDOVA, Tenn. (BP) – She Loves Out Loud Founder Diane Strack recalls asking Cru Founders Bill and Vonette Bright, now deceased, how they dealt with different theological beliefs when praying for the nations.

“I said how do you work through all the different kinds of beliefs people have in doctrines?” Strack, a member of First Baptist Church of Orlando, Fla., told Baptist Press in advance of the Nov. 6 International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church.

“And he said, ‘What we do is we pray in Jesus’ name, and that’s all we focus on. So no matter what country they’re from, no matter what their doctrine is, we come back to this. Can we pray in Jesus’ name together?’” Strack recalled. “And that’s what we’re doing on this day.”

Strack will join other women from Southern Baptist churches and ministries and evangelistic missions in engaging women in prayer from 30 countries Nov. 5 in advance of the international observance.

Donna Gaines, women’s ministry leader and wife of pastor Steve Gaines, will host the She Loves Out Loud event at Bellevue Baptist Church in Cordova, reaching women onsite, nationally and internationally through a registration-only silmulcast event.

Christi Haag, a speaker and advocate for children through Florida Baptist Children’s Homes’ One More Child initiative; Jackie Green, founder of Women of Legacy at the Museum of the Bible; Norine Brunson, a survivor with her husband Andrew Brunson of Christian persecution in Turkey; and Carole Ward, a missionary in northern Uganda and South Sudan, will join Strack and Gaines as speakers at the event, some of them joining virtually.

Several survivors of Christian persecution will share their testimonies and experiences. Participating churches attending virtually will include times of prayer onsite at their churches during the event, Strack said.

“We’re asking God to call women to missions, to foster and adopt, to just the many opportunities there are to serve,” she said, “whether it’s small or large. What the invitation will be at the end is, ‘God I’m available.’ All of us can say, ‘God I’m available.’”

The She Loves Out Loud simulcast is among numerous events marking the international prayer outreach, an annual observance birthed in 1996 to pray for persecuted Christians globally. The annual observance coincides with the Southern Baptist Convention Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church for the first time this year. Previously, the day of prayer for the persecuted church was held in June of the SBC calendar.

The International Mission Board has released resources to help churches pray for those persecuted for their faith. IMB encourages churches to pray that the Gospel continues to spread despite persecution, that God reunites families separated by persecution, that the persecuted would remain faithful, and that God would hear our pleas and deliver the persecuted.

Voice of the Martyrs spokesman Todd Nettleton appreciates the additional emphasis on prayer for the persecuted.

‘Chosen Road’ Seeks To Encourage Revitalizing Churches Through New Christmas Album, Tour

By

Timothy Cockes

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November 3, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – As the holiday season approaches, chart-topping bluegrass band “Chosen Road,” hopes touring their new Christmas album “Appalachian Christmas,” will help encourage rural, revitalizing churches.

Hailing from West Virginia, Chosen Road is known for their Appalachian-bluegrass musical style, which they use to “reimagine” classic Christian worship songs.

The band’s most recent albums, “Appalachian Worship” and “Appalachian Hymns,” both reached the top 5 on Billboard’s Top Bluegrass Albums chart.

The band has been touring together for 13 years, and for the last seven, their most in-demand dates have come from their annual Christmas tour.

Founding member Jonathan Buckner said the band has always wanted to record a Christmas album, but wanted to do it a Christ-honoring way.

“When we started the tour seven years ago, we really tried to pick songs with substance, meaning they were about the Gospel message and the true story of Christmas,” Buckner said.

“We could sing a bunch of more fun Christmas songs that people love, but once the audience leaves that’s really it. If we can give them fun paired with the Gospel message, then that’s something that hopefully they will take home and have the rest of their lives.”

The new album, available now, contains several traditional Christmas carols as well as some more modern Christmas tunes, all done in Chosen Road’s bluegrass style.

It is also features several notable collaborations with artists including Guy Penrod, Point of Grace, Jimmy Fortune and Allan Hall of Selah.

Zachary Alvis, Chosen Road’s other founding member, said the group is thankful for all of the collaborations and for the hard work that was put into the record.

“For a musician, Christmas is fun but also daunting,” Alvis said. “I really love the songs that we picked out, and I think it’s a really unique approach that hopefully brings something fresh to the music and blesses people.”

Buckner said the Christmas season is exciting because of the ministry opportunities it provides.

Calvin University Board Votes To Keep Faculty Who Disagree With Stand on Sex

By

Yonat Shimron

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November 3, 2022

(RNS) — Calvin University’s board of trustees has allowed a group of faculty members to dissent from a clause in a confession of faith that regards sex outside of heterosexual marriage as sinful, thus enabling them to continue to work at the Christian school while also respecting their convictions.

The board’s vote on Friday (Oct. 28), to accept each of the individual faculty’s statement of confessional difficulties, means they may remain in good standing at the Grand Rapids, Michigan, school, which is wholly owned by the Christian Reformed Church, a Dutch Calvinist denomination of about 200,000 members. The school did not release the names or the number of faculty who dissented, saying those were confidential.

The statement of confessional difficulty, sometimes also called a “gravamen,” was needed after the annual synod of the Christian Reformed Church this summer voted to codify its opposition to homosexual sex by elevating it to the status of confession, or declaration of faith.

Faculty hired by Calvin University must sign a document saying their beliefs align with a set of historical Christian creeds and confessions, such as the Nicene Creed and the Heidelberg Catechism. The faculty handbook says they must “teach, speak, and write in harmony with the confessions.”

But many professors at the 146-year-old school no longer hold that sex outside of heterosexual marriage is sinful. And they want to be supportive of LGBTQ students on campus.

“It’s a matter of integrity,” said Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor of history at Calvin who was among the initial group of faculty members who requested permission to dissent from the CRC’s stance on sex. “It seemed necessary to register my dissent so that I could have clarity in terms of whether it was a space where I could continue to work, or whether I no longer fit within the mission of the community.”

The university is known in the larger Christian higher education world for its supportive and pastoral approach to LGBTQ students. It allows a student group, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, to function on campus and in the 2020-21 school year the university did not challenge an openly gay student body president.

The university, however, does not allow students to engage in premarital sex and defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Those rules will not change, a spokesperson for the university said.

This year Calvin did not renew a professor’s two-year appointment after he agreed to officiate a same-sex wedding. That wedding also led the university to cut ties with its longtime research center, the Center for Social Research, where one of the marriage partners was working.

In a statement, the chairman of Calvin board, Bruce Los, said the university benefits from having “diverse viewpoints among its faculty while remaining committed to upholding the confessional standards of the CRC.”

Christian Monastery Possibly Pre-Dating Islam Found in UAE

By

Jon Gambrell

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November 3, 2022

SINIYAH ISLAND, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced Thursday.

The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds new light on the history of early Christianity along the shores of the Persian Gulf. It marks the second such monastery found in the Emirates, dating back as many as 1,400 years — long before its desert expanses gave birth to a thriving oil industry that led to a unified nation home to the high-rise towers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The two monasteries became lost to history in the sands of time as scholars believe Christians slowly converted to Islam as that faith grew more prevalent in the region.

Today, Christians remain a minority across the wider Middle East, though Pope Francis was arriving in nearby Bahrain on Thursday to promote interfaith dialogue with Muslim leaders.

For Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University who helped investigate the newly discovered monastery, the UAE today is a “melting pot of nations.”

“The fact that something similar was happening here a 1,000 years ago is really remarkable and this is a story that deserves to be told,” he said.

The monastery sits on Siniyah Island, which shields the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain, an emirate some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Dubai along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The island has a series of sandbars coming off of it like crooked fingers. On one, to the island’s northeast, archaeologists discovered the monastery.

Carbon dating of samples found in the monastery’s foundation date between 534 and 656. Islam’s Prophet Muhammad was born around 570 and died in 632 after conquering Mecca in present-day Saudi Arabia.

Viewed from above, the monastery on Siniyah Island’s floor plan suggests early Christian worshippers prayed within a single-aisle church at the monastery. Rooms within appear to hold a baptismal font, as well as an oven for baking bread or wafers for communion rites. A nave also likely held an altar and an installation for communion wine.

Next to the monastery sits a second building with four rooms, likely around a courtyard — possibly the home of an abbot or even a bishop in the early church.

On Thursday, the site saw a visit from Noura bint Mohammed al-Kaabi, the country’s culture and youth minister, as well as Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, the chairman of the Umm al-Quwain’s Tourism and Archaeology Department and a son the emirate’s ruler.

Glorification: What Will Heaven Be Like?

By

Clint Archer

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November 3, 2022

I became friends with (let’s call him) Bobby, in the second grade. We looked very much alike and we loved convincing people that we were twins. When we got to high school our interests diverged—I was involved in sports and became quite lean while he became … shall we say … chubby. The kids mocked him and he withdrew, and when he used to tell friends that people used to mistake us for twins, I would get embarrassed and think to myself, “Not anymore, buddy.” But then, in eleventh grade, he stealthily started undergoing a metamorphosis. He was watching his diet and hitting the gym daily until one day I noticed that … Bobby isn’t fat anymore! In fact, he looked quite chiseled. The following year he won a modeling competition and was awarded a modeling contract. A couple of years later I was working at a bookstore and came across a magazine with a picture of a very muscular-looking Bobby on the cover. I excitedly told my colleagues: “Hey this is my friend Bobby, we’ve been friends since the second grade, and people always thought we looked like twins!” But I could tell what they were thinking: “Not anymore, buddy.”

Bobby’s body transformation was truly remarkable, but there is one that is even more amazing that awaits Christians—a physical and spiritual metamorphosis attributed to God’s powerful work of glorification.

We have seen some introductory thoughts on eschatology, differing views on the what and the when of the Kingdom, and looked at teaching on the Rapture. We have considered the Judgments or Reckonings – the Bēma Seat as well as the Sheep & Goats’ Judgment and the Great White Throne Judgment, the Millennium, and the eternal state in Heaven.

One piece of the puzzle is missing: what is it going to be like for us to live in the eternal state? We have seen that heaven is a physical place, with governments and plants and buildings, so what kind of bodies will we have? We know that at death our spirits are released but at the rapture, our bodies and souls will be reunited. So, what does that body look like?

3 Perspectives About Glorification so You Will Be Excited About Dying

The Necessity of Glorification

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54)

Our bodies are not equipped to last forever. They age and decay. Nor are our spirits suited for heaven naturally. This is why we need the doctrine of glorification.

Paul teaches that glorification is the culmination of a process that begins before we are born. We are foreknown by God, predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, i.e. sinless in all we are and all we do. From this passage, we see that those whom God calls, he ends up glorifying. This chain of events from being foreknown, and predestined, to being called, justified, sanctified, and glorified is an unbroken strand.

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30)

Glorification is when we, as Christians, attain perfection forever.

Glorification is a state of sinlessness that cannot be lost. At justification, we are declared positionally righteous and sinless, but we still sin. The Christian life is becoming what we are—the process we call sanctification. While we mature, we become more like Christ as we learn to hate our sin more and trust God. But the problem is that even the best Christian is not going to be perfect in his or her practice, by the time of death.

So the solution is glorification.

God makes us instantly perfectly holy when we die or get raptured.

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

There are no unfinished Christians because God completes every work that he begins.

2. The Nature of Glorification

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Unlike sanctification, which takes our whole life, glorification is instantaneous. At death or at rapture.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

When Jesus comes we will be sinless and glorious, like him. Both our inner and outer man will change and be fitted for heaven, like Jesus.

For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 5:1-5)

Our earthly bodies cause us to groan. Who doesn’t groan from time to time in this life? But we will put on a better body, a building from God with no groaning, no sickness, no pain.

Hesed Attachment: Covenant-like Love in Small Groups

By

Sean Buono

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November 3, 2022

In this article, we will be focusing on the covenant-like love called hesed that can be expressed within a person’s small group.

1 John 4:16 says that “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them” (NIV). From what we understand as Christians, the very epitome of what could be considered unconditional love is Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross for us. Yet the capability to express love is not reserved to just those who are religious; even if an individual is not a Christian, humans are able to express love towards other. Believers understand this phenomenon to stem from the understanding that we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). So if we wanted to live our best lives and surround ourselves with the most enriching and loving relationships that we can possibly have, then what are our options? Based upon the research noted in the book The Other Half of Church by Jim Wilder and Michel Hendricks, an individual’s small group within their church may be one of their best options.

Hesed Attachment: Covenant-like Love in Small Groups

Healthy Attachment

When discussing the topic of relationships, the word “attachment” isn’t often used in positive terms. While Eastern cultures are more apt to take on a close-knit communal approach to relationships, Western cultures tend to lean more towards relationships that consider other individuals to be more like acquaintances instead of intimate friends. For a Western individual, to be “attached” to someone who is not a member of their immediate family can seem odd, perhaps even countercultural. However, Wilder and Hendricks help us understand the critical function of “attachment” within our brains:

Attachment is the strongest force in the human brain. It is not an emotion. Although we feel it strongly, an attachment runs much deeper in the brain below willful control. Attachment is the best word scientists could find for what glues people together and little creatures to their parents. It produces an enduring care for the well-being of another. Attachment is a life-giving forever bond with no mechanism in the brain to unglue us.

One of the more dangerous tools that the enemy can use against us is the state of loneliness. By getting us to feel alone or to feel like no one else understands what we are going through, the devil is able to convince us to pursue actions that we would have never considered before. However, when we are a part of a community that expresses a covenant-like hesed love toward one another, it creates what Wilder and Hendricks refer to as a “family structure,” an environment where we are able to experience the type of oneness that Jesus promotes in John 17:20-23. It is in a family structure, Wilder and Hendricks notes, that our perspectives change and the strong attachments we create will establish a flow of transformational power. They continue, informing us that “our brains draw life from our strongest relational attachments to grow our character and develop our identity. Who we love shapes who we are.”

When Fellowship Occurs Without Attachment

When small groups meet without an intentional roadmap to developing attachments, its participants who are seeking genuine fellowship within the church may still be left wanting. Wilder and Hendricks note that in the context of the overarching culture of the church, attachment-deprived fellowship can stunt relational growth within the community. In a “low hesed church,” they note that while a friendly community may not experience as much conflict in the short term, it struggles to accept the pain and character flaws that inevitably occur when individuals begin to grow closer together; “High – hesed” churches on the other hand are willing to accept pain and character flaws. Indeed, they expect the pain to occur. But because of the presupposed covenant-like hesed love that the community operates from, there is no shame or withdrawal from the difficult or vulnerable areas of our lives. Weaknesses are used as launching pads to help strive for the transformative character growth that is collectively pursued.

Yet Wilder and Hendricks remark that meeting with one another just for the sake of communal gathering is not enough. In one of the few occasions in the book where they actually do address small group ministries, they explain that hesed love does not automatically grow on its own within a small group. Rather, they argue for an approach where the church proactively trains up its small group leaders with a curriculum that “make[s] relationship-building a centerpiece of the group curriculum instead of an afterthought.” By incorporating these concepts into our scheduled meetings with leaders, the long-term effects can be largely impactful as small group leaders begin to operate their groups more through the lens of hesed relationships.

Hesed as a Part of Our DNA

So important is the concept of hesed love for these two authors that they claim that “until we restore our loving attachments to God and each other, we are wasting our time doing ministry, church, or anything else for that matter.” With this bold stance in mind, it must be our goal to achieve a clear understanding of love so that we are able to become living examples of hesed for those whom God places in our care. Perhaps some examples of this can include the launching of new small groups that focus predominantly on purpose-driven relationships, or perhaps more concerted efforts to build joy within the community, or maybe even surveying the community for suggested activities that would allow everyone to work together and interact more often. In a high-hesed environment, members of the community are confident that they can experience a loving fellowship that uplifts them and helps them in their journey. Wilder and Hendricks encourage us to restructure how we relate to one another and practice being a family until hesed actually becomes a part of our DNA. Let us express hesed love to one another in such a prominent way that it may multiply within our communities and set the stage for the next two key ingredients of Christian relationships: Group Identity and Healthy Correction.

This article about hesed (covenant love) originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

3 Approaches to Better Online Audience Engagement

By

Joel Gorveatte

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November 3, 2022

Many of us use the online space (social media, emails, websites) to inform and update people already connected to our organization. All kinds of entities—other nonprofits, businesses, and sports teams—use online platforms to promote the goods, services, and information to the organization’s target audiences. We do the same as leaders of churches and ministries. Nothing is inherently wrong with using the space as a bullhorn of sorts. But what if organizational updates and bits of information are only part of what we could offer our online audience? What if we could continue to grow in how we impact people online, not just inform them? I invite you to consider three approaches to shape how you craft your online presence.

3 Steps to Better Online Audience Engagement

Approach 1: Engage people

The first approach is to focus energy on engaging people. Don’t just inform people with information for them to consume, but present them with content they can engage with. How? Focus on questions and prompts that your people can process right where they are—at home, in an Uber, or waiting in line to check out at Trader Joe’s. Engaging people means speaking to the whole of who they are and inviting them to take action.

Example: Post a simple scripture graphic on Facebook and Instagram and include 2-3 questions that encourage reflection and application. Don’t just inform people online; engage them!

Approach 2: Encourage people

The second approach we can take online is to encourage people. Most news and information people consume on the internet, especially in the last few years, can instill negative emotion and controversy. What if the bits of content you publish could be different? What if your online presence stood out because it was uplifting and encouraging? We can make this a reality by using humor, sharing inspiring stories, and “cheering on” people interacting with our content.

Example: Post a funny meme about Mondays and include a short prayer for your people as they return to work, school, a new week, etc. Don’t just inform your audience; encourage them!

Approach 3: Equip people

A third approach to move beyond just informing people online is to do our best to equip them. Instead of trying to get something from your people (like asking them to “attend this event”), give them something that adds value to their lives. Equipping could include resources, helpful content, or simple spiritual practices that help them grow as followers of Jesus, as a parent, or as married couples. You can create or curate helpful resources by taking 15 minutes to peruse the internet to craft a running list of articles, webinars, or other online tools that would benefit your audience.

Example: Post a stock photo of a father and son with a link to a helpful resource on having hard conversations as a parent. Don’t just inform your people; equip them!

So, what do you say?

We have a tremendous opportunity to use the online space to engage people, encourage them, and equip them to grow in their faith and navigate the moments we find ourselves in each week. Let’s do it together!

This article about better online audience engagement originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? How to Handle Premarital Heartbreak

By

John Piper

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November 2, 2022

Is sex before marriage a sin? At some point, every youth worker hears a version of that question. Teens and young adults often struggle with issues of mental and physical purity. And when they sin by having premarital sex, they need help dealing with heartbreak and forgiveness.

Read on to consider how you’ll answer kids who ask, “Is sex before marriage a sin?” Plus, ponder how you’ll respond to someone who’s heartbroken after having premarital sex.

A friend of the podcast, who wishes to remain anonymous, writes in. “Hello Pastor John, I slept with my girlfriend two days ago. Now we’re both left hurt and feeling dirty, cheap, ashamed. We can’t even look at ourselves. We’re both born-again believers in Christ, but we got lured into temptation. Is there any hope that we might become pure again and be healed from our sin? I know the blood of Jesus covers every sin, but how can we get back our relationship’s purity again? Or is that permanently gone? After having premarital sex, what do we do?”

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? 6 Steps for Healing

This listener is beginning in the right place. He is, it seems, appropriately shattered, meaning something has been irrevocably lost. He and his girlfriend will never be able to undo this sexual encounter. By having premarital sex, they’ve lost something very precious.

Though that may sound harsh, I begin this way because I feel a tender and jealous concern for people who have not lost their virginity. It’s a very precious thing for men and women. The world views it as weakness. In fact, the world thinks it’s silly to even ask, “Is sex before marriage a sin?”

God views purity as a very great strength and beauty beyond compare. And I’m just as eager to help listeners maintain their sexual purity and virginity before they lose it as I am to help those who’ve lost it recover the purity that Christ makes possible. So that’s why I begin the way I do.

So this young man is beginning in the right place. He is broken. He knows that by having premarital sex, he’s lost a beautiful thing. And he knows that the blood of Jesus covers every sin. People who take their sins lightly and treat Jesus’ blood as a kind of quick fix have never seen the true costliness of what Jesus did to purchase their purity.

Next, let me make a few observations that might prove redemptive and hope-giving to our friend and his girlfriend. Keep them handy for the next time someone asks you, “Is sex before marriage a sin?”

1. Don’t repeat the mistake.

First, I’d draw attention to what this listener already knows. But put it in biblical words. First Corinthians 6:18, “Flee fornication.” God’s will for unmarried people is that they abstain from sexual relations. So is sex before marriage a sin? Yes.

God makes purity possible by the power of the Holy Spirit through faith in his promises. And he gives sweet and special rewards to single people who honor him this way.

Marriage has its special rewards for faithfulness, and singleness—chaste, holy singleness—has its special rewards for faithfulness. Married people can glorify God in some ways that single people can’t, and single people can glorify God in some ways that married people can’t. This isn’t a matter of inferiority or superiority. Singleness and chastity are a very high calling in God’s mind.

2. Accept God’s forgiveness.

I would remind our friend to hear—again, in the words of Scripture: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness” (Mark 3:28-29). Let’s leave for another time what it means to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit.

But let all of us with tears of thankfulness, with trembling joy, simply revel in these words: All sins will be forgiven the children of man. That means all sins, even having sex before marriage. That is breathtaking. Can you imagine anything sweeter for a person like the thief on the cross, just nothing but sin, nothing but sin for who knows how many decades?

In other words, no specific, single sin or kind of sin is so ugly, so gross, so offensive to God that it cannot be forgiven by the blood of Jesus. As John puts it, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from”—here it comes—“all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

3. Forgive each other.

It will be a huge challenge for the couple now in this situation to forgive each other; not just to receive God’s forgiveness, but to receive each other’s forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32 says, “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

But that’s no easy thing, so they shouldn’t give up too quickly. What makes it difficult to forgive each other in this situation is not only that we’re all proud and selfish and don’t like to humble ourselves before others, but also because there’s a subtle temptation to shift onto the other person blame that belongs at least partly with yourself.

Thanksgiving Children’s Sermons and Lessons on Gratitude

By

Daniel So

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November 2, 2022

Thanksgiving children’s sermons and messages are a great way to teach biblical gratitude. Whether you’re planning a kids sermon or a Sunday school lesson, you can find lots of valuable resources online. (And, as a bonus, many of them are free!)

As the psalmist says, “Give thanks as you enter the gates of his temple. Give thanks as you enter its courtyards. Give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalm 100:4).”

The Thanksgiving lessons below come with all kinds of extras, from games and puzzles to crafts and coloring pages. Pro Tip: You can share these resources with parents in your ministry. That way they can reinforce the lessons at home and make some crafts with their kids too.

8 Free Thanksgiving Children’s Sermons

At Sermon4Kids.com, you can choose from numerous Thanksgiving lessons. Check out these 8 free gratitude-themed kids sermons. Then adapt them to fit your needs!

1. Jesus Heals 10 Lepers

Use this thankfulness object lesson, based on Luke 17:11-17, to remind kids about the importance of saying thank you.

2. Five Kernels

This Thanksgiving children’s sermon teaches kids about the first Thanksgiving and the holiday’s meaning.

3. Top 10 List

Help children brainstorm reasons to give thanks to God. This message is based on Psalm 100:4.

4. Thanks Living

Some Thanksgiving children’s sermons encourage kids to share God’s blessings with other people.

5. Bounty of Blessings

This object lesson uses a cornucopia to remind kids of all the good gifts God gives us.

Saddleback’s Andy Wood Expresses to Baptist Press That Women Can Teach Men in Church; Saddleback To Remain in SBC

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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November 2, 2022

Andy Wood, formerly lead pastor of Echo Church in San Jose, CA, recently took the lead pastor role at one of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) largest churches, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA, after its founder, Rick Warren, retired at the end of August. Warren had served as Saddleback’s lead pastor for over 40 years.

In the spring of 2021, Saddleback Church made SBC headlines after it ordained three female pastors during one of its services. Although it was a first for the church in its 40-plus year history, it was an act that may have been prohibited by the nation’s largest evangelical denomination.

On June 2, Warren announced Wood and his wife, Stacie, as his successors at Saddleback Church. Like in their previous church, Andy serves as the lead pastor, and Stacie as a teaching pastor. Saddleback Church’s website states their pastors are “Andy and Stacie Wood.”

The SBC’s Baptist Faith & Message (BF&M) 2000, which serves as the denomination’s statement of faith, says, “[The church’s] scriptural officers are pastors and deacons. While both men and women are gifted for service in the church, the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

Saddleback Church’s ordination of women was a hotly debated topic at this year’s SBC annual meeting after messengers voted in 2021 for the Credentials Committee to investigate whether Saddleback Church should be disfellowshipped from the denomination.

However, the Credentials Committee’s report led to more confusion, after it recommended the formation of a study committee into Saddleback’s use of the title “pastor” with regard to female members of its staff.

One SBC messenger who voiced concern with this recommendation was Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler, who was also a member of the BF&M 2000 Study Committee that was formed in 1999.

Standing at one of the messengers’ designated microphones, Mohler told the Credentials Committee, “My concern as a churchman, a theologian, and someone who loves this Convention—as I know everyone in this room does—if we eventually have to form a study committee over every word in our confession of faith, then we’re doomed.”

“We say what we believe in specific words that are in the Baptist Faith & Message,” Mohler continued. “The moment we start to, of necessity, have study committees decide what the words mean—the words mean what Southern Baptist said in the year 2000. At that time, the word ‘pastor’ was used by the committee and adopted by the Convention, because we were told, that is the most easily understood word among Southern Baptists for pastoral teaching leadership.”

How To Fight Lustful Thoughts Biblically—Advice From an Ex-Porn Star

By

Jessica Mouser

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November 2, 2022

What should Christians do if they struggle with lustful thoughts? Ex-porn star Brittni De La Mora shared some advice from her own experience with dealing with lust after she left the porn industry.

“I was in the porn industry for seven years of my life,” said De La Mora in a video titled, “How To Stop Thinking Lustfully,” “and then I had this radical encounter with God, and my whole life started to change. I started going to church, but I still had this inward battle of these lustful thoughts.”

Brittni De La Mora: ‘Seeking God Is Imperative’

Brittni De La Mora and her husband, Richard De La Mora, founded Love Always Ministries, a non-profit that “helps people walk in their calling by discovering God’s love and leading a victorious life through purity.” In addition to providing other resources, they co-host the Let’s Talk Purity podcast.

De La Mora shared that lust does not have a hold over her now like it used to in the past. And even though she did hundreds of “adult scenes” when she was a porn star, she does not dwell on those now. “If I wanted to think about it, I would have to sit and really choose to think about it,” she said. “I don’t think like that any more because the Lord healed my soul and when he did that, he restored the innocence and purity of my mind.”

“I want to teach you how I was able to conquer those thoughts,” said De La Mora, “because I do believe in having a pure mind. God is the God who will restore your mind. He’ll restore your mind to innocence and purity when we just give our lives to him and we surrender it to him.”

RELATED: SERMONS ABOUT LUST

When Brittni De La Mora first began attending church, she “fell so in love with the presence of God” that she wanted to experience him even while at home. So she started worshiping God every day before going to work. First, she would put on a praise song and worship to it; then she would pray and read her Bible. Referencing Psalm 22:3, De La Mora said, “When you start praising God with song, there’s something so powerful.” After she started singing, she would experience God’s presence and respond to him in prayer. Then she would read the Bible and pray in response to what she was reading.

“When I would start to read the Bible, it would give me God’s thoughts for my life and about myself and about my situations, so all of a sudden my brain was just being rewired, and that’s imperative,” said De La Mora. “If you want to overcome lustful thoughts, seeking God is imperative.”

Jerry Falwell Jr. Sex Scandal Was Achilles Heel in Falwell’s Quest for Political Power, According to New Documentary

By

Dale Chamberlain

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November 2, 2022

jerry falwell jr. becki falwell giancarlo granda — Screengrabs via YouTube @Hulu

“God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty,” a documentary following the sex scandal involving former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., his wife Becki, and a former pool attendant named Giancarlo Granda, became available to stream on Hulu on Tuesday (Nov. 1).

In the documentary, the narrative of which is driven by an interview with Granda, Jerry and Becki Falwell are portrayed as sexually abusive and emotionally coercive, keeping Granda under their thumb with promises of a lavish lifestyle in exchange for his silence, all while ascending the echelons of the American evangelical political machine.

The opening image of the documentary was of an empty chair, which Granda soon sat in, asking producers for a moment to gather himself before the interview began, noting that his parents would likely one day view it.

“Look, if I would have known that accepting this woman’s invitation to go back to her hotel room would have led to a scandal involving the president of the largest Christian university in the world, and president of the United States, I would have walked away and just enjoyed my private life,” Granda said.

At the time his affair with Becki Falwell began, Granda was working at Fontainebleau, a Miami Beach resort that Granda described as being similar to a Las Vegas club.

Granda was 20 years old at the time.

“In March 2012, it was just like any other day. I’m doing the usual—just changing towels, talking to the guests,” Granda said. “And then I look over, you know, behind my shoulder and I see this woman looking at me…She was actually snapping pictures of me. She was in her 40s, more than twice my age. She was attractive. Yeah, she was a cougar.”

Granda said that when he asked the woman why she was taking photos of him, she replied, “Don’t waste your time with the younger ones, they don’t know what they’re doing.” Granda said that after they began talking, the woman invited Granda back to her room. He accepted, at which point Granda said that she informed him: “My husband likes to watch.”

Raised in a conservative Catholic family, the documentary notes that Granda’s mother, ironically, was shaped by Jerry Falwell Sr.’s “The Old Time Gospel Hour” television program.

Falwell Sr. was an influential political and religious figure among evangelicals for decades, founding what is now one of the largest Christian universities in the world in Liberty University, as well as the Moral Majority, a political coalition that played a key role in the election of president Ronald Reagan.

Jerry Falwell Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps to become an influential figure in evangelicalism in his own right, bringing back Liberty University from the brink of financial collapse and leading it to a place of prominence in the evangelical world. He later became a “kingmaker” of his own via his relationship with president Donald Trump.

20 Truths From ‘Preaching to a Divided Nation’

By

Ed Stetzer

-

November 2, 2022

When Matthew Kim was at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, he reached out to me to endorse his coauthored book on preaching in our divided times. I was particularly interested in the book because pastors need advice and counsel on how to do this well, and he was writing with an active pastor, Paul Hoffman.

The fact is, I am NOT a role model for this, because I am a public commentator (less so now, but definitely when I was writing at Christianity Today). So, I often tell pastors not to follow my example and comment as often as I do. But, we need wisdom on how to approach a divided culture that may be impacting and dividing the church.

So, when Paul Hoffman and Matthew (now at Baylor) wrote this book, I was happy to review and endorse it. Here is my endorsement:

An issue that matters today is our divided nation, a nation filled with too many divided churches and divided Christians. That is clear to all. For those of us who call Jesus Christ our Lord, we also know the prayer of Jesus “that they may be one” (John 17:22). But how do we do this? We start with the single most influential time in the church each week: the sermon. But how do we do that practically? In “Preaching to a Divided Nation,” Matthew Kim and Paul Hoffman give a framework to confront the division in our time with preaching grounded in the Bible’s storyline and founded on the redemptive work of Christ.

Here are 20 truths, or short quotes, from the book I am sharing with you.

Preaching to a Divided Nation

“Countless pastors, preachers, teachers, and ministry leaders are dismayed at the dysfunction engulfing the church and the wider culture. Every day, headlines reveal a world divided across ethnic, class, sex, and political lines…Make no mistake: these chasms are expanding and feel increasingly insurmountable.” (9)

“Many Christians are behaving like unbelievers toward those who disagree with them, without exhibiting a trace of patience, understanding, compassion, or empathy.” (12)

“All gospel proclamation begins with theology, which is the story of the triune God. Every teacher is primarily a theologian who must first comprehend the narrative arc of Scripture correctly before she can communicate it clearly.” (18)

“In the first six verses of Genesis 3, then, one can already discern multiple motifs emerging that are related to the fall. These include distrust, discontentment, rebellion rooted in lust and pride, passivity, and complicity. Do these faults sound familiar? They are the forces stoking our present divisions.” (24)

“The aforementioned categories [of sin] are concretized in the four -isms which are sins signifying some of America’s most prominent and intractable rifts: ethnocentrism, classism, sexism, and partisan-political polarization.” (30)

“Let’s be clear: it is our opinion that teachers and preachers cannot constructively address our divisions unless they tackle sin in a robust way. One of the criticisms of the evangelical church—one that we affirm—is that all too often, it has downplayed or minimized the effects of sin generally, and social sin, specifically. There can be no true and lasting healing apart from an honest analysis and diagnosis of what ails us.” (34)

“It seems to us that too many congregations and Christians are devoting too much effort to policing (at its best, humbly critiquing, and at its worst, self-righteously nagging) those outside the Church—people who do not publicly identify as practicing Christ-followers—and not devoting enough effort to developing a thriving, wholistic culture marked by diversity within unity.” (36)

Ralph Douglas West on the Benefits of Being Shaped by Black and White Preaching Traditions

By

Jessica Mouser

-

November 2, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Ralph Douglas West on the Benefits of Being Shaped by Black and White Preaching Traditions

Dr. Ralph Douglas West is the founder and senior pastor of The Church Without Walls in Houston, Texas. The church began with 32 members and now serves 24,000+ meeting in three locations and conducting six services each Sunday. Ralph completed degrees at Bishop College, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Beeson Divinity School, where he received the Doctor of Ministry Degree. He has an abiding commitment to the church and the academy and speaks often at colleges, universities and seminaries.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Ralph Douglas West

► Listen on Apple
► Listen on Spotify
► Listen on Stitcher
► Listen on YouTube

Other Episodes in the Great Communicator Series

Rick Warren on the Kind of Preaching That Changes Lives

Wilfredo de Jesús: How (Not) To Turn Your Sermon Points Into Stop Signs

Charlie Dates: Why Your Church Needs To Identify and Raise Up Young Preachers

J.D. Greear: How Your Sermons Will Benefit From a ‘Multitude of Counselors’

Beth Moore on the ‘Most Important Part of the Process’ of Teaching God’s Word

Andy Stanley: Are You Missing This Key Part of Your Sermon Prep?

Max Lucado: ‘The One Thing That Has Helped Me More Than Anything Else’ as a Preacher

Sam Chan: How the Topical Preacher Can Avoid Getting on a Hobby Horse

Priscilla Shirer: ‘Message Preparation Is the Hardest Thing I Do in Ministry’

Key Questions for Ralph Douglas West

-Talk to us a little bit about 1970s preaching versus today. What are some things you’ve kept from your younger self that you still see as part of your preaching now?

-How do you make expository preaching compelling and interesting to people?

-What are the benefits and challenges of being shaped by both Black and white preaching traditions?

-What’s the correlation between effective preaching and the relational connection between the pastor and the congregation?

Key Quotes From Ralph Douglas West

“I sensed as a teenager that God was calling me to preach. My sainted mother who has a blessed memory now helped me understand what that meant.”

“I think the compelling sermon for me is the one that begins with the exposition, not just of the biblical text, but the people who will be sitting in front of me.”

The Power of Gratitude

Thankful Ideas for Thanksgiving Dinner

Paul Pelosi Attacked While Asleep at Home

Andrew Walker: ‘Government Isn’t Suited to This Responsibility’

Debating the ‘Fruit’ of Christian Nationalism

3 Perspectives About Glorification so You Will Be Excited About Dying

The Necessity of Glorification

2. The Nature of Glorification

Hesed Attachment: Covenant-like Love in Small Groups

Healthy Attachment

When Fellowship Occurs Without Attachment

Hesed as a Part of Our DNA

3 Steps to Better Online Audience Engagement

Approach 1: Engage people

Approach 2: Encourage people

Approach 3: Equip people

So, what do you say?

Is Sex Before Marriage a Sin? 6 Steps for Healing

1. Don’t repeat the mistake.

2. Accept God’s forgiveness.

3. Forgive each other.

8 Free Thanksgiving Children’s Sermons

1. Jesus Heals 10 Lepers

2. Five Kernels

3. Top 10 List

4. Thanks Living

5. Bounty of Blessings

Brittni De La Mora: ‘Seeking God Is Imperative’

Preaching to a Divided Nation

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Ralph Douglas West

Other Episodes in the Great Communicator Series

Key Questions for Ralph Douglas West

Key Quotes From Ralph Douglas West

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