Dog the Bounty Hunter Calls Biden ‘Little Hitler’ at Christian Event, Jokes About President’s Possible Suicide

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September 21, 2022

Duane Chapman — Screengrab via Twitter @RightWingWatch

Reality TV star Duane “Dog” Chapman was a featured speaker at the “Opening the Heavens” conference hosted at Lord of Hosts Church in Omaha, Nebraska, over the weekend.

During the event, Dog the Bounty Hunter referred to President Joe Biden as “little Hitler” and “that freak,” suggesting that Biden could die by suicide once a conspiracy perpetrated by his administration to steal the 2020 presidential election is revealed.

Despite no evidence to substantiate the claim that Biden was fraudulently elected in 2020, many within the right wing of the Republican Party regularly express their belief in the conspiracy theory, with a number Congressional candidates even making it an essential component of their campaign strategies.

The theme of the “Opening the Heavens” conference was “The Lion Has Roared!” Lord of Host’s website described the four-day event as a “time to celebrate the promises of God that are coming to pass in your life and in the nations.”

The conference also featured Mike Lindell, Eric Metaxas, and a live recording of Victory Channel’s FlashPoint featuring Dutch Sheets.

During an address delivered at the event, Chapman discussed Biden’s election, drawing a connection to Jesus’ healing of a man’s blindness as described in the ninth chapter of John’s gospel account.

“So I’m praying, ‘Lord, why have you led us in this way? Why did you let that freak steal the election? Why did you do this?’ And once I tell you why, you’re gonna agree with me,” Chapman said. “The Lord took me to the Bible, and Jesus’ disciples came up to him and said, ‘God, Jesus, why was this man born blind? Was it the sins of his father and his mother that made him blind?’”

“And Jesus said, ‘No, that’s not why this bad thing happened,’” Chapman continued. “‘The reason this bad thing happened is…to show God’s manifestation.’”

As the crowd began to swell with applause, Chapman said, “There’s nothing we could have done about it, not at all. Yeah, he [stole] it. Because now, little Hitler, we are gonna show you God’s manifestation.”

At a later point in the event, Chapman told those in attendance, “Wait till November when the Republican Party—I think I’ve met one Christian Democrat—when the Republican Party wipes them out. Wait till November.”

We Need a Revival of the Bible–500 Years Ago Today Martin Luther’s German Translation Was Published

By

Jeremiah Johnston

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September 21, 2022

Revival — Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Johnston

The miracle of the preservation of the Bible is one of the strongest lines of evidence for the veracity of Scripture. Have you stopped to appreciate how phenomenal it is that anything from the Christian past survives at all? The Christian church was terrorized for its first three hundred years. The fact that we have any early Christian documents is a miracle. By comparison, Herod the Great (c. 74 – c. 4 BC) had a secretary named Nicholas of Damascus, who wrote a Universal History of the Ancient World in 144 volumes. It is all lost to history. None of it survives.

When Paul wrote to Timothy, he admonished him to be fervently committed to the Word of God, “and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). And yet, there was a time (c. 1408) when to possess a copy of the Bible in England was a crime punishable by death. The Bible was a lost book to the people then, much as it is today, but it was a question of access then, not an issue of apathy as it is today.

Five hundred years ago today, Martin Luther published his German translation of the New Testament. I once stood in the room of the German friar, Martin Luther, where lore has it he flung his ink well at the devil where it crashed against the wall. The wall has now been stripped bare to the framing. Over the centuries, visitors to the Warburg Castle outside of Eisenach have availed themselves of pieces of this famous wall as a moment of Luther’s fight with the devil during his isolation and Bible translating work. Luther risked his life to make the Scriptures available to the German people in words they would easily understand. At the age of 33, he boldly condemned the injustices of the Catholic church in the sale of indulgences by nailing the Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, which thrust him to the forefront as the leader of the Reformation. I later visited the birthplace of the Dominican, Johann Tetzel, who famously coined the phrase, “every time a coin in the coffer rings a soul from purgatory springs,” in his quest to raise money for the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica.

In any case, on April 18, 1521, Luther appeared before the Imperial Diet (Congress) at Worms and refused to recant, opposing an empire and the Catholic church. Luther said, “I am bound to the Scriptures I have quoted, and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot, and will not retract anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here I stand. May God help me, Amen.”

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

By

Jessica Lea

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September 21, 2022

The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast · Charlie Dates: Why Your Church Needs To Identify and Raise Up Young Preachers

Rev. Dr. Charlie Dates became the youngest senior pastor at Progressive Baptist Church of Chicago in 2011 at age 30. He teaches preaching at Wheaton College and serves as an Affiliate Professor of the Baylor University George W. Truett Theological Seminary and as Affiliate Professor of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Charlie is widely sought after for conferences, summits, retreats and board memberships, as well as a guest in pulpits.

Other Ways to Listen to This Podcast With Charlie Dates

► 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

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

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

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 Charlie Dates

-What makes preaching and teaching compelling?

-What advice would you give for pastors and churches wanting to raise up preachers?

-How do we have a renaissance of local churches raising up preachers?

-How do we advise the 20-year-old whom God has called to preach, but who hasn’t gone to seminary?

Key Quotes From Charlie Dates

“Paul writes, ‘Knowing the fear of God, we persuade men and women.’ That’s one of those great lines in the New Testament that speaks to the effect preaching ought to have.”

“I think what makes preaching compelling is when it’s a ‘right now word,’ that preaching needs to be a word from God to a particular people at a particular moment in history.”

“I don’t know that when you talk about the art and science of preaching, that you can separate the message from the messenger.”

“You can tell when a preacher has a burden, when they’re not doing this for fame. They’re not doing this for a paycheck. They’re not doing this for their own status.”

“It doesn’t matter how compelling, how persuasive, how dynamic and believable you are if the very words you are communicating are not the very words of life.”

Executive Committee Votes To Disfellowship Two Churches Following Credentials Committee Report

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Scott Barkley

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September 21, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – “Open affirmation” of homosexual behavior and a “lack of cooperation” to resolve concerns over discrimination prompted a recommendation from the SBC Credentials Committee to disfellowship two churches. The SBC Executive Committee affirmed the recommendation in a closed meeting Sept. 20.

“The Credentials Committee determined that these churches were outside the bounds of fellowship with Southern Baptists,” Texas pastor and Executive Committee chairman Jared Wellman told Baptist Press. “The Executive Committee discussed that in executive session and approved [those decisions].”

College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro, N.C., was submitted due to “open affirmation, approval and endorsement of homosexual behavior,” the Credentials Committee stated. The church, originally founded on March 11, 1906, as a mission of First Baptist Greensboro, states on its website that it is a “Welcoming, LGBTQIA Affirming Baptist Church.” While now declaring it is not a part of the Southern Baptist Convention, the church claims affiliations with American Baptist Churches USA, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina and the Alliance of Baptists.

North Carolina Baptist leaders acknowledged the decision to disfellowship College Park Church and told Baptist Press the executive committee of the state convention’s board of directors will consider the church’s affiliation status at their regularly scheduled meeting next week to be held at Caraway Conference Center.

Amazing Grace Community Church in Franklinville, N.J., was submitted “due to the lack of cooperation demonstrated … to resolve concerns regarding alleged discriminatory behavior.” The church makes no mention of any denominational connection in its constitution and bylaws on its website.

Baptist Press confirmed that an emailed letter of inquiry from the Credentials Committee was sent to Amazing Grace Community Church on Jan. 4 with a request for response within 30 days. A March 3 inquiry by certified mail followed after no initial response, with a letter of intent delivered to the church via certified mail Sept. 15.

On Jan. 12, the Credentials Committee emailed a letter of inquiry to College Park Baptist Church with a request for a response within 30 days of receipt. After receiving no response, another inquiry was sent on March 3 via certified mail. On Sept. 15 a letter of intent was sent, again by certified mail.

This article originally appeared on BaptistPress.com.

Mohler Extols ‘Thinking as a Christian’ During ‘Ask Anything Tour’ Stop

By

Timothy Cockes

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September 21, 2022

LEBANON, Tenn. (BP) – Before attending the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee meeting in Nashville, Albert Mohler made another stop on his “Ask Anything Tour,” at The Journey Church in nearby Lebanon, Tenn.

Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., spoke at The Journey Church on Saturday (Sept. 17), where he addressed a wide variety of questions from the solid Saturday night crowd after a short lecture about the importance of Christian worldview.

In response to a question from and audience member about talking to someone who is resistant to the Gospel, Albert Mohler said, “Sometimes all you can do is say, ‘Even if you will not listen to me or hear me, you know that I love you and I am here the instant you’re ready to talk to me.’” Baptist Press photo by Timothy Cockes

The event was one in a series, in which Mohler travels to various churches and college campuses to answers questions from the audience regarding Christianity and culture. Mohler also preached at the church the following day (Sept. 18).

Erik Reed, lead pastor at The Journey Church and a graduate of Southern Seminary, introduced Mohler as a “faith hero” of his and said the event was designed to help the congregation better learn how think and reason in public as Christians.

“We know in the world we’re living in today that we can’t afford to simply live in a bubble and just try to isolate ourselves in with our Christian thinking,” Reed said. “We want our Christian thinking to be public thinking.”

Mohler opened his talk by explaining that the erosion of cultural Christianity has made it more necessary than ever for Christians to understand and reason with a biblical worldview.

“Christians now must think as Christians, because nobody is going to do that work for us anymore,” Mohler said.

Apologetics can sometimes be viewed as something only “intellectual Christians” are interested in, Mohler said, adding: “Apologetics is actually the mode of Christian faithfulness in any generation. To be ready to give an answer for the hope that is in us.”

Mohler said it would be extremely arrogant for one Christian to stand up and say he could answer any questions asked of him. Instead, the purpose of the event and the tour is to learn how to work toward those answers as a Christian.

“Being always ready to give an answer doesn’t mean that you always know the answer, it means you always know that Christians can find the answer,” Mohler said.

The first step for Christians is to develop a Christian worldview and recognize that the Bible is not like a reference book, but rather God Himself speaking.

Mohler identified four questions that every worldview must answer, and how Christianity provides answer to those questions – Why is there something rather than nothing; What’s gone wrong; Is there any hope; Where is history headed. The answers to those four questions, he said, essentially align with the four basic points of biblical theology – creation, the fall or sin, redemption and restoration.

EC Approves Caring Well Sunday for Abuse Awareness

By

Tom Strode

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September 21, 2022

caring well sunday — Adron Robinson presents the recommendation for the addition of a Caring Well Sunday in late September to the SBC Annual Calendar of Activities. (Baptist Press/Brandon Porter)

NASHVILLE (BP) – The Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee voted Tuesday (Sept. 20) to add a sexual abuse awareness day to be known as Caring Well Sunday to the SBC Calendar of Activities.

Approval of the recommendation that the last Sunday in September be set aside for the emphasis was the latest action taken within the convention in an effort to help churches prevent abuse and care for survivors of abuse. The first Caring Well Sunday on the SBC calendar will be Sept. 24, 2023.

SBC Executive Committee Chairman Jared Wellman expressed his gratitude for the passage of what he described as a “really important motion.”

While observance of emphasis Sundays on the SBC calendar is optional, it is important “just to encourage us to consider putting these on our church calendars, especially this one in light of the season that we’re in,” Wellman told Executive Committee members after the vote.

“In our churches, obviously we want to be building a culture that addresses and prevents abuse,” he said. “And this is a really great educational opportunity, and I know some of our entities are going to be providing educational materials.”

One of those Southern Baptist entities expected to develop resources for Caring Well Sunday is the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), which has been active the last four years in helping the convention and its churches attempt to combat sexual abuse.

“The church should be known as a place that epitomizes the phrase ‘caring well,’ and our hope is that churches across our convention will recognize and participate in Caring Well Sunday,” said Brent Leatherwood, the ERLC’s newly elected president, in written comments for Baptist Press.

“So many of our congregations have taken proactive steps to prevent abuse and to care for survivors through initiatives like the Caring Well Challenge that taking a day to recognize and participate in this vital work only furthers the culture of care our churches are already establishing,” he said.

“Caring well” became an umbrella term for a multi-faceted endeavor to respond properly to reports of abuse among Southern Baptist churches and entities. Then-SBC President J.D. Greear inaugurated a response to increasing reports of sexual abuse by establishing the Sexual Abuse Advisory Group after his election in 2018.

The ERLC and the advisory group collaborated in multiple ways on the initiative, including development of the Caring Well Challenge, a year-long, eight-step effort to assist churches in being safe for survivors and in preventing abuse. They also produced various resources, such as a comprehensive training curriculum for churches. In October 2019, they cohosted a national conference known as “Caring Well: Equipping the Church to Confront the Abuse Crisis.”

California Legalizes Human Composting Bill Against Opposition by Catholic Bishops

By

Alejandra Molina

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September 21, 2022

(RNS) — The process of converting bodies into soil is now legal in California after Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday (Sept. 18) signed a bill that will allow human composting in the Golden State.

Burial, cremation and alkaline hydrolysis have been the only death care choices available in California. Beginning in 2027, human composting, or natural organic reduction, will be another option for “individuals who want a different method to honor their remains after death.”

The process for composting a body was introduced by the Seattle-based company Recompose, which is now open for business after the state of Washington legalized the process in 2019. Colorado was the second state to legalize it, followed by Oregon and Vermont. It’s seen as a more sustainable alternative to cremation, which requires fossil fuels and releases carbon dioxide.

In the human composting method, a body is placed in a reusable vessel, covered with wood chips and aerated, which creates an environment for microbes and essential bacteria. The body, over a span of about 30 days, is fully transformed into soil.

In California, where the massive number of COVID-19 deaths inundated funeral homes and even led to Los Angeles County’s suspension of air quality regulations on cremation, State Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, a Democrat who introduced the legislation, said this was another “sad reminder” of the need to offer a “more environmentally friendly option.”

Garcia has sought to pass this bill for the last three years. “I look forward to continuing my legacy to fight for clean air by using my reduced remains to plant a tree,” Garcia said in a statement after the governor’s signature.

An example vessel that is used in the Natural Organic Reduction process created by Recompose, which converts human bodies into soil. Photo by Sabel Roizen, courtesy of Recompose

An example vessel that is used in the natural organic reduction process, which converts human bodies into soil, created by Recompose. Photo by Sabel Roizen, courtesy of Recompose

Catholic bishops have opposed this process in states where human composting has been legalized.

Kathleen Domingo, executive director for the California Catholic Conference, said the process “reduces the human body to simply a disposable commodity.” The California Catholic Conference in June submitted a letter of opposition in reaction to the bill.

In the letter, Domingo likened natural organic reduction to methods of disposal of livestock, “not as a means of human burial.” Using this method, Domingo said, “can create an unfortunate spiritual, emotional and psychological distancing from the deceased.”

In New York, where a similar bill awaits the governor’s signature, the New York State Catholic Conference in a statement said composting human remains is inappropriate.

“While not everyone shares the same beliefs with regard to the reverent and respectful treatment of human remains, we believe there are a great many New Yorkers who would be uncomfortable at best with this proposed composting/fertilizing method, which is more appropriate for vegetable trimmings and eggshells than for human bodies,” it said.

Death care specialists say this new and environmentally friendly procedure is crucial as cemeteries fill up and people seek more sustainable practices.

Under the California bill, the soil created by the human composting method could be used on private land with permission and would be subject to the same restrictions as scattering cremated remains in the state, according to the Los Angeles Times. It also prohibits human remains from being “commingled with those of another person,” unless they are family.

This article originally appeared here.

Is Pope Francis’ Diplomacy of Dialogue Failing?

By

Claire Giangrave

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September 21, 2022

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — Pope Francis returned from his brief trip to Kazakhstan, a country nestled between Russia and China, having failed to sit down with his Russian counterpart Patriarch Kirill or the delegation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

With the pope surrounded by empty seats in Kazakhstan, critics questioned the efficacy of his diplomacy of encounter and his strategy of silence when it comes to outright condemning human rights violations in China, Russia and Nicaragua. But Vatican diplomacy insiders urge patience, arguing that even as the pope remains silent, the institution’s diplomatic corps is hard at work behind the scenes, advancing the cause for dialogue.

Soon after being elected, in 2013, Pope Francis scored a major win for Vatican diplomacy efforts. As the United States and its allies prepared for an offensive against the regime of Bashar Assad in Syria, the pope beseeched all parties involved — including Russia — to stop the conflict. According to the memoirs of the then-foreign minister of Australia, Bob Carr, the tensions were diffused as Russian President Vladimir Putin urged U.N. member states to “listen to the pope.”

Three years later, Francis sat down with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in the airport of Havana for a meeting that seemed to pave the way for the pope to be the first Catholic leader to visit Moscow. Vatican observers marveled at the peacemaking prowess of the pope from the Global South. But today, as Ukraine enters its seventh month of war with Russia, Francis seems to have lost his touch.

The pandemic forced a meeting between Francis and Kirill to be rescheduled, and the two met instead in an online conference in May where the pope warned the patriarch not to become “Putin’s altar boy.” But even as Pope Francis refused to openly condemn Putin and Russia for the war in Ukraine, relations with the Kremlin and the Orthodox Church chilled.

Victor Gaetan, author of “God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon,” thinks that’s only half the story.

“The Holy See is the only Western institution that has an ongoing dialogue with the Russian state and the Russian Orthodox Church,” Gaetan said, speaking to Religion News Service on Tuesday (Sept. 20).

“It was actually the Western states, and especially the United States, that have failed in the path of dialogue with Russia and its state religion,” Gaetan said.

Gaetan said that Metropolitan Anthony, chairman of the Russian Orthodox Church’s foreign relations department, has kept a steady relationship with the Vatican and even met with Pope Francis in May to tell him that while Kirill wouldn’t be going to Kazakhstan there would be a Russian Orthodox delegation in his stead.

While “any leader could be accused of not having done enough,” Pope Francis could have probably been more outspoken at the international level, said Mario Aguilar, professor of religion and politics at St. Andrews Divinity School.

Aguilar, author of “Pope Francis: Journeys of a Peacemaker” and a political adviser for the Vatican, told RNS that the Vatican “is a finite institution” and its foreign policy is no stranger to failure. “I have seen Pope Francis say many times: ‘Let’s pray and let’s try again.’ But he’s not bothered by failure,” he said.

Francis’ struggle to gain traction on the path toward dialogue was also evident when Xi, the Chinese president, reportedly refused to meet him while they were both in Kazakhstan. “I didn’t see him,” Francis said, vaguely answering questions by journalists while on the flight returning from Kazakhstan on Thursday.

Homeland Security Appoints a New 25-Member Security Faith Advisory Council

By

Yonat Shimron

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September 21, 2022

(RNS) — The Department of Homeland Security has announced the appointment of a new, 25-member faith-based advisory council to assist Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in finding ways to protect houses of worship.

The council consists of Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh clergy plus some law enforcement and nonprofit faith group leaders.

The safety of religious congregations has been a growing concern for a decade — since the shooting at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Sikh temple in 2012. It was followed by the massacre at Emanuel AME in Charleston, South Carolina, a mostly Black congregation, in 2015; the killing of nearly two dozen worshipers at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas; the killing of 11 Jews at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018.

And those are only the most notable mass killings. Other acts of violence, include the 2017 and 2019 firebombings of mosques in Victoria, Texas and Escondido, California.

The council is expected to help the department evaluate the effectiveness of existing security-related programs and improve coordination and sharing of threat and security-related information.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, has a Nonprofit Security Grant Program that provides federal funds for nonprofits and houses of worship to beef up security on their premises.

Funding for the program was increased to $250 million in 2022, up from $180 million in 2021. But not all houses of worship that apply get the grant. This year, just over half of the 3,470 applications received were approved, the Jewish Insider reported. Several religious groups are advocating for $360 million in funding in 2023.

The advisory council’s mission will be broader than advocating for more money through the grant program, said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, who was appointed to the council.

“I don’t think we’re going to pay our way out of the crisis of white supremacy and violent antisemitism and too many guns in too many hands,” he said. “This is not just about more security cameras. We have to get to the root of these questions.”

Sunday night marks the start of the Jewish High Holy Days, beginning with Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. The holidays draw the highest attendance at synagogues across the country. While services in the last two years saw lower attendance because of the coronavirus pandemic, Jewish leaders are expecting a return to record attendance this year. With that comes a degree of anxiety about security.

“There’s a sense of both joy and return and renewal and fear,” Pesner said.

Shortly after 5 p.m., local time, authorities escort a hostage out of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. Police said the man was not hurt and would be reunited with his family. (Elias Valverde/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Shortly after 5 p.m. local time, authorities escort a hostage out of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, Jan. 15, 2022. (Elias Valverde/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Earlier this year a gunman entered a Colleyville, Texas, synagogue and took several congregants hostage as he demanded the release of a person in prison. The congregants and their rabbi managed to escape and the gunman was killed by an FBI hostage rescue team.

The Risks of Venting and 4 Tips To Safely Vent at Small Group

By

Chet Gladkowski

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September 21, 2022

This side of eternity, people are going to vent. I know that’s so shocking to you, but it’s true. Think about the past few years with the pandemic, governmental and organizational failures, and fallen leaders. The cost of everything keeps going up while the availability of just about everything continues to remain tight. And the natural thing we humans do is to default by grumbling. Venting. Complaining. But what are the risks of venting?

The Risks of Venting

Sometimes, it feels like you just have to let it out or you’re going to pop. But do you really need to vent about your unbearable boss who you meet at the end of your morning’s grueling commute? There’s a mountain of stuff more important to grumble about these days.

But the risks venting are real. If you unburden yourself with the wrong person, you’ll never be able to take those words back. People who complain too much get tagged as negative, a complainer, or someone who never sees the good.

Ethan Kross, author of the book Chatter says it all. “We want to connect with other people who can help validate what we’re going through, and venting really does a pretty good job at fulfilling that need. It feels good to know there’s someone there to rely on who cares enough to take time to listen.”

But both the Bible and data suggest that there is venting, and then there is venting. Sometimes we get stuck in the “feel good” mode of venting. If all we do is vent, we never move to the place where we address both the external and internal problems.

4 Tips To Safely Vent at Small Group

So, how do we promote healthy venting? Also, how do we nip unhealthy venting in the bud? Here are four tips to use.

Venting Carefully. Just because you see a road doesn’t make it a great way to go, especially if there’s a “Do Not Enter” sign. Just because someone feels like venting doesn’t automatically make it right, or give them the go-ahead. It must be approached with wisdom and discretion, two attributes missing in lots of people that feel they have the spiritual gift of venting.

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36 NIV

Venting Constructively. Like a piston that pushes out exhaust, it then immediately pulls in fresh air and fuel, so it is with venting. While there is an initial emotional “release” with venting, it’s never to end there. It must lead to building up and correction. Venting for venting’s sake is never constructive or a solution to anything except more hurt and pain.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV

Venting Peacefully. When we start venting, it’s so easy to fall into our long-practiced habit of uncontrolled anger. When we vent because we’ve been hurt, our rights have been violated, or because our expectations were not met, then we’re trading on ground that God claims responsibility for. So, we must tread carefully, with a goal of restoration, making peace.

100 Tips for Leaders That Everyone in Ministry Should Know

By

Joe McKeever

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September 21, 2022

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

1. In all the world, there are only three Christians who love change; none of them are in your church.

2. When you speak before an unfamiliar group, be careful what you say because you never know who is listening to you. You’ll start to tell a story about some guy in your former church and his mama is sitting right in front of you.

3. There will never be a time in your life when you know all the Bible and have your questions all answered; if you cannot serve Him with some gaps in your knowledge and preach without knowing everything, you’re going to have a hard time.

4. Your church members should submit to your leadership, but you’re not the one to tell them that.

5. The best way to get people to submit to your leadership is for you to humble yourself and serve them the way the Lord did the disciples (John 13); they will trust someone who loves them that much.

6. The best way to get run off from a church is to take your eyes off Jesus and begin to think of yourself as hot stuff who is worthy of acclaim; from that moment on, your days are numbered.

7. In worship services, try not to talk so much, pushing events and meetings, that you are worn out by the time you open the Word and begin to preach.

8. Only a pastor with a suicide wish will tell a story about his wife and children in a sermon without their complete and enthusiastic approval. Even if they give it, you should go over it with them ahead of time to make sure they’re OK.

9. Some of your biggest headaches will come from adlibbing in your sermons, saying things “off the cuff” which you just thought of. Try not to do that until you have fully mastered your tongue.

10. If the Lord is ever to use you mightily in His service, He will first have to break you. (Usually, this involves some failure on your part which comes to light and embarrasses you.) This will be humiliating to you and so painful you wonder if you can go back into the pulpit. However, you will survive and forevermore be thankful for what this taught you.

Are You Pastoring in the Death Zone?

By

David Manner

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September 21, 2022

Death Zone is a mountaineering reference to the altitude above a certain point where the oxygen level is no longer high enough to sustain human life. It has been generally recognized as any altitude above 8,000 meters or 26,000 feet. Spending time in an oxygen-deprived atmosphere can cause climbers to make irrational decisions due to the deterioration of their physical and mental capacities. An extended stay in the death zone without the proper safeguards will ultimately lead to a loss of consciousness and death.

Pastoring in the death zone means attempting to sustain an elevated level or pace that has the potential to jeopardize your family, your ministry, and your health. How can you expect to lead others to a place you no longer have the spiritual, emotional, or physical resolve to go yourself?

Recognizing and acknowledging the following warning signs can help establish safeguards before you no longer have the capacity to replenish your reserves. Pastoring in the death zone may be a slow death, but it’s still terminal.

How to Know if You’re Pastoring in the Death Zone

1. You’re Trying to Do It Alone

You probably have enough talent to succeed alone for a time. But there will come a time when the risks of trying to succeed alone will cause you to fail…also alone.

2. You’ve Stopped Taking Care of Yourself

To sustain effective pastoral leadership, you must learn to take care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically. If you aren’t doing it for yourself, no one else will.

3. You’ve Started Ignoring Your Family

Loving your family means spending time with them. Don’t ignore family in the name of ministry since taking care of your family is ministry. You’ll never recover those missed opportunities with your spouse and children.

4. You Aren’t Setting Appropriate Boundaries

Boundaries are those spiritual, familial, professional, emotional, physical, mental, ethical, and relational counter measures or limits. They are precautionary gauges put in place to ward off impending dangers before they occur. Boundaries give you permission to say no.

5. You’ve Stopped Learning Anything New

Pastors that ignore steps to recalibrate in order to actively increase their spiritual, physical, and professional shelf life often find themselves only prepared to lead a church or ministry that no longer exists. What you once learned is not nearly enough to sustain you for future ministry.

This article on pastoring in the death zone orignally appeared here, and is used by permission.

TikTok Suspends Controversial Pastor Mark Driscoll for Saying ‘Men Can’t Have Babies’

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 20, 2022

Mark Driscoll, founding and senior pastor of Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, has dealt with controversy surrounding his ministry since planting Mars Hill Church in 1996 and then Trinity Church in 2016.

Driscoll, who has been accused of bullying staff members, elders, church leaders, and congregants throughout his years of ministry, has never hesitated to tell it as he sees it—even sometimes screaming it in his sermons.

This time, the world of social media took issue with Driscoll. TikTok temporarily banned him from posting on their platform for, according to him, arguing that men cannot bear children. The video appears to have been removed from the platform.

“What happens on TikTok when you say that men can’t have babies,” Driscoll tweeted alongside an image of his TikTok account status, which indicated that he had been temporarily prevented from posting due to “multiple violations” of TikTok’s community guidelines.

Driscoll followed up his comments with the Apostle Paul’s words from Romans 1:18: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.”

TikTok warned the pastor that if he receives another violation, it could result in his account being restricted to view-only mode.

“Resistance often means you’re on to something,” Driscoll wrote in reply to a follower’s comment.

The Arizona pastor leads Trinity Church’s “Real Men” group, which meets for two hours every Wednesday. According to the church’s website, the group consists of men from the church who “come together to build each other up to be more like the true real man, Jesus Christ.”

In one of Driscoll’s latest Instagram posts, he shared that the group is starting a 9-week series titled “Real Men: ACT LIKE A MAN.”

“In a world void of strong men and fathers, we want to build you up to bless women and children, and transform legacies for generations to come,” the description reads.

“At ‘Real Men: ACT LIKE A MAN’, I will take you through exactly what the namesake says; how to act like a man,” Driscoll explains.

Is ‘White Evangelicalism’ the Same as ‘Historic Christian Theology’? Christians Debate Evangelicalism’s Place in Church History on Twitter

By

Dale Chamberlain

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September 20, 2022

Debate about the place of evangelicalism in the scope of church history, as well as its relationship to race, swirled on Twitter this week in response to a tweet by author and apologist Neil Shenvi, wherein Shenvi argued that many public critiques of American evangelicalism are little more than attacks on Christianity itself.

“Railing against ‘white evangelicalism’ is often just a subtle way to rail against historic Christian theology,” Shenvi wrote.

In recent times, evangelicalism has come under public scrutiny for the brand of political engagement it has become associated with in the age of Donald Trump, as well as high profile revelations of abusive leadership within the movement. Evangelicalism has also often been criticized for its sexual ethics and conceptions of masculinity, which stand in contrast to the growing acceptance and celebration of LGBTQ+ values in America.

Further, the term “White” as a modifier to “evangelicalism” has become increasingly common in public discourse, which has served to highlight that large numbers of Black protestants and other American Christians of color often align with their White counterparts on issues of theology while differing significantly in how they view social and political issues.

In the past, Shenvi has noted that evangelicalism has even become the subject of public critique among those who might be considered to be within its own ranks.

This criticism is included in works such as “The Making of Biblical Womanhood” by Beth Allison Barr, “Jesus and John Wayne” by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, and “Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States,” by Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry—all of which have been lauded in popular media but which Shenvi fears provide a pathway for the denial of core Christian doctrines.

“[T]hese authors’ ‘deconstructive’ approach to theology is necessarily a universal acid. Even if they weren’t explicitly committed to challenging evangelical doctrine broadly, their methodological approach makes such an outcome inevitable,” Shenvi wrote in a November 2021 article for CBMW. “This erosion is, perhaps, one of my greatest fears.”

When it comes to the criticism White evangelicals receive in public discourse generally, Shenvi emphasized on Twitter that such critiques are often levied against “historic theological positions related to gender and sexuality.”

To this claim, North Carolina pastor Ben Marsh responded, “Perhaps in the literature that you read, but most of the critiques that I see are leveraged against the historical positions on slavery, human dignity, and the role and nature of politics.”

Shenvi replied, “Take a look at the bios of the people who liked your tweet.”

Halloween Is a ‘Trick of the Devil,’ Warns Satanist-Turned-Christian

By

Stephanie Martin

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September 20, 2022

john ramirez — Screengrab via YouTube / @CBNnewsonline

As the annual debate nears about whether Christians should celebrate Halloween, one man who spent 25 years immersed in Satanism issues a strong warning. John Ramirez, a born-again minister who strives to “make Jesus Christ proud,” tells CBN News he once “sold my soul to the devil.” He got married on Halloween in a “demonic wedding” and baptized his 11-year-old daughter “to the dark side.”

Satanism was his entire life, Ramirez tells Charlene Aaron. He “breathed, ate, and slept witchcraft,” trying to “capture” people for the devil by astral-projecting and placing curses.

Don’t ‘Cheat on God’ Says John Ramirez

When asked why he does not advise Christians to celebrate Halloween, even through Trunk or Treat events or biblical costumes, Ramirez says, “I don’t see how you can cheat on God…on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Satanists don’t come hang out with Christians on Good Friday, he notes, so “why would you put your kids, your family…your whole eternity on a demonic altar? … Why would you bring that kind of curse into your house and curse your family for three to four generations?”

Don’t be fooled by fun aspects of the secular holiday, Ramirez warns parents. “People from different walks of life pray over these candies,” including witches. Then kids put that stuff into their bodies.

Pointing to the Fall in Genesis 3, Ramirez says Adam and Eve lost everything through one mistake. Though they were made in God’s image, Satan tricked them with sin and changed their identity. So even if you dress kids up as Bible figures, observing Halloween involves “changing your kids’ identity.” That, he adds, “is the trick of the devil.”

Ramirez quotes Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan, as saying, “I want to thank every Christian parent for allowing their child to celebrate Halloween—the devil’s holiday—one time a year.” (The church denies LaVey said that.)

As Payback, Pastor Harvests Souls for Jesus

As a Christian minister, Ramirez now spreads his warnings about Halloween wherever he goes. Some churches get mad at him, he says, but “God told me to speak the truth.”

Are You ‘Called’ To Be Single? Sean McDowell Shares What the Bible Says

By

Jessica Lea

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September 20, 2022

Have you ever wondered if you had the “gift of singleness”? In a recent video, author and professor Dr. Sean McDowell explains how Christians can know whether or not God has “called” them to be single.

“How do you know you are called to be single?” asked Sean McDowell. “Here’s an answer you might not expect.”

Sean McDowell: Your Gift Is Where You Are Now

The idea of having a certain “gift” from God to either be single or married comes from 1 Corinthians 7, where the Apostle Paul discusses singleness and marriage. In verses 7 and 8, he says, “I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do.”

Because of this passage, some people have gotten the idea that God bestows either the gift of marriage or the gift of singleness on his followers and that believers must live with whichever one of the gifts God has assigned to them.

This view, however, is not the one that Sean McDowell takes. McDowell, who is associate professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, said, “If you are single, you are called to be single. If you are married, you are called to be married. I don’t think the Bible teaches that God has a unique call for us to be single or to be married.”

We do not need to determine which calling is on our lives before we decide whether or not to pursue a relationship, says McDowell. “I don’t find that in the Scriptures. Rather, as Christians and human beings, we can chose to be single, or we can choose to be married. Both are gifts for the body of Christ. The real question is, whatever state I am in, can I be content? And can I use that state as a gift for the church?”

Author, professor and speaker Dr. Christopher Yuan, shares McDowell’s perspective. In a 2020 interview with ChurchLeaders, Yuan explained why his view shapes his belief that the word, “celibacy,” is unhelpful.

“I don’t ever use the word ‘celibacy,’” said Yuan, “because it’s associated with a lifelong, chosen vocation, and I simply don’t find that in Scripture…but singleness is, and I want to tell people, ‘Do not plan out your future.’ You’re called to be single today, but who knows what tomorrow may bring.”

Are American Christians on the Path to Severe Persecution for Their Faith?

By

David Curry

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September 20, 2022

american christians — Photo by Ismael Paramo on Unsplash

(RNS) — A retired U.S. Army lieutenant general spurred debate recently when he said that the rise in global attacks on Christians could become a national security threat to the United States.

In an interview with The Washington Times, retired Lt. Gen. William Boykin, a former commander of Delta Force and undersecretary of defense for intelligence, said the attacks indicate an increased religious intolerance that could hit closer to home. He warned that Christian persecution is “only going to grow unless we wake up and start taking a very strong stand against this.”

Boykin is not alone in his fear that America is plunging toward an increasingly anti-Christian future. A 2017 survey conducted by Public Religion Research Institute found that millions of Americans, including 57% of white evangelical Protestants, say that “there is a lot of discrimination” against Christians in the U.S. today.

Those who follow the news have heard countless stories of Christians who have, to one degree or another, experienced some level of pressure about their faith from individuals and institutions in our increasingly secular society. Certainly, domestic trends around religious freedom should be closely monitored.

And yet, at least right now, there is a marked difference between the treatment of Christians in many countries abroad and what believers are facing here at home. American Christians still enjoy broad religious protections under the law, and the intensity of what Christians face here pales in comparison to the depths of persecution suffered by followers of Jesus in many places around the world.

While a Christian college student in New York City might face ridicule for their beliefs, it would be impossible for them to live openly as a believer if they were living in Afghanistan, ranked No. 1 on Open Doors USA’s World Watch List of countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian.

Last year, the Taliban began the restoration of their oppressive rule by going door to door looking for Christian leaders. Those who are identified as Christian face dire consequences — our sources indicate torture or death are possible. The prospect of fleeing the country is largely hopeless. Refugees face chaotic and difficult journeys, risking being kidnapped and trafficked along the way. The governments across the Pakistan and Iran borders are little more accepting of Christians. Given these dangers, unmarried women, widows and older people especially have a very small chance of getting out of Afghanistan safely.

Christian politicians in America have been attacked for their religious convictions, but in places such as Vietnam, Christians face much more than mere criticism. Several house churches in Dak Lok province were recently harassed and fined by police because they publicly honored the United Nations’ International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.

In the central Vietnam province of Nghệ An, government officials compete to create “Christian-free zones,” and authorities pressure animist relatives to drive Christians from their homes and communities. Some have been forcibly separated from their spouses, children, farm fields and even their wedding rings. The head of the Montagnard Evangelical Church of Christ was tortured and imprisoned until the government yielded to international pressure urging his release. Despite his nominal freedom — the government tracks him constantly — he was kept from attending the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington this summer.

Candidates’ Views on Handling Sexual Abuse Will Be Factor, Nominations Committee Chair Says

By

Scott Barkley

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September 20, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) — The chairman of the Southern Baptist Convention Committee on Nominations wants his group to do its part to ensure board members of Southern Baptist entities reflect the Convention’s stance on addressing sexual abuse.

“The last three conventions (annual meetings) have spoken clearly about our desire to root out any type of hiding or concealing in regards of abuse,” Michael Criner, committee chair and lead pastor of Rock Hill Baptist Church in East Brownsboro, Texas, told Baptist Press this morning. “I felt like, as chairman, that we need to be very intentional in regard to those we propose to be elected to these trustee boards that they be just as consistent with how the Convention has spoken.”

Criner reminded Committee on Nominations members of that recent history in an Aug. 30 email.

“I dare say that the stakes before us are higher than ever, and our churches expect that our Committee will conform to the present convention’s determination to root this out and deal definitively with this matter,” he wrote. “… We will countenance no exception, and we will implement a rigorous vetting process to ensure eligible nominees are aligned with our convention’s resolve.”

The Committee on Nominations is tasked each year with identifying two nominees – one a layperson – from each qualifying state or regional Baptist convention to fill vacancies on Southern Baptist boards, institutions, standing committees and the Executive Committee. Those names are then presented at the next SBC annual meeting.

Taking a long-term perspective is necessary in order “to help the SBC become more transparent and healthy in regards to [addressing] sexual abuse,” Criner told BP. That includes all levels of involvement among Southern Baptists both in local and national leadership.

“The local church has to take ownership of what they’re doing,” he said. “For our part, we want people who are supportive of our efforts to ensure we’re caring for survivors and protecting our church members. There’s a theological piece to all that.

“We don’t want antagonistic mentalities towards addressing the value of the individual, the human life.”

That reflects what he has heard as a pastor.

“People don’t want to be associated with a network of churches that are known or accused of being known to cover sexual abuse up. My church members are saying, ‘Whatever we have to do to do the right thing, let’s do that.’”

SBC Should Be Known for Love, Firm Convictions, Barber Says

By

Diana Chandler

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September 20, 2022

SBC President Bart Barber preaches at the SBC Executive Committee meeting on Sept. 19 in Nashville. (Baptist Press/Brandon Porter)

NASHVILLE (BP) – Southern Baptists need to uphold and support Scriptural truth while maintaining love and cooperation, Southern Baptist Convention President Bart Barber said in addressing the SBC Executive Committee Sept. 19 in Nashville.

“You are just as much a defender of the truth when you argue for cooperation, as you are a defender of the truth when you argue for (Scriptural) purity,” Barber told the EC as it convened for its fall session Sept. 19-20.

Both 2 John and 3 John were his primary texts, focusing on the call to Scriptural truth in the second epistle, and the call to love and cooperation in the third.

“And I want God to make us a family of churches who know how to hold firm convictions about the truth of Scripture, while feeling the obligation to bring everybody that we can who’s in agreement with our statement of faith and with our movement to go and reach the world with the Good News of Jesus Christ, to bring everybody that we can on board into that journey,” he said, “so that together we can fulfill the mandate of both of these books.”

Barber took time to announce the theme and Scripture for the 2023 SBC Annual Meeting set for June 13-14 in New Orleans. “Serving the Lord, Serving Others,” will be the theme, supported by 2 Corinthians 4:5.

“I wanted to have a theme that really just ties together who we are as Southern Baptists,” he said. “And the other thing I love about that theme is that if any community has seen what Southern Baptists are like, serving other people in the name of Jesus, it’s been New Orleans,” he said, referencing Southern Baptist rebuilding efforts after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and in subsequent disasters.

In his first presidential address since his June election, the rural cattle farmer and fulltime pastor of First Baptist Church of Farmersville, Texas, told the EC he discovered the meat of his message while on a mission trip to train pastors in Senegal.

“What happened in that moment in Senegal in that little mud house with those teachers, is that I found the Southern Baptist Convention in the Bible,” he said. “We live in this crack here of the pages between 2 John and 3 John.

“It is good and right that we be vigilant against doctrinal deviation. It is good and right that we be on guard against those who would work evil in the midst of the company of good.

“It is good and right that we be watching for sexual predators who would come into our flocks and destroy the hearts and the bodies and the lives of precious children of God. …

“It’s good and right for us to be on guard against people who are being led not by the truth of God’s Word, but by the convenience of the moment, who are being led not by the inerrant Word of Scripture, but by the fleeting opinions of the day.”

He described both epistles as written in the defense of truth, one focusing on supporting only adherents of God’s Word; the other extolling the church’s faithful love.

McLaurin: ‘Convention Is Only as Strong as Our Relationships With One Another’

By

Timothy Cockes

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September 20, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – In his Monday night (Sept. 19) plenary session address to the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, Willie McLaurin urged Southern Baptists to continue to cooperate in carrying out their shared mission.

McLaurin, interim president and CEO of the SBC EC, said just like the early church, the SBC must set the correct priorities during difficult times.

“The early church understood what it meant to embrace the priorities and the mission of Jesus,” McLaurin said. “As a network of partnering churches, if we would draw near to God and allow the Lord Jesus Christ to set the priorities of our beloved Convention, we too will experience the blessings of Almighty God.”

McLaurin said Southern Baptists should prioritize healing their relationships, both with each other and with God.

“Our Convention is only as strong as our relationships with one another, and we must be intentional in lengthening, strengthening and deepening relationships,” McLaurin said. “We must take the time to build trust, and trust is built and rebuilt one person and one relationship at a time.

“Let’s be honest tonight. Over the past 15 months, relationships have been damaged, some have even destroyed. Words have been exchanged and reputations have been tainted. Brothers and sisters, this is not who we are.”

McLaurin pleaded for fellow Southern Baptists to have honorable relationships.

“We need to model to the world how to operate according to kingdom values,” he said. “Tonight, I’m simply calling on every Southern Baptist to lay down your swords and make sure that your relationships with one another are honoring unto the Lord Jesus Christ. We do this through four things: love one another, forgive one other, serve one another and pray for one another.”

While encouraging fellow Southern Baptists to look forward to next year’s annual meeting in New Orleans, McLaurin appealed to a memory of the SBC from more than 100 years ago.

It was in 1917 that James Bruton Gambrell was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention.

Gambrell, known by some as “Uncle Gideon,” served in a variety of Southern Baptist positions, including as editor of the Baptist Standard newspaper in Texas, state mission secretary in Mississippi and professor at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.

In April 2017, two months before that year’s annual meeting, also in New Orleans, Gambrell said, “We need a great big convention in New Orleans, but that cannot be unless we go there with a big spirit, to do big things.”

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