North Carolina Church ‘Unrecognizable’ After Challenging Replant

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September 14, 2022

nc_worship_service — Pastor Dale DuBose helps lead worship during a Sunday service at Main Street Baptist Church. Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

SPINDALE, N.C. (BP) – Although it was difficult and painful, a North Carolina church is beginning to see the fruit of a challenging replant process that began more than two years ago.

Lead Pastor Dale DuBose and wife Meriana met and married while attending Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary before moving to Spindale for Dale to become the youth pastor at Main Street Baptist Church in early 2015.

It was only a few months later that Main Street’s pastor would resign unexpectedly, leaving the position vacant and the congregation upset.

“It was a shock,” DuBose said. “It was a hard year both personally and with the church. It was like a funeral the day the pastor announced his resignation.”

Eventually, the pastor search committee asked DuBose to submit his name for consideration, and he did. He became lead pastor in August 2016 at the age of 23.

DuBose said the role has helped him complete his ministry training in a practical way.

“I had to learn how to do this on the fly in the real world, and I really learned how to preach by preaching to these people,” he said.

But the church was in a transition season, and despite his best efforts, it declined. A few members left, and giving steadily declined. DuBose took a second, part-time job at a local hospital.

The church went from around 75 members to around 50, and by early 2020 much conflict and division remained, DuBose said.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. Much like other churches, Main Street shifted to online ministry and shortly after the lockdown period ended, DuBose knew changes had to be made and a possible replant was in order.

He described replanting to his congregation by likening it to the gardening process of taking a dying plant in unhealthy soil and moving it to good soil where it can grow again.

The goal would be for the church to re-launch in late 2021, and DuBose said the plan was to examine every aspect of the church “leaving no stone unturned.”

“Things were not looking good and it was looking like we were going to die,” DuBose said.

“I wrestled with thinking things like ‘did the Lord send me here just to close the doors on this church?’ I even regrettably started to have doubts about if God’s Word really worked. That was a pretty low point for me.

“It became clear that we were either going to die faithfully or die unfaithfully, so I choose to die faithfully. I thought that was the best thing to do with a clean conscience before God. I was ready to risk it all.”

DuBose took deliberate steps to guide the church through the process. In his preaching, he began addressing things like ecclesiology and the anxiety that often comes with change. He challenged the congregation to fast one day each week, and he formed a replanting team with a handful of members.

Voting Just One of Christians’ Political Responsibilities, Darling Says

By

Timothy Cockes

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September 14, 2022

NASHVILLE (BP) – As the fall election season approaches, professor and author Daniel Darling said voting is just one of the responsibilities Christians have when it comes to political engagement.

Darling is the director of Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and associate professor for faith and culture at Texas Baptist College.

In this week’s “Baptist Press This Week,” Darling identified some of the key issues in this upcoming election as religious liberty, the sanctity of life, the economy and education.

Darling said voting is just one important way Christians can be involved with politics.

“As Christians in a representative republic like ours, we have been given the stewardship to shape policy that affects our neighbors,” Darling said. “If we’re to love our neighbors as ourselves, we should care about the institutions and the policies that affect our neighbors’ flourishing. We have this stewardship, and I think we should steward it well.

“At a baseline level, I think voting requires some responsibility to try to get to know the candidates as best as we can to listen to what they’re saying and hear them out. You’re always making difficult choices, so I think you make the best decision according to the principles from scripture that you hold dear.”

Even after voting, Darling said there are responsibilities Christians have regarding political candidates.

“I also think once you vote, hold that candidate accountable,” he said. “I think one of the things that happens sometimes is we think, I voted for them so I have to be a champion for this person and defend everything that they do, good behavior or bad behavior. I think a vote is just a small part of that. I think we vote the best way we can for the policies we think are important, and then really try to hold them accountable that way.”

Darling said believers should also consistently pray for political leaders. “Someone who steps forward to run for office is really putting themselves out there, with their families and everything,” he said. “For the people willing to step up, we should pray for them as first Timothy 2 says.”

In addition to his work in writing and education, Darling has served in pastoral ministry in Tennessee and Illinois. He said pastors have the opportunity to lead the way in engaging with politics in a healthy way.

He stressed that for Christians, politics is not the ultimate hope.

“If we understand that we’re ultimately citizens of another kingdom, that’ll make us better citizens here, that’ll help us engage in a way that is courageous, civil and doesn’t put all our hopes on the next election,” he said. “We would understand that what happens every Sunday at your local church is really the most important thing happening in the world.”

Why We Still Need the Old Testament: Lessons From the Bible Translation Movement

By

Jennifer Holloran

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September 14, 2022

The Mogariss people of West Asia have been plagued with terrorism and civil war for more than four decades. For over 25 years, James* and his fellow Mogariss translators have been working to get God’s Word into the Mogariss language. Having completed Proverbs, Psalms, the New Testament, and the Pentateuch, he and a Mogariss believer named Abdul began working on Deuteronomy. Recently, James asked Abdul to read aloud from Deuteronomy 6, the Shema. Abdul read in exemplary fashion with beautiful intonation, as if he was teaching his own family members.

At the close of the reading time, Abdul prayed for his family and the families of other believers, for his country, and for God’s mercy to help them learn more about his commandments. Miraculously, just weeks before major civil unrest led to terrorists taking over the government, the team completed Deuteronomy!

The Shema is the prayer found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5: “Listen, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone, and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your being, and all your might.” For those of ancient Israel, these words were the equivalent of the Lord’s Prayer for believers today. But this story from East Asia reminds us that the Old Testament is critical to our understanding of who God is and how he works today.

Old Testament Overhaul?

In the U.S. context, pastors and individuals sometimes avoid the Old Testament because the context feels so distant from contemporary culture, particularly in an individualistic society like ours. We have to work hard to understand the messages and stories of the Old Testament and to relate them to our skeptical friends. It can feel easier to keep our focus on the New Testament, which seems more directly applicable to our daily lives.

However, when we only look to the New Testament, we miss crucial elements of our faith and the gospel story. For example, in Genesis, we find God’s intended purpose for us as caretakers for creation, how God created us to be in relationship with him and with one another, and how God cares for his chosen people. In the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations, we see real people expressing hope and lament as they journey through the realities of life. And the lives of those like Jacob, Ruth, David, Job, Daniel, and others help us reconcile joy and grief as we grapple with our own feelings and failures. They also give us permission to express those to God, who listens and loves us despite it all.

More than 10% of verses in the New Testament are either direct quotes or allusions to the Old Testament. When we don’t connect the two testaments together, we miss out on the full understanding of why Jesus’ coming was so important.

Old Testament Preference?

I sometimes get asked what books of the Old Testament are most requested by minority-language church leaders, to which I respond that the cultural context of a particular language community often informs what parts of Scripture have special meaning. Here are just a few ways this plays out:

Old Testament Scripture that shows the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians or the rebuilding of Jerusalem can provide history that both reinforces Christian claims and also builds toward the coming of Christ.
In some cultures, a high value for local proverbs can make the book of Proverbs quite compelling.
The emotional content of the book of Psalms brings comfort in some cultures where emotional expression feels constrained.
In places where women do not have equal value, Esther and Ruth can show God’s perspective on their worth.

Over and over, we see how God uses every part of his Word to reach people today, both inside and outside the Church.

A New Way of Thinking and Reading

In the Bible translation movement, we are thrilled when the Gospels and the New Testament are completed in a language. But we never see the work as truly done until each people group has the entirety of God’s Word in a language they can clearly understand. We have seen why it matters that we embrace the Old Testament as a critical tool for understanding both God and the fullness of the gospel as demonstrated in Jesus. Here are three things for church leaders to consider as they rightly teach the whole Word of God:

First, Jesus considered the Old Testament important.

In the Gospels, Jesus references 14 different Old Testament books and takes seriously the stories found therein (e.g., John 7:22 on circumcision and John 6:31 on manna). He believed them to be central to understanding the character and nature of God. Additionally, in multiple places, Jesus says that He came to fulfill the Law (e.g., Matt. 5:17). How can we know what that means if we haven’t studied the Old Testament? Jesus’ very reason for coming was grounded in what God had been doing for generations among his people. It was not possible to have a new covenant (e.g., Luke 22:20; Heb. 9:15) without an old covenant.

4 Sure Signs Your Church Needs More First-Time Guests

By

Rich Birch

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September 14, 2022

Why isn’t your church growing? So many church leaders are wrestling with that question. They are looking at the dynamics of what’s happening in their church and trying to sort out where the “problem” is. Is it that your church doesn’t have enough first-time guests coming through the front door? Or is it that people are falling through the cracks and not sticking and staying at your church? Diagnosing the issue doesn’t need to be complex and convoluted. This is an answerable question! As I’ve worked with churches across the country pondering over these issues (and more importantly, trying to find a solution to it), I’ve bumped into these sure signs that are evident in churches that aren’t seeing enough first-time guests arriving at their church. Is your church seeing these dynamics at play in your church?

4 Sure Signs Your Church Needs More First-Time Guests

1. You Don’t Have More First-Time Guests Than the Average Attendance in a Year

Gary McIntosh and Charles Arn in their book What Every Pastor Should Know: 101 Indispensable Rules of Thumb for Leading Your Church share this key insight: If the church is growing, you’ll need more guests each year than you have people in your total average attendance. In other words, a growing church of 500 will need more than 500 guests in a year.

Do you know how many “first-time” guests you have at your church? Getting a clear understanding of this aspect is the starting point in understanding if your church needs to “open the front door wider” and attract more guests. One proven way to do this is to offer your guests a gift in exchange for their contact information. (Here’s a post with a lot of ideas for gifts for your first-time guests.)

You need to track this information for at least four to six months before you can get a sense of where it’s landing. As you keep a closer eye on this over time, you will start to see where the trend is landing. Below is a quick reference table to help you see what your “new here” guests weekly average should be based on the size of your church:

If your church is averaging this size…	…you should be averaging these many guests weekly.
100	2
200	4
500	10
800	15
1,000	20

2. Christmas Eve Attendance Doesn’t Double Your Average Attendance

This is a persistent trend that I’ve seen time and again in growing churches. Prevailing churches typically see at least twice as many people on “big days” such as Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday. If your church isn’t attracting those sorts of audiences, then you might be missing an opportunity to impact your community.

Big days are important to your outreach strategy because they represent a unique opportunity in that your people are more likely to invite their friends, and their friends are more likely to attend. There are just some weekends when people are more in the mindset to attend a church like yours and you need to leverage those opportunities to see people connected with your church.

Continue

CyberPrayer – How to Ask for Prayers on Social Media

By

Ray Hollenbach

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September 14, 2022

“Our Facebook, who art on the Internet, followed be thy pages . . . “ Social media prayer is a thing now, right? But how to ask for prayers on social media. No–wait: more important why do we ask for them?

Don’t worry: this isn’t a screed on the devilish dangers of social media. It’s too easy to locate trouble and place blame in structures and technologies beyond us. Our modern problems do not lurk in apps or software. In truth, our modern problems are not modern at all. Our “modern” problems reside deep within us, where they have always hidden. Social media merely puts us—and our problems—on display with astonishing speed and reach. In one respect Facebook and its many children have provided a new outlet, social media prayer, or Facebook prayers.

Social media is like any other technology, a device capable of good or ill. It’s a tool to be wielded well or to hinder the real work of living life wisely. Social media is a comfort to the shut-in, and a means to share everyday joys; it is also the latest platform for fears and fools to find expression.

What was formerly the province of what was called a “prayer closet” is now an opportunity to broadcast our prayers around the world in search of someone who will hear. Prayer has always been difficult because we have so often felt alone—in the very place we are told to pour out our hearts before God. In prayer, when we meet the silence of God, we usually fill the silence with our own words. With social media, others will fill the silence for us.

We go to social media to know we are not alone. We post our Facebook prayers because we will certainly get some kind of answer.

TYPICAL OF FACEBOOK PRAYERS: You guys! I’m going in for a job interview today. Please pray that I get this job because I really need it.

TYPICAL REPLIES:

You’ve got this!
Hugs to you, I’m praying.
Don’t worry: God’s in control.

These answers, well-meaning but completely powerless, feel better than no answer at all, which is what we often think we get from God. Traditional prayer is the place we bump into the silence of God. Facebook prayers are how we fill the void apart from the still small voice of the Spirit.

Brandon Cox: White Supremacy is a Disease

By

Brandon Cox

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September 14, 2022

White supremacy is a disease that has taken life and vitality from more non-white people than we’ve begun to imagine, yet it so often runs rampant like an undetected cancer upon our society. Why haven’t we eradicated it yet?

I don’t know a single person who is a racist. Or at least, I don’t know anyone who owns the label, racist.

We (and by we, I primarily mean white people) assume there are a small handful of actual racists who are easily identified because they openly and proudly claim to be racists. The racists are the ones who shout racial slurs or obviously racist phrases like “white power,” or they wear hoods and burn crosses, or shave their heads and get tattoos of swastikas.

Those people are the racists. Right? They get all the attention. They are depicted in the tropes in crime shows. They make the news when there’s a hate crime, like when a madman opens fire in a supermarket in the name of his racist beliefs. And yet racism keeps coming up in our cultural conversations. We keep having moments in which we try (and fail) to reckon with our racism. People who are harmed by white supremacy keep crying out for this disease to be eradicated. And we keep skirting the issue.

White Supremacy is a Disease

Why has this disease spread so wide and far and done so much damage to the systems designed to sustain a functioning society while simultaneously remaining undetected (or at least unacknowledged) and uncured?

As one white person who has had to look deep within myself at my own privilege, ignorance, and pride, and as one who still has a long way to grow on this journey, I want to take a shot at why.

White supremacy is a disease: why does it continue to permeate our culture so thoroughly? White supremacy is a disease that remains in place because the one thing we fear more than having this disease is having to acknowledge that we have this disease.

Whether you agree with Robin DiAngelo’s assessment or not, it’s pretty obvious that white people are quite fragile, at least when it comes to the topic of race. Our fragility shows itself most plainly when we are challenged at either or both of two particular points: our power and our privilege.

The first of Newton’s laws of physics states that “an object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force.” In other words, something – like friction, gravity, or another object – has to interrupt the course an object is taking or it will just keep going.

When it comes to culture, I think there is a similar law in place. People with power and privilege will remain in power and privilege, even at the expense of other people, until someone takes action to interrupt the flow of power.

What do I mean by power? I mean that, if given the power to do so, we humans will generally stack the odds in our own favor. This is how systems become corrupted, to begin with.

And what do I mean by privilege? When you benefit more than other people from an unbalanced, inequitable system, you enjoy privilege.

When our power or our privilege is threatened, we get scared, and scared people get angry.

It takes humility to own that you enjoy either power or privilege, but it doesn’t do anyone any good to deny it. There’s no reason to be defensive. Enjoying privilege doesn’t mean you’ve purposely harmed anyone and it doesn’t mean your effort counts for less.

You may have worked hard for everything you’ve ever achieved in your life, but it’s still possible that the systems through which you worked have been managed by people with power and systems are very rarely equitable, fair, and balanced.

Whether we’re talking about slavery, redlining, segregation, or a hundred other systemic flaws, there is undeniable evidence that white supremacy is a disease, and has had a profound influence on our society’s systems.

Has it gotten better? Yes, but not without a constant, exhausting, uphill battle on the part of those without as much power or privilege.

White supremacy is a disease. Has it been totally fixed? Absolutely not. True equity and equality among all people, regardless of ethnicity, may seem like a moving goal line, but it’s a goal toward which we must keep on running.

And that means self-examination, scrutiny of existing systems, dropping our defenses, and actively participating in the renewal of all that is broken around us.

White supremacy has infected every area of society and culture and as more people become willing to discover it, root it out, and replace it with real equality, the more we will enable the true flourishing of the whole human family.

This article stating White Supremacy is a Disease originally appeared here and is used by permission.

By the way, my friend Derwin L. Gray just released a new book on How to Heal Our Racial Divide, in which he offers some gospel-rooted solutions. And Daniel Hill writes from a white person’s perspective about these issues in White Awake: An Honest Look at What it Means to Be White.

Christmas Coloring Pages for Kids: 10 Free Holiday Resources

By

Stephanie Martin

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September 13, 2022

Christmas coloring pages for kids are a seasonal treasure! Christmas worship services and events offer many opportunities to share the good news of Jesus. It’s easy to supplement holiday festivities with another holiday touch: free printable Christmas coloring pages for kids.

Preschoolers, grade schoolers, teens, adults, and seniors will enjoy quiet time creating colorful masterpieces. Best of all, many Christmas coloring pages for kids are filled with seasonal Scripture verses (to boost memorization). Others feature Bible stories and symbols.

Many Advent and Christmas coloring pages for kids show Nativity scenes or characters from the New Testament. For example, John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. Simeon and Anna met baby Jesus in the temple. And the Magi brought precious gifts for the infant King. Other pages show Christmas trees and winter scenes. Some highlight symbols such as candy canes (shaped as a J for Jesus).

Printable Christmas coloring pages for kids are often available to download as a free PDF. Search by Scripture verse, Bible book, Bible character and more. As an early Christmas gift, we’ve assembled some favorites below. Use them in Sunday school and children’s church, at holiday meals and parties, and in goody bags and baskets.

You also can send or attach these pages in church Christmas greetings. Or include Christmas coloring pages in gifts your congregation distributes throughout the community. (Include art supplies as a bonus!)

Christmas coloring pages for children make lovely decorations throughout church facilities too. Artists will be excited to see their work on display.

Have fun brainstorming more ways to use coloring sheets to wish people a merry Christmas!

10 Free Christmas Coloring Pages for Kids

1. Pages for Preschoolers

Younger children will love these free Christmas-themed coloring sheets. They feature large outline-style letters to build early-reading skills.

2. Ornaments With Names of Jesus

Check out this lovely set of five Christmas ornaments! Each one showcases a biblical name for Jesus. Families will enjoy coloring these ornaments as part of their at-home Advent devotions.

3. Birthday Blessings

Some Sunday school classes and families hold a birthday party for Jesus every December. Use these kid-friendly Christmas coloring pages to celebrate the birth of our newborn King.

4. Spread the Love

These cute coloring sheets focus on God’s love and care for children. We especially like the “Jesus loves me” page, with candy canes. Another favorite is the “God made me unique” page, with snowflakes and Psalm 139:14.

5. Nativity Coloring Pages

This website is filled with creative options. Check out the intricate Christmas coloring pages that are perfect for adults. Or look at the material for toddlers and preschoolers, including Nativity-themed alphabet sheets.

Life Is the ‘First Human Right’—Lila Rose Defends the Pro-Life Position on ‘Dr. Phil’

By

Jessica Mouser

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September 13, 2022

Activist Lila Rose defended the pro-life position on an episode of “Dr. Phil” that aired Monday, Sept. 12. During the show, guests discussed the case of a woman whose unborn child was diagnosed with acrania, as well as the 10-year-old girl in Ohio who had an abortion after she became pregnant due to being raped.

“Our fundamental human right that we all share in this room is life,” said Rose, founder and president of the pro-life non-profit Live Action. “It’s the first human right. Laws are meant to protect the weak. In a society, who’s the weakest? Who’s the weakest in a society? A child.”

I’ll be on Dr. Phil’s show tonight. The episode was set up to favor the pro-abortion position, so I’m especially glad I was able to join to advocate for every child’s right to life. Tune in!

— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) September 12, 2022

Lila Rose on ‘Dr. Phil’

The “Dr. Phil” episode featured the story of a woman named Nancy, who had been pregnant with her fourth child when she learned that the baby was diagnosed with acrania. Acrania is a condition where the child’s skull does not form and the brain is distorted.

According to Nancy’s lawyer, Ben Crump, doctors said there was a 99.9% probability that Nancy’s baby would die within minutes of being born. Because Louisiana is one of several states that instituted “draconian” laws following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, said Crump, Nancy was compelled to seek an abortion out of state. Nancy, who has three other children with her partner, Shedric, said that not being able to have the abortion when she wanted to was “extremely traumatizing” and mentally, physically and emotionally draining.

Phil McGraw, the host of “Dr. Phil,” asked those present for openness, understanding, and empathy. He also encouraged his guests not to demonize people of opposing positions. Appearing on the show with Nancy, Shedric, Crump and Rose was State Sen. Katrina Jackson, (D-LA), and Christian Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women. Nunes said she “absolutely” believes that a woman in Nancy’s situation who wishes to have an abortion should be protected from prosecution and that doctors should not be afraid of losing their licenses over protecting a “human right.”

McGraw asked Rose if she believed Nancy should not have had an abortion. Rose responded, “Nancy, my heart broke when I heard your story because that’s the worst thing that any mom wants to hear is that their baby is going to die, their baby has a life-threatening illness.” Rose said that she experienced a miscarriage two years ago that led to “some of the darkest days of my life. And they were dark days because it was our child. You know, we knew this was a baby. And I think that’s the fundamental point here is that we’re talking about a baby, we’re talking about a human life.”

‘We Are in the Last of the Last Days’, Says Rep. Lauren Boebert

By

Stephanie Martin

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September 13, 2022

At a conservative Christian conference last weekend, controversial Congresswoman Lauren Boebert told attendees “the last days” are near and the church “has a role in ushering in the second coming of Jesus.” The Republican representing Colorado’s Third Congressional District referenced numerous Bible verses during her 50-minute speech at the Truth & Liberty Coalition Conference September 9.

The conference was held at Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, Colorado. The school’s founder, Bible teacher and Truth & Liberty Coalition president Andrew Wommack, told attendees America is “a godly nation” that was “founded upon godly principles. And the body of Christ needs to stand up against the rewriting of history and all of this woke stuff that is happening.” During the pandemic, Wommack held a large gathering that violated state rules and then challenged a cease-and-desist order.

Lauren Boebert: Church Has a Role in ‘Ushering in’ Jesus’ Return

During her sermon-like talk, Lauren Boebert said, “We know that we are in the last of the last days.” But “It’s not a time to get upset about it,” she added. “It’s a time to know that you were called to be a part of these last days. You get to have a role in ushering in the second coming of Jesus.”

The congresswoman urged listeners to put “God back at the center of our country” and conquer “the enemy” that’s attacking from within. “God is on our side,” she said. “The blood has been applied. We are going straight into victory. You are all more than conquerors through God, through Christ, who strengthens you every step of the way.”

Boebert, 35, took aim at pandemic-related health measures and church closures, labeling them an “attack on our faith.” She also spoke against sexual immorality, saying liberals “are inventing new ways to wreck lives.”

The congresswoman, who’s up for re-election in November, called for “revival” and restoration of conservative Christian values in government, saying America was founded by men “fluent in the Word of God.” She added: “It’s time for us to position ourselves, and rise up, and take our place in Christ, and influence this nation as we were called to do.”

Other Speakers Encourage Christians To Take Action

At the three-day conference, speakers praised the overturning of Roe v. Wade, decried cultural movements such as Black Lives Matter and cancel culture, and referenced conspiracy theories about one-world government.

Wommack said, “It’s Christians that have allowed this nation to go the way that it is.” And “if we got enough Christians to stand up and vote, we’d overwhelm all of their algorithms, and we’d beat their cheating.” He told attendees, “We are the kings. We are the ones who rule. And when we don’t vote, then we allow those with different values…we increase their power.”

NBA Superstar Steph Curry Shares Why He Reads the Bible to His Children

By

Jesse T. Jackson

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September 13, 2022

Steph Curry, All Star point guard for the Golden State Warriors, recently shared with Fatherly (a digital media outlet for dads) how his parents helped shape his faith by reading the Bible to him when he was younger.

“My parents read a lot of Bible stories with me,” Curry shared, going on to express that this is why he now reads the Bible to his own children. “That’s how I learned my faith, so those are very meaningful to me to share with my kids.”

Curry was being interviewed for his new children’s book titled “I Have a Superpower,” a picture book about an 8-year-old named Hughes who loves playing basketball and works hard to achieve his goals.

The two-time NBA MVP and four-time NBA Champion said that, outside of the Bible, he hasn’t felt passionate about sharing any specific book from his childhood with his three children.

“There wasn’t a specific series or book that I had lined up to share with my kids,” Curry said. “I tried to be open to what they were interested in. They’re old enough now that I take their lead. They come home with ‘Dork Diaries’ and that type of stuff. I just love the fact that they are reading to me now. They’re the storytellers, and I’m the audience, and that makes bedtime more fun.”

The NBA superstar shared how he stays connected to his family while he is traveling and misses out on everyday opportunities like carpooling, sports practices, and other family activities. Curry said that he focuses on his family during the off-season and explained that “the beauty of [things like carpooling] is that you come to appreciate all the little things that seem kind of mundane or routine.”

Curry said, “My dad traveled a lot during his 16 years in the NBA, and I don’t know how my parents did it back in the day without technology.” Curry cited his appreciation for FaceTime, which helps him stay connected to his family while he’s away.

Throughout his career, Curry has been vocal about his faith in Christ and gives credit to God for what he gets to do. After Curry and his Warrior teammates won the NBA championship this past June, the Finals MVP told reporters, “I thank God every day that I get to play this game at the highest level with some amazing people.”

Fewer Than Half of Americans May Be Christian by 2070, According to New Projections

By

Bob Smietana

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September 13, 2022

american christians — Photo by Eliecer Gallegos/Unsplash/Creative Commons

(RNS) — America has long prided itself on being a country where people can choose whatever religion they like. The majority has long chosen Christianity.

By 2070, that may no longer be the case. If current trends continue, Christians could make up less than half of the population — and as little as a third— in 50 years. Meanwhile, the so-called nones — or the religiously unaffiliated — could make up close to half of the population. And the percentage of Americans who identify as Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and other non-Christian faiths could double.

Those are among the major findings of a new report from the Pew Research Center regarding America’s religious future—a future where Christianity, though diminished, persists while non-Christian faiths grow amid rising secularization.

Researchers projected possible religious futures for the United States using a number of factors, including birth rates, migration patterns, demographics like age and sex, and the current religious landscape. They also looked at how religion is passed from one generation to another and how often people switch religions — in particular, Christians who become nones, a number that has been increasing in recent years.

They projected four different scenarios, based on differing rates of religious switching — from a continued increase to no switching at all.

“While the scenarios in this report vary in the extent of religious disaffiliation they project, they all show Christians continuing to shrink as a share of the U.S. population, even under the counterfactual assumption that all switching came to a complete stop in 2020,” according to the report. “At the same time, the unaffiliated are projected to grow under all four scenarios.”

Currently, about a third (31%) of Christians become disaffiliated before they turn 30, according to Pew Research. Twenty-one percent of nones become Christian as young adults. Should those switching rates remain stable, Christians would make up 46% of the population by 2070, while nones would make up 41% percent of the population.

If disaffiliation rates continue to grow but are capped at 50% of Christians leaving the faith, then 39% percent of Americans are projected to be Christian by 2070, with 48% percent of Americans identifying as nones. With no limit placed on the percentage of people leaving Christianity and with continued growth in disaffiliation, Christians would be 35% of the population, with nones making up a majority of Americans (52%).

If all switching came to a halt, then Christians would remain a slight majority (54%), while nones would make up 34% of Americans, according to the projection model.

Non-Christian faiths would rise to 12–13% of the population, largely due to migration, in each scenario. Migration does affect the percentage of Christians, as most immigrants coming to the U.S. are Christians, said Conrad Hackett, associate director of research and senior demographer at Pew Research Center.

Chris Tomlin Releases New Album, Stands Behind Decision To Tour With Hillsong United

By

Dale Chamberlain

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September 13, 2022

Award winning Christian contemporary musician and worship leader Chris Tomlin has released his 17th studio album, titled “Always.” He is set to continue touring alongside Hillsong United this fall.

Tomlin, who has won 23 Dove Awards and one Grammy, is well known for worship songs such as “How Great Is Our God,” “Our God,” and “Holy is the Lord.” His music has been used by church worship leaders in the United States and around the world for decades.

Regarding his latest album, the 50-year-old Nashville resident told The Christian Post that he chose the word that would define the title track with great intention.

“When we think about worship, in the one word—’always’—how powerful,” Tomlin said. “It says so much; the word ‘always’ means eternal, everlasting, infinite, faithful. There are not a lot of things in our life that are ‘always.’ Most things end. Many things fail in this world.”

“In these songs, what we do is eternal; we are joining in the eternal song of Heaven that never stops. Hopefully, people grab that when they hear this music. It’s a reminder of like, ‘Wow, I come before an always faithful, always present God,’” Tomlin went on to say. “25 years or so of [being] out there playing and touring and traveling, and you think, ‘Wow, every time I make music, it feels like there’s so much more, there are so many more songs, so much more to say.”

As Tomlin’s new album releases, he is preparing for the fall leg of his “Tomlin United” tour, in which he is co-headlining alongside Hillsong United.

Last fall, the tour came under criticism for offering “VIP” ticket packages, with some accusing the worship leader of being too commercialistic. The tour later adjusted its marketing material to remove the term “VIP.”

Tomlin’s touring partner has also come under increased scrutiny in light of a string of scandals involving Hillsong Church’s now-former global senior pastor Brian Houston, as well as accusations of financial impropriety on the part of Hillsong Church leadership. Brian Houston’s son, Joel Houston, leads the worship band.

Nevertheless, Tomlin stands behind both the tour and Hillsong United, revealing to The Christian Post that Hillsong offered to let him back out of the tour in light of emerging scandals.

Amid Sorrow of Queen’s Death, Southern Baptist in London Shares Gospel

By

Diana Chandler

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September 13, 2022

LONDON (BP) – She was crowned “defender of the faith and supreme governor of the church of England,” but Queen Elizabeth II’s public ownership of her faith extended beyond the official descriptor.

Ashlyn Portero, director of groups and partnerships at Redeemer Queen’s Park church about 10 miles from Buckingham Palace, appreciates the late queen’s public witness and legacy.

“I think people who are Christians are so grateful for the way that she spoke about her faith,” Portero said. “And you see lots of different quotes where she has been driven and sustained and inspired by the teachings of Christ and by her faith.”

Mourners have placed flowers outside Buckingham Palace in London in honor of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who will be interred Sept. 19.

Formerly executive director of City Church in Tallahassee, Fla., Portero transitioned in March to Redeemer Queen’s Park, a church plant supported by City Church and led by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary graduate Thomas West.

“I think Christians are encouraged to see such a public figure really embody and embrace her faith, and to want to be outspoken and to share about that, what it has meant for her life and eternity,” Portero said.

Research paints London as the most religious and socially conservative place in all of the United Kingdom, but not all of the queen’s fans appreciate her Christianity.

“For other people, it’s almost like you can just choose to ignore that,” Portero said of those who view the monarchy as a cultural distinction, “which I think is really not fully seeing her as a person, because her faith was clearly so important to her.”

As England and its friends mourned, Portero stood in a long line Sept. 9 to lay flowers on the lawn outside Buckingham Palace.

“I think people are reflective, and I think they are certainly interested and want to pay respects and want to honor her for decades of duty and service,” Portero said. “Even if there are different feelings about the whole institution of the monarchy, there is admiration for her and her sense of duty and service to the country.”

Redeemer Queen’s Park has not held any official outreach in response to the death, but has taken opportunities for Gospel conversations.

“It sparks thoughtful conversations. One thing I’ve heard a lot of people say is that she has lived and reigned for so long, that you almost think she’s immortal,” Portero said. “And so that’s a good time to prompt a conversation that actually she is (immortal) in heaven, because of her faith. But it’s not a sense of just this big immortal figure.”

Redeemer Queen’s Park is not a member of the Church of England, but is one of 25 evangelical congregations in the Co-Mission Network, a church-planting group based in Wimbledon that also includes Church of England congregations. The Summit Network, the church planting arm of The Summit Church in North Carolina, also supports Redeemer Queen’s Park, according to Redeemer’s website.

The Church of England is the primary state church of England and represents at least 85 million people in more than 165 countries, according to history.com. The church is considered both Catholic and Reformed.

Kentucky Church Expresses Gratitude to Community Servants by Feeding First Responders

By

Brandon Porter

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September 13, 2022

Kentucky-church-expresses-gratitude-to-community-servants-by-feeding-first-responders — Pastor Franklin Wood (left) and Kyle Gerkins (far left) from Forest Park Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Ky., show their appreciation to local firefighters as they deliver a tray of breakfast biscuits. (Baptist Press/Brandon Porter)

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to reflect the length of time Forest Park Baptist Church has hosted the first responders’ event.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (BP) – The early morning hours of the second Monday in September have been set aside for community outreach over the last twenty years at Forest Park Baptist Church in Bowling Green. The Iron Men, the church’s men’s ministry, roll out of bed long before the rooster crows to prepare a feast for local first responders as well as local men and women who are distributing Bibles to students at Western Kentucky University (WKU).

John Daniel, one of the event organizers, says at the beginning, dozens of first responders would come to the church facility to attend the breakfast buffet. “We’d have a parking lot full of fire trucks and police cars,” he told Baptist Press.

“It’s been a way for us to show our gratitude to the people who risk their lives to serve the community.”

Daniel says COVID caused them to scale back the event. Now, they deliver breakfast to the different stations where first responders await the call to help those in need.

“No matter the circumstance, we want to let them know we appreciate them,” Daniel said.

A few years ago, the Iron Men added the Gideons to the list of those who enjoy the breakfast. Nearly two dozen men and women gathered Monday (Sept. 12) to eat, receive instruction and then try to distribute thousands of Bibles to students walking to class on a beautiful late summer morning.

The Gideons International is “an association of business and professional men and their wives dedicated to telling people about Jesus through associating together for service, sharing personal testimony and by providing Bibles and New Testaments.”

For many years Gideons have been standing on the public sidewalks at WKU offering a Bible to anyone who wanted one.

Daniel says feeding them offers a two-fold benefit to the Iron Men ministry. It allows them to feed the volunteers a hearty breakfast before they pound the pavement, and it generates a beneficial income for the group.

“They pay us a small amount of money which we’re able to put into a fund that we use later in the year to give away holiday meals,” Daniel said.

He sees the morning as a way to serve the community both now and later.

“It’s really been a combination of good outreach for the community and for people that need some support around the holiday season,” he said.

The interaction with the first responders has generated an ongoing relationship that has extended to the community around the church, Daniel said.

“They (the fire department) come back and serve us with an outreach to children,” Daniel said, describing times the fire department has brought trucks to children’s events at the church to give kids an opportunity to see the lights and switches up close.

“We’re in an underserved neighborhood in Bowling Green,” he said. “This gives the kids an opportunity they might not ordinarily have.”

As the dishes are cleaned up after another year’s breakfast, Daniel says enduring the 3:30 a.m. wakeup call is worth it.

“It gives us a bond here at Forest Park. As we fix breakfast, we’re reminded to serve the community.”

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Faculty, Students Sue Christian School Over LGBTQ Hiring Ban

By

David Crary

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September 13, 2022

Students walk on the campus of Seattle Pacific University in Seattle on Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022. A group of students, faculty and staff at the Christian university have sued leaders of the board of trustees for refusing to scrap an employment policy barring people in same-sex relationships from full-time jobs at SPU. (AP Photo/Chris Grygiel)

Divisions over LGBTQ-related policies have flared recently at several religious colleges in the United States. On Monday, there was a dramatic new turn at one of the most rancorous battlegrounds—Seattle Pacific University.

A group of students, faculty and staff at the Christian university sued leaders of the board of trustees for refusing to scrap an employment policy barring people in same-sex relationships from full-time jobs at SPU. The 16 plaintiffs say the trustees’ stance—widely opposed on campus—is a breach of their fiduciary duties that threatens to harm SPU’s reputation, worsen enrollment difficulties and possibly jeopardize its future.

The lawsuit, filed in Washington State Superior Court, requests that the defendants— including the university’s interim president, Pete Menjares—be removed from their positions. It asks that economic damages, in an amount to be determined at a jury trial, be paid to anyone harmed by the LGBTQ hiring policy.

“This case is about six men who act as if they, and the educational institution they are charged to protect, are above the law,” the lawsuit says. “While these men are powerful, they are not above the law… They must be held to account for their illegal and reckless conduct.”

In addition to Menjares, the defendants are board chair Dean Kato; trustees Matthew Whitehead, Mark Mason and Mike Quinn, and former trustee Michael McKee. Whitehead and Mason are leaders of the Free Methodist Church, a denomination whose teachings do not recognize same-sex marriage and which founded SPU in 1891.

Asked if the university had a response to the lawsuit, SPU’s director of public information, Tracy Norlen, replied via email, “Seattle Pacific University is aware of the lawsuit and will respond in due course.”

SPU’s LGBTQ-related employment policy has been a source of bitter division on the campus over the past two years. One catalyst was a lawsuit filed against SPU in January 2021 by Jeaux Rinedahl, an adjunct professor who alleged he was denied a full-time, tenured position because he was gay.

That lawsuit eventually was settled out of court, but it intensified criticism of the hiring policy. Through surveys and petitions, it’s clear that large majorities of the faculty and student body oppose the policy, yet a majority of the trustees reaffirmed it in May—triggering resignations by other trustees and protests by students that included a prolonged sit-in at the school’s administrative offices.

At SPU’s graduation on June 12, dozens of students protested by handing gay-pride flags to Menjares, rather than shake his hand, as they received diplomas.

Kato, the trustees’ chair, responded to the protests with a firm defense of the hiring policy.

“We acknowledge there is disagreement among people of faith on the topic of sexuality and identity,” Kato’s wrote to student activists. “But after careful and prayerful deliberation, we believe these longstanding employee expectations are consistent with the University’s mission and Statement of Faith that reflect a traditional view on biblical marriage and sexuality.”

Acquisition of Al Mohler Content by Publisher Generates Social Media Dustup

By

Scott Barkley

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September 13, 2022

Acquisition-of-Mohler-content-by-publisher-generates-social-media — Photo courtesy of Baptist Press.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) — The addition of several addresses by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler to a content-sharing platform has drawn criticism from various directions.

A Sept. 8 tweet by Canon Press announced that Mohler had become a part of the media library for Canon+, its subscription-based media platform. Canon Press began in 1988 as the literature ministry of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, a non-Southern Baptist congregation with Reformed theology led by Pastor Doug Wilson. In late 2012, Christ Church decided to sell Canon Press to private businessmen while retaining its theological leanings and, now informal, connections to Wilson and Christ Church.

The new content consists of several addresses Mohler made at the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) annual meeting. The Southern Seminary president expressed surprise at his inclusion on the platform in a Saturday evening tweet, saying neither he nor his staff had received any communication from Canon+ and he had granted no permission.

Just over an hour after Mohler’s tweet, Canon Press announced a special first-month rate for subscribing with the discount code “MOHLER.”

Addressing Mohler’s tweet that night, Wilson also said the acquisition was “on the up-and-up, fair-and-square, and all legal-like.”

Audio for ETS meetings has been contracted through the company WordMp3 “for at least 10-12 years,” ETS executive director Ken Magnuson told Baptist Press. Magnuson is a longtime member of ETS but had no input on the contract, which stipulates that WordMp3 owns the rights to those recordings.

Magnuson, in his current position for two years, told BP that he worked directly with WordMp3 founder Gregg Strawbridge, who died earlier this year from a heart attack.

Attempts by Baptist Press to reach Canon Press and WordMP3 for specifics on the acquisition were unsuccessful.
Wilson has joined others in recent years of accusing Mohler of liberalism and allowing aspects of it to be taught at Southern Seminary.

On Sept. 10, however, the Idaho pastor himself was deflecting accusations of being “woke” due to Mohler’s inclusion on the platform. Wilson responded by saying that Canon+ had “added some of Al Mohler’s content from a number of years ago” and “Al’s stuff back then was really good, and we stand behind it.”

Mohler’s commentaries exist on the site in the form of addresses he delivered at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in 2004, 2008 and 2014-16, but also as recently as 2021. Mohler’s comments are accessible through a paid subscription and cover topics such as the sexual revolution, secularization and temptations of evangelical theologians.

Wilson is the co-author of “Southern Slavery, As It Was,” a 1996 book that challenged historical depictions of slavery in the South as “largely false.” In 2013 he wrote a follow-up book, “Black and Tan,” which purports that America’s “failure to remove slavery in a biblical fashion” has led to modern-day “quagmires” over racism, hate speech and the biblical position on slavery.

This article originally appeared at Baptist Press.

Arson Investigation After Fire Destroys Historic LA Church

By

AP News

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September 13, 2022

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An arson investigation is under way after fire destroyed a historic church in South Los Angeles early Sunday, authorities said.

The blaze at Victory Baptist Church broke out shortly before 2:30 a.m. and quickly grew to major emergency status, said Nicholas Prange, a spokesperson with the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Two firefighters were hospitalized with mild to moderate injuries after battling the flames, Prange said. One became trapped by a collapsing ceiling before being rescued, he said.

The Los Angeles Times said Victory Baptist has played a major role in the spiritual and political history of South LA.

Founded in a local storefront on Easter Sunday in 1943, the church moved into its current building on McKinley Ave a year later. In the 1950s, its Sunday night services were broadcast on television nationally.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the church in 1964.

An arson team with the House of Worship Task Force was part of the investigation, officials said.

This article originally appeared here.

La Luz Del Mundo Leader, Naasón Joaquín García, Faces New Lawsuit in Los Angeles

By

Alejandra Molina

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September 13, 2022

LOS ANGELES (RNS) — Naasón Joaquín García, the leader of La Luz del Mundo, is facing a new lawsuit filed by five women who allege he sexually abused them while other church members groomed them and used the religion as ammunition against them.

The five women are identified as Jane Does in the civil lawsuit that was filed Thursday (Sept. 8) in Los Angeles Superior Court. The women, who range in age from 20 to 28, were also the Jane Does included in the criminal charges filed against García by the California Attorney General’s office, attorneys said.

They cite sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and gender violence and seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages against the church.

Named in the complaint are: 53-year-old García, who is in prison after taking a plea deal in criminal charges brought by California Attorney General Rob Bonta; as well as Alondra Ocampo, Susana Medina Oaxaca and Azalea Rangel, who allegedly groomed the women to be abused by García; and Alma Zamora de Joaquín, who is García’s wife and who attorneys said knew of her husband’s alleged abuse and the grooming of the young women. García’s three children — Adoraim Joaquín Zamora, Eldai Joaquín Zamora and Sibma Joaquín Zamora — were also named in the suit and were allegedly aware of the abuse and grooming.

“Naasón didn’t work alone in perpetuating his abuse,” Jonati Yedidsion, one of the attorneys representing the Jane Does, told reporters at a news conference in downtown Los Angeles on Monday (Sept. 12).

“Many members of the highest level of the church, including several of Naasón’s family members, were aware of the church aiding and participating in the abuse of these victims,” Yedidsion said.

The five women and their families are not under police protection and have been harassed and threatened by members of the church, according to Yedidsion.

A spokesperson for the church has not returned a request for comment.

The alleged abuses by García occurred between 2015 and 2019, according to the suit.

Attorney Jonati Yedidsion, center, speaks about a new lawsuit she and other attorneys have filed against La Luz del Mundo leader Naasón Joaquín García, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in downtown Los Angeles. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina

From the time they were young children, the women “were routinely coerced” to believe García’s “wishes and desires were direct orders from God, that he was without sin and incapable of committing any wrongs,” according to the complaint.

Attorneys in the suit allege that the women were led to believe disobeying García would “lead to catastrophic consequences including, but not limited to, eternal damnation, unspeakable tragedy, infertility, and countless other harms” to the women and their families.

The women, according to the suit, believed in the church doctrine and that their “eternal salvation depended upon them doing whatever the Apostle commanded as well as keeping him happy.”

5 Steps on a Lifelong Path to Spiritual Authority

By

Dan Reiland

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September 13, 2022

spiritual authority — Lightstock #241338

As a leader, you can never escape the reality of authority and its reflection on your character.

However, if you can’t handle authority, you will struggle with leadership, and your confidence may be challenged because of the pressures you face.

Authority is the currency through which leaders get things done. Some people prefer to use the term influence, and that word does more accurately describe the innate function of leadership.

Perhaps a helpful way to see how this leadership concept plays out is to compare three closely related words: authority, influence, and power.

Authority is something given to you.
Influence is what you possess within you.
Power is your ability to cause good or harm.

(Excerpt from “Confident Leader,” Ch. 7 on Authority)

The important thing to understand is that authority is always transferred.

Jesus’ authority was transferred from the Father (John 10:17-18; John 17:1-2)
Jesus transferred his authority to the disciples (Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:19)
Jesus’ authority transferred to all believers (Matthew 28:18-20)

The wisest of leaders understand that their authority wasn’t theirs in the first place and steward it with wisdom, grace, and strength of character.

There are two primary sources of authority, God, and man. (Spiritual and organizational) The two are usually integrated. The important thing to remember is that you are never the source of your own authority.

If you forget where your authority came from, that’s often when your leadership missteps begin.

Understandably, much of our leadership training is in the organizational realm, developing our competency in a variety of things from strategy to empowerment.

But we can also develop and nurture our spiritual authority, and truly, the two (spiritual and organizational) should never be separated because we are, in fact, spiritual leaders.

The Path to the Lifelong Development of Spiritual Authority:

Two Notes:

The following character traits and practices do not replace competence in leadership; they partner with human competence to bring spiritual power and greater impact.
This is a lifelong path, not a finite journey where you “arrive” at a predetermined destination.

1. Spiritual Authority Is Grounded in Humility.

Humility is not related to your place on the org chart; it reflects the disposition of your heart.

To aspire to leadership is an admirable ambition, as long as it’s for the good of others and the glory of God.

Humility comes mainly from a profound awareness of God’s grace and kindness in your life.

“But No One Told Me!” – Tips To Improving Staff Communication

By

Kristen Eleveld

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September 13, 2022

Keeping your team updated on everything they need to know is a huge task—even if your team is only two or three people. If your staff is even larger, it may feel impossible. But we’re here to help this monumental task feel more obtainable! Here are some small steps you can take to create big change when it comes to improving staff communication.

Improving Staff Communication – It’s All in the Details

It’s easy to assume that your team knows about an upcoming event or about a time change for a special service. But what’s obvious to you may not be obvious to everyone! Make sure you over-communicate to your team members about any changes or updates being made to policies, events, meetings, holiday parties—all of it.

Even if you announced new information in a staff meeting where everyone was taking notes, it’s a good idea to send out a quick email afterward that highlights important items they need to know going forward. You don’t need to write a novel—even a few bullet points that highlight the most vital information will be helpful for your staff to refer to later.

When in Doubt, Delegate

If you have a large staff, or even a small staff that works with volunteers from the congregation, it’s a good idea to build different teams—and, more importantly, team leaders. Each team can focus on more targeted projects or areas of ministry. This is a great way to tackle different projects while still keeping everyone in the loop.

For example, let’s say you set up a social media team, whose goal is to manage and maintain your social media presence. Appoint a team leader who can be in charge of staff communication — all updates and questions to staff or other teams, instead of attempting to get the entire team together to give the update.

The team leader can then go back to their team with the staff’s response and any new action items assigned to them. This allows everyone to get the information they need without spending all their time replying to emails and fielding questions.

There’s an App for That

Maybe you’re struggling because your staff doesn’t read your emails—and you can just forget about expecting a response. In the hustle and bustle of the work day, it’s easy to forget about some of the items waiting in your inbox. So consider using a different means of staff communication.

Apps like GroupMe and Slack allow for staff communication through notifications on a smartphone. You may want to create a private Facebook group that you and your staff can use to post information, start a discussion, or even just link an interesting article that you think is a relevant read. Ask your staff members what apps they use to communicate with friends, and see if you can adapt those for your needs!

Improving staff communication with your team may seem like an insurmountable task, but when you get creative and find new ways to talk to your team, you may just find that they have all the information they need! Now you can get down to business.

This article on improving staff communication originally appeared here, and is used by permission.

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1. You Don’t Have More First-Time Guests Than the Average Attendance in a Year

2. Christmas Eve Attendance Doesn’t Double Your Average Attendance

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TYPICAL REPLIES:

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The Path to the Lifelong Development of Spiritual Authority:

1. Spiritual Authority Is Grounded in Humility.

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When in Doubt, Delegate

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