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SC House Passes Bill to Keep Churches Open in Emergencies

By
AP News
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communicating with the unchurched

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina House has approved a bill that would make sure churches and other religious organizations are treated as essential services during a state of emergency.

The bill given key approval on a 73-39 vote Thursday also says religious groups still have to follow safety protocols and occupancy rules during emergencies.

The proposal said churches and other houses of worship can’t be closed if other essential businesses are open.

Last spring while temporarily closing restaurants, beauty salons, gyms and other businesses because of COVID-19, Gov. Henry McMaster repeatedly stated closing churches would violate the freedom of religion provision in the U.S. Constitution.

After a routine affirmation next week, the bill will be sent to the Senate.

“This just allows a church to be on an even footing — a religious organization to be on a an even footing with all other businesses deemed to be essential services,” said Rep. John McCravy, R-Greenwood.

Democrats who opposed the bill said it was unnecessary because of the constitutional protection churches have and could lead to churchgoers to not take precautions and put themselves in danger.

“In your district did you have congregants who wound up dying because they went inside a building to serve God?” Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, asked McCravy.

This article originally appeared here.

Unleash Your Church’s Creative Vision With the KAIROS Live Video Platform

By
ChurchLeaders
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communicating with the unchurched

Ever had a great but complex video sermon idea with only three days to go before a Sunday service? Once an inspired email is dashed off by the Pastor to the production and creative teams, can it be done under this tight timeframe?

With Panasonic’s KAIROS live video production platform in your arsenal, your production and technical teams are ready to get to work

Creative Worship Experiences Require the Right Equipment

Creating compelling worship experiences requires a combination of inspiration, creativity, flexibility, ingenuity, and the right equipment. The unlimited connections of KAIROS network connectivity, and creative flexibility of Kairos Creator (GUI software) equip your tech team to quickly adapt to changing environments and requirements without the constant need to set up or tear down existing gear. This software-based platform provides a central control and processor that multiple GUI control instances can connect to, virtually interface with any source’s native format. With KAIROS, you can manage a changing array of unique screens with as low as a single- frame latency, helping you create a meaningful worship experience just as it was imagined. With its resolution and format independence for both input and output, you can create and deliver content for any screen or device, so you can continue to share your visual message even as new formats or screen configurations become available.

The KAIROS Core (main frame) solves the problem of hardware obsolescence the minute you plug it in, easily flexing its CPU/GPU muscle in the ever-changing environment of live, multi-location, and pre-recorded productions. The takeaway:  This means creativity can be unleashed with the flexibility of sources going into and out of the KAIROS system, and complete customization of the KAIROS Creator GUI interface.

KAIROS Is Perfect for Multiple Campuses

If your church is spread across multiple sites (or has multiple rooms supporting Sunday worship), Panasonic’s KAROS live video production platform is easily accessed across one or multiple campuses. KAIROS can act as the master control for innumerable computers, control panels, robotic cameras, projectors, and lighting boards to work together seamlessly, all accessible from the KAIROS interface

KAIROS Is Perfect for Limited Budgets

Like many organizations, some churches may have limited budgets.  KAIROS easily integrates and maximizes current legacy equipment, providing a customized upgrade path.  This saves time, money, and valuable human and technical resources throughout the year.

KAIROS Is Perfect for Your Team

Many churches rely on a mix of full-time tech staff and tech volunteers.  Panasonic’s KAIROS Creator is a layer-based desktop GUI that brings a familiar interface to anyone used to desktop publishing and editing. This easy Mac or PC control of the powerful Linux processing engine helps utilize valuable human resources with its intuitive functional layout, and its ability to support growing deployments in every aspect of production.

KAIROS Is Perfect for Your Presentations

KAIROS offers the flexibility and scalability of a software-based platform combined with Panasonic’s industry-renowned stringent quality controls.  It is the solution for any current mixed-format issue, even if needed in the same production, and assures that your church stays ahead of the curve.  With technical demands assured to grow in the future, providing a scalable, virtual system like Kairos will future-proof your investment, because it will accept any format delivered to it in its native raster thanks to ST 2110 and other inputs. Video formats on ST 2110 are not constrained to any specific resolutions, and neither is KAIROS so it can deliver any screen’s native resolution as well.

Panasonic KAIROS’ live video production platform will provide your staff with the tools they need to support your production aspirations in a powerful, vivid, dependable way. Bringing your tech team solidly and confidently into the future.

Technical teams need to have confidence in the tools they use to present powerful, effective messages and worship experiences. These teams need to make sure the gear works reliably every time, as well as managing budgets for both equipment and staffing. Church campus facilities need to be able to use all spaces effectively, even when those spaces are frequently re-purposed. KAIROS delivers for these challenges, bringing peace of mind to pastors, high performance to technical teams, and the ability to leverage every room in a church’s campus.

The KAIROS platform empowers every area of church ministry because its open architecture platform facilitates the linkage of diverse external sources and destinations as well as the integration of hardware and software-based systems. The new KAIROS system ensures complete operational freedom at all levels.

North Carolina Police Find Suspicious Incendiary Devices Near Church

By
AP News
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communicating with the unchurched

BREVARD, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina evacuated local businesses Sunday after they found several suspected incendiary devices near a Baptist church and a county building.

Police in Brevard, a city of about 7,500 in western North Carolina, said they received a call at about 10:30 a.m. for a report of the devices near the First Baptist Church of Brevard and the Transylvania County Community Services Building.

When officers responded, they found several small devices that had not detonated, police said in a news release.

The area was cordoned off and local establishments were evacuated as a precautionary measure, police said. There were no injuries.

City Council member Geraldine Dinkins said she was saddened by the discovery of the devices in Brevard, which she called a “close-knit community.”

“This is just really an act of cowardice, and Brevard is better than that,” she said.

Police said they are working with the Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, the NC State Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and ATF to investigate.

No other information was immediately provided.

This article originally appeared here.

Vatican Bars Gay Marriage Blessing, Says God ‘Can’t Bless Sin’

By
AP News
-
communicating with the unchurched

ROME (AP) — The Vatican decreed Monday that the Catholic Church won’t bless same-sex unions since God “cannot bless sin.”

The Vatican’s orthodoxy office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued a formal response Monday to a question about whether Catholic clergy have the authority to bless gay unions. The answer, contained in a two-page explanation published in seven languages and approved by Pope Francis, was “negative.”

The note distinguished between the church’s welcoming and blessing of gay people, which it upheld, but not their unions. It argued that such unions are not part of God’s plan and that any such sacramental recognition could be confused with marriage.

The note immediately disheartened advocates for LGBT Catholics and threw a wrench in the debate within the German church, which has been at the forefront of opening discussion on hot-button issues such the church’s teaching on homosexuality.

Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for greater acceptance of gays in the church, predicted the Vatican position will be ignored, including by some Catholic clergy.

“Catholic people recognize the holiness of the love between committed same-sex couples and recognize this love as divinely inspired and divinely supported and thus meets the standard to be blessed,” he said in a statement.

The Vatican holds that gay people must be treated with dignity and respect, but that gay sex is “intrinsically disordered.” Catholic teaching holds that marriage, a lifelong union between a man and woman, is part of God’s plan and is intended for the sake of creating new life.

Since gay unions aren’t intended to be part of that plan, they can’t be blessed by the church, the document said.

“The presence in such relationships of positive elements, which are in themselves to be valued and appreciated, cannot justify these relationships and render them legitimate objects of an ecclesial blessing, since the positive elements exist within the context of a union not ordered to the Creator’s plan,” the response said.

God “does not and cannot bless sin: He blesses sinful man, so that he may recognize that he is part of his plan of love and allow himself to be changed by him,” it said.

Francis has endorsed providing gay couples with legal protections in same-sex unions, but that was in reference to the civil sphere, not within the church. Those comments were made during a 2019 interview with a Mexican broadcaster, Televisa, but were cut by the Vatican until they appeared in a documentary last year.

While the documentary film fudged the context, Francis was referring to the position he took when he was archbishop of Buenos Aires. At the time, Argentina’s lawmakers were considering approving gay marriage, which he and the Catholic Church opposed. Then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio instead supported providing legal protections for gays in stable unions through a so-called “law of civil cohabitation.”

Francis told Televisa: “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God.” Speaking of families with gay children, he said: “You can’t kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered.”

In the new document and an accompanying unsigned article, the Vatican said questions had been raised about whether the church should bless same-sex unions in a sacramental way in recent years, and after Francis had insisted on the need to better welcome and accompany gays in the church.

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit and advocate for building bridges with the LGBT community, said the Vatican note appeared to be a response to pressures within the German church before a consultative assembly to consider bestowing church blessings on same-sex couples. The German church has been at the forefront of pushing the debate on celibacy, contraception and the church’s outreach to gay Catholics, pressured by a powerful lay Catholic group demanding change.

“It seems to be the Vatican’s response to some German bishops who had mentioned this possibility, in the run up to their country’s synod, as a way of reaching out to LGBTQ people,” Martin said in an email.

In a statement, the head of the German bishops’ conference, Bishop Georg Bätzing, said the new document would be incorporated into the German discussion, but he suggested that the case was by no means closed.

“There are no easy answers to questions like these,” he said, adding that the German church wasn’t only looking at the church’s current moral teaching, but the development of doctrine and the actual reality of Catholics today.

Other commentators noted that Catholic Book of Blessings contains rites of blessings that can be bestowed on everything from new homes and factories to animals, sporting events, seeds before planting and farm tools.

In the article, the Vatican stressed the “fundamental and decisive distinction” between gay individuals and gay unions, noting that “the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.”

But it explained the rationale for forbidding a blessing of such unions, noting that any union that involves sexual activity outside of marriage cannot be blessed because it is not in a state of grace, or “ordered to both receive and express the good that is pronounced and given by the blessing.”

And it added that blessing a same-sex union could give the impression of a sort of sacramental equivalence to marriage. “This would be erroneous and misleading,” the article said.

In 2003, the same Vatican office issued a similar decree saying that the church’s respect for gay people “cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behavior or to legal recognition of homosexual unions.”

Doing so, the Vatican reasoned then, would not only condone “deviant behavior,” but create an equivalence to marriage, which the church holds is an indissoluble union between man and woman.

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of the U.S.-based NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and an advocate for greater LGBTQ inclusion in the church, said she was relived the Vatican statement wasn’t worse.

She said she interpreted the statement as saying, “You can bless the individuals (in a same-sex union), you just can’t bless the contract.”

“So it’s possible you could have a ritual where the individuals get blessed to be their committed selves.”

___

This article by Nicole Winfield originally appeared here. 

AP National Writer David Crary in New York, and correspondent Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin, contributed to this report.

 

Shame, Grace and #STOPtheSTEAL

By
Karen Swallow Prior
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — Charles Dickens’ 1861 novel “Great Expectations” tells the story of Pip, a poor, rural orphan boy who is taught to be ashamed of his life of poverty by a beautiful and wealthy girl who mocks him for his “coarse hands” and “thick boots.”

After Pip comes unexpectedly into wealth and opportunity, the embarrassment he feels toward his humble beginnings deepens. His own sense of his worth — his home, his family and his place in the world — is colored by an unfounded sense of shame.

This hermeneutic of shame (as I am calling it) distorts Pip’s entire understanding of himself, ruining his life — and nearly taking his life, too.

Shame is a “feeling of pain that arises from the consciousness” of being seen (often by ourselves) as “dishonorable, improper (or) ridiculous” or as being “ lacking or inadequate in our intellect, appearance, or abilities,” as psychologist Jena Field put it in Psychology Today some years ago. “We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for who we are.”

I think of a highly accomplished public intellectual I know who lamented that his working-class origins means his savoir-faire will always lag behind that of peers raised in the elite class. I think of the way some young people go off to college, get a little learning and then become ashamed of the less-educated folks back home — or of “the church back home,” as a friend of mine refers to this phenomenon among progressives and “exvangelicals.”

Shame isn’t just a mental state. It’s bodily. Field again: Shame “triggers a fear response in order to protect us from further negative emotions.” The body’s physiological response to this fear results, in turn, in defenses that can manifest as aggression, dominance, blaming, justifying or avoidance.

Feelings of shame over qualities or conditions that are beyond our control, in particular, create feelings of helplessness, perpetuating even more shame. And when shame diminishes our sense of self or self-worth, this can lead to envy, anxiety, sadness, depression or loneliness and even anger or rage.

These visceral responses cloud the way we view the world around us. A film of shame overlays the way we “read” ourselves and our place in the world.

I started thinking about all this in the aftermath of the 2020 election: the #StopTheSteal movement, the riot at the Capitol, the disintegration of QAnon conspiracy theories — and the hastening of many to distance themselves from anyone associated with these things.

I noticed that a number of longtime friends and followers who had withstood for years our disagreements about the former president suddenly unfollowed or unfriended me during the election fallout. Others replied to articles about the Capitol riot by directly contradicting the facts or responding irrationally when questioned. I began to wonder if disappointment had turned to shame, and if that internal distress could alter perceptions that dramatically.

A recent essay by David French notes the part that shame, along with the expansion of the shame culture of the South into the wider world of evangelicalism and conservative politics, may have had in what followed the election.

French quotes New York Times columnist David Brooks, who explains the difference between a guilt culture and a shame culture: “In a guilt culture you know you are good or bad by what your conscience feels. In a shame culture you know you are good or bad by what your community says about you, by whether it honors or excludes you.”

Shame cultures exist across the globe and time, of course, not just the South, and its influence, like everything else, has spread with globalization and the media age. But when a longstanding, traditional culture of shame transitions into a new age of media such as the one we find ourselves in, the natural human effects of shame get ratcheted up to levels human beings were never meant to bear.

In a highly mediated culture such as ours — in which everything we do is arbitrated by images and words that process every action and idea — we are surrounded by an infinite supply of false measures like those Pip suffers. Our media serves as a two-way glass, the kind used in criminal lineups: From inside ourselves, we are conscious of being seen, observed and scrutinized by those on the other side. Everywhere we look, we are confronted with images and words trumpeting what our neighbor (or someone half the world away) says, does, believes, buys, drives, affirms and denies.

If we fail to recognize the mediating measures as false, then the shame that comes from not measuring up will be false as well.

Researchers have long identified the ways in which our biases and prejudices shape the way we see and interpret information: confirmation bias, in-group bias and the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Our automated propaganda machines are designed to increase these tendencies (to keep us buying things and buying into things.) Research demonstrates that attitudes about the Capitol riot directly correlate with the news networks one watches.

This lens becomes a kaleidoscope of fractured, dissonant, disorienting explosions. This may explain why the “media” in particular is a frequent target today of anger, resentment and rage, whether from the right or the left, from any communities that feel marginalized.

We are all justified in feeling some helplessness — and some shame — for being played in these ways.

This is not to say shame is never real or deserved. Shame arising from a real transgression — a failure to meet a standard that is just and true — invites us to repent and change. This is good.

But often our shame is Pip’s shame — self-consciousness that comes from a sense of not measuring up. That self-consciousness can become a hermeneutic: a filter through which we see and interpret the world, others and ourselves. The only thing that can defeat shame is grace, the only thing that can repair us: “And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us,” says Paul’s Letter to the Romans.

Like grace, shame (disgrace) is an internal experience. What prompts it, what directs it and what rectifies or fails to rectify it is the whole of inner life: our perceptions, our knowledge, our beliefs, our values, our memories, our hopes, our expectations — our entire imagination. What fills our inner life determines not only what we do with our shame — but also what makes us feel ashamed (or not) at all.

As James K.A. Smith eloquently puts it, if we want to be restored to health, our imaginations must be “restoried.” The words we hear, read, think and speak author the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and the world. In a world swirling with words, we must take care to traffic in true words and whole stories rather than false and incomplete ones. It’s true that Pip had “coarse hands” and “thick boots.” But that wasn’t the whole story.

In a world as fragmented as ours is, we need more whole stories, ones not limited to our physical, political realities. Whole stories, through the insights of the imagination, acknowledge “that there are more invisible beings in the universe than visible,” as Thomas Burnet, quoted by Samuel T. Coleridge in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” said. It is “well pleasing to behold sketched upon the mind, as upon a tablet, a picture of the greater and better world.”

In other words, how we read the world depends on the kinds of stories we traffic in. The stories that shape our imaginations are the ones by which we create our expectations and measure ourselves.

This article originally appeared here.

How to Create a Culture of Empowerment Without Entitlement

By
Dan Reiland
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communicating with the unchurched

Empowerment is generally considered a positive concept, but an attitude of entitlement typically carries a negative connotation. Is it possible that the space between the two is blurry at times?

As a leader, you know it’s important to truly empower your team to lead, yet at times you may be hesitant, wondering if empowerment feeds entitlement.

One pastor asked: “How do I create a culture of empowerment without creating a culture of entitlement?”

Another pastor said: “It seems like the more I give away, the more this person wants.”

Empowerment isn’t an attitude or feeling or something you merely grant or bestow upon your leaders.

Genuine empowerment requires an intentional process that needs consistent effort and commitment.

Empowerment within a vision-based organization committed to healthy teamwork is not a pass for the leaders to do what they want. It is not complete autonomy and freedom.

This is where entitlement can begin to blur the picture. Entitlement brings certain expectations in a context of great freedom. Entitlement requires little process or accountability, and it is rarely partnership-based.

  • Entitlement is an attitude or internal disposition.
  • Empowerment is an intentional process.

Empowerment is an intentional process that results in leaders who are well trained, trusted, resourced, connected to the culture, and aligned with the vision.

A person with a sense of entitlement isn’t a bad person; in fact, they may be gifted, kind, and glad to be part of the organization, but some core notion exists within that person of receiving what is not earned, but in some way, deserved.

Empowered leaders receive consistent support, coaching, guidelines, communication, and encouragement.

5 Comparisons that Distinguish Empowerment from Entitlement:

1) Empowerment is something earned. Entitlement is a sense of something owed.

Years ago, I had a wonderful conversation with a young leader on the team who was a bit frustrated because he hadn’t been selected for a promotion. I explained that he’d only been on staff for about eight minutes. OK, that’s exaggerated, but not by much.

I don’t think he had an entitlement attitude, but he hadn’t yet wrestled down the concept of earning something rather than deserving it. (Or worse, being owed.)

Empowerment is something earned over time; it’s a process of growing as a leader and building what you have been given before you are given more.

Entitlement carries a sense of equality and fairness designed largely inside one’s own thoughts and desires.

The trouble with this aspect of entitlement is that whatever is received is rarely enough, and it does not manifest itself with gratitude.

2) Empowerment is based on trust and belief. Entitlement can operate in the absence of relationship.

All authority is transferred; it’s an issue of stewardship, not ownership. Empowerment is a trust, not a privilege.

The transfer of authority is based on trust, and trust is at the core of all healthy and productive relationships.

Empowerment is based on the belief that the person is the right person for the responsibility and has the competence and capacity to do the job well.

Entitlement allows someone to receive a position without trust or belief, but merely as a transactional moment or mechanical decision.

In essence, that means without relationship.

Empowerment is human and personal; it’s based on a heart level, trust, and belief in potential, not “it’s your turn” or you are “next in line.”

When Kevin Myers, our senior pastor, empowered me nineteen years ago as his executive pastor, it was based on trust and belief in me and our relationship. In it, there is an honor, respect, and from me much gratitude. It’s a relationship we both enjoy.

3) Empowerment results in corporate good. Entitlement results in personal gain.

When a leader is empowered in a healthy organization, the organization benefits and becomes stronger, in many cases, it also becomes larger.

When a leader receives something out of entitlement, the organization may benefit, but that is not the first priority. The first priority is that the person benefits personally.

Empowerment must be focused on accomplishing the vision, not just the advancement of the person.

The heart of empowerment delights in watching a leader rise but can never remove the responsibility of the mission being advanced.

Entitlement often exists mainly for benefits and blessings, which are not bad in themselves, but without connection to responsibility and the vision, that creates a toxic and unhealthy culture.

4) Empowerment requires a process of training. Entitlement can take place in a moment.

When Jesus empowered His disciples to heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel, it wasn’t in a moment, He spent time with them and trained them.

Empowerment is a developmental process that takes time, effort, and energy. It’s not a handshake, and off the person goes.

The transfer of entitlement can occur in a moment, but empowerment is a continual and dynamic process. As the size and scope of the ministry grows, the size and scope of the empowerment must grow with it.

Greater empowerment always requires more development and greater trust. Not greater trust in terms of character, but of competence and capacity to carry the weight of more responsibility.

This reality presents a helpful insight into why it’s so important who you choose to empower. Empowerment is essential, but it’s your choice who you empower.

When someone else chooses for you, that’s entitlement.

5) Empowerment aligns expectations through communication. Entitlement can operate independently.

Entitlement can operate independently and without accountability.

The reason for this is the inherent disconnect of mutual expectations.

Entitlement allows expectation to flow in one direction.

The trust that empowerment lives and breaths stays alive through consistent and honest communication. That communication continually monitors expectations.

Healthy expectations on a church team travel in two directions: from the one who empowered and from the one who is empowered.

Unmet expectations are the greatest cause of disappointment and frustration within even healthy environments of development and empowerment.

If that is allowed to continue over a long period, it can result in entitlement.

How so?

When someone has not received what they expected to receive (breakdown of deeper and honest communication), that begins to fester, the person often ends up wanting even more than the original expectation.

This is how it often moves from hope and desire to something deserved.

For more on healthy and effective empowerment, you can read an additional post on the topic here.

This article originally appeared here.

Why These Pastors Cannot Agree on the Church’s Role in America’s Divisive Politics 

By
AP News
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evangelical Christianity
Travis Lowe, second from right, pastor of Crossroads Church in Bluefield, W.Va., raises his arm during services Sunday Jan. 23, 2021. Lowe, who has expressed concern over the divisiveness of American politics, believes collaboration by churches will help heal his town and the country. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski)

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. (AP) — If you’re Christian in Bluefield — and most everyone is, in this small city tucked into the Appalachian Mountains — you have your choice.

You can follow Pastor Doyle Bradford of Father’s House International Church, who has forcefully backed Donald Trump — doubting Trump’s defeat in November and joining some congregants at the Jan. 6 “Save America” rally that degenerated into the Capitol riot.

Or you can go less than 3 miles away next to the rail yard, to Faith Center Church, where Pastor Frederick Brown regards Bradford as a brother — but says he’s seriously mistaken. Or you can venture up East River Mountain to Crossroads Church, where Pastor Travis Lowe eschews Bradford’s fiery political rhetoric, seeking paths to Christian unity.

The three churches have much in common. All of them condemn the desecration of the Capitol and pray for a way to find common ground. But they diverge on a central issue:

What is the role of evangelical Christianity in America’s divisive politics? 

Bradford and his flock defend his actions as expressions of freedom of speech and religious freedom, and say they should be allowed to voice their views against what they feel is an assault on democracy and Christian values. But his fellow pastors fear that fiery rhetoric and baseless claims made online and from the pulpit could stoke more tensions, rancor and divisiveness.

Though AP VoteCast found that about 8 in 10 evangelical voters supported Donald Trump in November — and though broadly, they have backed the political efforts of church leaders — they are not monolithic. 

As is evident in this Appalachian town of just more than 10,000.

Long before he followed his pastoral calling, Doyle Bradford dug for coal underground — a traditional vocation in Bluefield, where folks proudly recall how rock extracted from the surrounding hills powered ships in the two world wars and helped build the skylines of cities across America.

Joe Biden carried parts of Bluefield itself, small splotches of blue in the sea of red that is West Virginia. But Mercer County gave more than three-quarters of its votes to Trump, and Bradford and his pronouncements are very much in line with that.

“For those of you who are surprised at my attending (the Washington rally), we have 2 choices,” he wrote on Facebook, “I stand with the platform that most closely aligns with my faith and values. Those do not include the murder of babies in the womb, and not knowing which bathroom one should use and banning pronouns.”

He said he did not participate in or even see the violence Jan. 6. On Facebook, he said he believed it was a “planned response from non Trump supporters.” He claimed there was “plenty of evidence of fraud” in the presidential election — though there is no evidence that that is the case — and called on people to “wake up” because “America is at stake.” 

In an interview, Bradford fiercely defended his actions and denied he was part of a larger movement toward Christian nationalism, described by a coalition gathered by the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty as an ideology that “demands Christianity be privileged by the state and implies that to be a good American, one must be Christian.”

“I consider myself a Christian who loves America, but what we’ve got going on in the Earth today is, if a Christian does love America, they’re automatically called nationalist,” Bradford said.

christian nationalism

“I do not believe that America is any greater in the eyes of God than any other country. But as a minister of the Gospel, I do not want to be shut out of the public arena. I do have freedom of speech and freedom of religion, and it is my personal belief that America is going in a direction that will cause great harm to America.”

At Faith Center Church, Frederick Brown does not deny Bradford’s right to speak, but he does question the wisdom and even the godliness of some of the things he’s said.

Brown wants other religious leaders to return to “real Christianity” instead of getting wrapped up in the political arena. Although he respects Bradford as a “tremendous teacher” who loves God, he criticized some of his comments.

“With all love and due respect to my brother, I just feel that he has been completely out of order. I believe that he has said things publicly that just were not biblical,” he said.

“I’ve watched him declare that the wrath of God was coming upon people that did not vote for Trump, and the wrath of God was coming on the people that rigged the election. All of these things, from my perspective, that is totally contrary to what we teach and what we preach in Christendom.”

During a recent Sunday service — the first in-person one since November, due to the pandemic — Brown thanked the mostly Black congregation for its support after he contracted the coronavirus along with his wife and 17-month-old twins. Then he asked them to put politics aside and trust God. 

“I don’t know about you all,” he said, “but I’ve been through 11 presidents, and I have survived them all.”

In a town where another church marquee read, “Don’t look to the White House. Look to heaven,” Brown’s message reverberated.

“I’m ready for this political jockeying to be over with,” said congregant Jonathan Jessup. “You know, I’m sick of it because the only thing it’s doing is causing more division.”

At Crossroads Church, Travis Lowe has struggled with his own inclination to preserve Christian unity at all costs. He supported Black Lives Matter protests, but was reproached by a friend because his comments were divisive. He resolved to rein in his political speech.

In a post on Medium, he recounted how he struggled to remain silent as “pastors and prophets began to publicly take sides in the U.S. election. I was silent as scriptures were used to demonize political enemies. I was silent as the language of violence flowed from the mouths of `people of peace.'”

Faith Leaders React to Biden’s Speech & the American Rescue Plan

By
Stephanie Martin
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communicating with the unchurched

On the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden addressed Americans Thursday night. In Biden’s speech, he discussed what we’ve lost, how we’ve pulled together, and what lies ahead. He also used his nationally televised speech to share details about the newly passed and signed American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion package that’s drawing a wide range of reactions from faith leaders.

President Biden: We’ve Found “Light in the Darkness”

After acknowledging the suffering, sacrifices, and “the loss of life and the loss of living,” Biden described ways the American people have been “finding light in the darkness.” He praised scientists for making swift progress on the COVID-19 vaccine front and urged citizens to get the shot as soon as their turn arrives. “All adult Americans will be eligible to get a vaccine no later than May 1,” Biden promised.

The president added that although the goal is for Americans to be able to spend “July 4th with your loved ones,” we “can’t let our guard down.” In his closing, Biden said, “Please, God, give solace to all those people who lost someone.”

Following Biden’s speech, evangelist Franklin Graham, who had supported former President Donald Trump, posted on Facebook: “I was appreciative of his positive approach, encouraging Americans that we will come out of this pandemic but still cautioning us not to let our guard down. Thank you, Mr. President, and we will pray for those who have lost loved ones, that God would wrap His loving arms around them and give them peace and comfort.”

Graham added, “I do wish President Biden had also thanked former President Trump for all of his work to fight the coronavirus early on, waiving the red tape so that the vaccine could be completed and reaching the American people by Christmas. I encourage everyone to continue to pray for our nation and our leaders—we need God’s help and mercy.”

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, also took to social media, tweeting: “Joe Biden breaks his arm patting himself on the back for building on Covid response made possible by Pres Trump & Operation Warp Speed but Biden gives Trump no credit.” Huckabee added, “Hey Joe will we still be able to celebrate July 4? Not because of Covid but will the left cancel a celebration of America?”

Reactions to the American Rescue Plan

President Biden also used his primetime speech to describe features of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which he’d signed into law earlier in the day. The “historic piece of legislation…delivers immediate relief to millions of people,” Biden said, through $1,400 stimulus checks, unemployment benefits, small-business assistance, lower health-care premiums, and food and housing assistance. “And it will cut child poverty in this country in half, according to the experts,” said the president.

Reactions to the $1.9 trillion legislation were swift, with some people praising the assistance it promises and others criticizing what they consider overreach and partisanship. Several faith-based social-justice groups issued statements in support of the ARP. Diane Randall, general secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, said, “President Biden made it clear he wants to go big in taking on COVID-19. As people of faith, we agree. It is a moral imperative to confront the pandemic and care for all of those left in its disastrous wake.”

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, responded to the ARP this way: “My Catholic faith demands that we must individually and collectively help those in need…and the American Rescue Plan is the faithful answer to those in need.”

The Rev. William Barber II, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, says the new administration’s approach to coronavirus relief will “require long-term, fundamental transformation.” He tweeted, “President Biden & Vice President Harris, now that the American Rescue Plan Act has been signed into law, we cannot accept the poverty & low-income of 140 million Americans before COVID. We need healthcare for all, voting rights for all & a moral agenda.”

Critics Decry Liberal Overspending, Abortion Expansion

The legislation’s massive scale and wide-ranging provisions raise fears for other faith leaders. The Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, warns that the ARP isn’t a stimulus bill, as it was “sold,” but rather “a redefinition of our federal government.” In the Friday “Briefing” posted on his website, Mohler calls the law “a check” that the U.S. government “can’t back.”

The nation’s economy is already “well on its way to recovery,” adds Mohler, who says now “the economy will be so flushed with cash that there is a very real danger of inflation.” Calling the ARP “an extremely liberal bill,” he accuses the Democratic Party of using the coronavirus crisis to redefine “the entire welfare system,” expand the Affordable Care Act, and take steps toward programs such as universal basic income.

Though Biden ran as “Mr. Bipartisan,” says Mohler, the president and congressional Democrats managed to pass the legislation “entirely on party lines” using the reconciliation process.

Pro-life groups also are raising concerns about the ARP, because they say funds distributed through it won’t be protected by the Hyde Amendment. That means there’s no guarantee that taxpayer money won’t be used to fund abortions.

The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List released a statement blasting the omission of Hyde protections in the ARP. Group president Marjorie Dannenfelser says Biden “has fully caved to the extremists in his party, signing a massive expansion of taxpayer-funded abortion.” She calls the ARP’s passage “tragic” and “such an offense to conscience.” Dannenfelser adds, “And what does this have to do with COVID RELIEF? Using a vulnerable moment to victimize the most vulnerable.”

The Family Research Council (FRC) voices similar concerns, saying the ARP “tears down the firewall between taxpayers and abortion.” On its website, the FRC provides more details about the law, which it calls “a bad deal for taxpayers, the economy, and especially the unborn.”

NFL Quarterback Dak Prescott Honors God in Gruesome Injury and New Deal

By
Laycie McClain
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communicating with the unchurched

Last NFL season, Dak Prescott faced what could have been a career-ending and hobbling injury as his Dallas Cowboys faced the New York Giants. It was his friends’ support and Dak’s faith in God that carried him through what he saw as God’s goodness and presence in this life challenge.

“Even sitting there holding my leg, trying to put it back into place…” Dak said, “that’s just what God’s thrown at me. If you’ve known my life, if you’ve known my story, whatever circumstance that is, I’m going to take it with a smile and be thankful that God has put me in position to overcome it to be an example to others.”

Now Dak Prescott Signs $160 Million Contract

Earlier this week, Dak Prescott signed a massive $160 million contract. Prescott, often vocal about his faith, thanks God for the opportunity.

According to ESPN, the $160 million dollar deal is more than team owner and general manager Jerry Jones paid for the entire team in 1989. The fresh contract comes while Prescott is still recovering from a terrible injury he suffered during an October 2020 game against the New York Giants. When the injury happened, the stadium reportedly went quiet as medical staff wheeled Prescott off the field in tears, his ankle gruesomely twisted. It was immediately clear the injury—what ended up being a compound fracture and dislocation—was a season-ender for the quarterback.

ESPN reported soon after the game that Jerry Jones called the injury heartbreaking. “I know this young man very well,” Jones said in a statement. “I know the personal hardship and strife that he has faced, dealt with and overcome in his young life. And I know of no one who is more prepared, from the perspective of mental and emotional toughness and determination than Dak Prescott to respond and recover from this challenge that has been put in front of him.”

“He is an inspiration to everyone he touches,” Jones continued. “He has all of our love and support. And we have no doubt that he will return to the position of leadership and purpose that he brings to our team.”

Prescott’s Faith and Resilience During the Loss of His Mother

One of Dak Prescott’s life hardships Jones referred to is the loss of his mother. In 2012, Dak was a young rising football star dealing with an enormously painful challenge as his mother, Peggy Prescott, battled colon cancer. She was diagnosed at Stage 4 and ultimately died of cancer in November 2013.

Despite what he faced in his personal life, according to a report by Sports Illustrated, his determination and success grew and it had much to do with honoring his mother. “After my mom got sick, she told me, ‘Allow me to be your story. All the greats have a story,’ ” Prescott says.”

Since then Prescott has utilized his rising influence in his young NFL career to bring awareness to colon cancer and support cancer research. Following every touchdown he now points to the sky in memory of his mother.

Prescott also launched a non-profit, the Faith Fight Finish foundation, rooted in three words Peggy Prescott would share to inspire and encourage Dak and his brothers. As stated on the foundation’s website, the mission of the non-profit is to invest “in the future of our youth by empowering individuals, families, and communities to find strength through adversity. The foundation focuses on fighting cancer and offering assistance to those facing life-challenging hardships; in honor of Dak’s Mom, Peggy!”

Prescott’s Unwavering Faith and Determination Continues Post-Injury

Not long after his catastrophic injury, Prescott shared an ever positive and optimistic video on his Instagram. In the video he said, “What’s up everyone? I just wanted everyone to know that I’m doing well, and I can’t thank you enough for all your love, your support, your prayers over the last few days. They’ve been more than overwhelming. From teammates, to family, to friends, to fans I don’t know, to former and current players around the league and players around all sports, I just want to say thank you.” He announced he was on his way to the doctor to see his leg (ankle injury) for the first time and saw the adversity he faced in overcoming the injury as another chapter in his life story.

To wrap up the video, Prescott stated, “I’m just excited. Excited for God’s purpose and plan. I know it’s bigger than anything that I see or I could have imagined, but I’m trusting him. My faith is doubled down more than ever and I’m thankful that he’s my Savior and he guides me in life. So I know through him, all this will be possible and all this will be a great comeback and a great story.”

Responses to Prescott’s New Deal Have Been Positive

An article by ESPN details the contract with the Dallas Cowboys that Prescott signed this week. There has been warm reception and congratulations.

“What is so special about him is with all the success he has had on and off the field, he is still first and foremost one of the guys,” All-Pro right guard Zack Martin told ESPN.com. “It’s one thing to be a vocal leader as the quarterback, but he backs it up with how he works and prepares throughout the year. He takes the time to get to know his teammates and understands that no one’s job is too small. He’s everything you want in a quarterback, a teammate and a friend.”

Prescott echoed the excitement and enthusiasm about the historic deal, which included an NFL record-breaking $66 million for a signing bonus atop the overall $160 million. In an earlier article, ESPN quotes Prescott from the press conference following the contract signing.

“I think this partnership says it, right? That ensures their faith in me, and as I’ve said, as a guy that lives by faith, just knowing that you have a family, have an organization that wants you at the forefront, go do it, that’s everything,” Prescott said. “Because I want to give them everything that they want, everything that they invested in. If I manifest it, if I put everything in, it’ll happen on the back hand. I’m just excited to be on the front end of this, and we’ll all be celebrating when it pays off.”

After a Year of Pandemic: How Faith Leaders Ministered With Grief, Solace, Resilience

By
AP News
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Rev. Jim Bass, right, Senior Pastor of Friendswood United Methodist Church, hugs Kathy McVey, center, after service Sunday, March 7, 2021, in Friendswood, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

AP News – In a pandemic-wracked year, religious leaders and spiritual counselors across the U.S. ministered to the ill, fed the hungry, consoled the bereaved. Some did so while recovering from COVID-19 themselves or mourning the loss of their own family members and friends.

At times, they despaired. So many people got sick, so many died, and these faith leaders couldn’t hug the ailing and the grieving, or hold their hands.

For safety’s sake, their congregations were kept away from in-person services for months, but the need to minister to them only intensified.

Amid the grief and anxiety, these faith leaders showed resilience and found reasons for hope as they re-imagined their mission. Here are some of their reflections on a trying year.

LOSSES

In the early weeks of the pandemic, the Rev. Joseph Dutan lost his father to the coronavirus. Days earlier Dutan’s mentor and friend, 49-year-old Jorge Ortiz-Garay, had become the first Roman Catholic priest in the U.S. to die from COVID-19.

Dutan felt grief, fear, even doubt. He mourned his father while consoling the community of St. Brigid, a Catholic church in an area straddling Brooklyn and Queens that had among the highest infection rates in New York City. His grief, he said, made him better able to help others enduring similar pain.

“When they come in for a funeral Mass of a loved one … I feel I can relate to them, I can cry with them,” Dutan said. “I comfort them and tell them: ‘Things are going to be all right. We’re not alone; we’re in this together.’”

In the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, Rabbi Noah Farkas said the pandemic’s toll has been particularly severe among the many older adults in his Valley Beth Shalom congregation.

He estimated that 25 to 50 of its roughly 5,000 members lost their lives to COVID-19 — and even more died, predominantly older congregants, “because COVID created a life situation that was untenable.”

Many were isolated in their rooms at assisted-care facilities, he said. “There was suicide, drug addiction, exhaustion — all the things you can think of when mental health deteriorates.”

Farkas conducted 20 funerals in January alone, as California was hit by a wave of infections, always wearing a mask and sometimes a face shield. He was saddened by the inability to hug mourners.

Among the hardest-hit churches has been Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in New York City. Its leaders say more than 60 members of the congregation of about 800 have died of COVID-19. Almost all were part of the community of some 400 who attended services in Spanish.

‘Til Kingdom Come’ Documentary Examines Link Between End-Times Theology and Israel Politics

By
Yonat Shimron
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communicating with the unchurched

(RNS) — Soon after Donald Trump took office, Maya Zinshtein, an Israeli filmmaker, noticed the growing prominence of evangelicals, not only in the president’s Cabinet and among his advisers, but also in Israel, where she was always told these believers were among Israel’s biggest donors and staunchest of allies.

Why, she wondered?

As Zinshtein began to explore the phenomenon, she met up with many of these evangelicals, including members of a fundamentalist Baptist church from Kentucky that made annual pilgrimages to Israel and donated large sums of money to the Jewish state through the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

The IFCJ, Israel’s largest humanitarian relief organization, gets a big part in Zinshtein’s new documentary, “‘ Til Kingdom Come, ” which focuses on the complex alliance among evangelicals, Israel’s political establishment, its largest charity and the religious Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

The film, shown in Israel in the fall and now available for streaming in the U.S., shows how the evangelicals’ end-times theology, which sees Israel as playing a major role in Jesus’ final return, has caused them to adopt the settlers’ cause, and how the settlers have encouraged and nurtured the relationship.

Evangelicals see world events — from Israel’s creation in 1948 to Trump’s move of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem — as signs of God’s unfolding plan. As Trump’s informal adviser Johnnie Moore says in the film, “We are taught to translate geopolitical reality through the lens of prophecy.”

For some evangelicals, support for Israel, whether financial or moral or ideological, is a deeply felt religious obligation. For many in Binghamtown Baptist Church in Middlesboro, Kentucky, where part of Zinshtein’s film is shot, it is also a sacrificial one. The church, in the forested mountains of Appalachia, lies in coal-mining country, but that industry has dried up. The poverty rate in Bell County now tops 38%, with an average household income of less than $25,000.

Still, Yael Eckstein, president and CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, comes knocking. In the documentary, she is driven through a half-abandoned neighborhood but gratefully accepts a $25,000 check from the church to help various charity efforts in Israel.

“In the story they tell themselves, this is a key to salvation,” said Abie Troen, the film’s producer and director of photography, reflecting on the church’s generosity.

But there are other moral complications. The end-times theology subscribed to by evangelicals will culminate in the seven-year Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon, during which two-thirds of Jews will be condemned to die for not accepting Jesus, with a remnant converting to Christianity.

That, Eckstein acknowledges, is the “elephant in the room,” but it is rarely broached.

Evangelicals also support an expansive Israel that refuses to acknowledge the existence of 2.5 million Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank or their aspirations to statehood — driving a wedge through any effort to resolve the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Evangelist Luis Palau, the Billy Graham of Latin America, Has Died

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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communicating with the unchurched

Evangelist Luis Palau died in the early morning on Thursday March 11, 2021, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 86 years old. His family said, “This is hard news, but Luis is experiencing the beauty of the Lord face to face.”

Palau was recently moved to hospice care at the end of February after taking a turn for the worse at the beginning of the year that required a two-week hospitalization due to lung and heart issues.

In a ChurchLeaders podcast, Palau told his listeners, “In my heart, I always wanted to preach.” And he expressed to leaders, “It’s my greatest passion to say to pastors, ‘You were called by God Himself to be His spokesman.’ “

An email from his family that was sent out to Luis Palau Association supporters said the memorial service will be a “small, private service here in Portland that will be streamed online to honor Dad’s life and the Lord.”

The memorial website www.luispalau.org was created as a place for people to remember Palau’s life and also provide an area to leave comments.

In 2018, the great evangelist who is known as the Billy Graham of Latin America said in an interview “I know that the Lord is with me by the Holy Spirit indwelling. I’m ready, I know it sounds crazy to say, ‘I can’t wait to go to heaven’ now; it’s a reality for me.’ “

Leaders Remember Palau and Encourage Others to Pray for His Family

“I am so saddened to hear of the passing of international evangelist Luis Palau. He was a beloved friend whom God used to reach millions of people with the gospel message, and I will miss him dearly. Over the years, I was blessed to hear countless stories of salvation from Luis as he brought our listeners up to date regarding his crusades and ministry efforts. His passion for sharing Jesus Christ around the world was immeasurable. As a result of Luis’ obedience to the Great Commission, there will be innumerable more people in heaven. Shirley and I send our prayers to Luis’ wife, Pat, his sons Kevin, Keith, Andrew, and Stephen, and their families.” – A statement issued by James C. Dobson, Ph.D.

“When I think of how to describe Luis Palau, the first thing that comes to mind is his joy. His radiant smile, his enthusiasm, his energy came from a deep love for Jesus and a passion for sharing grace and truth with anyone who would listen. Although Luis would not desire to glorify himself, we celebrate his faithfulness: because of his obedience over a lifetime, more than 1 billion people around the world have heard the Gospel. Luis has received the victor’s crown, the ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ from his Savior. Though he is rejoicing in heaven, he will be sorely missed here. His friendship and mentorship meant more to me than words can adequately express. My prayers are with the Palau family in this difficult time.” – A statement issued by the President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Rev. Samuel Rodriguez.

“In an age of movie superheroes, Luis Palau was and is a real-life hero of the faith. Luis preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to millions and was a father of the faith to thousands of Christian leaders around the world. It was my great honor to be with Luis on a number of occasions including those times of preparation for his Reno Festival in 2004 and his Sacramento Festival in 2012. I never had an experience with Luis that was not full of the love of Jesus Christ, a passion to reach the world with the good news of God’s love, and an unfailing concern for his family and ministry. We celebrate Luis’s life and pray for the comfort and encouragement of his family.” – A statement issued by the President of William Jessup University John Jackson.

“Luis Palau was the Apostle Paul to the Spanish-speaking world. He was a leader whom God used him to usher in the great revival that swept South and Central America, and that was just the beginning! Today, we lost a giant in Christian history.” – Rev. Johnnie Moore, president of The Congress of Christian Leaders

“Luis Palau has just graduated to heaven. What a powerhouse he was! As an evangelist, he preached the gospel across the globe to more than 25 million people in 72 countries. Luis lived what he preached. He once said, ‘When you face weariness, carelessness, and confusion, don’t pray for an easier life. Pray instead to be a stronger man or woman of God.’ After his battle with cancer, Luis entered into his eternal reward. Please pray for his wife, Pat, and his sons Andrew, Kevin, Keith, and their families.” – A statement issued by the Pastor of Calvary Church Skip Heitzig.

The email sent to supporters can be read below:

It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that we share with you that Dad passed away early this morning. He died suddenly and very peacefully, just as he had hoped. Mom and the family are doing well. It’s too early for details on a memorial service but we plan to have a small, private service here in Portland that will be streamed online to honor Dad’s life and the Lord. We’ll be sure to share details soon. 

We also have just launched a memorial website at www.luispalau.org. It’s a great place for people to reflect on Dad’s life and leave comments. We will also be livestreaming the memorial service from this website. Please share it with friends and family. This is hard news, but Luis is experiencing the beauty of the Lord face to face. Love to you from the family. We’ll share more news and updates in the days ahead.

Serving the Lord together, Kevin, Andrew, Keith, and Steve Palau

Lecrae Shares Why He Has Rejected ‘America’s Version of Christianity’

By
Jessica Lea
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communicating with the unchurched

In an interview with The Breakfast Club this week, Christian hip hop artist Lecrae talked about the challenges of being a Black man in America and what it was like to deconstruct from a “western, political, evangelical version of Christianity.” 

“I’m a hip hop kid who found the Lord,” said Lecrae, “but I found America’s version of Christianity, which was detrimental to my psyche, and it was drenched in white supremacy. So I had to deconstruct my faith, come to grips with who God is, and strip away the nationalist mindsets that were drenched in it.” 

Last week, Lecrae released his new album “Restoration,” and he told Breakfast Club hosts DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God that he hopes the project will create space for people to process their struggles, a freedom he has lacked at times. “I hated people not having a safe place,” he said.

New Lecrae Interview on The Breakfast Club

Lecrae told The Breakfast Club that what really caused him to question his faith was “church hurt…I was so abused by church folk.” He compared that pain to a marriage where one spouse is always accusing the other of cheating. Eventually, the false accusations can lead the accused spouse to actually cheat or to leave the marriage. Lecrae said that people have made false claims about him, such as that he is part of the Illuminati. Some have criticized him for collaborating with Ty Dolla Sign, for being too Christian, or for not being Christian enough. He finally got fed up with the church, which then led him to feel frustrated with God.

“I turned my back on God because of his people,” said Lecrae. “And that’s not fair. So it took me a while for me to understand that God was more devoted to me than his people were and he was walking with me through that whole process. That’s where my faith restoration really began to take place.” 

Sorting out true Christianity from a version mixed with Christian nationalism and white supremacy was another dimension to Lecrae’s journey, a journey that has been messy and which “took a toll on everybody.” Lecrae had to reassess his view of God, his marriage, and what it means to be a father. As he did so, it was tempting to revert back to how he lived before he met God instead of moving forward with a new understanding of what it means to follow him. But, said Lecrae, “I’m thankful [God] pulled me out of that nonsense.” 

For Lecrae, part of being a good father is being straightforward with his kids about the racial injustices that occur in the U.S. He did not hide George Floyd‘s death from his children, not even his youngest, who is eight years old. Some might disagree with that decision, but Lecrae said he would rather his kids be aware of the “traumatic circumstances we live in” rather than be blindsided by them later.

 “I’m a Black man in America,” he said. “I grew up in a gang environment and I had a spiritual transition and I’ve gotten my life on track.” But even though he has overcome a great deal, “There’s all that undue pressure and the trauma just from being Black in America. And now it’s like, I’m trying to raise my kids in the best way possible.”

The hosts asked Lecrae about the controversial incident in June when he was at a discussion on racial healing and Louie Giglio suggested that the phrase “white blessing” might be a good replacement for “white privilege.” (Giglio later apologized, saying it was a “horrible choice of words.”) Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy was also present. Dr. Bernice King was supposed to have been there, but was unable to make it last minute. 

Giglio’s comments “shocked me,” said Lecrae. “The problem a lot of times with white leaders in power is that they’re so used to being in-the-know and being in control that when it comes to an issue on race and justice, they think you can just get the CliffsNotes and go off the cuff.”

Lecrae had to quickly figure out how to respond in the moment, and because he was sitting in a room full of white people, he didn’t immediately think about the Black people who were going to be hurt by Giglio’s words. That, said Lecrae, was a mistake, although he does not believe he deserves the outrage that ensued. He said, “Where I dropped the ball was I centered my answer around trying to help white people understand what was wrong with what they’re saying, instead of centering my answer on all of the Black folks who are hurt by that remark.”

The injustices and misunderstandings surrounding race have taken a toll on the hip hop artist. When Lecrae first went to see a therapist in 2016, it was a decision sparked by the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, as well as the pressures of touring and trying to be a voice for people. He started drinking to cope, and when a doctor prescribed Xanax, the medication only made his situation worse. In 2018, when Lecrae realized he had clinical depression, he took four months off to rest and recover. “It was a process,” he said. In addition to therapy, it has been beneficial to him to rely on supportive friends, read the Bible, and do devotionals. Music and meditation have also helped.

Lecrae has tried to be open about his own shortcomings on his new album and hopes that others find healing through listening to it. “Regardless of what’s going on around us,” he told the Christian Post, “death is defeated and nothing we’re dealing with is bigger than death. If death is defeated, then everything else with it, it doesn’t have as much power, so be encouraged.” 

How to Grow a Youth Ministry

By
Jeremy Zach
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communicating with the unchurched

While talking to youth pastors, I’m always curious to hear their thoughts about how to grow a youth ministry. Over the years, I’ve tried to analyze developmental patterns and search for common threads to see why some youth ministries grow and others don’t. I’ve always been curious about how to grow a youth ministry, and I’ve concluded that you need to take a behind-the-scenes look at why some programs seem to gain huge momentum.

So how do I measure youth ministry growth? Three words: Function. Multiplication. Health.

Here are 11 ways to grow your youth group:

1. Don’t copy another successful youth ministry.

It’s okay to learn from other youth leaders, but copying them really hijacks your creativity and prevents you from developing a program that aligns with your church culture and community. It’s imperative for youth pastors to program according to their own surroundings, culture, and circumstances. Borrowing ministry practices or ideas is fine, but completely copying a cool-hip youth ministry isn’t right and doesn’t work.

2. Don’t try to do it all.

In The Orange Leader Handbook, Reggie Joiner shares that you might need to write a stop-doing list. Construct a list of activities to cut out of your programming that will allow you to be more effective with your strategy. For example, I know of a church that canceled midweek programming because students wanted to serve locally during the week. So now the church runs a homeless ministry. Joiner also highlights the idea that your job as a leader is to wrestle your ministry toward simplicity, not toward complexity. It’s better to do a few things well instead of too many things with mediocrity. Select two or three things your youth ministry does really well, and do only those. Adding more programming doesn’t necessitate growth.

3. Recruit the right adults. 

Assembling the right youth ministry team is paramount. Make sure to recruit people who will energize you. In Good to Great, Jim Collins says organizations should focus on the quality of team members before worrying about growth. His premise: Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats – then figure out where to drive it.

4. Mix up the types of events you offer.

I’ve seen youth ministries do the same events for years. One catalyst for stimulating growth is constant change of event scheduling. You have to mix it up. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to change your ministry strategy all the time, but you might want to change the events that demonstrate the strategy. Youth pastors must continuously explore new opportunities that will help connect students with Jesus. Sure, going to camp every summer can be a great opportunity for students to deepen their relationships with Christ…but if that’s followed by the same exact event happening every August, the same movie being shown every September, the ever-popular bowling night each October, family fun nights every Friday in November each year…well, you get the idea.

5. Value parent feedback.

Parents should have a voice in your youth ministry. It isn’t wise to blow off parent feedback. Ultimately, parents entrust the spiritual shepherding of their children to you, so pay close attention to what parents are saying about you and the ministry. A few negative parents can kill the momentum of your youth ministry in a matter of months. This doesn’t mean you should do whatever parents want and tell you to do. Your ministry should, however, reveal a partnership with parents if the students themselves are going to grow into a mature relationship with Christ. You see students for a few hours each week. The work you do with students and the changes in their lives will either be strengthened or crushed by what happens at home.

6. Create strategic and intentional evangelism.

I think we’ve forgotten how to evangelize. Look at the book of Acts: Evangelism is the central focus. When people get saved, not only do the numbers increase but so does the excitement for what God is doing. People involved in leading others to Christ are strengthened and empowered. So let’s make sure youth ministries are out there bringing the Kingdom of God. Greg Stier argues in chapter 10 of the GreenHouse Project that youth ministries need to make evangelism their #1 priority. He also argues that many need to revamp their methods for evangelizing. To make evangelism a priority, you must be doing it relentlessly and consistently in your ministry. Strong evangelism efforts will definitely 1) get students focused on how to love others outside their youth group bubble, and 2) grow your youth group.

7. Maximize fundraising.

Money makes everything happen, but fundraising is hard!! A lot of youth pastors tell me they just don’t have any (or nearly enough) money in their budgets. Despite this unfortunate reality, it’s up to each youth worker to fund the vision and mission of their youth ministry. Don’t shy away from or be ashamed of fundraising. Get creative in how you raise money. One of the easiest ways is to get the message out to people about why you need money. The older generation loves to financially contribute to building the next generation. You need to discern who are the right people who have money and want to financially invest in teenagers’ lives. Be compelling by describing how you’ll use their precious coin. Then always do something special for the individuals who contribute money to your youth ministry. Throw them a party or a dinner…just do something!

8. Set goals.

Goals give you the ability to create your youth ministry future in advance. They can make your program grow, expand, develop, and possibly transform. Compelling goals contain two key components: identifying your youth ministry goals and identifying your youth group mission. What do you want in your youth ministry? Something magical happens when you take generalized impulses and start defining them more precisely. Why does your youth group need it? What will it give your youth group? Reasons come first; answers come second. When you get a big enough reason to accomplish something, you can figure out how to do it. Plus, we work for God, and he can make anything possible! Areas for goal-setting include programming attendance, outreach events, retreats/camps, student spiritual maturity, mission trips, family ministry, service events/student involvement, and leadership development.

9. Don’t overload on information.

Pick a ministry strategy and philosophy that work and stick with that. Trust me; there are thousands upon thousands of theories that describe how youth ministry “should” be done. It’s easy to read all the latest books, attend all the conferences, and feel overwhelmed. You’ll find yourself stuck as you try to decide what strategy will best work in your youth ministry context. Feel free to experiment with different strategies, but don’t feel like you have to implement everything you come across. Use what works for you; get rid of the rest.

10. Don’t forget about the children’s ministry.

Youth and children’s ministries need to be in alignment. Youth pastors forget that the kids in the children’s ministry will eventually play a vibrant role in their youth ministry one day. This is why it’s wise to support the children’s ministry. It’s an investment for the future. If the youth pastor knows what the kids have been taught and that their parents realize they’re the primary spiritual leaders, the transition from children’s ministry to youth ministry will be so much easier. If a youth ministry can retain and transition all the kids coming from the children’s ministry, then this will be instant growth.

11. Celebrate what God has already done.

It’s too easy to lose focus on what God is doing in our youth ministry because we’re powering through programming—moving from event to event. Failing to remember and celebrate what God has already done is a momentum-killer. Celebrating the victories helps generate a momentum where everyone is excited about what God is doing and realizes he is, in fact, moving! Before you give each talk at youth group, invite students to share testimonies. Ask students to share about what God is doing. Share with the rest of the youth group what God did through a few students last weekend at the homeless shelter, etc. The important thing to remember is to stop and give praise for what God is already doing. We always need reminders of what God has done for us; that’s why he gave us communion, baptism, the resurrection, the birth of Jesus, the Bible, the Church, and his people.

Use These Family Dinner Questions to Engage With Kids During Meals

By
Terran Williams
-
communicating with the unchurched

The quality of family dinner conversations is a great litmus test for relational health. I’m a big believer in prioritizing meals together and aiming for engaging, fun discussions that involve everyone. That said, only every now and then did conversation flow freely and naturally around our family’s own table. Asking our five kids the same questions—“So how was your day? What did you learn? Did you do anything interesting?”—made their eyes glaze over in boredom. Drawing out meaningful answers to these generic family dinner questions was akin to squeezing blood from a rock.

A few years ago, however, we discovered something that gets all our kids verbally sparked up. Even my wife and I are chomping at the bit to talk. In fact, many times we struggle to get our kids to stop talking. Honest!

So what do we do? We each draw from a jar of 250 paper slips, each containing a question. Some of these questions come from Facebook friends (I posted once, asking for their best ideas), some are my own, and most are from hard-to-find nooks and crannies in cyberspace.

Here’s my gift to your family or youth group: You can have my family dinner questions! Download them at www.bit.ly/DadDudeQuestions, print on paper or cardboard, and cut them out individually. You’re welcome! They’re sure to liven up your meals and make them memorable for more than just the food.

Follow these 9 tips to maximize family dinner questions:

1. Put them in a jar.

Have each person randomly select one slip. Then go around in a circle, with each person reading and answering. If time allows, repeat the process.

2. Other options include using an electronic or printed-out list.

When it’s their turn, ask people to randomly choose any number from 1 to 250. Then you can refer to the list and tell them what their question is.

3. If you don’t want everyone to answer different questions, select a question or two that everyone must answer.

Then use it more as a conversation starter, allowing discussion to flow wherever it may from there.

4. Let people eat first.

In my house, when everyone is starving and the food is awesome, we let everyone focus on the food before pulling out questions. Other times, we dive into questions pretty early in the meal. Gauge each situation on its own.

5. For littler kids, simplify the process.

If your children can’t read yet, read the questions aloud for them. If the level of comprehension is too high, then make the question more age-appropriate. For our 2 year olds, we merely let the question give us an idea of a question to ask. Instead of “What made your heart happy today?” for example, we ask, “Are you happy or sad?”

6. If someone gives short answers, be sure to follow up.

Ask the person to please tell you more, and show lots of interest and curiosity. Responding with “Why?” is the most important tip for using family dinner questions!

7. Use this process to teach kids (and your spouse!) the discipline of listening.

Say, “God’s given us two clues how much listening you need to do compared to talking. When it’s just you and another, the first clue is how many ears you have to mouths. Two ears, one mouth means you listen twice as much as you talk. When it’s a mealtime, the clue is how many people are at the table.” For example, I tell our kids, “Seven of us are sitting here, which means we must each listen seven times as much as we speak.”

8. When you have guests over for dinner, pull out the questions.

We say, “At this table, you get to join our family’s life. So grab one question from this jar.” Guests are always blown away by the experience and eager to join the discussions.

9. Share this post!

Spread the conversational revolution, because families talking together every day (and loving it) is as endangered as the rhino. Recently I spoke to a primary school of 1,000+ students and told them about our family dinner questions and how we sit together and talk after eating. I held up our jar of 250 questions to show what gets us talking. I explained that just as eating good food at the table makes your body stronger, so talking at the table makes your family stronger. Since then, I’ve been amazed by feedback from parents: “My goodness, my kids don’t want to leave the table. They want to talk. Night after night. Who ever imagined?”

The 250 questions.

  1. Which famous person would you like to invite to dinner?
  1. If you could have any super power what would it be?
  1. Share a high of the day, low of the day, and something interesting that happened in between.
  1. If you could make friends with one person who you aren't already friends with, who would it be?
  1. If you were an animal, what kind of animal do you think you would be?
  1. If you have a 1000 (of your currency) you have to use to help someone not in our family, how would you spend it?
  1. What is one thing that you would love to learn to do?
  1. Where is your favorite place and why?
  1. If you could do something you did today a little differently, what would it be?
  1. What made your heart happy today?
  1. What colour was your day? Why?
  1. Would you rather live in space or under the sea?
  1. Would you rather have feet for hands or hands for feet?
  1. If you could put your day into a dance, what would it look like? (Show us)
  1. If you could compare your day to an animal, what animal would it be?
  1. Did you help someone else today? If so, who?
  1. What happened today that made you mad? Or glad? Or sad? (Pick just one)
  1. If you could change something that happened today, what would it be?
  1. What do you know how to do that you can teach to others?
  2. If you could be a sound, what would it be?
  3. If you could choose a new name for yourself, what would it be?
  4. What dream(s) do you have for your future?
  5. Tell us one thing you don’t like that much about this family.
  1. Tell us one thing you like best about this family.
  2. Tell us the one thing you like most about being you.
  3. If you could keep your room any way you wanted, how would it look?
  4. If you were going to have a weird, unusual pet, what would it be?
  5. What is the grossest thing you can think of?
  6. What would you do if you were invisible for a day?
  7. Who do you think you are most like in our family?
  1. What's the most daring thing you remember doing?
  1. Name one thing you love about the person on your right? And your left?
  1. Who was the happiest person you saw or spoke to today?
  1. Anyone you see today who looked sad - is there anything you can do to change how they're feeling tomorrow?
  1. If you could swap the sounds two different animals make, what would they be?
  1. What is something you don't think you're that good at that could somehow be a blessing in disguise?
  1. What scares you?
  1. What would you like to do this weekend as a family?
  1. What is one skill/talent you would like to try and learn?
  1. What was your rose (the best part) and your thorn (the worst part) today?
  1. What was your peak (the best part) and your pit (the worst part) today?
  1. Would you rather be ugly and wise or great-looking and foolish?
  1. Would you rather get everything you want now or work hard for it before getting it?
  1. What are you most grateful for today?
  1. What one aspect of your life do you wish could be better?
  1. Your spaceship lands on a new planet. What are three things you’d tell the aliens about the planet you come from?
  1. If our family invented a holiday, what would it be called and how would we celebrate it?
  1. If you could walk into any book or story, which would it be and what would you do?
  1. If you could get a thousand people to do one thing with you, what would it be?
  1. What’s your most prized possession?
  1. How would the world be different if cats and dogs could fly?
  1. If you could make up two new rules for our family, what would they be?
  1. Imagine you could replace any part of your body with part of an animal. Which would you choose?
  1. If you could invent any machine, what would it do and what would you use it for?
  1. If you could ask God a question, what would it be?
  1. What’s your favorite silly face to make? And silly sound?
  1. If you joined the circus, what would your circus act be?
  1. What’s your favorite fun thing to do at break-time in work/school?
  1. What’s your favorite fun thing to do on weekends?
  1. What’s your favorite fun thing to do at home during the week?
  1. If you were a teacher and could teach your students anything at all, what would you teach them?
  1. What do you like most about school/work so far?
  1. What is your favorite hot-weather food to eat?
  1. If you were free to do anything you wanted all day, what would you do?
  1. What do you think about rules? Do you think they’re important? What are some rules you have in your home or at school/work?
  1. If you could change one thing about your work/school, what would it be?
  1. In the book Green Eggs and Ham, Sam-I-am refuses to try green eggs and ham. Then he does and he likes them. Has something similar ever happened to you?
  1. If you were a season, which season would you be?
  1. What do you like to do when it’s freezing cold outside?
  1. What makes you feel loved?
  1. Name 3 people you love most in the world, and why (animals are OK too).
  1. Name one body or personality trait you got from your mom.
  1. Name one body or personality trait you got from your dad.
  1. Have you ever been teased by a friend? How did it make you feel? How do you think a friend feels when he or she gets teased?
  1. Talk about something nice or helpful someone did for you this week. How did it make you feel?
  1. What one thing do you do now that you need an adult for but would like to try to do all by yourself?
  1. “A person’s a person no matter how small…” writes Dr. Seuss in "Horton Hears a Who". What do you think he means by that?
  1. What does it mean to be compassionate? How is this different than just being “nice”?
  1. Have you ever had a fight with a friend or sibling? How did you make peace?
  1. What are the qualities of a bad friend?
  1. Do you have a best friend? Who?
  1. How do you know when you can trust another person?
  1. Do you like it when other people share with you? Why?
  1. What is one thing you did today that helped other people?
  1. What is one way that you take care of yourself?
  1. If you are sick or sad, what can someone do to care for you?
  1. What was one caring thing that somebody sitting at the table has done for you in the last few days?
  1. What can you give or do for someone that doesn’t cost any money?
  1. What is something you own and love that you would like to share with someone else?
  1. What was the best gift you ever received?
  1. What is your favorite thing to share with friends? What is the hardest thing to share?
  1. Tell us your favorite story about our family.
  1. Do you know any stories about your grandparents when they were kids? Share one.
  1. What is it like to be a kid? What is it like to be a parent?
  1. Who is the funniest person you know?
  1. Who did you play or have fun with today?
  1. Do you know some of the jobs that your parents had when they were young?
  1. Would you rather speak every language in the world or play every instrument?
  1. Would you rather live in the future or in the past?
  1. Would you rather be the best player on a losing team or the worst player in a winning team?
  1. Would you rather live in the city or the country?
  1. Do you know some of the lessons that your parents learned from good or bad experiences they had during their childhoods?
  1. Do you know how your name was chosen?
  1. Do you know the story about how your parents met?
  1. What is your earliest memory?
  1. What traits about your mom or dad would you like to have more of?
  1. What are some things other people do that cheer you up when you’re down?
  1. What would you say to someone who wanted to give up on a task you knew they could finish?
  1. What do you enjoy about being a girl/guy? And not enjoy?
  1. Are you a quick starter or a procrastinator? (Ask someone what this means)
  1. Do you give up or endure when you’re working on something hard?
  1. What would motivate you to try new foods or activities?
  1. What were you excited about when you got out of bed this morning?
  1. What would your perfect day be like? Where would you go? Who would be with you?
  1. If you woke up tomorrow and could do one thing that you can’t do right now, what would it be?
  1. What was your last thought before going to sleep last night?
  1. What do you think the world will be like 100 years from now?
  1. How many kids do you think you will have one day? Boys or girls?
  1. Why do you think it’s important to not give up on something right away?
  1. Have you ever had trouble doing something at first, but kept at it until you figured it out? What was it?
  1. What’s one fun thing you hope to do in the next year?
  1. If rain could fall in any flavor you choose, what flavor would it be?
  1. If you had a pet dragon, what would you name it? What would you do together?
  1. If your pet could talk, what do you think s/he might say?
  1. If you were king or queen of the world, what would you do?
  1. If you had an extra room in your house, what would you use it for?
  1. If you traveled to space, what would you miss from Earth?
  1. Would you ever travel into space? Where would you go?
  1. If you had 3 wishes, what would they be? (And you can’t wish for more wishes!)
  1. If you could be an animal, what would you want to be?
  1. If you did the grocery shopping, what would you buy?
  1. How old do kids need to be before you think it’s ok to have a Facebook account?
  1. How do you feel about bugs?
  1. Would you rather be very tall or very short?
  1. What is your favorite game to play with the family?
  1. Do you think it’s more fun to be a parent or a child?
  1. What special talent(s) do you have?
  1. What does your teacher (or boss or work colleague) do really well?
  1. Would you rather always have to enter rooms backwards or always have to somersault out?
  1. Would you rather always have the same song stuck in your head or always have the same dream at night?
  1. What is your favorite food? Your least favorite?
  1. In the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, Alexander has a bad day. When last did you have a terrible day?
  1. What is one thing you enjoy being responsible for?
  1. What are 3 things you have to do every day, whether you like it or not?
  1. When you are really upset, what helps calm you down?
  1. What is your favorite place in the world to sit quietly?
  1. What is the craziest thing you’ve ever eaten?
  1. What do you do each day to recharge after a long day? How often do you get to do this?
  1. Tell us a story about something that happened today at work/school and another story that you made up about something that happened. We’ll try guess which is which.
  1. Do you know how much your family loves you? How can you tell?
  1. What would you do if you saw someone being treated unfairly?
  1. What are the qualities of a good friend?
  1. What do you think makes a person popular?
  1. Would you rather do the wrong thing but people like you, or do the right thing but then people didn’t.
  1. Who did you sit with at lunch today?
  1. In The Lorax, Dr Seuss writes “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”  What do you care about a lot?
  1. What did you do today that you are proud of doing?
  1. What does it mean to be brave?
  1. Would you rather own your own boat or your own plane?
  1. Would you rather sweat melted cheese or always smell like a skunk?
  1. Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?
  1. What are you looking forward to about next year?
  1. What do you want to be when you grow up or when you're older?
  1. Has a prayer you have prayed or a wish you made ever come true? What was it?
  1. Have you ever had a recurring dream (one that you have over and over again)?
  1. If people count sheep to get to sleep, what do sheep count?
  1. If you could have any zoo animal as a pet, what animal would you pick?
  1. If you could choose another name for yourself, would you? What name would you choose?
  1. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what food would you choose?
  1. If you had three cookies and five friends, what would you do to make it fair for everybody?
  1. Make up three silly new traditions for our family. What would they be?
  1. What’s the funniest or strangest thing that happened to you today?
  1. In the famous “Marshmallow Study” children were presented with one marshmallow, which they could either eat immediately or not eat for 15 minutes in order to get more. What do you think you would do?
  1. Would you rather win an Academy Award or an Olympic Gold Medal?
  1. Would you rather shoot spaghetti out of your fingers or sneeze meatballs?
  1. Would you rather have a unicorn horn or a squirrel tail?
  1. All of us lose our patience sometimes. Think of a recent time you lost yours. What happened?
  1. Who is the most patient person you know? How can you tell they are patient?
  1. Choose a situation from a book or a movie that you would like to find yourself in, such as visiting Narnia, playing Quidditch at Hogwarts or ___.
  1. Have you ever volunteered to help? What did you do? Did you enjoy it?
  1. Would you rather live without a phone or a television?
  1. Would you rather be a rabbit or a horse?
  1. Would you rather be fabulously famous and poor or unknown and rich?
  1. Have you and your friend ever left someone out on purpose? Do you think that was bullying?
  1. If you were principal of your school / boss of your company, would you change anything? What?
  1. If you were a teacher and could teach your students anything at all, what would you teach them?
  1. Do you think you have too much freedom, or not enough?
  1. Do you feel free to be yourself?
  1. Talk about a person you admire, famous or otherwise, who has fought or fights for the freedom of others.
  1. Do you pray lots, little or not at all? What was your last prayer?
  1. In the movie Groundhog Day, the character keeps living the same day over and over again. Describe a day you’d like to live over and over again.
  1. Do you find it easy to say I love you, or hard? Are there times when it’s harder than others?
  1. Have you ever participated in a tradition from a culture other than your own? What was it? How did you like it?
  1. When is it especially important to say ‘thank you?’ Do you notice when people thank you, or forget to thank you?
  1. Do you prefer to read or to hear?
  1. Do you prefer to listen or to speak?
  1. What makes you a good friend?
  1. What makes you a good brother or sister? And something you can do better?
  1. What makes you a good child or parent? And something you can do better?
  1. Have you ever had to end a friendship? How did you know it had to end?
  1. What is the wildest dream you have for your life? What practical next steps would you have to take to reach it?
  2. Tell us something about you that you think we might not know.
  1. Who is the one person you trust the most?
  1. If a friend asks you to keep a secret that you don’t feel comfortable keeping, what would you do?
  1. Is it always a good thing to be loyal? When might it not be?
  1. What would you do if you saw your friend being bullied? What about if you saw a stranger being bullied?
  1. What 3 words would you use to describe our family?
  1. Think about someone your family knows who could use a pick-me-up or a helping hand. Who is it and what could you do for him/her?
  1. If you had to give everyone in the family new names, what would those names be?
  1. Would you rather work in a group or by yourself?
  1. Do you prefer to work in silence or with background noise like music?
  1. Tell a story about a time you were really embarrassed.
  1. Has anyone ever asked you to do something you believed was wrong? What did you do?
  1. What 2 or 3 jobs can you imagine yourself one day doing?
  1. Why do you think bad things happen to so many good people?
  1. Why do you think good things happen to so many bad people?
  1. Would you rather raise chickens for eggs or sheep for wool?
  1. Would you rather have a head twice as big or half as small?
  1. Would you rather be totally covered in hair head to toe, or completely bald?
  1. When you do something nice for someone else, how does it make you feel?
  1. What one thing would you change about the world if you had the power to do so?
  1. Finish this sentence: “Someday, I’m going to be the first person in the world to…”
  1. Do you get more energy from being alone or with people?
  1. In the Spiderman series, Uncle Ben says “With great power comes great responsibility.” What power do you have? What great responsibility comes with it?
  1. When people grow up, they are almost always responsible for something. What do you want to be responsible for when you grow up/get older?
  2. What will be different in the year 2050? What will be the same?
  1. Finish this sentence: “I wish the world…”
  1. What fear would you like to overcome?
  1. Where do you think you will live when you grow up/get older?
  1. What qualities about your mom or dad do you hope to have when you’re older?
  1. If you never had to work for money, what would you want to do as an adult?
  1. If you were a utensil, which would you be?
  1. If you founded a new country, what would you call it? What would the flag look like?
  1. If you could stay up all night, what would you do?
  1. Imagine you’re leading a crew into space. What qualities do you think would make a good leader?
  1. Which friends would you want to get accidentally locked in school/work with overnight? What would you do?
  1. Would you rather take a holiday on an exotic island or in a romantic city?
  1. Would you rather have to eat a bowl full of crickets or a bowl full of worms?
  1. Would you rather lose your sense of taste or your sense of smell?
  1. If you could build your own school, what would the kids do all day?
  1. What is one thing you’re now good at doing that took a lot of hard work and practice?
  1. What was the biggest surprise you have had this year?
  1. During what part of your day do you feel most anxious and rushed? How could we change that?
  1. Do you think your name suits you?
  1. What personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble?
  2. What is the hardest thing about being # (your age) years old?
  1. What is the best thing about being # (your age) years old?
  1. Would you rather be good looking, smart, or athletic?
  1. Would you rather walk the Great Wall of China or along the Amazon River?

This article originally appeared here.

Terran Williams, who writes at www.thedaddude.com, is a church leader, a dad of five, an avid surfer, and the author of What’s So Amazing About Scripture? How to Read It Right and Tap Into Its Power. Visit his website at www.terranwilliams.com.

Lecrae Opens Up to Phil Vischer: Too Black for White Evangelicals?

By
Stephanie Martin
-
communicating with the unchurched

In a Holy Post podcast episode titled “Too Black?” Christian rapper, author, and activist Lecrae recently conversed with Phil Vischer about his career, criticism he’s faced, and his confidence that “God is still at work.”

Lecrae, 41, just released his 10th studio album, Restoration, as well as the book I Am Restored: How I Lost My Religion but Found My Faith. He’s involved in numerous community outreach programs in Atlanta, including prison ministry, because he has a heart for “disenfranchised” people.

Yet during the past few years, Lecrae has been caught in culture-war-type disputes about race and politics—and how Christianity fits into them. The criticism left him so disoriented and bitter, he tells Vischer, that he ran from God for a while. But now, through a process of restoration, the rapper says he’s determined to “walk in truth regardless” of what people say about him. “God was helping to remove an idol of acceptance, of wanting to be accepted by people,” says Lecrae.

Lecrae: “Why are we so dysfunctional?”

After a rough childhood, Lecrae became a Christian at age 19. He launched his own record label, saying Nashville wouldn’t go near him, and he was “too church for the street.” Though Lecrae’s initial singing and speaking performances were in front of inner-city audiences, white evangelical groups soon took notice.

Initially, Lecrae tells Vischer, he was comfortable in both “worlds,” but then he began facing incremental criticism. “When I did things that were black, or culturally African-American, I was criticized by white evangelicals,” he says. As the pattern continued, he describes becoming more jaded.

“This is my new family,” Lecrae recalls thinking. “Why are we so dysfunctional?” After Trayvon Martin was killed in 2012, for example, the rapper posted on Facebook about his despair—and was roundly criticized. So he tried expressing his thoughts again, via video, only to face even more backlash.

“Any time I made a statement,” says Lecrae, referencing the murders of black people by police, he was disparaged. “Why do they think this is political?” he recalls wondering about the white church. “This is my real life. This is my existence.”

Lecrae’s 2017 song “Facts” tackles the notion that white Christians viewed him as “too black.” Part of that, he says, results from mainstream-media depictions of African-American culture “as negative, as sinful, as evil.”

In the podcast, Vischer and Lecrae discuss their different upbringings and the history of world missions. “Part of the problem,” says Lecrae, is that “white Americans tend to think of themselves as acultural,” but there’s a difference between “American” and “white American.”

Christian Critics Went “Crazy,” Says Lecrae

In December 2020, Lecrae faced a new round of criticism when he agreed to perform at a “vote early” rally in Georgia, ahead of that state’s Senate runoff election. The rapper thought the event was bipartisan, he says, because he was told “both candidates” would be there. But it turned out to be the two Democrats, including self-described “pro-choice pastor” Raphael Warnock.

Support, Sadness, and Shock — Many React to Beth Moore Leaving the SBC

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

Living Proof Ministries‘ founder and visionary Beth Moore recently told Religion News Service that she is leaving the Southern Baptist Convention, saying, “I love so many Southern Baptist people, so many Southern Baptist churches, but I don’t identify with some of the things in our heritage that haven’t remained in the past.”

During a sexual abuse panel that was held an evening before the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting in 2019, the President of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s Russell Moore (no relation) said, “An SBC that doesn’t have a place for Beth Moore, doesn’t have a place for a lot of us.”

Other prominent church leaders are registering their sadness and support for Beth Moore leaving the Southern Baptist Convention.

Current SBC President J.D. Greear tweeted: “I have loved and appreciated Beth Moore’s ministry and will continue to in the future. Personally, she has been an encouragement to me and I will always be grateful. I am grieved anytime someone who believes in the inerrant Scripture, shares our values and desires to cooperate says that they do not feel at home in our convention. When I first allowed my name to be nominated for President, I said we did not need to change our doctrine or our mission, we needed to change our culture. My time as President has shown me that the vast majority of Southern Baptists are ready to walk into the future unified around the Great Commission. Sadly, it’s many of our leaders that seem bent on pulling us apart. My prayer is that this news will cause us to lament, to pray, and to come to Nashville rededicating ourselves to be Great Commission Baptists who keep the Gospel above all and to become a Convention united around the message that Jesus is the only way.”

Moody Publishers editor and author Trillia Newbell tweeted: “I have deep love and respect for @BethMooreLPM. She let me know this was coming because she is human, and she loves others fiercely. As I think about our tendency to analyze and tear each other apart, I hope we’d resist it here and instead pray.”

Cornerstone Baptist Church’s Senior Pastor Dwight McKissic tweeted: “When the likes of Beth Moore, Charlie Dates & Ralph West-3 of the most gifted, godly & effective spokespersons for the Kingdom leave the SBC-& many others are standing at the door-it certainly indicates-to paraphrase an old Negro spiritual-“There is danger, in the water.”

National writer for Religion News Service Bob Smietana tweeted: “One telling detail. Beth Moore first spoke out about Trump’s Access Hollywood tapes in 2016. Over the next three years her ministry lost $1.8 million dollars”

Author and Bible teacher Jen Wilkin tweeted: “Thank you, @BethMooreLPM for the light you carry, for the compassion that drives you, for the steadfastness that marks you. I wouldn’t be teaching today if I hadn’t seen you do it first. I might have given up if I hadn’t seen you persevere. What a debt we owe you.”

Pastor wife, podcaster, and Bible teacher Jacki C. King tweeted: “Pastors, I hope you are watching women in the SBC and their response to Beth Moore. Whatever your thoughts or feelings may be, there is a deep gratitude for her and a loss felt by many. Don’t just brush it off. Watch, listen, and ask.”

Relevant Reach creator Megan Lively tweeted: “This was true yesterday and remains true today, @BethMooreLPM. Biblical truth and love for neighbors created in God’s image will always be greater than institutions and denominations. Thank you, for displaying this to a broken world, Beth Moore. May our loyalty look like yours.”

Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Lindale, Texas, Tom Buck tweeted: “In light of our BF&M2000 confessional statement, Beth Moore hasn’t been SBC for some time. I’d rather see her return to the doctrinal beliefs of the SBC than leave. However, anyone who doesn’t intend to walk in agreement with our confession should leave.”

Author and Pastor of Word of Life Church Brian Zahnd tweeted: “In the end, Southern Baptists were more comfortable with Donald Trump than with Beth Moore. Just think about that.”

Pastor Brian Zahand also tweeted, “If you can’t keep a theological conservative who is as gifted, loyal, and generous as @BethMooreLPM in your theologically conservative denomination, you’re probably doing something wrong.”

Pastor of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia Michael Catt tweeted: “Honestly, we are hypocrites when we raise missions money in the names of Lottie Moon & Annie Armstrong, applaud missionaries like Bertha Smith and then attack women like Beth Moore.”

President of Renewal Ministries Ray Ortlund tweeted: “One of my heroes.”

Author and speaker Danielle Strickland tweeted: “We are in a reformation. Time for a rethink of everything and a rebuild on the rock who is Jesus. Congrats @bethmoore for choosing love over fear. The Kingdom marches on and the gates of hell will not stand.”

KAIROS Live Video Platform Will Save Your Church Time and Money

By
ChurchLeaders
-
communicating with the unchurched

What happens when social conditions change faster than our ability to buy, build, and use livestream gear? Pastors and churches are facing this problem over and over again in 2020. Panasonic’s new KAIROS live video production platform has developed an answer that will save the day—again and again—as many times as necessary. With the unexpected twists and turns of the pandemic, churches everywhere are discovering the need to reinvent themselves every few months.

Today’s Churches Need Livestreaming Flexibility

Here’s what many pastors have experienced:

  • First, the pandemic response meant retooling your church’s tech gear for virtual church, livestreamed. Your tech team bought new gear, tore up the stage and auditorium, and you were good to go.
  • Then your municipality allowed you to reopen your doors and welcome real people—at 25% capacity. This meant doing in-person church and continuing to livestream. And your tech team said you needed more gear and they needed to “rebuild” the system for these new requirements. Then 25% became 50%, but now the requirements are changing again. How many times will you need to reinvent the wheel?

For most churches, connectivity between livestream components means configuring the hardware for a single purpose; you have to “build” the system each time your needs change. That means more time and more money. Pastors and church leaders face difficult tech challenges: Audiovisual streaming is changing at a whirlwind pace–and people expect church to keep up with the production standards of the marketplace.

KAIROS Addresses Rapidly Changing Tech Environments

The KAIROS live video production platform is a revolutionary new approach to flexibility and freedom in rapidly changing tech environments. It’s like Photoshop for live video. KAIROS frees church tech teams from the constraints (and costs) of a traditional hardware-based system. With KAIROS, the power and flexibility of change does not reside in more hardware, but in better, more versatile connectivity. That means the church’s tech team has almost no need for a learning curve after each change.

KAIROS offers unrestricted flexibility of input, output and operation for efficient production of live video that captivates audiences. KAIROS means your church’s tech team has a smart studio empowering them to be effective even when needs change from week to week. It means the current staff can do more—and do it more effectively.

The KAIROS platform has three main pieces:

(1) the KAIROS switcher/router that solves connectivity issues now—and in the future,

(2) the KAIROS creator display on the control booth’s screen, and

(3) the KAIROS control board that empowers reliable control of equipment in use.

This is incredible productivity matched by continuing flexibility. Churches face the challenge of keeping up to date in a very dynamic tech environment. The KAIROS platform meets these challenges.

Pastors need to have confidence in the tools they need to present powerful, effective messages and worship experiences. Tech teams need to manage budgets for both equipment and staffing. Church campuses need to be able use every inch of space effectively, which may mean changes from week to week. KAIROS brings peace of mind to pastors, high performance to technical teams, and the ability to leverage every room in a church campus.

The KAIROS platform empowers each area of church ministry. This open architecture platform facilitates the linkage of diverse external sources and destinations as well as the integration of hardware and software systems. The new, evolved system ensures complete operational freedom at all levels.


 

 

 

 

A Tennessee Church’s Form of Church Discipline Goes Viral

By
Laycie McClain
-
church discipline
Screengrab Facebook @West Sparta Church of Christ

A woman who had been attending West Sparta Church of Christ in Sparta, Tennessee, received a letter at the end of February from three of the church elders. She shared the photo of the church discipline letter on Facebook. And it has since gone viral.

Under the church’s letterhead and with the name of the recipient covered, here is the content of the letter:

For the last several weeks we have noted that you have stopped attending the assembly of the church. After attempts to discuss this situation with you, we fear that you are not longer convinced in the need to assemble with the church for which Christ died. We are very saddened by your decision.

This “failure to assemble” is not the only problem that you must address. We have been informed and understand that you have a living arrangement that is not Biblical and must be terminated immediately. This action alone reflects that you have not avoided “all appearance of evil” as the scriptures direct us. (I Thess. 5:22)

Please understand our obligation as shepherds. First, we must watch for your soul (Hebrews 13:17) and second, protect the congregation by withdrawing from every brother/sister that walks disorderly (II Thess. 3:6).

If these issues are not corrected and public repentance made by Sunday, February 21, 2021, we will withdraw fellowship.

The Elders

(redacted signatures)

Church Discipline in Scripture

Church discipline is a common practice in Scripture, but Jesus’ guidance is clear that such discipline is to be done in person–not by letter. “Church discipline is not man’s idea, but God’s. Whatever Jesus meant by ‘You shall not judge’ in Matthew 7, he didn’t mean to rule out loving correction between Christians, as he describes it in Matthew 18:15-20,” writes Jonathan Leeman in “10 Things You Should Know About Church Discipline.”

There are four reasons that merit church discipline, states Brad Hambrick. These are sin struggles, lack of cooperation with the planned change for correction, concern for salvation, and public harm to the reputation of Christ.

Church discipline is a generally accepted part of relationships within a Christian community—whether that is primarily within a small group setting or the larger church community itself. Churches and individuals have grappled with how to best apply this practice and how to respond when addressing sin with a fellow Christian. Practices can be broadly different from church to church or between denominations and tension often arises between holding others’ personal lives accountable while modeling the grace of Jesus. That tension has come to a head for a church in Tennessee this week.

Questionable Method for Church Discipline

In the letter, the church elders addressed the woman’s lack of attendance in recent weeks and her living with a man while unmarried. The letter has amassed many comments from people both in support of the church’s decision to send the letter and against.

James Coates’ Wife, Erin: My Husband Is in Jail Because He Obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
communicating with the unchurched

Erin Coates, the wife of jailed Canadian Pastor James Coates, says of her husband, “His job as a shepherd of the sheep is to open the doors and allow people to worship according to their conscience and according to the Word of God.” Said Coates, “We have done that really wisely, putting many precautions in place.”

Pastor Coates will remain in jail until his trial in May after Justice Peter Michalyshyn rejected an appeal by his lawyer last week.

As a guest on Allie Beth Stuckey’s podcast last Thursday March 4, 2021, Coates declared her love for the church and her support for her husband.

Stuckey asked Coates a number of questions regarding her husband’s arrest and time in jail for choosing to “obey the Lord Jesus Christ” instead of government restrictions that forced GraceLife Church‘s indoor worship services to only 15% capacity, which led to Pastor James Coates’ arrest.

Host Stuckey focused her interview with Mrs. Coates around whether the actions of her husband and GraceLife Church should be considered religious persecution.

When the government mandated the COVID-19 restrictions, did Pastor Coates say we weren’t going to adhere to those guidelines or was he just going to give people the choice “no matter what,” Stuckey asked.

Mrs. Coates explained that her husband and the GraceLife Church elders felt like it was not their responsibility to mandate these government COVID-19 restrictions “but to allow people to worship freely according to conscience…they left it to the people to make that decision.”

Stucky asked Erin how she feels when other Christians, both Canadian and American, weigh in on their current situation and say that what they are going through “isn’t persecution” because he’s not in jail for preaching the gospel or for holding a church service, but because Pastor James violated COVID-19 restrictions.

Repeating what she said that her husband said, Erin peacefully said, “I’ll leave it up to the Lord whether it’s persecution or not. I think that people’s definition of persecution probably needs to be broadened a little bit. 2 Timothy says that “All those who desire to live godly and righteously in Christ will be persecuted.” She boldly said, “I do want to make it clear, he’s not in jail because he didn’t obey the restrictions. He’s in jail because he obeyed the Lord Jesus Christ and His headship over the church and did not restrict the gathering to anybody.”

In their area, she shared that big box stores like Costco and Walmart have thousands of people going in and out of them with no restrictions, as well as restaurants being open. Pointing out the attack from Satan her family and GraceLife Church feels currently and when people mention that restaurants have restrictions too, she said “It’s really sad because Satan doesn’t really care about whether a restaurant is open or not…he does care about destroying the local church and he does care about destroying the lives of people that comprise the local church.”

Describing what the church is when it gathers to worship, Coates said, “She is an expression of the blood-bought body of Christ and when she gathers she’s testifying to the world of the greatest and glory of God and His worth to be worshiped…restaurants aren’t doing that, the church is doing that.”

“I don’t have to wave the persecution flag, He [The Lord] can deal with all of that.”

Coates was asked if she was surprised by other Christians who are quick to discard the persecution talk regarding what is happening to their church and her husband. She responded by saying “yes” and “no,” explaining that it’s sad to see people slow to speak but quick to judgement because they don’t know all the details. Christians are at “varying degrees of sanctification” so she said she has to be patient with them because “if they’re truly saved by Christ, He’s going to sanctify them…It doesn’t surprise me, [because] there’s a spiritual war.”

“I know my husband and his heart,” Coates told host Stuckey, so the things that others are saying about him don’t bother me. “It’s not my job to defend myself or James,” she said “I’ll let the Lord deal with that. We are all going to stand before Him on the day of judgement. It’s just my job to make sure that I’m taking every opportunity to herald Jesus Christ and Him crucified as the only way of salvation.”

Coates shared that it has been challenging for her husband, James, who was in solitary confinement due to COVID-19 protocols at the time of the interview. “He has had some dark moments,” she said and continued, “You have the enemy just seeking to devour you in a situation like that…but he just says that he’s been strengthened and encouraged by reading the Word and praying.”

She said it brings joy to her heart to see people they don’t even know writing letters of encouragement to her husband and remembering those who are in prison.

Speaking of her husband, she said, “He understands that ‘God’s Will’ will be done and that nothing can thwart that. So wherever God needs to use him most greatly that’s where He’s going to put him.”

After being asked how this has affected her, she shared that she knows that God brings things into her life so she would “know Him, love Him, obey Him, and therefore glorify Him” more. That doesn’t mean it is easy for her. She said, “There are times I have woken up in the middle of the night crying and can’t breathe.”

“It is hard. It’s supposed to be hard because it’s the hard and difficult things that we see our weakness in the power of God on display in our life”

Coates also briefly shared that her oldest son (18) has had some emotional moments being able to comprehend well what his father is enduring, and she said her 11-year-old son has really missed his dad. The mother of two said, “Everything is a teaching opportunity for us; we have to learn how to love and how to love Christ more.”

Her message to others listening Coates said is “share with your pastors who have opted to close the church just the damage what the lockdowns are doing to you. I receive so many messages from people that are really struggling to thrive in Christ. When you have them isolated, they are just prime target for the enemy to pounce on.”

Coates pleaded with others–especially those in Canada–to, “Open your churches to the glory of God.”

The biggest things someone can do for us at this time is “pray for us,” she said. “We are on display as a church and our earnest desire is to be faithful…this is about Jesus Christ’s Lordship over His church and whether the government can mandate how we worship Him as individuals and corporately.”

Coates asked for grace as she explained a lot of the negative comments toward her husband are not coming from pastors and that pastors will have to “stand before the Lord and give and account on judgement day for the souls that have been entrusted to them especially for GraceLife.”

You can watch the full interview here.

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