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Proverbs 4:23 … Keep Your Heart

By
Kyle E Sims
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Introspection is not pleasant for man. It is much easier for us to look outward and point to the issues in other’s lives. Jesus addresses this when he says that we need to get the log out of our eye before pointing out the speck in our brother’s eye. To point out a problem is easy, but to see issues in your own life means you have to deal with them. Introspection means that you have to deal with what you find in your life. You cannot pass by it.

The Bible says, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 ESV) Charles Bridges, in his commentary on the book of Proverbs, says the heart is “the citadel of man” and “the seat of his dearest treasure.” Introspection needs to start with your heart. The heart is the key to your soul and the source of your actions. It, above all else, must not be lost, or all is lost.

In the game of Chess, the king is the crucial piece. Unlike checkers, where every piece has equal value and can become a king, there is one king in Chess whose protection is key to the game. In life, the security of your heart is crucial above all else.

Bridges says, “heart must be known in order to be effectively kept.” How true, for if we are to guard something, and at that vigilantly, then it must be known to us. The heart can be a tricky thing. The Prophet Jeremiah says that the heart is deceitful above all things. Jesus tells us the importance of the heart in Matthew 15:17-20:

[17] Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? [18] But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. [19] For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. [20] These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.” (ESV)

It is from the heart that our speech and actions flow. Christianity is not a religion of rules and outward obedience. It is a religion of the heart. It has, at its core, the changing of the heart by God himself. So the first thing you need to know, has God changed your heart? Has the old, hard, and dead heart been replaced by the heart of flesh that is alive to God? This knowledge is vital to know! What good is it to keep a heart that is dead?

There are several signs that you have a new heart in Christ. Your heart should desire to worship God. It should hate sin. Its desire should be to follow God and live for God. The Proverb says it is from the heart that springs of life flow. Does the Christian life flow from your heart?

If you know this to be true in your life, then you must guard your heart from the world that would try and seduce it to sin and from the devil who would desire to destroy it. We have to be vigilant not only because of the outward threats but the ever-present internal threat of our sinfulness.

The flippancy of many Christians should concern us. Yes, we believe in the perseverance of the saints. Yes, we believe that if God holds us in His hand, no one can snatch us out of it. However, the Word of God tells us that we must keep our hearts and be vigilant about it. Should that not cause us to take the keeping of our hearts seriously? You should know the condition of your heart. You should know where it is weak and where it is healthy so that you can lean into your strengths and give a particular watch where there are weaknesses and dangers.

Take some time and consider your heart. Look with introspection at the key to your soul. What do you find in your heart? Where is your treasure? What words and actions are flowing from the spring of your heart? And what does this say about your heart’s condition?

This article originally appeared here.

3 Views of Submission to Government From Romans 13

By
Jesse Johnson
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Many of you I’m sure have been following what has been happening with Grace Church in Los Angeles. The short version is that the government there has banned singing in church worship services, and then later banned indoor church services altogether, while putting several (impractical) limitations on their meeting outdoors.

The church continued to meet, and released a statement respectfully notifying the government that they were going to obey God by singing and meeting (“Christ, not Caesar, is Head of the Church: A biblical Case for the Church’s Duty to Remain Open”). Their legal saga is ongoing. The church won a temporary restraining order against the county, but that was reversed on appeal.

In the meantime, there have been several pastors that have challenged Grace’s insistence on meeting, and more than a few that have said by meeting Grace is violating Romans 13:1-7. So in this post I want to look more carefully at that passage and hopefully bring out some nuance that I fear many modern American Christians have lost when it comes to Paul’s interaction with Caesar. First, here is the passage:

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.”

Romans 13:1-7

Through church history, there have basically been three ways Christians have interpreted this passage.

The Lutheran View: Obey in all things, except sin.

Perhaps the most common ways of understanding this passage is the “obey the government in all things, unless they command you to sin” view. This is the view historically held by Lutherans, as well as other groups that tend to stress the church/state connection (The Augsburg Confession says obedience is owed at all times “save only when they command sin;” Article XVI).

In this view, Paul is teaching that the government is owed absolute allegiance, with the only exception being a clear command to sin. So if the government tells you that you must have church services while standing on one foot, then you have church services while standing on one foot. But if the government tells you to no longer share the gospel, then you say, “It is better to obey God than man.”

This view assumes that government is by default owed allegiance and that the exceptions to that are very few—if any at all. I don’t find this view persuasive for two reasons. First, because it makes too much of government. By arguing that the government is owed allegiance at all times (except in rare cases of sin), it ends up demanding an allegiance to government that is really only owed God. Only God can command absolute obedience, and the disclaimer of “except in cases of commanded sin” would be true with him as well. It is no wonder this view is the one often held by those who see the church and state in partnership to advance the kingdom of God on earth. I’m aware that most American evangelicals adopt this view, and I think that is because many American theologians held it, and used it to support slavery (for example Dabney, in Practical Philosophy, 350-ff). When Americans, who generally have no business promoting a church/state connection, speak like this, I assume it is their “America is a Christian nation” hangover talking.

But the second reason I don’t find this view persuasive is because it makes it very difficult to follow Paul’s argumentation in the passage itself. He gives three reasons for obedience to the government—God tells you to, so you don’t go to jail, and also your conscience—and the second and third would be irrelevant if the first was as absolute as this view makes it sound. After all, if God tells you to obey, why care about your conscience? Who cares if you will go to jail, if the action that gets you there is a violation of God’s express command? In short, this view does not do justice to the intricacy of Romans 13:1-7.

The Presbyterian/Puritan View: Obey when the Government promotes good or checks evil.

The second view has been more common in English church history. This view argues that government in general has two functions, both of which are described in Romans 13:3-4. It is designed by God to check evil and to promote good. These are the reasons God established government, and so long as government is rewarding moral good and restraining moral evil, government is acting as God’s servant, and is to be obeyed.

Obviously governing authorities do go beyond these two basic functions. They command us to do silly things, things which are neither good nor evil, but instead are superficial and meaningless. For example, if the government passes a law that requires you to eat fired chicken with your fingers (this is a real law!) one ought not to think that by eating with a fork you are rebelling against God. Calvin would say “Our obligation to submit to laws looks to the purpose of law, and not to the laws themselves (Institutes IV, 10.5). 

Why Every Church Should Have Weekly Sunday Communion Like the Anglicans Do

By
An Anglican Pastor
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There was a long period where many Anglican churches didn’t have communion every Sunday. They would have morning prayer for a few weeks, and then a Holy Communion once a month or so. But a movement called Parish Communion successfully restored the tradition around the world. Today, most (but not all) Anglican churches celebrate Holy Communion every week on Sunday. And so should you.

Rote Ritual?

I’ve heard a few arguments against weekly communion, but the “rote ritual” argument is the primary one from evangelical churches.

For me, this is really a non-argument. All churches do a lot of things every Sunday, such as singing, praying and preaching. Any of these things can become rote or seem mundane. Yet we find ways to stay connected. The same goes with Holy Communion.

Examine Your Hearts

A historic argument against weekly communion is the “people are too bad” argument. This was the reason why most lay people did not receive communion during the Middle Ages. The lowly, sinful, tainted lay people were not so holy as the clergy, it was said. So they had to prepare for eucharist every year during Lent, and then receive only on Easter Day. That way they wouldn’t risk the damnation that would come from receiving with an impure heart.

Ironically this argument was coming from the Pope and the Roman Catholics, not the Protestant reformers. The Reformers were actually arguing for more frequent communion. Their internal debate was whether it should be weekly or monthly.

Today many evangelicals make a similar argument against weekly communion. If people received every week, they might receive in the unworthy manner that St. Paul warns us about. So we should not have communion too often, so that people will be careful to examine their hearts.

This way of thinking is a fundamental misunderstanding of the Holy Table of Jesus Christ. It is a table of of grace. This is not to say that we should approach it lightly or frivolously. No. But it is to say that the Holy Communion is the place where baptized believers come to taste and see that the Lord is good. Communion is for sinners, saved by grace.

When we were children, we were helped to wash our hands before each meal. We weren’t sent away because our hands were dirty. So our heavenly Father will wash us and feed us.

Evangelism

Another argument against weekly communion is evangelistic. It is said that non-believers or seekers won’t understand or have time to sit through a full eucharist. They might be confused by it.

The early church used to dismiss seekers before the communion. They would allow outsiders to hear the word read and preached, and some of the prayers. But they dismissed everyone except baptized believers before the communion. Keep in mind that these seeker and catechumens were being offered small group classes that explained Christian beliefs and told them what the Eucharist was about. This was no secret society.

In a way, we still do this today. We “fence the table,” which means we announce that the table is for baptized believers. We then are able to offer a blessing to all who will not be receiving. Adults take classes before baptism, and children who are baptized later take confirmation classes.

In practical terms, I’ve found the communion to be something that interests people. Eating and drinking are fundamental parts of human life. Observing people who are eating and drinking at God’s Table is beautiful to most people. Explaining what we are doing and why is a chance to share the gospel. Paul even said that we are proclaiming the Gospel every time we take the bread and cup (I Corinthians 11:26).

While the Holy Communion service might not be quite as simple as a prayer, praise and preaching service, it doesn’t have to add hours of time. It may only add a few minutes overall. But in terms of our witness, it adds an invitation to receive Christ himself.

The Biblical Record

There are quite a few biblical reasons to hold weekly communion, where it is possible to do so.

First, Jesus rose again on Sunday, the first day of the week. Every Sunday is a mini-Easter. At the inn at Emmaus, the Risen Christ reveals himself to the disciples in the breaking of the bread. Of course, this was after he had shown them how the Christ was prophesied in the Scriptures. This same risen Christ reveals himself to us every Sunday in the breaking of bread.

When we receive the spiritual nourishment of the Eucharist, we are refreshed for the upcoming week. We gather on Sunday to see the good things God has done and is doing, and we are sent out into the world to love and serve him. The communion is our holy food and drink, a way of resting in God’s presence. Time stands still and we are fed.

Second, the earliest churches gathered on Sundays, and they “broke bread” when they did (Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2). They believed that communion was a participation in Christ himself (I Corinthians 10:16) and so their worship included communion in order for people to be with Christ in that unique way.

Third, Jesus himself instituted the Lord’s Supper. He said to do this often (I Corinthians 11:25). I think we have it on the highest authority that the holy meal is to be a regular occurrence.

Tim Keller Gives Encouraging Update On Cancer Treatments

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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In June of this year, founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, world-renowned apologist, and best-selling author Tim Keller announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He started chemotherapy shorty after making the sobering announcement, saying at the time “I feel great and have no symptoms…” Keller went on to call the almost accidental diagnosis nothing short of providential: “It was what doctors call an ‘incidental pickup,’ otherwise known as providential intervention.”

Tim Keller Cancer Update

The former Redeemer Presbyterian Church pastor and author of the New York Times bestselling books Counterfeit Gods, The Reason for God, and The Prodigal God gave update via his social media accounts on his cancer treatments today:

Dear Praying Friends,

Kathy and I want to thank you for your many expressions of support, and for your faithfulness in praying for us. We have been acutely aware of those prayers, and God has heard them…

As of yesterday, I have finished six rounds of chemo for pancreatic cancer and, while there are indeed some side effects, my doctor says I’m tolerating the treatment very well. I have not been seriously debilitated and I can still do some work and ministry.

Yesterday we also met with my oncologist to go over the scans taken on Monday to assess the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. The report is very encouraging. There has been shrinkage of the tumors and so we are continuing the chemo in order to diminish the cancer further.

Our situation has driven us to seek God’s face as we never before. He is giving us more of his sensed presence, more freedom from our besetting sins, more dependence on his Word—things that we had sought for years, but only under these circumstances are we finding them.

We humbly beg that you all continue your prayers for the effectiveness of the treatment and minimal side effects to accompany it. Your prayers and concern mean more than we can express. Thanks so much!

Tim and Kathy

Please continue to keep Tim, Kathy, and the rest of their family in prayers as they continue to trust God for healing and a full recovery from the treatments.

Why Are Some Evangelical Christians Embracing QAnon?

By
Stephanie Martin
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QAnon, a once-fringe movement that the FBI now labels a domestic terrorism threat, has surged in popularity, especially among conservative evangelicals. Pastors and other leaders are warning about the alt-right movement’s cult-like aspects, saying it’s divisive and dangerous—and that the president’s comments aren’t helping.

Donald Trump, considered a savior figure within QAnon, recently said he doesn’t know much about the movement but has “heard these are people that love our country.” He has retweeted QAnon-affiliated Twitter accounts more than 200 times, and when a politician who embraces QAnon recently won a Georgia primary, Trump labeled her a “future Republican star.”

By contrast, Vice President Mike Pence has said he dismisses QAnon “out of hand” and shouldn’t have to waste time discussing it. 

What Is QAnon?

The movement began in 2017 with an anonymous post on the now-shuttered message board 4chan. The writer described having classified information about Trump’s battle against a global cabal of devil-worshiping, cannibalistic pedophiles who traffic children and kill them for their blood.

QAnon’s proponents claim that Hollywood celebrities and global religious figures (including the pope) are part of this Deep State—and that Trump is the courageous patriot selected to save America. They look for secret meanings in the president’s words and even his tie colors, leading to comparisons to an elaborate multiplayer video game. The movement also uses Bible verses to encourage supporters in their ongoing battle.

In light of recent global events, including the pandemic, “QAnon” has become an umbrella term for a variety of continually evolving conspiracy theories. Beyond the Pizzagate theory about Hillary Clinton, these include misinformation about COVID-19 (and mask-wearing) plus speculation about JFK’s assassination, 9/11, UFOs, vaccines, and more.

How the Movement Has Spread

QAnon has gone more “mainstream” as a result of posts—that are frequently shared—on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Last week, Facebook removed about 900 pages and groups, plus 1,500 advertisements, tied to QAnon that reportedly encourage violence. YouTube also is a haven for QAnon advocates, one of whom has 379,000 subscribers—and has implied that pastors and megachurches are involved.

According to one researcher, QAnon content increased 651 percent on Facebook and 71 percent on Twitter since the pandemic shutdowns began in March. Wisconsin pastor Jon Thorngate says a few of his church members began sharing the controversial Plandemic movie, while others seem receptive to various conspiracies. The concept of seeking one’s own truth is “concerning,” says the pastor, especially during a time in history when “nothing feels authoritative.”

Many Americans’ growing wariness of mainstream media, fake news, liberal influences, and relativism make them more susceptible to conspiracy theories, say social scientists and church leaders. Some go even farther, comparing QAnon to a new religion or cult.

The movement’s originator encourages people to “do your own research,” which might attract a certain type of Christian. “The kind of literacy that’s implied here—close reading and discussion of texts that are accepted as authoritative—has quite a bit in common with how evangelicals learn to read and interpret the Bible,” says analyst William Partin.

‘Counting On’ Star Shares Her Struggle With Spiritual Depression

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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Jessa Duggar Seewald grew up in the public eye as one of the “19 Kids and Counting” Duggar children. She is the Duggar family’s fifth child. Jessa married Benjamin Seewald in November of 2014, and they have three children together. She currently stars on the TLC show “Counting On” which is a spin off of the previous show “19 Kids and Counting,” and focuses on the lives of the older Duggar children.

This past Sunday, Jessa posted video on social media that has received over 600k views, where she gave her testimony of how the Lord saved her. In the video, which she titled “My Journey from Doubt and Depression to Grace,” she explains that while growing up in the church, she prayed to receive Christ as her Savior at a young age, but didn’t fully understand what she was doing by “praying the prayer.”

If anybody was the problem child of the family I probably could claim that title.

She said that there was no fruit of the Holy Spirit, rather “just a lot of patterns of sin; selfishness, self-focus, self-seeking” and explained that she went to church because her friends were there. Doubts about her salvation grew over the years, and every time the pastor gave an invitation to pray the prayer of salvation, she repeated it to give herself security that she was “safe” and was a Christian. At twelve, after a discussion with one of her sisters who knew that she had security in Christ, Jessa reached out to her parents and had a conversation about her doubts and insecurity over her salvation in Jesus.

Parents and Pastors Sometimes Mislead

“They didn’t pat me on the back and tell me ‘Oh honey that the devil, don’t listen to that,’” Jessa said of her parents’ response. Jessa said that a lot of “well-meaning” parents and pastors get it wrong when talking to a person about their doubts about salvation. She gave some examples of how false assurance sometimes is given to others. For instance, one example is “Just look back to the date to whenever you committed your life to the Lord.” Another was, “This is the devil trying to get you down, and don’t listen to the devil.” Another popular one she said is, “Write the date in your Bible when you asked Jesus into your heart and whenever you have doubts look back at the date tell him [the devil] ‘to get lost.’” She emphasized that writing the date down in your Bible is nowhere in the Bible.

Pointed to the Gospel

Her parents pointed her to the gospel, and her dad wasn’t afraid to share with Jessa that he too had doubts when he was a teenager. After her parents explained the gospel with her, she made the decision to trust in Christ and repent of her sins and this time her heart slowly began to change. The transformation of her heart brought an assurance to her salvation because she could only credit God with these habit changes, saying “I couldn’t change these things on my own…God was at work in my life…one of the biggest changes is that I wanted to be in God’s Word, I never really wanted to read my Bible before.” She also explained that relationships with her siblings that were broken and strained were slowly being repaired because God gave her a renewed spirit of joy.

Doubts Came Back

Jessa explained that she grew in Christ from age twelve to age seventeen then hit a plateau where she became frustrated she wasn’t where she wanted to be in her walk with Christ. This led her to begin to doubt her salvation again, and struggled with previous doubts because she knew she was a believer in Jesus but felt like she should be doing more. “I felt unsettled, restless, frustrated, and even angry sometimes,” she said. “I think if Christians were more open about the hard times, I think if Christians were more raw, you might find that more people go through this than you realize,” Jessa shared.

Why We Go Through Valleys

She gave great examples of why someone might be going through a valley that leads to doubting Christ’s work in one’s life. “It might be that there’s a certain sin that has a hold in our life and we’re clinging to that sin and that’s caused our relationship with the Lord to be distant.” Another example she gave was a possible sin of omission, or something that we should be doing such as doing good to others, caring for the souls of others by sharing the gospel with them, etc. Another reason we fall into valleys of doubt and depression is trials like family issues. Instead of running to Jesus for comfort, we become numb and don’t seek the help we need.

I Was Spiritually Depressed

“If someone asked me if I was depressed I would have said no, but I guess you could call it spiritual depression.” When people are asked, especially at church, “How are you? ‘Oh great fine,’ people don’t just open up and share about dark times or hard times like we should. We’re not as transparent as we should be. We’re not as raw as we should be.” This type of action causes people to suffer in silence.

This Helped Me

Jessa shared what helped her during her hard times and helped her get “unstuck from the rut” she felt like she was in. Listening to sermons and podcasts online throughout the week provided encouragement. She recalled listening to a John Piper sermon as she often does, where he explained that the old hymn “Everyday with Jesus (Sweeter than the Day Before)” was not true. This helped her realize that “some days my relationship with Jesus isn’t as good as yesterdays and that’s okay, not that we become content, but that we don’t allow that to draw us into spiritual depression.” Jessa said she appreciated that John Piper was “being real about this.”

“I had burdened down my conscience with an unscriptural expectation of (how) I have to have a quiet time everyday that looks just like this, and I’d be so discouraged (because) I didn’t get my time in the Word this morning,” Jessa said. Another encouragement that John Piper gave her was when he explained there is nowhere in the Bible that says a Christian has to read the Bible everyday. Jessa explained she “hinged” her Christian worth on whether she had a good daily quiet time or not.

How Your Space Speaks: Who Is Welcome Where?

By
Christina Embree
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A few years ago, I started a little personal experiment. I would stop in my tracks, wherever I was, and take into account all of the generations I could find present in a particular space. I started doing that because in my research on age segregation and integration, I ran across a discussion on how spaces, public spaces and private spaces, had become spaces that were generationally-specific by design and intent.

Spatial constructs are the geographic and environmental structures that make up our communities such as residential spaces (neighborhoods, nursing homes, cities) and common spaces (parks, malls, streets).

Over the past two decades, research has shown that spatial constructs can intentionally and unintentionally create spaces where ages are not likely to intermingle effectively leading to age segregation.

So, I decided to test the theory to see if, in my own personal life, I found this to be true in the spaces I tended to occupy. Often, while at the grocery store or a public park or a shopping mall, doctor’s office, restaurant, church or the like, I will pause and look around to see what generations are present and what elements are being used in the space to either attract or exclude generations.

And this is what I found: Public spaces can indeed become places of age segregation.  Some common things I noticed; in places designed to attract younger ages there was a lot more “noise” both audibly and visually (loud music, lots of colors and activity, a variety of sensual stimuli from smells to sounds to touch, cartoons or music videos on television) and in places designed to attract older generations, there are more traditional, less stimulating environments (Quieter classical or jazzy music, dimmer lighting in restaurants, patriotic symbols, news or talk shows on television).

A perfect example would be a restaurant the is dimly lit with tables for two with quiet music playing versus a restaurant that is brightly lit with large tables and seats designed for young children and boisterous music playing. Each restaurant has designed their space to attract as certain crowd. In one place you would expect to find families with children or young adults and in another older adults, couples without children on dates, etc.

This use of space can be carried over to other areas.  The inclusion or exclusion of certain items can either attract or detract specific age groups and that has actually led to a changing landscape.

The geography of age segregation can be mapped according to the generations present in a space such as a city or county (Source).  Spatial constructs such as neighborhoods, suburbs, and even cities can even be mapped along age-specific lines. That means if we were to track the ages of people living in a certain area and then overlaid a map of the city on top of that, we would find people of relatively the same generation actually living together in age-specific areas (Source).

How does that happen?

Residential age segregation exists due in part to how neighborhoods and homes are designed. In the past, homes were created with the expectation of a family and often the grandparents living together in a single space with perhaps a bedroom or two for some privacy. Today, the structure of large single-family homes with multiple rooms and bedrooms create barriers to intergenerational living (Source). In other words, we tend to separate as we age rather than live together.

Another contributing factor? Lack of available affordable housing in multigenerational neighborhoods. This has led to “age ghettos” where homeowners are primarily older and renters are primarily younger. Houses are primarily occupied by single young people (alone or living together), aging couples/singles, or a single family rather than multiple generations as in the past. It’s rare today to find an older aging person living in a home with single young people or even a family even though that was common in the past.

Churches also use spatial constructs to message age-appropriateness to their community and their members and they are influenced by the spatial constructs around them. Take a few moments and think about the space occupied by your own church.

  1. What does the space around your church/property look like? What are the visible signs of age such as a playground, steps/ramps, lighting, flowers or lack thereof, signage, sounds, flags, etc? What generational messaging is being sent and received?
  2. Inside your church building or gathering, what are the sights, smells, and sounds that each person is greeted with when they enter? Is there intentionality in the experience or just a default based on what has “always been?”
  3. In your community, does your church show up in specific spaces and not in others? Is there any generational component to how or where your church is active in the public arena? Are there spaces where your church is not engaged and is that intentional or incidental?
  4. What are the spatial influences in your surrounding neighborhoods and communities? Is there a specific generation included or excluded? How is that impacted by your church and/or how is your church impacted by that reality?

Recognizing that how we design and use space has an influence on the generations that gather and “hear” us can have a huge impact on our communication, our engagement, and our outreach.

Here’s a fun idea; for one week, do like me and experiment on your surroundings. Pause for a few minutes while shopping, serving, socializing, and sightseeing and take in the message of the space and the generations you see gathered. Then consider how you can take this information and use it to create spaces that invite multiple generations to come together to learn and engage with one another. It’s a fascinating exercise and one that challenges us to think outside the box and grow as people and as ministers.

This article originally appeared here.

American Evangelicals Must Stop Spreading Lies About COVID-19

By
Adrian Warnock
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Truth matters and lies kill, argues Christian doctor Adrian Warnock in this message to his social media followers who have been promoting conspiracy theories.

Western Science was built on Christian views of absolute truth. In an age of relativity, post-modernism, skepticism of experts, populism, and social media, it seem that now everything is a personal opinion.

We should expect that as people cast off the restraints of being a believer in a truthful God, the tendency to accept any old lie might rise. What we should not expect is the US evangelical Church to be joining in with spreading false news and conspiracy theories.

This blog post should be shared with every pandemic-denying, vaccine-hating, malaria-tablet-consuming Bible-basher you know. It is time to embrace the facts not snake oil salesmen peddling “cures” which have been proved not to work.

It breaks my heart to read Christians peddling conspiracy theories that are so bizarre even a school child would know they’re nonsense. Increasingly it seems no effort is made to seek for the truth, and anything that supports the paranoid idea that the faithful few are standing up to powerful anti-God forces is embraced.

I am certain that Jesus weeps as a result. Christians are meant to love the truth not promote lies. Truth matters. Lies kill.

Over 200 Covid-19 vaccines are in development. Without a successful vaccine it is hard to see how life will return to anything like normal. But for too many evangelicals, vaccines are somehow anathema. Meanwhile, our non-believing friends are looking on and mocking us.

According to thousands of evangelicals, we are expected to believe that every single one of the vaccines that scientists from all over the world are working on, are part of some bizarre plan to inject us all with a microchip (or in another even more bizarre variant of the conspiracy theory, that the vaccine will include some kind of method to cull the population!). No evidence exists to support these ideas whatsoever yet evangelicals breathlessly talk about the mark of the beast, which was a physical visible brand, not an invisible hidden chip!

And to those who assume that only a tiny minority of Americans believe these lies, I wish you were correct. But according to a YouGov/Yahoo poll, half of Fox News viewers believe Bill Gates is using the pandemic to microchip the population.

Let’s be clear: Vaccines save lives. Vaccines do God’s work of healing.

The virus is much more readily transmitted indoors than outside, and it turns out singing risks spread more than talking, and crowded, poorly-ventilated church buildings could lead to hundreds being infected on a single morning. And yet we hear prominent Christian leaders such as John MacArthur proclaiming that they refuse to follow the orders of the State to not meet. Would the same church have objected to being told not to meet at night in wartime England because the lights might help Nazi bombers find their way?

I have read one too many of my Facebook friends questioning the whole thing, challenging people to state if they know anyone who has gotten sick from or died from Covid-19. And then stating “anyway it only affects the old and people with pre-existing conditions.”

The argument goes, “Why should healthy young people wear a mask to protect those who are weak and vulnerable?” I feel like writing back in capital letters: “I am one of the people you think do not matter.” At 49, I have a severely damaged immune system from blood cancer and its treatment. My family and I would appreciate it if you would wear a mask to help reduce the background risk of me catching a disease that would give me around a 30-40% chance of death.

I left the family home because my wife is in and out of several homes each day as a health worker, and my children volunteer at church or in the food bank. Since I have a very poor immune system, it seemed to make sense to shelter safely with my parents who are both strictly isolating.

Those of us who live in the UK have no doubt about how severe this is. We all know people who have died, been hospitalized, or who have permanent consequences such as altered taste sensation months after their battles with Covid-19. Due to variation in the numbers of tests and challenges in accurately determining the true number of cases and deaths with Covid-19, the best way to assess how bad the pandemic has been in your local area is to examine how much deaths from all causes have increased above historical averages. This can be viewed for your local area in the UK on this BBC page. In the USA the picture is rather more complex. But there is a page on the CDC website where you can look at all cause mortality for the whole of the USA and each state. There is clear evidence of the epidemic having had a huge wave in New York which is reflected in the national figures. Many states are only now just beginning what looks like huge waves with ITU beds being heavily occupied. This is far from over.

Some Christians think that social distancing, avoiding indoor gatherings, cancelling church, getting shopping delivered, wearing masks, working from home, improving ventilation, and other precautions are all evidence of a lack of faith. They say God will protect us. But those same Christians wear a seat belt! And no doubt some of them lock their doors at night to protect themselves from thieves. God calls us to take sensible precautions. And he has never promised that we will be kept safe from all suffering in this world.

I am reminded of the story of Oliver Cromwell who on rallying his troops to go into battle, in his mind on the side of God, told them to: “Trust in God, but keep your gunpowder dry.”

Biologos have issued a very helpful statement on the need for Christians to embrace science at this time. It has been signed by over 3,000 people so far. This organization was founded by leading Christian scientist, Dr Francis Collins. He directs the US National Institutes of Health, and is therefore the boss of Dr. Fauci who has become a familiar figure for many pandemic news watchers. I wholeheartedly embrace and endorse this statement and have added my signature to it. I would urge all Christians to sign it if you are concerned for the cause of truth and the protection of others (while of course understanding the need to balance risk reduction with the enormous economic and social costs of this global disaster).

I urge my Christian readers to get on the side of truth. Please read up on the science from reliable truth-based resources. Stop promoting crazy conspiracy theories, and fake “cures” for Covid-19. And get ready to swallow your fears and embrace a reliable vaccine when the studies are concluded. There’s too much at stake to be on the wrong side of this issue. 

This article originally appeared here.

5 Great Reasons to Memorize Scripture Today

By
Tim Challies
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There are few areas of the Christian life where there is a wider gap between what Christians want to do and what Christians actually do than in this area: memorizing Scripture. We all know that we should, we all have some appreciation of the benefits, and we would all love to be released from the guilt of doing it so little. Here, courtesy of Donald Whitney and his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (now in a brand new edition), are five great reasons to memorize Scripture today.

Memorization Supplies Spiritual Power.

“When Scripture is stored in your mind, it is available for the Holy Spirit to bring to your attention when you need it most.” No wonder, then, that David wrote, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” “A pertinent scriptural truth, brought to your awareness by the Holy Spirit at just the right moment, can be the weapon that makes the difference in a spiritual battle.”

Memorization Strengthens Your Faith.

“Memorization strengthens your faith because it repeatedly reinforces the truth, often just when you need to hear it again.” But it can only reinforce truth that you have already committed to memory.

Memorization Prepares Us for Witnessing and Counseling.

“Recently, while I was talking to a man about Jesus, he said something that brought to mind a verse I had memorized. I quoted that verse, and it was the turning point in a conversation that resulted in him professing faith in Christ. I often experience something similar in counseling conversations. But until the verses are hidden in the heart, they aren’t available to use with the mouth.”

Memorization Provides a Means of God’s Guidance.

David wrote, “Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.” “Just as the Holy Spirit retrieves scriptural truth from our memory banks for use in counseling others, so also will He bring it to our minds in providing timely guidance for ourselves.”

Memorization Stimulates Meditation.

“One of the most amazing benefits of memorizing Scripture is that it provides fuel for meditation. When you have memorized a verse of Scripture, you can meditate on it anywhere, at any time, during the day or night.” Then you can be like David who exclaimed, “Oh how I love your law, it is my meditation all the day.”

Here is a final call to action:

The Word of the Lord is the “sword of the Spirit,” but if there is no Bible physically accessible to you, then the weapon of the Word must be present in the armory of your mind in order for the Spirit to wield it. Imagine yourself in the midst of a decision and needing guidance, or struggling with a difficult temptation and needing victory. The Holy Spirit enters your mental arsenal and looks around for available weapons, but all He finds is a John 3:16, a Genesis 1:1, and a Great Commission. Those are great swords, but they’re not made for every battle.

The only solution is to commit to memorizing the Word of God. For God’s sake, as an expression of your desire to be used by him, fill up that arsenal.  

4 Principles of Shared Ministry Leadership

By
Doug Franklin
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How do youth workers build great teams where everyone is involved and shares leadership?  Unfortunately, there is no checklist that guarantees results.  Leadership is a chaotic and complex process of give and take, trial and error, and success and failure.  It requires perseverance and flexibility.

Here are four principles for building teams with high involvement and shared leadership:

1. Leaders know that people want to be a part of something greater than oneself

Leaders engage people in the noble purpose of bringing about purposeful change.  They cast a vision for a better world in which to live and work.  Moreover, they help individuals see the specific roles they can play to bring about this vision.

2. Leaders focus on achieving the organization’s vision and mission

People know who they are as an organization, why they exist, what they hope to accomplish, and how they intend to achieve it.  There is a strong sense of “we” and “us.”

3. Leaders build community

People want to belong.  God created us for community.  In Genesis 2:18 God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”  When people are included they develop a greater sense of ownership and responsibility.  Excluding others results in a greater sense of isolation and dissatisfaction.  Communities are built on the three “C’s” of caring, communication, and collaboration.  People care about each other, communicate effectively, and collaborate to fulfill a cause.  Without question, the leader serves as the model.  It’s true: “The speed of the leader is the speed of the team.”

4. Leaders encourage people to make decisions and contribute their ideas

People want more than “stooge work.”  They want important tasks that challenge their potential.  They respect leaders who listen to their opinions even when their viewpoints differ.  People want leaders who assign responsibility, allocate resources, and recognize results.  They also appreciate leaders who are proactive, supportive, and decisive.  

Francis Chan on Transubstantiation: ‘Don’t Know Where I Land Yet’

By
Megan Briggs
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Francis Chan has believed that the communion was a symbol only for his whole life. In fact, he used to view anyone who believed in transubstantiation, or who saw the bread and the wine used for communion as more than just the bread and the wine, as “Catholic” and potentially “superstitious.” Chan said it struck him as “almost silly” and even “heretical” to take this view of communion. However, at the urging of his friends and fellow ministry leaders, Hank Hanegraaff and K.P. Yohannan, Chan says he decided to study early church history to discover what they believed about communion, or the Eucharist. While he admits he doesn’t “know where I land yet,” Chan is seeking to understand the incarnational view of the Eucharist that faith traditions such as the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches take.

Helping him on his journey, Hanegraaff and Yohannan sat down recently during a podcast episode of Hanegraaf’s Bible Answer Man to explain the incarnational view of the Eucharist that Christians have held for centuries now. As you may recall, Hanegraaff made waves in the evangelical church a few years ago when he converted to Eastern Orthodoxy.

The main crux of the argument that Hanegraaff and Yohannon present is that the doctrines of Christianity were built by the apostles and then originally passed down orally. Later, they were written down in the Bible. The Bible, they explain, wouldn’t even exist without the church. In other words, the two gentlemen believe the early church’s belief on this subject should inform our understanding of the Eucharist. 

The Early Church Believed in Transubstantiation

For the first 1,000 years of church history, Hanegraaff explains, the Church was “undivided at the table” in their belief about the Eucharist. “The early church uniformly believed that when you partook of the Eucharist, you were partaking of the real presence of Christ,” Hanegraaf said. When Jesus said “This is my blood. This is my body,” Hanegraaff says he wasn’t speaking metaphorically. It was a hard saying and many of his followers left because of it. 

Another Scriptural support for early church’s view of the Eucharist is found in 1 Corinthians 11:27, when Paul is warning the church about taking communion in an “unworthy manner.” Hanegraaff asks, if the Eucharist is merely a symbol, as the Protestant tradition holds, why would Paul warn that partaking in what he calls “the body and blood of the Lord” in the wrong state could cause illness?

Moving beyond Scripture, Hanegraaff then begins to explain how the Church’s views of the Eucharist started to change and create a rift among faith traditions. Starting with the schism between the Western Church and the Eastern church after 1,000 years of unity, Hanegraaff said this is the beginnings of the western church shifting its thinking about the Eucharist, although it wasn’t until much later that the Protestants would adopt the symbolic view of the Eucharist. Around this time, in western culture the age of rationalism was emerging and the church was being influenced by scholasticism and a desire to explain everything. The church trying to explain the Eucharist, Hanegraaff says, is akin to trying to do the impossible. That is, trying to take a mystery and put it into words. Hanegraaff clarified that at this time, all western Christians still believed in the actual presence of Christ in the Eucharist, that is transubstantiation, but they sought ways to explain the phenomenon. 

On the other hand, the Eastern church was content in their belief that the Eucharist is a mystery and didn’t attempt to explain it.

Fast forward another 500 years to the Reformation. This is when things start to change in the western church. Shortly after Martin Luther’s 95 theses moment, he and a fellow Reformation leader, Ulrich Zwingli, got into a debate about the Eucharist. Luther held to the literal understanding of the Eucharist while Zwingli pressed him explain how the bread and the wine could possibly be Christ’s body. Hanegraaff says that Luther responded, “If you can explain to me how Christ is one person with two natures, I will explain to you how Christ can really be present in the Eucharist.” 

Hanegraaff went on to unpack Luther’s argument: In our humanity, we can’t fully comprehend things like the trinity, for instance, but this is a core tenant of our faith and something that we accept as a mystery. While Luther might have won the debate with Zwingli, Hanegraaff says that Zwingli won the war. The two went their separate ways and fissures in the Reformation movement started happening. Hence, we have innumerous iterations of the Reformation church (also known as Protestantism) to this day that often fight like siblings. To the point where some protestants believe a literal understanding of the Eucharist is akin to “the sin of worshipping bread.”

The Symbol Becomes Reality Through Faith

At this point Yohannan chimed in and explained his understanding of faith and the Eucharist. He gave the example of the serpent on the staff used by the Israelites while they were wandering in the desert and suffering from snakebites. God through Moses instructed them to look upon the serpent and they would be healed. How can this happen? Yohannan asks. The answer, he believes, is where faith comes into the picture. The Israelites were healed by the serpent on the staff—a symbol—because of their faith in what God said he would do. 

In other words, “The symbol becomes reality when we believe.” 

Yohannan went on to talk about how the Eucharist has transformed him personally. Saying he used to be prideful, he believes receiving the elements—Christ’s body and his blood—by faith has transformed him from the inside out. This is an experiential thing, to be sure, but Yohannan makes the case that faith must be experiential for it to be genuine. The thing that matters with the Eucharist, Yohannan says, is how does our “heart faith” respond to it? One person, for instance, can receive the elements and not react to it. But another, who has faith and believes, can be transformed by it.

Christian Leaders Weigh In on NBA Boycott over Shooting

By
Jessica Lea
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As racial unrest continues in the U.S., players in the NBA and other professional sports leagues are refusing to play in protest against the shooting of Jacob Blake that took place in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Various Christian leaders have weighed in on the NBA boycott, which was inspired by the Milwaukee Bucks, noting the influence these athletes possess.

“The NBA players are helping to calibrate America tonight. Praise God!” said Charlie Dates, senior pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr., also praised the NBA boycott, saying, “What @NBA players did today matters greatly. Don’t think for a minute that it doesn’t.”

Steve Carter, a pastor and cohost of the Home Team podcast, also praised the NBA boycott:

NBA Boycott Inspires Other Athletes

Wednesday afternoon, the Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their game against the Orlando Magic, explaining their decision in a statement:  

Over the last few days in our home state of Wisconsin, we’ve seen the horrendous video of Jacob Blake being shot in the back seven times by a police officer in Kenosha, and the additional shooting of protestors. Despite the overwhelming plea for change, there has been no action, so our focus today cannot be on basketball. When we take the court and represent Milwaukee and Wisconsin, we are expected to play at a high level, give maximum effort and hold each other accountable. We hold ourselves to that standard, and in this moment, we are demanding the same from our lawmakers and law enforcement.

After the Bucks made their decision, the NBA postponed two other playoff games that day, and Thursday’s playoffs will also not take place. Players have been in talks with team governors and have reportedly agreed to resume games this weekend. 

Following the Bucks’ decision, the WNBA also postponed three games Wednesday evening. Atlanta Dream forward Elizabeth Williams read a statement saying,

We stand in solidarity with our brothers in the NBA and will continue this conversation with our brothers and sisters across all leagues and look to take collective action. What we have seen over the last few months, and most recently with the brutal police shooting of Jacob Blake, is overwhelming. And while we hurt for Jacob and his community, we also have an opportunity to keep the focus on the issues and demand change.

Major League Baseball also postponed games planned for Wednesday, and Major League Soccer followed suit with the five games that remained on its schedule. Naomi Osaka, a two-time Grand Slam tennis champion who had just made it to the semi-finals of the Western & Southern Open in New York, pulled out of the tournament in protest over “the continued genocide of black people.”

Former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, who has been hosting a series called “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man,” praised the NBA boycott, but urged players to be purposeful. The purpose of a boycott is “to inflict economic loss to a target,” said Acho, “so I just want to ask all the players…Who and what is the target?” He noted the target is not the players themselves, nor is it the broadcast agency. 

Acho said he did believe that the NBA boycott was a “wise” move, but encouraged players, “Sit on the court, host a forum, educate the audience as to exactly why you are boycotting. Don’t just boycott for boycott’s sake.”

Other Christian leaders have commented on the pain and weariness they are experiencing as a result of the racial injustice in our country. 

Dr. Esau McCaulley tweeted, “I’m not the only black person trying to figure out how to go to work and do their jobs with integrity with hearts that are heavy and minds that are distracted.”

Pastor Eric Mason: The Biblical Case for Reparations

By
Jesse T. Jackson
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Pastor Eric Mason addressed reparations for African Americans in his sermon to Epiphany Fellowship Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Sunday, August 23rd. Many people ask if reparations are necessary if one has already been forgiven and even question whether reparations are a “gospel issue.” Preaching from Luke 19:1-10 (the passage about Zacchaeus the tax collector), Mason proceeded to make a case for reparations being not only a “gospel issue” but arguing that “correcting the effects of sin on others” represents the fruit of conversion. 

“Africans were released from slavery without any counseling, without any economic plan, without any opportunity,” Mason said. African Americans were “left out there in a way that we would say wasn’t restorative for them being kidnapped by their kidnappers…and imported into this country as an import versus an immigrant,” the pastor said. 

Mason was preaching from an “unchartered” location in north Philadelphia. He was preaching from what he called “ground zero” of brokenness in Philadelphia; Dr. Mason even mentions why he kept looking around, and even addressed someone in person during the sermon, saying “I’m talking about reparations for black people.”

Pastor Eric Mason: The Bible Gives Examples of Reparations

Mason explained what makes Zacchaeus’ interaction with Jesus noteworthy is his repentant and immediate reaction. The preacher emphasized verse 8: “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’” Zacchaeus is not saved by giving to the poor (verse 9), but he is saved because of his response to Jesus. Mason explains, “His repentance bears fruit!” He showed that Zacchaeus went beyond general alms giving (an offering), and said for anyone he had extorted he’d pay back four times as much. Mason then pointed out, “it wasn’t just enough to show that he had changed, but also to correct something that he did.”

Mason went on to say that the word “extort” is the exegetical springboard for understanding the issue of reparations in America. “This exegetical statement here is powerful, because it says to oppress someone, and cheating them, and extorting them…who’s more extorted than black people in America?” he asked. Black people in America were extorted because “we gave you 256 years of free labor with nothing but poor eating, and poor places to stay.”

When people say black folk is lazy, I’m like we sure built the country on some lazy people huh?

Paying back four times as much is an Old Testament principle, Mason explained, citing Exodus 22:1 as an example. He also used Numbers 5:7 to discuss why Zacchaeus was willing to pay above and beyond what he took. Zacchaeus did this so he could help the people he wronged and also to show how repentant he was for the sins he had committed. “This is what reparations does,” Mason explained, “What would their life be like, if I didn’t interfere with their advancement…restitution thinks that way.” Mason also used Proverbs 14:9 and Exodus 22:12 to bolster his argument for the Scriptural basis of restitution.

Generational Restitution

Speaking from Ezra 1:4, Mason illustrated how the children of Israel received restitution from Cyrus, the King of Persia after their captivity and exile at the hands of the Babylonians; the silver, gold, and livestock were for the people, the offerings for the house of God. He said, “it would be unjust to send them back to their land without anything to be able to begin to build their own independent economy.” That time in Jewish history wasn’t the first time they had been paid reparations, either. Reparations in Exodus 12:35-36 are a direct result of the Israelite’s protesting Pharaoh to let God’s people go, Mason explained.

Mason compared this treatment of the Jews to America’s treatment of African Americans:

There’s nothing that’s been done in this country comprehensively as a system, beyond a ‘handout’ versus a ‘hand-up’ to help there to be economic independence among black people.

“Jesus in verse 9 of Luke 19 connects Zacchaeus’ willingness to pay reparations as a sign that he had been changed by the gospel.” Mason asked how many listening say racism doesn’t exist, and specifically addressed those who don’t feel obligated to pay reparations. “If you are resisting restitution for black people because of what’s happened in this country, you may want to check your justification monitor.”

The gospel isn’t just a message that changes the soul, it is the power of God to change everything. So reparations fits in the scope of the gospel.

Mason then gave some history of when and how America has paid reparations, which can be seen here. Summarizing his thoughts on how reparations have been paid historically, Mason said “America has slapped black people in the face because of the inequitable ways they’ve been treated.” Additionally, Mason believes the church has a unique role to play in righting this wrong:

 

Rebekah Naylor Named First Female Distinguished Professor at SWBTS

By
Alex Sibley
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Rebekah Ann Naylor, a longtime medical missionary to India, has been appointed distinguished professor of missions in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the school’s administration announced today (Aug. 20). She is the first woman ever to hold such a position at the seminary.

“The late Robert E. Naylor, our fifth president, began the tradition of pronouncing upon new students and faculty the worthy name of ‘Southwesterner,’” SWBTS President Adam W. Greenway said. “And in my estimation there are few individuals more worthy to wear this distinctive appellation than his own daughter, Dr. Rebekah Ann Naylor.

“Through her decades of service with our International Mission Board in medical missions, she has made tremendous contributions to the advancement of God’s Kingdom. It is, therefore, more than fitting—and long past due—that Dr. Naylor receive the honor of being appointed distinguished professor of missions, the first female to have ever been so recognized by our seminary. Our students are blessed beyond measure to have the opportunity to study with her, a Southwesterner of first rank.”

Naylor joined six other administrative staff of the seminary to be appointed to the faculty.

Naylor made her profession of faith at just 5 years old, and eight years later accepted God’s call to become a medical missionary. After graduating from Baylor University with a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1964, she completed her Doctor of Medicine degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville in 1968. Her surgical training was completed 1973, after which she was certified by the American Board of Surgery and became a fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

In 1973, Naylor was appointed to the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board). Following a 13-week orientation that prepared her for the mission field and a semester of studies at SWBTS, Naylor was deployed to Bangalore, India, as a general surgeon, evangelist and church planter.

Naylor served at Bangalore Baptist Hospital from 1974-2002, during which time the hospital experienced significant growth. While Naylor’s initial appointment was as a clinical surgeon, she eventually took on the roles of chief of medical staff, administrator, and medical superintendent. Under her supervision, the hospital expanded patient care services and doubled its capacity from 80 to 160 beds.

Naylor also supervised the construction in Bangalore of the Rebekah Ann Naylor School of Nursing in 1996. She later became the school’s professor of anatomy and physiology and saw the first class graduate in August 1999.

Besides serving as a missionary surgeon and professor, Naylor also worked as a strategy coordinator and church planter for the International Mission Board in the state of Karnataka, India, from 1999 to 2009. During this time, she worked with the medical ministry and Indian pastors to help plant 900 churches in Karnataka.

Upon her return to the United States, Naylor joined the faculty of the surgery department at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. She was promoted to associate clinical professor of surgery in 2007 and served in that capacity until her retirement in 2010. She then began serving as a global healthcare consultant for Baptist Global Response, mobilizing and training healthcare personnel to meet needs around the world.

She helped found Mercy Clinic, a free medical clinic for the uninsured, low-income population of southern Fort Worth, and has taught at Southwestern Seminary as an adjunct professor of missions.

Greenway named Naylor SWBTS’ permanent missionary-in-residence early in his administration, and now, as the first-ever female distinguished professor at the seminary, “she will continue to impart her knowledge and years of experience to the next generation of God-called men and women, who can continue her legacy of reaching the nations for Christ,” he said.

In commending her appointment, IMB President Paul Chitwood said, “At the International Mission Board, Rebekah Naylor’s name is synonymous with medical missions. Not only is Dr. Naylor the leading voice in IMB’s current healthcare strategy, her advocacy is one of the primary reasons that the IMB has more medical professionals serving overseas today that at any time in our history.

“I look forward to seeing how God will use her in the role of distinguished professor of missions in the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary to call out the called for the sake of every nation, all tribes, peoples and languages. There is simply no better choice for this role.”

John D. Massey, dean of the Fish School, said he “could not be more excited” that Naylor has been appointed to the faculty, adding that she “brings a wealth of missions experience from her 40-plus years as an IMB missionary in India and currently serving on special assignment with the IMB in the area of healthcare strategies and church planting.

“In her lifetime, she has created an unmatched legacy of service to the Lord through reaching the lost through serving as a medical doctor in India. In a real sense, Dr. Naylor is coming home. She lived on our seminary’s campus as the daughter of our fifth president, Dr. Robert Naylor, until she left for college. Welcome home to the Dome, Dr. Naylor!”

This article originally appeared here.

Transferring Ownership for Spiritual Growth

By
Ken Braddy
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Baby Boomers (yes, I am one of them) will have the honor and the accompanying responsibilities of becoming the recipients of the greatest transfer of wealth in our nation’s history. As their parents die, wealth will be handed down for Boomers to manage. Boomers will find themselves responsible to manage this great transfer of wealth.

Is it possible that COVID-19 will create another great transfer? Or has that new great transfer already begun? This new transfer of wealth won’t have money at the center of it, but it will instead be focused on transferring ownership for spiritual growth to individuals.

As churches and Bible study groups have been unable to meet (except for mostly online), a hefty percentage of groups have not met since the COVID-19 physical distancing guidelines were set in place back in March 2020. That’s a long time for some groups not to have met! In fact, it’s tragic. Some groups found new ways to meet (driveways, backyards, church gyms, larger rooms at their church, and more). But the number of groups that have regathered pales in comparison to those who are still sitting around doing nothing. I resonate with group leaders who have genuine concerns, as do their group members, about being together again physically – it’s good to be safe and prudent! But at the same time, we should not let COVID-19 paralyze us into a catatonic spiritual state.

Now to my point.

Unwilling to accept an ongoing status in which groups have not met, individuals are taking ownership for their spiritual growth. There is a transfer of responsibility for spiritual growth back to the individual! If this is one of the blessings of COVID-19, then I welcome that.

Dr. Brad Waggoner’s research for his book The Shape of Faith to Come demonstrated that the number one action a person can take to grow spiritually is to read the Bible for themselves – daily. See page 68 of his book for the research findings.

Running Stream or Stagnant Pool?

Dr. Howard Hendricks was one of my favorite teachers in the early days of my ministry. I never sat directly under him, but instead got to know him and his amazing life story and teaching ministry through video training he recorded decades ago. His “7 Laws of the Teacher” series are still some of my favorite training modules.

Dr. Hendricks told the story of a professor in video number one of the 7 Laws of the Teacher video series. He reported that each morning a student would walk past the home of his professor very early in the morning – like 5AM early. The student would observe his professor through an open window as he walked past the teacher’s house. The professor was hunched over his desk, studying the Word of God and praying. In class one day the student approached his professor and asked him, “Why do I see you up so early every morning studying and praying?” The professor responded to this young student with the words, “I would rather my students drink from a running stream than from a stagnant pool.” Those words were tremendously impactful! And they remind me why it is so important for individuals to take ownership for their spiritual growth. Too many of us have left that responsibility with the church and/or our pastor or our Bible study leader. It doesn’t have to be this way! While we value and appreciate the investments that pastors and teachers make in us as they teach the Bible, we should not let that ever become a substitute for taking ownership of our spiritual growth! The Holy Spirit of God lives in each believer, and His role is to lead and guide us into truth. I can experience that whether my group is able to meet right now or not.

Solitude and Spiritual Growth

There are plenty of activities that I enjoy doing by myself. Golf is one of them. I love playing golf by myself early in the morning. Now don’t get me wrong! I also enjoy spending time with 3 other buddies that like playing golf – we always have a great time. But there is something restful and enjoyable about being the only guy on the course. I get to spend time in God’s creation, I have time to think, and this kind of golf always energizes me. I also like reading a good book, doing yardwork, and taking a walk or a drive by myself. Solitude isn’t sad. Jesus retreated and spent time away from the pressing needs of the day.

The Bible tells the story of people who spent time alone with God. It also encourages us to spend alone time to think about and meditate on God and His Word. Consider:

  • The Ethiopian eunuch was reading alone from the Old Testament as he journeyed in his chariot (Acts 8:26ff).
  • Jesus frequently retreated to lonely places to commune with his Heavenly Father (Luke 5:16).
  • Daniel spent time alone praying daily, to the point it was noticed and resulted in a crisis of faith (Daniel 6:10-28).
  • The psalms instruct us to meditate and spend time with God’s Word (Psalm 1:2-3).

5 Things to Decide on to Enhance Your Spiritual Growth as an Individual

To make new strides in taking ownership of your spiritual growth, here are some things you’ll want to decide upon in advance. Meeting with groups for Bible study is great. Meeting alone with God is equally as great, and can propel your relationship forward!

  1. Decide on a daily time you’ll study and meet with God in His Word. Are you a morning person or a night owl? Go with what works for you.
  2. Decide on a place to do your studying. Make it the same place each day.
  3. Decide on a topic that interests you. What have you always wanted to know more about when it comes to God’s Word? There’s a study out there for you!
  4. Decide on your overall time commitment in weeks. How many weeks can you give to a concerted effort to meet with God daily? 4 weeks? 8 weeks? 12 weeks? How big a bite do you want to take? There’s a study for that, too.
  5. Decide on a study, order it, and begin! It’s literally that simple.

We are realizing that even though groups may not be meeting during COVID-19, we can transfer the responsibility for spiritual growth to us. We don’t have to wait for a teacher or pastor to instruct us. We can choose to spend time with God in His Word, which will transfer the responsibility for growth to us, where it belongs in the first place.

If you need a starting point for finding a study for yourself, I recommend starting with my company’s website! Click here to jump to lifeway.com where you will be able to search hundreds of studies that will help you grow even though your group may not be meeting right now.

This article about ownership for spiritual growth originally appeared here.

Toxic Politics and the Third Way

By
Jojo Agot
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

The confusion about how Christians should respond to the political issues today betrays an apparent disconnect between our theology and our practice. Many of us have conveniently relegated politics and culture to the periphery of our lives. We are busy people. We don’t have much use for political intrigues and bickering.

But yesterday we saw how the president’s words in a late night press conference can actually get us all scrambling around. Millions of people in Metro Manila woke up yesterday morning to find that they had less than sixteen hours to prepare for a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ). This means that quarantine passes are once again required, no public transport will be available for the next two weeks, and non-essential work will be suspended, among other things. These are no longer peripheral issues we can ignore. Politics affects us even when we are sleeping.

The pandemic and the contentious nature of Philippine politics push Filipino Christians to ask hard questions about how to best reflect Christian charity in the face of a brewing political restlessness. We want to be peace-makers for the sake of the gospel, to bridge the chasm so that we will be able to disciple people from both sides of the political divide. We want to be healers and fire extinguishers. At the same time it is becoming impossible to avoid political conversations. Not only because everybody is trying to get you to show your political colors but more because the Bible demands that we don’t stay silent in the face of injustice (Esther 4:14; Proverbs 31:8-9). This tension is agonizing and most people see only two options: pick a side or step away from the discourse. Isn’t there another way?

The Third Way

There is a third way. Joshua 5:13-15 tells a very short account of Joshua meeting an unknown soldier with a drawn sword in his hand on the eve of their military campaign against the city of Jericho. Joshua asked if he was for Israel or for the enemy. “Neither,” answered the man, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” What happened next baffled me for years. Joshua fell down on his knees and worshiped him. The soldier told Joshua to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.

The Bible doesn’t say what happened next. What was the message? Who was this person? Scholars say this was the pre-incarnate Jesus, commander of the army of the Lord. The command to remove sandals reminds us of Moses’ meeting with Jehovah in the burning bush (Exodus 3). Joshua was standing in the presence of the second member of the Trinity.

Joshua’s story teaches one lesson we can all use today: God is not tribal. He doesn’t fall into one neat political line. He is neither for the opposition nor the administration. He is outside our political categories. He has his own side—the side of divine justice and righteousness. We don’t recruit him to be on our side. We should be the ones eager to join his side.

I was stunned when I realized this because this goes against our natural instinct for partisanship. We normally take sides and operate based on political leanings. Those who don’t take sides simply withdraw and stay silent. Our culture doesn’t have room for politically homeless people, in fact, they’re accused of being fence-sitters who could not make up their minds. But Christians are politically homeless. We don’t fit squarely into one political category. Our loyalty is not to any earthly throne. Our allegiance is to king Jesus alone. This is why Christians are frustrating to the woke crowd. Thabiti Anyabwile phrased it well when he posted this on Twitter today:

The story of Joshua shows us the third way for the people of God: to intentionally fall outside the political lines. Don’t give your allegiance to either camps. The lapses of this administration’s response to the pandemic are too glaring to ignore. As a citizen of a democratic country, you can respectfully call it out. At the same time, the vitriol and insults the opposition heaped on people who don’t share their outrage are dehumanizing. You can keep your distance from this too. Don’t be apathetic and uninvolved either. You can’t just post cute cat pictures on Instagram while the world is burning. Politics is part of God’s structural design for the world and he means for us to participate in the shaping of culture and society. We are called to be salt and light, after all. We can’t do that if we retreat to our caves.

As Anyabwile tweeted, falling outside the political lines resonates more with the Christian identity of being sojourners and exiles on earth. We engage in political discourse with a holy ambivalence knowing that politics is not the primary mechanism for the kingdom of God to operate on earth. God’s modus is far more comprehensive than changing political systems. It involves renovation of individual hearts and universal renewal of all things.

So why do we engage in political discourse then? For discipleship. Christians need to know that there is a thoughtful, nuanced, and Christian way of engaging in cultural conversations without falling into the trap of political tribalism.

This article about the third way originally appeared here.

Judah Smith Shares His 7-Step Outline for Sermon Prep

By
Judah Smith
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

Judah Smith is the lead pastor of The City Church in Seattle and Los Angeles. He’s also the bestselling author of the book Jesus Is and his most recent release Life Is.

In a ChurchLeaders Podcast interview, Smith shared the values and heart of their church as well as his unique sermon prep. Here are a few key moments in our conversation with Judah Smith.

What are some of the early mistakes you learned from?

I think taking myself too seriously, which is probably hard to believe because I joke and laugh a lot and I do love that.

But, if I could say it like this: taking one sermon too seriously. It is a sacred thing, a holy thing, and I think you walk onto that platform every Sunday as a pastor and you think ‘Oh dear God, bail me out. God, if you don’t show up, this is gonna be a train wreck.’

I love the sacredness of it, but I also think it needs to be put into perspective. It’s 35 minutes in an individual’s life within a community that is inundated with data and information. I used to become demoralized if I felt like I didn’t do a good job or deliver it well. And I always want to be excellent and I still struggle with this, but we need to realize it actually is God’s and he’s in charge and I’m not the Holy Spirit.

And, by the way, these 35-40 minutes are actually not the answer to it all, like I don’t have all the answers. I’m not like the “answer man” for the community. These are 40 minutes where I’m going to do my best by the grace of God to encourage people that are part of our community. But community is so much more than a 40 minute talk.

Are there any tools you use for writing your sermons?

I have a really simple format. For me the way I see it–I’m kind of a tour guide. That’s how I describe my preaching style. I want to take people on a tour. I usually have one big point. I love Andy Stanley’s take on that – he’s got a great book on that subject, Communicating for a Change.

I’m like a tour guide taking people through a forest. So when I take people through the forest, unless I have markers, I might end up being that communicator who doesn’t know how to get people out of the forest. It’s possible to get so deep in the scripture and narrative that it’s hard to get back out. In other words, I don’t know how to land the plane. I don’t know how to conclude. And that’s my propensity. So I have seven markers. Every sermon followes the same seven steps.

1. Greeting

This is where I connect with my audience. It’s usually something ridiculously dumb or stupid, but meaningful to me, which is Seahawks or bring the Sonics back or the Mariners or the Huskies – sports, culture, whatever. That’s my greeting: Hello, how are you, I love you community, good to see you.

2. Reading

Next I have a reading. I always read my Bible first. Dad always said, “If your sermon is bad, at least you read the Bible first, Son. At least they got the Word.”

3. Prayer

And then I pray. I always pray publically. For me it’s important. It’s reminding the people in the space. Certainly, I’ve probably prayed before I’ve articulated and communicated, but I always pray because I want them to know this is an encounter with God, not just my ideas and concepts, but we’re really dependent upon God. So I pray then I go right into my introduction.

4. Introduction

In my preparation process, the introduction is given a lot of attention and a lot of focus. And, I usually write it out word for word. I think you’ve got one to two minutes to captivate your audience and no assumptions are allowed. That’s how I feel. There are no assumptions allowed here–you must be clear. Then go from introduction into transition.

5. Transition

A transition statement is connecting my funny introduction to the text and the Scripture and how it relates. Then from transition I go to text.

6. Scripture

I go to the text, explain what I’m going to say, then say what you’ve said and wrap it up in the conclusion. Next I go to call.

7. Call

I always end with a call to action. What is Jesus calling us to do? What’s the action we’re going to take?

So every sermon for me is kind of outlined like that, written like that, prepared like that. And so it gives me kind of a template or format that I consistently work with. That’s just how I do it. No one has to do it like that. That’s not what I’m saying at all. But that’s how I’ve approached it.

**

Be sure to catch the whole episode here and learn his secret for sermon prep. Hint: he only spends 2.5 hours on his sermon every week and he doesn’t have office hours!

Barna: 1 in 5 Churches Could Close in the Next 18 Months

By
Jessica Lea
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kinnaman
Adobe Stock #308790991

Speaking on NPR’s “Here & Now,” Barna president David Kinnaman said that based on trends both before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, American churches will look significantly different after the pandemic—and a fifth of them could close. 

“In the long run, I think we’ll look back at this pandemic as a fundamental change to the way Americans…attend church,” said Kinnaman. “You know, obviously, there’ll be a lot more online attendance than ever before, even after all churches reopen. I think the digital church is here to stay. And I think it’s also going to really change the way people think about their donation relationship with local churches.” 

David Kinnaman: Major Changes Are Unfolding 

“At the beginning of the year, things were going along pretty swimmingly,” said Kinnaman, “at least as far as faith communities go, but what’s happened since the pandemic is that everything has gone digital.” Even though some churches have reopened during the past couple of months, in-person church attendance is down compared to what it was prior to the outbreak. This situation has revealed to some believers that their relationships with others in their churches are not as deep as they thought they were.

A Barna report released shortly before the pandemic found that, even prior to this season of severe disruption, Americans had mixed emotions about attending church. Notable trends from that research included that church hopping was increasing, church membership was declining among young people, and 10 percent of all Americans (whether Christian or not) saw the church as irrelevant. It seems likely the pandemic has only intensified these trends. A study Barna published in early July revealed the surprising findings that one in three practicing Christians has stopped attending church—whether in person or online—since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.

In addition to declining overall attendance and an increase in online attendance, the other major area where churches are facing disruption is their finances. The U.S. has nearly 14,000 Catholic communities and over 300,000 Protestant congregations, all of which rely on tithing and weekly donations as their “financial engine,” said Kinnaman. And church giving “was the area that was hit hardest right at the very beginning.” 

It is true that some churches have received government assistance through the CARES Act. However, the financial hit congregations have taken is such that Barna estimates one in five churches will close within the next 18 months. Said Kinnaman, “That prediction was based on data about two, two-and-a-half months ago, and I think we’re even more likely to see that to be the case today. We’re looking at things like people’s confidence that their congregation will survive.”

Church leaders are feeling less optimistic about their congregations surviving than they were a couple of months ago. Barna has been polling senior and executive pastors weekly, asking them how likely they think it is their churches will outlast the pandemic. Said Kinnaman, “Early on it was actually over 70 percent who said they felt very confident, but now that number is 58 percent of pastors who feel very confident that their church will survive the disruption related to giving.” 

The numbers Kinnaman quoted come from Barna’s ChurchPulse Church Leader survey that spans March 20 to August 17. Other findings from the survey include that pastors who believe their church attendance will have declined slightly once the crisis is over grew from 16 percent in the first week of the survey to 44 percent in the last week. The percentage who believe their church attendance will remain about the same declined from 47 percent to 31 percent over the same time frame.

Because in-person church attendance has dropped among the churches that have reopened, Kinnaman said, “Simply reopening a church doesn’t sort of fix the underlying economic challenges that you might have as a congregation.” To address these challenges, he says, “There will have to be an even greater demonstration of the value a church brings, not just to those who attend but also [to] those who are part of its community.” 

Physicians: Church Is Safe If CDC Guidelines Are Followed

By
Stephanie Martin
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

In a letter published on RealClearScience.com, physicians explain how America’s Catholic churches have been able to conduct more than 1 million worship services without causing COVID-19 outbreaks. And that’s despite the fact that several asymptomatic individuals are known to have attended worship or church functions.

The doctors, members of the Thomistic Institute’s Working Group on Infectious Disease Protocols for Sacraments and Pastoral Care, say the findings “should inspire confidence that the guidelines in place—based on CDC recommendations—are working to decrease COVID-19 transmission” among worshipers and church leaders.  

Encouraging News From Recent Events 

The letter cites several instances from the Archdiocese of Seattle, which uses contact-tracing to follow incidents of potential virus exposure. Several people who attended worship, a funeral, a wedding, and a parish board meeting in July later developed symptoms, tested positive for COVID-19, and were determined to have been contagious (though asymptomatic) during the events. Yet none reportedly transmitted the virus to anyone else at the church.

In each case, social distancing was enforced and attendance was limited. Except for worship leaders, everyone wore a face mask. Where U.S. churches have been the source of outbreak, say the doctors, masks weren’t worn, social distancing wasn’t practiced, and congregational singing was encouraged.

“Nothing during a pandemic is risk-free,” the physicians admit, but such “encouraging news” from the Catholic churches means it’s “reasonably safe” to attend worship and receive the sacraments. Although the Thomistic Institute hasn’t conducted formal studies, the doctors write: “The evidence does not suggest that church attendance—following the current [governmental] guidelines—is any more risky than shopping for groceries. And the spiritual good for believers in coming to church is immeasurably important for their well-being.”

Specific Tips for Maintaining Safety

Dr. Thomas McGovern, an Indiana physician who serves on the institute’s working group as well as on the Catholic Medical Association’s national board, emphasizes their goal has been to work in conjunction with the CDC and state and local authorities. He adds that he’s relying on public-health guidance to “know when our former normal activities become safe again.”

During the pandemic, McGovern says it’s become clearer to him that attending worship isn’t a duty but a gift—“a gift that I need to become the best version of myself, the version that God created me to be.” He adds, “If my bishop asks me to wear a face covering to attend Mass and receive Jesus’ body, and blood, soul and divinity, it’s a small price to pay.”

Guidelines that have helped Catholic churches maintain a low risk of virus transmission include:

  • holding extra services with fewer worshipers at each,
  • propping doors open so people don’t touch handles,
  • requiring face coverings,
  • providing hand sanitizer stations,
  • keeping non-family members physically distanced in pews,
  • discouraging singing,
  • dismissing people by rows,
  • limiting socializing to outdoor areas,
  • requesting that anyone exhibiting respiratory symptoms not attend,
  • encouraging high-risk members (including the elderly) to worship from home for now,
  • keeping young children home unless they can sit in place and not touch other people,
  • placing communion elements in people’s hands, not directly on the tongue, and
  • using hand sanitizer if any physical contact occurs during distribution of the elements.

MacArthur Dodges Legal Action From Government for a Fourth Time

By
Jesse T. Jackson
-
thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

On Monday August 24, 2020, Los Angeles County returned to the courts for a fourth time in an attempt to shut down Grace Community Church’s indoor worship services. The county’s temporary restraining order was denied again.

”This was their fourth unsuccessful attempt to obtain a court order prohibiting indoor worship services at Grace Community Church. We look forward to fully vindicating our clients’ constitutionally protected rights in subsequent proceedings for this important case,”  Special Counsel Paul Jonna said.

Judge Denies Restraining Order for Indoor Worship Services

On Tuesday August 25, 2020 Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, of the California Superior Court, denied the County of Los Angeles their application for a temporary restraining order against Grace Community Church and John MacArthur. (Read the full order by Judge Beckloff here.)

“We are very grateful to Judge Beckloff for his reasoned opinion and for taking great care to review this very important matter,” a thankful MacArthur said. “As I said in my declaration to the court, we see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power. It should shock the conscience of every Christian that churches are coming under assault from our own government simply for holding church. Church is essential.”

Attorney Jenna Ellis also commented after the judge’s decision on Tuesday saying, “This should signal to LA County that California courts will not quickly or easily trample the constitutionally protected rights of churches. We maintain that their health order is unconstitutionally burdening the right of churches to worship…we look forward to making those arguments at a subsequent proceeding, where we will ask the court to properly check this power grab by Los Angeles County and the State of California’s executive branch.” Attorney Ellis is referring to their next hearing scheduled on September 4, 2020 in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

How Did We Get Here?

Last week the county attempted to file a contempt of court order against John MacArthur and Grace Community Church, but Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff found there was no court order prohibiting their indoor worship services. Read more about the contempt of court and the attempt to fine John MacArthur and Grace Community Church $20,000 here.

John MacArthur then filed a Declaration against the county of Los Angeles on Sunday August 23, 2020. The declaration was written on his behalf and on the behalf of the Board of Elders of Grace Community Church. The legal definition of a declaration “is a written statement submitted to a court in which the writer swears ‘under penalty of perjury’ that the contents are true.”

John MacArthur States His Case in Declaration

We believe that civil disobedience is justified only when government compels us to sin, or when there is no legal recourse for fighting injustice. – John MacArthur

Pastor MacArthur articulated the church’s understanding of the county’s indoor ban as follows: “The worship-bans appear to take the position that we should lock our doors, and force our congregants to gather to worship the Lord in parking lots, in parks, or perhaps beaches—but never in any church. From Grace Community Church’s perspective, this is nonsensical, and we view it as a direct ban on engaging in the worship which our faith requires.”

MacArthur also gave a reason for their reasoning behind not meeting outdoors: “The size of our congregation means that there is no place for it to meet outdoors; the summer heat makes meeting outdoors unhealthy and even dangerous; our experts have refuted that meeting indoors significantly aids in the spread of the coronavirus; and most principally, Grace Community Church’s sanctuary itself is a spiritual refuge for our congregants—a refuge of which the county has no right to deprive them.

We Have a Moral and Religious Obligation to Stay Open

In the declaration, John MacArthur writes that the state bans originating on July 13th and 14th of this year place a burden on his and Grace Community Church’s “free exercise of religion by criminalizing activity directly required by our faith. As a Church, we have a moral and religious obligation to continue allowing our congregants to gather in our sanctuary to worship the Lord.”

Our Church Is Not an Event Center

“Our church is not an event center. It is a family of lives who love and care for each other in very intensely personal ways,” MacArthur wrote. To illustrate this point, MacArthur said people rushed back to church as soon as they could, showing that meeting in person is “essential” to their lives. “The utter unnecessary deprivation of all our people by completely shutting down the mutual love and care that sustains our people in all the exigencies, pressures and challenges of life was cruel. And after 63 years of sacrificial, kindness to our city, to be repeatedly threatened with court-ordered efforts to shut Grace Community Church down when no one is sick, reveals an inexplicable preference for a mostly harmless virus over the life-enriching and necessary fellowship of the church,” he wrote in conclusion.

Our leaders and congregation see no real health threat to warrant such restraint. We see this action against us as an illegitimate misuse of power.

President Trump Expresses Support of John MacArthur

President Trump called Pastor John MacArthur the Sunday after he and the Grace Community Church Elders released a statement entitled “Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church,” which stated they would continue to hold indoor services and not close their indoor worship services as mandated by the state and local governments due to the coronavirus.

The President thanked pastor MacArthur for taking a stand and said church is essential. They also discussed that “from a Biblical standpoint” why Christians couldn’t vote for a democratic candidate. “There is no way a Christian can affirm the slaughter of babies, homosexual activity, homosexual marriage, or any kind of gross immorality…no way we could stand behind a candidate who is affirming transgender behavior,” MacArthur said as he referenced Romans 1.

These things aren’t even political for us, these things are Biblical.

MacArthur told the President that “any real true believer is going to be on your side in this election,” explaining that the election isn’t about choosing an individual candidate, rather it is an entire set of policies Christians cannot “in any way affirm.”

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