Cutting edge for pastors and ministry leaders.
By: Frank G. Tunstall The pastors of fourteen congregations of different faith groups in Cooke County in Northern Texas joined together in Gainesville, Texas on May 2 to participate for the first time ever in the National Day of Prayer. Gainesville is the county seat and the home of Hope Connection IPHC, a Heartland […]
www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/april/evangelism-survey-protestant-churchgoers-prayer-invite.html By: Aaron Earles Most Protestant churchgoers say they are eager to talk to others about Jesus, and are praying for opportunities to share their faith. But most say they have not had any evangelistic conversations in the past six months. The 2019 Discipleship Pathway Assessment study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research found excitement and eagerness […]
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/todd-starnes-pennsylvania-democrats-allah-is-fine-jesus-is-not By: Todd Starnes William Penn (October 14, 1644 – July 30, 1718) established a colony where people of faith could practice whatever religion they desired. Pennsylvania became the only colony without a state-run church. Penn’s gift to America was freedom of religion, the right to practice one’s faith in the public marketplace. “All Persons […]
www.snapnetwork.org/abuse of faith_feb19 Debbie Vasquez at 14 By: SNAP Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests February 19, 2019 SNAP is the largest, oldest and most active support group for women and men wounded by religious and institutional authorities (priests, ministers, bishops, deacons, nuns, coaches, teachers, and others). She was 14, she said, when she […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2019/february/southern-baptist-abuse-investigation-houston-chronicle-sbc.html I have absolutely no desire to gloat over what our Southern Baptist friends are walking through; instead, I hurt with them. My goal with this blog is hopefully to warn us all, sharing what is now public information. I lived through a sexual abuse lawsuit in my tenure as a conference bishop when a Christian Day School […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/november/missionary-killed-north-sentinel-isolated-island-tribe-chau.html? John Allen Chau returned to the prohibited island even after being shot: “It’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.” BY: KATE SHELLNUTT A 26-year-old American missionary was killed on a remote island off the coast of India, where he attempted to share the gospel with the most isolated tribe in the world. All […]
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/december/longfellow-carol-for-despairing-i-heard-bells.html Penned during the Civil War, Longfellow’s ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day’ is a carol for our age. By: KRISTEN O’NEAL The word apocalypse in the Greek means “uncovering,” and 2018 has been a year of uncoverings, of pulling back the curtain to reveal the worst things that people can do to one […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/pastors/2018/fall-state-of-church-ministry/embodied-church-in-digital-age.html Should we cheer or moan when online churches perform virtual baptisms? By: Kara Bettis Virtual Reality Church’s first baptism took place in a 3D house with an underground pool and a massive billboard overhead proclaiming “A Special Baptism and Communion service.” Alina Delp, 46—portrayed as a purple, robot-like avatar—stood submerged in the water while […]
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/november/what-to-do-about-persecution-in-china.html?share=56xKkXi%2fdTPQjQCm3LBm6NPogOGXW4vm The [Chinese] government is removing crosses from their steeples and replacing them with the national flag. Inside, the crosses are being replaced with pictures of President Xi. Congregations must sing patriotic songs in worship. Parents can’t bring their children to church. CHINA CRACKS DOWN – AGAIN By: Mark Galli The tanks don’t always […]
“Their suffering does not go unnoticed by God, and so it should never go unnoticed by us.” Ed Stetzer christianitytoday.com/news/2018/september/china-bans-zion-beijing-house-church-surveillance-ezra-jin.ht Shut down after Sunday services, influential congregation had refused orders to install government face recognition surveillance cameras. WORLD WATCH MONITOR Christianity Today’s Jeremy Weber contributed to this report. Beijing authorities threatened to close Zion Church […]