By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on February 28, 2018
There is a Native American legend that speaks to the warring of good and evil within us. It is said that within each of us is a white dog and a black dog, and you feed the one you want to grow stronger. “The reality is we can never completely eradicate our dark side”[1] but…
By: Katy Drage Lines on February 28, 2018
You know that feeling you get when someone speaks glowingly about a person that you think very little of? You roll your eyes a bit, and if you’re a grace-full person, try to think of some polite way to respond. To be honest, it was difficult for me to work my way through Overcoming the…
By: Mary Walker on February 28, 2018
It is unfortunately true that in our day the ministries of many prominent leaders have been compromised by moral and ethical failures. This is not only tragic for the people involved in these problems, but it is a black mark on the church. It is also very sad to think of how we are letting…
By: Chip Stapleton on February 25, 2018
I was first assigned the seminal book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind by Mark Nol l as part of an undergrad religion course and I knew after reading the now ubiquitous opening sentence of the book, ‘The Scandal of the Evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind.’ I knew that I didn’t…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on February 23, 2018
“Fundamentalist naiveté concerning science was matched by nineteenth century traits that undercut the possibility for a responsible intellectual life…included a weakness for treating the verses of the Bible as pieces in a jigsaw puzzle that needed only to be sorted and then fit together to possess a finished picture of divine truth; an overwhelming tendency…
By: Kristin Hamilton on February 23, 2018
The only thing I love more than teaching is learning. Some people love jewelry, I just want more books. And book discussions. And journal articles. And classes. I admit it, I am completely addicted to learning. I’ve been in grad school longer than most people are in high school and college combined, and I still…
By: Stu Cocanougher on February 22, 2018
“The mind is important because God is important.” 1 – Mark Noll In May of 1984, I sat in the pew of First Baptist Church, Mt. Juliet, Tennessee for the annual baccalaureate service. I was an upcoming High School graduate, ready for the next chapter in my life. The pastor, a man who…
By: Lynda Gittens on February 22, 2018
“There wasn’t a major Protestant leader in America who obstructed King’s Beloved Community more than Billy Graham did.” by Michael E. Long, author of “Billy Graham and the Beloved Community: America’s Evangelist and the Dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Author Mark Noll is a historian of American Church Culture. He addresses the influence…
By: Katy Drage Lines on February 22, 2018
One of my great regrets is that I have not studied enough. I wish I had studied more and preached less. People have pressured me into speaking to groups when I should have been studying and preparing. – Billy Graham[1] It’s somewhat both illuminating and embarrassing to think back to your high school self. But perhaps…
By: Mary Walker on February 22, 2018
There is no longer a Christian mind. Harry Blamires[1] The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an evangelical mind. Mark Noll[2] That is why I say that, though of course the issues have been important elsewhere in the world, Americans seem to have had a particularly hard time of…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on February 21, 2018
Before I was a therapist, I was a preacher’s kid, a Christian school teacher, pastor’s wife, and actively involved in church leadership. From 4th grade on, I have attended private schools, universities, and ultimately seminary. I often felt valued and impressed upon to be an active part of church and community leadership due to my…
By: Jim Sabella on February 21, 2018
“The scandal of the evangelical mind is that there is not much of an Evangelical mind.” [1] Ouch! With that statement, Noll argues that though the evangelical church has grown on many fronts, it lacks when it comes to the “life of the mind.” He states: “By an evangelical “life of the mind” I mean…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on February 17, 2018
A couple of years ago, the Society of Vineyard Scholars hosted their conference in Raleigh at Raleigh Vineyard Church. Two of my dear friends were coming into town to present papers at this conference. As a part of this conference were worship services. One night I had come to the church to pick up one…
By: Chip Stapleton on February 16, 2018
‘People come to faith not just because they decide that the propositions are true but because they experience God directly . They feel God’s presence . They hear God’s voice . Their hearts flood with an incandescent joy.’ (Luhrmann, 223) The sentiment above, is one that has rung true in my experience. Simply put, there is more…
By: Kristin Hamilton on February 15, 2018
“Do you get what you’re hoping for? When you look behind you there’s no open door. What are you hoping for? Do you know?” – Theme from Mahogany “You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need.” – The Rolling Stones In…
By: Katy Drage Lines on February 15, 2018
Training I’m training my puppy how to jingle The tinkle bells to go outside. And I also strain to hear The voice of God Speaking to me, I wonder if perhaps, I’m losing my hearing. Or maybe God isn’t even jingling the bells. But sometimes it might be like The confusion I have When our…
By: Stu Cocanougher on February 15, 2018
This week (February 13, 2018) the hosts of the ABC television show “The View” were discussing Vice President Mike Pence. Specifically, they were reacting to reports that Vice President Pence claims that Jesus speaks to him. Referring to Pence, co-host Joy Behar made the following statement: “It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s…
By: Lynda Gittens on February 15, 2018
As a young child abused by a woman shouting in the spirit during one Sunday church service, if asked then, I would say there is no such thing as filled with the Spirit because God would not have allowed me to be hit in the head by a backhanded fist. My parents soon moved to…
By: Mary Walker on February 15, 2018
You should not be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it come from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:7-8). This is the problem of presence: that the…
By: Jim Sabella on February 15, 2018
It’s always been a natural thing for me to pray. I’ve done it my whole life or for at least as long as I can remember. There is a sense that God listens and responds when I pray. I listen for what I consider to be the voice of God guiding me…
