By: Graham English on April 10, 2024
I’ve observed that when the church engaged in political debate, it ended up creating an even greater barrier for people to receive the gospel. As a Canadian church leader, I follow politics. I have my theologically formed convictions. I preach Jesus and call people to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. I have also been…
By: Jennifer Eckert on April 10, 2024
If Catholicism was a sport, author Matthew Petrusek would undoubtedly be the spirit team captain. Complete with metaphorical pom-poms and rah rahs, Petrusek penned his book, Evangelization and Ideology in a full display of loyalty to his “coach,” Bishop Robert Barron, by elevating and arguing in support of the bishop’s views on Catholic social teachings.…
By: Ryan Thorson on April 10, 2024
“It’s Not The Battles We Lose That Bother Me, It’s The Ones We Don’t Suit Up For.” – Toby Ziegler This quote is from a character in one of my favorite shows growing up, The West Wing. In this American TV drama, witty dialogue, thoughtful complex situations to solve and lessons on leadership shaped me…
By: Debbie Owen on April 10, 2024
My youngest sister joined some random atheist organization a few years ago and posted it on Facebook. She’s been an atheist since she was twelve years old – at least – and we’ve just had to agree to disagree. I have not been brave enough to engage her in a deeper conversation because I have…
By: Becca Hald on April 10, 2024
My son was diagnosed with autism in 2004, at the age of 5. I would tell people, “My son has autism.” I would not say, “My son is autistic.” There is a subtle difference between these two statements. One is descriptive. “My son has blue eyes. My son has blond hair. My son has autism.”…
By: Diane Tuttle on April 9, 2024
I will start by admitting when I began reading this book I wanted to shut down. It probably did not help that my work week got very stressful after someone threatened to shoot at one of my group homes with a real gun after he used a paint gun on our cars and windows of…
By: Esther Edwards on April 9, 2024
Having grown up in church circles and having been in ministry since my mid-20s, I had never experienced domineering leadership until I viewed a church that a relative attended from a distance. There was high energy and much emphasis on winning the lost. The pastor preached with enthusiasm and passion. However, as time continued, some…
By: Cathy Glei on April 9, 2024
“Will we become a scandal to those who look to us as leaders, or will we choose to imitate the scandalous way of Christ? If Christian leadership is primarily about being Christ-like examples, it is imperative that we understand how the Powers seek to undermine us as leaders, as well as examine the lives and…
By: Greg McMullen on April 9, 2024
In late January, I sat on an examination table, and my mind raced with many diagnoses and possible outcomes for my situation. The question that weighed heavily on me was how I would be able to keep doing my ministry. My goal was to make it to graduation with school, church, and food ministry and…
By: Jenny Dooley on April 9, 2024
Years ago, as I began preparing to leave Jakarta to move to South Sulawesi, an Indonesia friend and member of our church told me she had been watching me. I panicked a little, wondering what she observed. I secretly prayed it was something good. I was keenly aware that my every move was a curiosity…
By: Pam Lau on April 9, 2024
“It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church: we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares: they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on April 9, 2024
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble” [1] What an interesting time to read a book about the scandal of leadership. I have been thinking a lot about flaws, challenges, and failures of leadership in recent weeks. Admittedly, it has been a tough year for me. Leading an organization in transition for…
By: Kari on April 9, 2024
I used to take pride in multitasking. I even tricked myself into thinking I was good at it. Years ago, I was introduced to the idea that no one can truly focus on multiple things at once. I heard this while listening to a productivity podcast[1] and attempting to multitask. This started my journey of…
By: Joel Zantingh on April 9, 2024
Reading Dr David Rock’s “Your Brain at Work” is something like hearing a pep talk for one’s brain, in relation to something that happens everyday: decision-making. He addresses it, though, from the vantage point of neurobiology, to help us understanding what is going on in our prefrontal cortex, that “small, fragile, and energy-hungry brain region”…
By: Glyn Barrett on April 9, 2024
Understanding the complexities that Matthew R. Petrusek explores in ‘Evangelization and Ideology’ requires more than a mere week’s dedication to reading. He digs deeply, providing a guide to finding God within the political culture that surrounds us.” He writes to analyse four of the major secular ideologies of our day, namely, Utilitarianism, Classical liberalism, Progressivism…
By: Russell Chun on April 9, 2024
Pale kaua no ko lākou mau ʻuhane – Armor for their Souls, in Hawaiian Introduction Part 1 – What others are saying Part 2 – What I learned from the U.S. Army and Woodward Epilogue – Armor for the Soul Introduction By unmasking the Powers of domination (Satan and his principalities), J. R. Woodward,…
By: Kim Sanford on April 8, 2024
A quick google search of science and mimicry turns up countless articles on the subject. There are examples of mimicry in nature all around us. In humans, copying facial expressions is even considered a milestone of infant development.[1] Clearly, we are creatures designed to imitate something. Furthermore, we know tacitly that we imitate that which…
By: David Beavis on April 8, 2024
“How did we get here?” As a pastor, I often hear this exacerbated lament from people observing cultural conversations and political polarization. It is a valid question. Largely, this question is focused on the dialogue around identity. Identarian politics and practices, such as separating people based on race, gender, sex, or (less often) class, did…
By: John Fehlen on April 8, 2024
The legendary Christian Rock band PETRA recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary. They were formed in 1972 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which is pretty close to when and where I was formed: 1971 in Osceola, Wisconsin. In 1981, at the age of 10, I was introduced to PETRA, with the vinyl of Never Say Die. NEVER…
By: Tim Clark on April 8, 2024
In November 2012 a new Broadway Musical debuted in the Neil Simon Theater in New York. The production, called “Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson”, lasted for 29 regular performances before it closed that December. It’s not at all surprising that there was a musical written about the vivacious founder of The…
