The outside world views Christian sanctification rituals with increasing suspicion as manipulative and (in the extreme) abusive. Here, commentator Eddie Arthur reflects on a recent exposé of practices common to many missionary organizations that are perceived to be unhealthy. Organization leaders need to be prepared for unwelcome criticism from without and within.
The Unbreakable Boy is a heartwarming movie about the struggles of living with an additional needs child. As a representation of a family learning to thrive in the midst of challenges, the movie provides much food for thought, especially if you or someone you know has an additional needs family member. In this opinion piece, Mark Arnold poses some helpful reflections to consider after watching the film.
New political winds are blowing with increasing force as the push-back against globalization grows with increasing nationalisms. The demand to pledge allegiance to something other than God in Christ will put renewed pressure on the Church and we need to be prepared to hold true to our faith. Here is a stern warning that Christians must take to heart.
This Father’s Day, if you’re a father, grandfather, godfather or father-figure, you are carrying a great and sacred calling. Heaven takes notice. You are modelling the heart of God every time you show grace, speak truth, forgive freely.
Student fellowships equip during Chinese students to step into full-time service in response to God’s call. Many women are among them but there are few women recognized as leaders given the opportunity to model good leadership to others on public platforms. Emerging leaders need to be influenced by a wide range of experienced leaders to stop the drift away from the faith.
Nearly half of all men in United States' state prisons are fathers. Many struggle to know how to fill that role. This lack of knowledge can perpetuate harmful cycles and lead to generational damage. This Father's Day, June 15 in numerous nations, it is an opportune time for fathers in churches to model healthy fatherhood to the world for the benefit of the next generation.
The story of the woman with a bleeding ailment encountering Jesus is a lesson to us all. In this gospel narrative, we see Jesus as the one who brings healing in its fullness, not just to our bodies but to our social and eternal well-being also. All it takes is for us to reach out to him in faith.
“God saw it and it was good” should be the starting point for our faith, but too often we begin a couple chapters further on. The Hebrew word for "good" is "tov" and it is a golden thread through the Old Testament that needs to guide our sense of participating with God's purposes for the world: to work all things together for "tov" (Romans 8:28).
The "quiet revival" continues in the United Kingdom, with young and not so young people coming to Jesus in surprising ways. Jo Frost had heard about the phenomenon but had not experienced it herself. A simple prayer to see Jesus moving was answered within weeks.
"Free Church" denominations were once breakaway sects from the mainstream Western Church 500 years ago but they have become the growing mainstream. This established mainstream must learn from their past as indigenous expressions of the Church are rapidly multiplying. It is too easy for established Christians to persecute followers of Jesus who seem to deviate from our norms.
If you have any interest in the well being of the World Christian movement, then it's hard not to care about the 600 million-strong Pentecostal-Charismatic movement. Not only does it constitute a quarter of global Christianity, but in the Global South in particular, mainstream evangelicalism is increasingly adopting a Pentecostal flavor—taking on its practices and ministry ethos. Pentecostals are not simply a part of the story; they are shaping the direction of much of it.
Peace studies students witness locals spitting on a Christian holy site in Jerusalem prompting this response from a respected Christian leader whose family has lived in the city for millennia.
