Checking the Pulse of Your Church
By Marshall Fant. Republished with permission from Sowing & Reaping, Spring/Summer 2018.
Preacher, Study the Text—But Also Study Your People
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“It’s one thing to exegete the text; it’s another thing to exegete the people. A preacher who studies the text but not his people is missing out on clearer application and more nuanced communication.” - 9 Marks
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James MacDonald Sues Critics after 2,000 Leave Harvest Bible Chapel
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“The authors of a longtime watchdog blog and Julie Roys, who was reporting on the church, face defamation claims.” - CToday
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Sentimentalism in the Church: a modern epidemic
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“Affectus per solam, the opposite of hyper-rationalism, ‘is an exaltation of strongly-felt feelings, a deprecation of reason, and the subsequent infantilization of Christian faith.’” - Acton
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Update on the Minister’s Housing Allowance
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“This time, the trial court … declared the housing allowance unconstitutional. This ruling has been appealed, and arguments are currently being made before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.” - GARBC.org
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America’s Hidden Mission Field: Why We Need Rural Churches
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“Many of the least churched regions were in rural America—where about 14 percent of the U.S. population lives” - CToday
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Plan to Change United Methodism's Stance on Homosexuality Upheld by Church Court
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“The United Methodist Church’s highest court has ruled that a plan that would change the mainline denomination’s official position against homosexuality is largely constitutional.” - CPost
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A Case for Traditional Music, Part 1
Suppose I told you I have a new car for you. And not just any car: it’s the car you’ve always dreamed of owning, in just the color you imagined it would be. Suppose I hand you the keys and tell you to take it for a spin. I think we all would agree that this would give you a kind of joy.
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Where are the Christian lecture series
In reading older biographical works about Christians it seems that there was a culture of Christian lecture series. Where are they now? Were they a victim of the modernist controversy? I realize that seminaries usually have one or two session a year but are there lectures out there not connected to seminary, for instance in a public setting? How often (if ever) have you been to a Christian lecture? I went to DBTS for their (formerly titled) MACP in I think 2014. It was great and I would love to attend something similar again.
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