“If today’s followers of Christ fall on hard times, if we lose favor and become a persecuted or marginalized minority, it might actually mark the beginning of our truest impact. … it is not from a place of worldly or political power and privilege that God’s people have through the centuries found their firmest footing.” - Scott Sauls

“…the Province of New Brunswick now allows their provincial passport system to apply to churches on a voluntary basis. If a church can prove that it has 90% of its congregation vaccinated, then they can meet without physical distancing (and more).” - Wyatt Graham

“A PC(USA) minister survey on mental health issues found that 44% of the 4,507 pastors surveyed reported that they ‘have not been trained to recognize mental health concerns or how to minister to those individuals and families who face them.’” - C.Post

“Since 2016, the two best-known populists in the United States have been Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Think about that for a moment. What kind of phenomenon can bridge such a great divide?” - C.Today

“At issue is whether the Executive Committee can shield from investigators certain communications it has received from its lawyers.” - RNS

See also …

“Top denominations and thousands of churches are reconsidering whether to keep hosting scout units.” - C.Today

“In addition to differences in the average worship service, the general makeup of churches has undergone substantial shifts since the late 1990s, according to the National Congregational Study (NCS).” - Lifeway

“After those interviews, I did a lot of thinking about the polarity of the responses to the two questions. Something important to note is that only two of the 16 students interviewed even knew any Christians personally.” - C.Leaders

“A viral video of the shouting match… shows Greene heckling Democrats on the steps of the Capitol as they held a press conference about the Democrats’ ‘Build Back Better for Women’ campaign…’You should all be ashamed. Killing a baby up until birth is a lack of civility. It’s called murder!’ Greene yelled.” - C.Post

“1. When Partisan Politics Reshape Faith In the past few years, we have grown increasingly weary of the meshing of politics and the evangelical faith we often see among older believers.” - TGC

“This is the third article in a series about applying the fruit of the Spirit in our workplace….in this third installment we will examine how joy is the result of seeking the presence of God in our work.” - IFWE

“From its early days in Omaha as Omaha Bible Institute to its transition to Faith Baptist Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa, one thing has remained the same over the last 100 years: a commitment to training men and women for a lifetime of Christian service.” - Faith.edu

“At the end of 2020, Lifeway Research asked U.S. adults which feeling they sought to avoid the most: fear, shame, or guilt. Four in 10 U.S. adults (41%) said fear, the clear winner of the three options.” - Lifeway

“Phelps is a board member of the Nashville Sunday Assembly, a congregation of nonbelievers that has faith in the power of community. The group gathers monthly to sing together, give testimonies and even hear a secular version of a sermon.” - RNS

“So if disappointment is inevitable, how do we avoid the awful emotional turmoil that often follows when dealing with church people? One word: expectations.” - C.Leaders

“Despite my love both for Lewis and The Great Divorce, this is a prime example of how his views on hell have had a negative influence on the doctrine of eternal punishment.” - Ref21

“The number of men enrolled at two- and four-year colleges has fallen behind women by record levels, in a widening education gap across the U.S.” - WSJ

“Education doesn’t make sense in a worldview that is only about survival. … But with a worldview that says that the world itself came from a first cause that is intelligent, reasonable, knowable, and … wants to be known, there is solid grounding for actual knowledge, and therefore education.” - Breakpoint

“It was hard, but looking back after 30 years, it was one of the best things that’s ever happened to me. We finally stepped into our real calling, focused on what we knew we were supposed to be doing, and trusted God to help us chart a new path.” - Phil Cooke

“In this sonnet from my Fruit of the Spirit cycle, I reflect a little bit on the Aaronic blessing and how God’s kindness should move our hearts to compassion.” - Jake Bier

“It’s a very straightforward and helpful exercise to take Paul’s words [1 Corinthians 13:4-6] and apply them to what we are about to speak or write….Is what I’m about to say/write kind? Is it arrogant or rude? Is it resentful? Is it patient?” - Tim McNight

The Wisconsin Fellowship of Baptist Churches held its 71^st annual meeting this Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 20 and 21, at the Bible Baptist Church of Hudson.

I was an exhibitor for The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry at this meeting, and spent the two days interacting with many of the roughly 130 people in attendance—mostly pastors and wives from independent Baptist churches throughout Wisconsin.

“Dr. Beale is a favorite! He thinks a lot about these topics and is well worth reading. This book is an update of his earlier work, now out of print, In Pursuit of Purity.” - Don Johnson

“According to the left, humans are to blame for the spread of racism, COVID-19, Ida, and the disaster in Afghanistan. According to the right, those same problems can also be ascribed to humans (though normally different)… . one thing we can all agree on is that our problems are human problems with natural causes.” - TGC

“Best-selling Christian author and speaker Josh McDowell has stepped back from ministry after comments he made at a meeting of the American Association of Christian Counselors Sept. 18.” - B.Press

“B.B. Warfield once explained that many misunderstand the concept of being ‘led by the Spirit’ by suggesting that it is referring to ‘something sporadic, given only on occasion of some special need of supernatural direction.’” - C.Leaders

“Confessions are about what we believe; creeds are about in whom we believe. Creeds are not meant as comprehensive statements of the Christian faith; they’re instead pledges of allegiance to the three persons of the Trinity.” - TGC

“Dopamine is the brain’s natural feel-good chemical. It rewards us when we do enjoyable things: connect with friends, laugh at a joke, eat a taco. Today, that powerful reward cycle is being hijacked by digital technology.” - Breakpoint

“After a tumultuous and disappointing Executive Committee meeting … . Some have suggested the use of the nuclear option, to remove every EC Trustee who voted against Jared Wellman’s motion to waive privilege.” - SBC Voices

Related…

“An implication of these principles is that when the government goes beyond its prescribed limits, it is acting unjustly and loses legitimacy. Applying the logic of sphere sovereignty to the vaccine mandate, the government does not have the authority to force us to inject a substance into our bodies that we do not consent to.” - C.Post