What comes to your mind when you hear the term “servant leader?” In our first post on servant leadership, we noted that servant leaders are not docile doormats, but careful cultivators who steward their leadership gifts and opportunities to see others flourish. In today’s post, we will explore the commitment servant leaders have towards developing and equipping new leaders to carry out the work of ministry.

With the Delta strain of COVID-19 going wild, it appears that we might have a “crisis among the unvaccinated.” But, because it is possible for vaccinated people to transmit the disease without showing symptoms or feeling ill, the CDC is already beginning to advise masks, even for the vaccinated (out of concern for the unvaccinated).

Although about half our people are vaccinated, with the Delta strain being more contagious that the version we previously experienced during the shut-down, we could, in theory, see our hospitals as busy as before.

“How, then, do we make peace? By taking up the weapons made for the war we’re in. Against them our true enemy cannot stand. When tempted to outrage, armored Christians move toward one another in shoes of peace.” - TGC

“It doesn’t bother me that someone who doesn’t know me would make such a ridiculous claim regarding my faith. The incident, however, did make me think of how many times Christians have hurt the cause of Christ on social media. …Allow me to suggest a few tips that might be helpful for ministering effectively online:” - Tim McKnight

“The request from the ERLC came after the Democratic-controlled House approved appropriations bills July 28 and 29 that eliminated the Hyde Amendment and other measures that either prohibit federal funding of abortion or protect the conscience rights of pro-life, health-care workers and institutions.” - BPNews

“It originated earlier than the final version of the Apostles’ Creed; and unlike that one, the Nicene Creed is used by both western and eastern Christians. Where did the Nicene Creed come from—and what makes it so important that millions of Christians still recite it every Sunday?” - Credo

“It was acquired by Hobby Lobby in 2014 from Christie’s auction house for the company’s collections at the Museum of the Bible. The item was part of the exhibitions at the Museum of the Bible when it opened in November 2017 and remained on display until 2019, when it was confiscated by federal agents.” - BPNews

It’s easy to forget sometimes, but the book of Revelation reveals. There’s a lot of mystery in the book’s details, but if we step back and focus on what’s clear, what emerges is a beautiful expression of the greatest truths any human being can be blessed to know.

I was reminded of this recently as our pastor preached through Revelation 5-7. Flowing through the awesome scenes, strange creatures, and epic moments of these chapters is a retelling of the great story of all of Scripture.

“I saw the Christian flag directly to my front. Another read, ‘Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president.’ Another: ‘Jesus is king.’ … Another had crossed rifles beneath a skull, emblazoned with the pattern of the American flag.”… a shirt that bore the slogan “God, Guns, and Trump.” - C. Leaders

“Tertullian once asked, ‘What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?’ His implied answer: ‘Nothing at all.’ But most other fathers like Justin Martyr, Augustine, and later Aquinas would answer, ‘Much in every way!’” - TGC

“Leading a local church in a pandemic and coming out of a pandemic has been filled with both pain and beauty. God has done exceedingly more than I could ask or imagine.” - Eric Gieger

“A recent addition to our site is our Baptist History page. Our blog focuses on making Biblical applications to modern life from a fundamentalist Baptist perspective. An important component of that perspective is Baptist History, and especially our history as the FBFI.” - P&D

“Analyzing data for 24 countries from the World Values Survey, they concluded that … ‘only in religious societies, identifying as non-religious/atheist is related to lower life satisfaction.’” - C.Post

“A growing share of U.S. adults say it’s a bad thing for the country that some people have personal fortunes of a billion dollars or more, though a majority continue to say it is neither good nor bad” - Pew

The most prominent reality at a funeral is also at the same time the most difficult subject to discuss. That reality, of course, is the subject of death. As one man has noted, “Death is the one experience that will be shared in common by every person …. Every moment we live, the sand in the hourglass of our existence continues to flow, bringing our final end ever near.”¹ And yet, despite the “commonness” of death, most people prefer not to talk about it. There seems to be a kind of natural aversion to death. If we had our choice, we’d much rather celebrate the birth of a new child or the wedding of a close friend.

“The analysis by Reuters found that the Court’s shadow docket’ in which emergency applications are decided hurriedly, provided religious applicants a win in every case.” - RNS

“One such falsehood that continues to be passed on from generation to generation is the idea that ‘all sin is equal’ or ‘all sin is the same.’” - C.Leaders

“Religious and secular thinkers alike have long discussed what the implications for religion would be if humans discovered intelligent life on other planets. In the United States, highly religious adults are much more skeptical…” - Pew

“However, it is increasingly rare to find in the aforementioned issues of race-relations, LGTBQ+ narratives of identity, gender roles, etc., that the various systems of thought in place are under the domain of darkness. What I mean by that is the simple truth the apostle John expresses so clearly when he speaks to a present love of this world being incompatible with genuine faith (1 Jn. 2).” - Grayson Gilbert

“DJ Soto began preaching in the world of virtual reality (VR) in 2016. He is the founder and bishop of Virtual Reality Church, a church that is intended to be radically inclusive and consistent with Christianity’s long history of adapting to new forms of media.” - C.Leaders

“Working in a fast-moving world can cause great anxiety if our sense of security is found in the wrong places. Markets change, governments rise and fall, and this instability can bring discouragement if our highest hope is placed in these institutions.” - TIFWE

By Marshall Fant III

As ministers of the Gospel, it’s natural that we would want to preserve and revitalize the institutions that have accomplished God’s work in the past. But what do we do when we realize that a church has lost its effectiveness, and efforts to revitalize have failed? Should a church like that be kept alive at all cost?

“While a baker from the same state won his challenge, court upholds Colorado anti-discrimination requirements for the owner of a creative agency..” - C.Today

Also: Christian web designer opposed to creating same-sex wedding websites loses at 10th Circuit

“Positive holiness requires that we take an action because it is right, not merely to avoid wrong.” - P&D

“what seemed so unusual was the podcast’s distinct lack of a substantive ‘Christian’ backdrop….I mean an effort to articulate and defend the claim that what happened at Mars Hill failed to satisfy the standards of conduct that are distinctive to the Christian tradition, as opposed to the standards of modern Western professional society.” - Ehrett

“I’ve been taught a lesson, and I’m big enough and humble enough to say I was wrong. And if my survival and my story can be a blessing to others, I pray it is.” - C. Post

“I know the term itself can be a little slippery. I’ve seen it applied to everything from an ancient prayer book to your morning coffee routine. But where it refers to an intentional structure for our weekly gatherings, liturgy captures something that ought to be precious to all of us.” - 9 Marks

“Headline numbers aside, it is abundantly clear the CPI is being pushed up by several spending categories where demand took a dive during the pandemic. Prices for hotel stays, airfares, and restaurant meals, for instance, have accounted for a large portion of the recent CPI increase.” - Heritage

“Cameron Hilditch, a writer at National Review, reports on a study that gives an interesting take on the cause behind the declines, ‘Secularization Caused by Government Control of Education.’ The article is behind the NR paywall, so I will offer a few highlights.” - Don Johnson

Evans: “My congregation is divided. … And now it’s interfered with our personal relationships.” And while “everybody talks about critical race,” people are talking about so many different things, “which means they’re never gonna agree.” - C.Leaders

Related at C.Post: Tony Evans suggests ‘biblical response’ to critical race theory as tensions mount