Western participation in foreign missions is changing as more and more nationals take the helm, often supervised and supported by western missionaries who do not necessarily remain on the field. With computers and the internet, limited access to certain nations, and missions that help train nationals, we are living in changing times. But will we still see many missionaries from the west on the field, in addition to these new innovations? What is your opinion and/or experience?

“An article published recently by the Religion News Service… addresses a matter of great consequence and relevance in the Christian Church. Unfortunately, the article offered an answer that was terribly incomplete.” - Mark Snoeberger

Beware the Corrosive Quest for Respectability (thegospelcoalition.org)

Here are a few samples from the article:

One of the telltale signs you’re a Christian with an unhealthy hunger for respectability is that you constantly bash those other Christians as a way to boost your credibility.

This approach is spiritually corrosive and will breed division within the church, seeding resentment in your heart for your fellow Christians. It’s also a futile strategy.

We should still speak respectfully even if we’re not aiming for respectability.

“The survey showed Mormons to be in the middle of the pack in terms of heterosexual orientation, below Muslims and Protestants (85% and 84%, respectively), but significantly higher than atheists (53%).” - RNS

“Those in the Church can’t assume they are the only ones for whom certain Christian beliefs hold deep and personal meaning. The spiritually open non-Christian tends to trust that Jesus is real, important and sacred; for what purpose, they are less certain.” - Barna

“Without a clear vision of what it means to be human in the first place, it is difficult to believe we will arrive at a desirable end no matter what means we employ.” - CPost

“…Cedarville University is celebrating an increase of 374 students for a total incoming class of 1,017. Grace College, marking its 75th anniversary in Winona Lake, Indiana, grew by 465 new undergraduates, and Taylor University, also in Indiana, added 606 students to its rolls.” - CToday

“Pastor Tom Buck, one of G3 Ministries directors and speakers at this year’s conference, informed ChurchLeaders that information is still being gathered as to what really happened.” - CLeaders

Read the rest of the series on the Book of Galatians. This article covers Galatians 1:1-9.

It’s frustrating to be misrepresented, especially if the stakes are high. There’s an urge to set the record straight, to protect folks who are being confused by the lies. It’s even more frustrating if text messages, phone calls, or video calls aren’t an option. That’s what’s happening with Paul, and this frustration produces perhaps the most sharply worded letter in the New Testament.

“I will consider Cessationist through two lenses: whether it offers a valid defense of its position and whether it offers a fair critique of the alternative.” - Challies

“The D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship honored Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) with the 2023 Distinguished Christian Statesman Award for his character and commitment to Christian values over partisan politics.” - RNS

“In the biblical account of reality, humans exist to glorify and love God, and to serve as His special representatives and co-rulers in creation. Human inventions should help towards achieving those ends, extending our abilities, and mitigating the effects of the Fall.” - Breakpoint

“…the danger of swinging from one error to another is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the fall. Though it comes in new sociological and philosophical packages, the human heart has always revolted against embracing, loving, propagating and defending the truth about God.” - Nick Batzig

“I’m posting it this year in September so you and your church can consider ways to show your gratitude to your pastor during next month’s Pastor Appreciation Month” - Chuck Lawless

“The rise in abortions can be attributed to a growing reliance on self-managed abortions. Even before Roe v. Wade was overturned, more than half of all abortions in the United States were being performed using abortion pills” - Relevant

Related - Misleading Abortion Stats: Alarm-seeking numbers in the headlines do not reveal lives saved since Dobbs. - Breakpoint

Read the series.

We’ve been looking at some practical issues related to being a guest speaker in a local church. These concepts have been examined with a view toward encouraging those who are involved in some type of itinerant ministry—as well as those who receive them into their churches.

In this final installment, we’ll consider a subject that is distinct from, but related to, those that we’ve looked at previously. It is again presented in the hope that it will be of some help to those who, like me, are attempting to grow in these areas of ministry.

“Men hear higher, wider vocal ranges from popular singers and worship leaders…. that expectation for vocal range can make it harder for the average guy to have the comfort and confidence to lift his voice on a Sunday morning” - CToday

“From what I’ve read, there are four or five kinds of Christian nationalists. In a sense, this is mostly why I am not a Christian nationalist.” - CPost

“In an amended complaint filed in federal court last week, Falwell Jr. alleged several board members diverted university funds to private causes and overlooked sexual misconduct by former leaders.” - RNS

“Among the findings were Blackwell’s use of a specific accounting code for personal expenses. Over the past 14 years, Blackwell directed more than $300,000 in donor funds to that account.” - BPNews

“I’d like to try and bring light rather than heat to the question of cooperation between churches in these polarized times. How do we decide when and to what extent to cooperate with churches that are more or less like-minded?” - 9 Marks

Hardly anyone knew who Oliver Anthony was until about a month ago. Despite his recent obscurity, his song “Rich Men North of Richmond” made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart.

Oliver’s rage as communicated through his song is palpable. We see and hear this same rage every day as we interact with people around us. He represents those who feel like they are working too many hours for too little pay. In his simple way, his song deals with many complex issues including the rise of the surveillance state, inflation, high taxes, the war on coal, child sex-trafficking, those who misuse government programs, and the rising death rate among young people.

How should Christians respond to Oliver’s song?

“PRRI’s 2023 Gender and Politics Survey provides an important update on the current state of the opinions of American adults on pressing questions about gender and sexuality.” - PRRI

Bret Barber: “When all the dozens of reasons to throw in the towel and abandon our one sacred effort were easy to find — we chose instead to search hard for reasons to lean in and cooperate harder” - RNS

“It sometimes pains me to “ruin” the pristine-ness of a new Bible by letting the stroke of a pen or the tip of a highlighter tarnish the perfection of a new Bible—but I’m entirely convinced it’s worth it.” - Colin Smith

“An early papyrus containing texts from Matthew, Luke, and the Gospel of Thomas has now been published as one of the oldest fragments containing canonical material to survive the past two millennia.” - RNS

“We feel empty, inadequate, and adrift because we have been thrown back on ourselves, forced to face the challenge—at younger and younger ages—of trying to establish an identity, make commitments, live with conviction, desire life, and find meaning without the very sources that make these things possible in the first place.” - IFS

“The creation of a human embryo without sperm or egg … goes beyond what we have seen in previous artificial reproductive technology and genetic engineering techniques.” - RNS

“In the midst of significant challenging news for churches, the level of giving remains remarkable. What is taking place?” - Thom Rainer

“The heart of Hunt’s claim of invasion of privacy and defamation was summed up in a recent court ruling filed by his attorneys. Hunt’s sins, they wrote, were a private moral failing that should have been kept confidential.” - RNS