The Myth of Missionary Neutrality

Everything we do either propels God’s mission forward or hinders the embodiment of his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.Cars rarely operate in neutral, but churches do all the time.
Maybe this is because neutral is the normative posture of those who make up the church.
It’s common to hear people speak as if there are three possible positions for life in relation to God. Some are in drive—moving forward in active obedience to the Great Commission. Others are in reverse, demon

The founder of Concerned Women for America was credited by President Ronald Reagan with “changing the face of American politics.”Beverly LaHaye, a timid pastor’s wife who became a fierce champion for conservative Christian politics and a force mobilizing hundreds of thousands of religious women, died on Sunday in a retirement home in El Cajon, California. She was 94.President Ronald Reagan once praised LaHaye as “one of the powerhouses” of the conservative movement

NEWS PROVIDED BY
World Apostolate of Fatima, USA
April 15, 2024WASHINGTON, N.J., April 15, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- The World Apostolate of Fatima, USA/Our Lady's Blue Army is launching a tour of the historic National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fatima ahead of the Eucharistic Revival pilgrimage along the Seton route, from Connecticut to Indianapolis. The tour will launch from St. Theresa Catholic Church in Trumbull, CT, in the Diocese of Bridgeport on May 10-11, and stop at the National Source

But experts say it can offer opportunities for leaders and congregations to grow.
Conflict had become the norm at Trinity Church in Redlands, California.The lead pastor left in 2022 amid a wave of disgruntled attendees. Following his departure, some church members remained upset at the congregation’s elders. In all, there had been at least a dozen situations that came up over a 14-year period.When Doug Baker arrived as interim pastor, he knew the conflict had to be addressed. Trinity calle

As a lifelong athlete and coach, I know sports build character. But I worry about the idolatrous, selfish culture of American athletics.When my wife told me that my son received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at his football game, I was enraged. He’d aggressively thrown the ball back to the official he believed had missed a call. I flew into a lecture about leadership, respect for authority, and composure. I even called friends and family to register my disbelief and embarrassment.But

Author Uses Own Failures as Cautionary Tale: More of a "How-Not-To" BookNEWS PROVIDED BYAuthor Tom C. PetersenApril 15, 2024CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, April 15, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Asserting that the workplace is often a challenging place to live out our faith, Tom C. Petersen's new book "Thank God It's Monday(?)" offers readers a humorous study on how to do that.In this collection of humorous essays, Petersen shares his experiences from years in the office trenches. Source: Tom Petersen

NEWS PROVIDED BYPacific Justice InstituteApril 12, 2024ALBANY, Calif., April 12, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Over 50 years ago, a devout Christian and member of the Albany Lions Club asked the Club to fabricate a large lighted steel and plexiglass cross on his private land and maintain it in perpetuity. The cross was constructed and dedicated on Easter 1971. Since its construction the Lions Club has lighted the cross during the Christmas and Easter seasons and arranged for Easter morn

They might not even know you’re there. When paranoia eclipses our witness, here’s what to remember.This piece was adapted from Russell Moore’s newsletter. Subscribe here.Some colleagues and I happened to be meeting in New England this week, so we drove a little bit north to a small village in Vermont called St. Johnsbury, right in the line of the totality of the solar eclipse.Even before the sky darkened, I was mesmerized by the people gathering in the town square, each with a

At 89 years old and more than 60 years into ministry, the Stonebriar Community Church founder plans to remain its primary preacher after the church names his successor.Chuck Swindoll has said that pastors “should never retire,” and the 89-year-old won’t be stepping away from the pulpit even as his church welcomes his successor.Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, announced this week that Swindoll will transition to founding pastor, continuing to preach on Sundays, as J

The new dystopian thriller reminds viewers it’s not just what we witness that matters, but how.There’s nothing more frightening than the sound of a camera shutter in the new film Civil War.Distributed by A24, the production company behind releases like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Past Lives, the movie depicts the remnants of a United States government battling the Western Forces, an alliance between Texas and California. If you’re looking for reasons—Why these f

Hindutva ideology is crossing the border from India and making ministry more challenging for churches in the former Hindu kingdom.More than 15 years after Nepal officially became a secular democracy, the former Hindu monarchy may have a religious extremism problem, incited and aggravated by its closest neighbor.In an “alarming” development, Indian Hindutva ideology and politics have begun to spread throughout the country, as local experts and journalists report. This proliferation ha

Chaplain Jim Linzey, now Army retired, prays over his soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, as they depart for Iraq on September 1, 2007NEWS PROVIDED BYMilitary Bible AssociationApril 12, 2024WASHINGTON, April 12, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Chaplain (MAJ) James F. Linzey (Ret.): At 9:07 AM on April 1, 2024, my phone rang, and I woke up! I was awakened while in a panic out of a horrifying dream of a missile attack from Russia and living through the nightmar Source

An excerpt from The Sacred Chain: How Understanding Evolution Leads to Deeper Faith.I sat by myself at one end of the boardroom, fidgeting with a few notes on the table in front of me. At the other end were about ten older men in suits and ties peering over their tables, arms crossed. It wouldn’t have been difficult for someone just walking in to determine which end of the room held the power.After my brief opening statement, the rest of our time was set aside for “discussion.”

Ngalakh combines baobab fruit and peanuts to end Easter in West African nation, reciprocated by the sharing of meat breaking Ramadan’s fast.In Senegal, Muslims love to share meat. Christians share porridge.Ending the monthlong Ramadan fast this week, the faithful in the Muslim-majority West African nation invited Christian friends to celebrate Korite (Eid al-Fitr), focus on forgiveness and reconciliation, and share a wholesome meal of chicken.A little over two months later during Tabaski (

NEWS PROVIDED BY130 AgencyApril 11, 2024 NEW YORK, April 11, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Great American Pure Flix, the leader in faith-affirming and uplifting original content, announced Carlos PenaVega ("Spy Kids," Big Time Rush) and Alexa PenaVega ("Spy Kids," "The Casagrandes Movie") star in the World Premiere Original motion picture, Mr. Manhattan which begins streaming, Friday, May 24.In Mr. Manhattan, Mason Bradley (Carlos PenaVega) makes a pro Source: 130 Agency

Seminary leaders say that the country, where Baptists are the largest Protestant denomination, has lost hundreds of churches in the war with Russia.
Southern Baptist leaders have written to US House Speaker Mike Johnson, a member and former official of their denomination, urging him to support Ukraine in Russia’s war against its Eastern European neighbor.“As you consider efforts to support Ukraine, we humbly ask that you consider the plight of Christians,” wrote the leaders, wh

In beleaguered Rafah, brave teen asks: 'If we don't have hope, how can we continue to live?''IF WE DON'T HAVE HOPE, HOW CAN WE CONTINUE TO LIVE?' In Rafah, Gaza, 17-year-old Dalia told Middle East-based Christian broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) she's desperate for the war to end so that her dream of finishing school and going to university won't be destroyed. NEWS PROVIDED BYSAT-7 USAApril 11, 2024BOONE, Iowa, April 11, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Trapped in the beleaguered sou Source:

The Book of John reminds us that Jesus’ humanity makes ours possible.Nearly halfway through John’s Gospel, Jesus tells those gathered in the temple at the Feast of the Dedication, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”’?” (10:34). In effect, Jesus says that Scripture says that God says, “You are gods.” What is Jesus on about?It really is quite surprising. After all, we read the Scriptures and learn that human beings

NEWS PROVIDED BYCatholic League for Religious and Civil RightsApril 11, 2024NEW YORK, April 11, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Bill Donohue, President, Catholic League:On the cover of the latest edition of Interview magazine, Rihanna is dressed as a sexy nun, wearing bright red lipstick adorned in a black and white habit. This is not the first time she has appropriated Catholic garb.In 2018, she was dressed as a bishop in an exhibition, "Heavenly B Source: Catholic Le

The American Solidarity Party is a small but growing alternative to the Trump-Biden race.Charlie Richert would really like to stop voting for his dad.But in the last couple presidential election cycles, the 30-year-old attorney in Indianapolis has been unable to square his conscience with picking either the Republican or Democratic party nominee, so he’s resorted to writing in a name.“There’s no way I can escape having my faith inform how I vote,” said Richert, a nondenom

NEWS PROVIDED BYOMDIMAR AND SCIENCEApril 10, 2024MEDIA ADVISORY, April 10, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- It has also been used in agricultural irrigation in areas of drought and famine.Progress is currently being made in the production of corn, coffee, tomato, papaya, and many more garden fruits that are gradually adapting to salinity, improving the quality of food in the process, thanks to the contribution of marine trace elements.The conclusions of this research have been presented at the last

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OMDIMAR Y CIENCIA
April 10, 2024AVISO A LOS MEDIOS, 10 de abril de 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- Se ha empleado también en regadíos agronómicos en zonas de sequìa y hambruna.Actualmente se avanza en la producción de semillas de maíz, café, tomate, papaya y muchos màs frutos de la huerta que se adaptan gradualmente a la salinidad, mejorando de paso la calidad de los alimentos, gracias al aporte de oligoelementos marinos.Las c

CT’s outgoing Asia editor recalls how God led him to America, toward the Christian faith, onto the internet, and outward to serve the global Chinese church.I was born in southwest China, in the Ganzi (Garzê) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province. Only a few days after birth, I was sent to Chengdu, the province’s capital city. My sister and I were raised by our grandmother while my parents, both medical doctors, were sent by the Communist Party to the rural Tibetan a

Pearls of Gold by Verna May Hall Linzey
NEWS PROVIDED BYMilitary Bible AssociationApril 10, 2024SAN DIEGO, April 10, 2024 /Christian Newswire/ -- One of the most profound and critical thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Verna May Hall Linzey has written a masterpiece, Pearls of Gold which is a must-read. Pearls of Gold (the Poetry of Verna Hall Linzey) will be released on April 11, 2024 in hardback, paperback, and ebook formats.Pearls of Gold reflects Vern Source: Military Bible Association

Christian writers and artists need communities of like-minded creatives so we can best serve both the church and the world.I can remember the moment small literary magazines entered my life and established a subtle but dominating influence. I was talking with my dad about some classes I was taking at the end of my undergraduate years, and I shared an idea that had recently popped into my head: “I want to start a magazine. I’ll invite some friends who like to write and are into photog