Thursday's Catch: Should All Churches Reproduce and More

Should All Churches Reproduce

As we think about multiplying churches around our community, nation and world, we should focus on markers of health. We need to be sure we are reproducing what is good, life-giving and honoring to God. We should also minimize and avoid multiplying what is unhealthy. As you dream and pray about the possibility of reproducing, ask these six simple but probing questions. Read More

Angry Americans: How Political Rage Helps Campaigns but Hurts Democracy

As the 2020 presidential election draws near, one thing is clear: America is an angry nation. From protests over persistent racial injustice to white nationalist-linked counterprotests, anger is on display across the country. Read More

White Christians Have Become Even Less Motivated to Address Racial Injustice

One might assume that the events of 2020 have increased awareness of racial injustice in the United States and motivation to address it. But the story isn’t so straightforward, new Barna research (conducted in partnership with Dynata) suggests. Yes, there are signs the past year has clarified how Americans think about racial injustice—but that doesn’t mean they see the issue, or their role within it, with greater urgency. In the Church especially, there is a sense that people are doubling down on divides. Read More

Why ‘Cuties’ Isn’t Just Netflix’s Problem

The sexual exploitation of children is a symptom of a larger disease—one that we’re complicit in. Read More

Condemning ‘Cuties’ Should Be Noncontroversial

One of the most disturbing things about Netflix’s Cuties is that many ostensibly sophisticated, “cultured” people seem bent on defending and redeeming what is, in the end, an irredeemably problematic film. Read More

Don’t Just #CancelNetflix

The meaningful change that is needed to protect children will not happen merely by cancelling Netflix. To protect children from exploitation and sex trafficking, we need to go a step further. Read More

New COVID-19 Mental Health Handbook

The Humanitarian Disaster Institute has produced a new resource which "covers a range of topics that live at the intersection of COVID-19 and mental health." It is a free download. Learn More

How to Overcome Digital Ministry Fatigue

Pastor, if you’re feeling like all those online calls and video conferences seem to be leaving you drained by the end of the day, it’s not just you. Zoom fatigue is real, and it’s compounded for those in vocational ministry. Read More

4 Guidelines To A Great Children's Sermon

Using just 7-10 minutes of your service, you can have children asking to come back to church. Here's how. Read More

John MacArthur--God-Anointed or Self-Appointed Champion of the Church?

Considering the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic, I found none of the precautionary measures that the county is requiring the Grace Community Church to take are unreasonable or impossible. They are measures that many churches have adopted not only in the United States but also in other countries. Grace Community Church has so far been fortunate that it has not become a COVID-19 hot spot. It would take only one super-spreading event at one service.

Grace Community Church is a non-denominational megachurch with an affluent congregation. It may have the resources to survive the public relations disaster that would follow such an event. Smaller churches that are following Grace Community Church’s lead in defying their state and county public health measures may not be able to tap the kind of resources that Grace Community Church can tap. They would be far more vulnerable to a public relations disaster than Grace Community Church if they became the epicenter of one or more clusters of new COVID-19 cases.

While President Trump may claim that the United States has “turned the corner” on the pandemic and a number of posts on the internet may claim that we are at the end stage of the pandemic or a return to normalcy is imminent, the truth is that we are still in the midst of a full-blown pandemic. It will be with us well into 2021 if not longer. We are also learning a great deal more about how COVID-19 spreads and the extent of the damage that it does to the human body. What we are learning should make us highly suspicious of such claims. They are wishful thinking at best.

To my way of thinking John MacArthur is engaging in grandstanding. He is seeking to attract applause and favorable attention from like-minded people. He is acting in a way that makes people pay more attention to him rather than giving thought to more important matters. His actions are reminiscent of those of the Pharisees and teachers of the law who opposed Jesus. They went to great lengths to be seen as godlier than their fellow Jews and to win their fellow Jews’ approbation for their godliness.

I have heard the argument that MacArthur is acting upon his God-given convictions. The problem with this argument is that fails to take into consideration what the Scriptures teach us about the deceitfulness of the human heart. We are quite capable of deceiving ourselves as well as others. It also assumes that the convictions that others may have and which differ from MacArthur’s do not come from God. It treats MacArthur as if he is a kind of Protestant Pope.

Anglicanism, which MacArthur rejects as insufficiently reformed, itself rejects the notion of one person such as the Pope evidencing a special gift of the Holy Spirit than no one else has. MacArthur is claiming that God has appointed him as “the champion of the Church.” While he may not be making the claim, he is assuming that he has a special anointing, one from a historical perspective is similar to that which the Popes have claimed. This is ironic since MacArthur is highly critical of Roman Catholicism, referring to the Roman Catholic Church as the kingdom of Satan and the Pope as an anti-Christ. MacArthur’s personal theology is a mixture of Calvinism and dispensationalism.

MacArthur does not shy away from controversy and he has been involved in a number of controversies during his career. As he has in the recent past described the charismatic movement and Pentecostalism as a work of Satan, he is now accusing those who do not agree with him as being in league with the devil. He is not one for mincing words when it comes to demonizing those who do not hold his views.

Most recently MacArthur has damaged his credibility by repeating inaccurate and false information about the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been circulating on the internet and is popular with conspiracy theorists. One is prompted to ask why someone who believes that God has appointed him the champion of the Church would be passing on untruths that damage the Church. As a pastor for 56 years he should be well-acquainted with what the Scriptures teach about lying.

If anything can be learned from this stage of John MacArthur’s career is the danger of a pastor living in an echo chamber and not being teachable. MacArthur appears to be one of those individuals who insist that he is always right and cannot tolerates views that differ from his own. He is therefore apt to surround himself with those who echo his opinions and do not contradict them. The controversialism that has marked his career points to a lack of teachability.

Let us pray that these qualities do not result in more suffering and deaths from the COVID-19 coronavirus, not only at Grace Community Church but also other churches that are following its lead.

Wednesday's Catch: Types of Church Leaders and Their Future Prospects and More

How 5 Types of Church Leaders Will Fare in the Future

The categories in this article reflect what Carey Nieuwhof describes as the overall approach leaders are taking to the insane amount of uncertainty, change and disruption that is leadership right now. Each of the five approaches, as Nieuwhof points out, has a probable destination—a prospect for the future that, while not inevitable, is likely. Read More

5 Principles for Leading in Uncharted Waters

What are you holding on to in these uncharted and rough waters? Read More

9 Anti-Abuse Practices Your Church Needs To Adopt

Abuse is an abstract concept for many people, and it’s a word heavy with cultural misconceptions. When talking about abuse, I’ve learned to bridge the communication gap by defining and describing it: abuse is a pattern of coercive control based in an abuser's feeling of entitlement to power over another person. An abuser gains and maintains control through various tactics that can be physical, emotional, verbal, financial, sexual, or spiritual. Abusers actually target churches to find victims and to move into positions of power, so church leaders must be prepared to prevent abuse, to deal with it in their congregations, and to provide healing for abuse survivors. Read More

Is Jesus Divine? 30% of “Evangelicals” Say No. [Video]

How is it possible that 30% of U.S. evangelicals* reject the deity of Jesus Christ? Watch as Ligonier Teaching Fellow Dr. Stephen Nichols speaks on this startling finding from our 2020 State of Theology survey. Watch Now

Which Americans Are least Likely to Believe in Jesus' Resurrection

Knowing whether someone accepts Jesus’ resurrection as a historical fact can make a significant difference in how we evangelize them. While 2 in 3 Americans believe the Easter accounts, there are some groups who are less likely to accept them as the gospel truth. Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (September 16, 2020) Now Online

The daily rhythm of praise and prayer has helped generations of Christians in difficult times like our own. It focuses our attention on what is most important—our relationship with God. Everything else in its time will fade away. But our relationship with God lasts forever.

All Hallows Murray offers its weekly services of Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings with that thought in mind. It does not matter who you are, the walk of life from which you come, or where you are in your faith journey, these services are offered to help you to draw closer to God and to live in harmony with God and your fellow human beings. May they prove a lasting blessing to you and to whoever with whom you share them.

The order of service for Wednesday evening (September 16, 2020) is as follows:

Phos hilaron: “O Radiant Light, O Love Divine” tr. William G. Storey

Psalm 141: “O Lord, Let My Prayer Rise Before You Incense” Peter Inwood

Variable Psalm: Psalm 121 “I Lift My Eyes Unto the Hills” arr. Heather Sorenson

Reading: James 1: 12-16

Homily: “Temptation’s Test”

Gospel Canticle: “My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord” Lucien Deiss

Dismissal Hymn: “As Jacob with Travel Was Weary One Day” 18th c. English carol

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/09/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for_16.html#more.

Please feel free to share this link with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

Previous services are online at: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/.

Tuesday's Catch: The Generational Guide in Politics and More

How to Navigate the Generational Divide in Politics

The 2020 election is already a trying season for the American church. And among the dynamics at play is a growing generational divide among conservative evangelicals. Read More

Evangelicals for Social Action Leaves Behind ‘Evangelical’ Label

The 47-year-old organization sticks with the broader movement’s mission but not its name. Read More

3 Ways to Tell If Physically Absent Church Members Are Still Spiritually Engaged

Not everyone who has not physically returned yet is in danger of drifting away. Here are a few ways to tell who’s still connected and who needs to be reengaged. Read More

In the midst of a serious pandemic which is showing no signs of abating and in which one segment of the population is denying the seriousness of the pandemic, is unwilling to comply with reasonable public health measures intended to reduce transmission risks, and is spreading inaccurate and false information about the pandemic, pastors appear to be inordinately concerned about those who have not physically returned to church when they may need to be more concerned about those who have physically returned. If these returnees belong to that one segment of the population, those who have not physically returned may have good reason to stay away.

I personally was between churches when COVID-19 reached the United States, considering leaving one church to join another, and in the very early stages of starting a third. The pandemic required me to put these plans on hold or modify them. I chose to modify them, launching All Hallows Murray as an online community, first offering a Sunday morning service on Zoom and more recently Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evening services on a different platform.

Since that time I have concluded that politics, not safety, is driving the reopening of a number of churches or their continued opening despite the fact the pandemic has not been contained. I do not believe that I am wrong in suspecting that other Christians who attended church before the pandemic have come to the same conclusion.

12 Ministry Questions Church Leaders Have Asked

As a seminary professor and church consultant, I hear a lot of questions about church. Here are some of the most recent questions (without my response). What are your thoughts about any one of these questions? Read More

How to Safely Uncover the Land Mines in Your Church

It might look like a nice place, but there is often more there than meets the eye. Sometimes the danger is clearly visible, but other times, it’s hidden beneath the surface. Read More

The Best Sermons Tell Stories

When so many of us pastors get up to preach week to week, we aren’t storytellers, but proposition-givers. There’s nothing wrong with the “three point sermon where all the points begin with ‘P,’” but sometimes we get so caught up accurately exegeting life-principles we don’t invite people into the compelling, terrifying, inspiring, life-altering narrative of God’s kingdom invading our world. Read More

When Christians Lose Their Minds, People Lose Their Faith

Social media has moved us all into public discourse. And the world is watching. Your friends are watching and listening, but so are unchurched people.

Here’s what’s at stake: When Christians lose their minds, people lose their faith.

I shudder to think how many people are losing faith right now because Christians are losing their minds and loosing opinions online.

Christians should be fueling the solution, not fueling the problem. In a season where the church should be gaining ground, by many measures, we’re losing.

Here are three reasons why this matters more than we think, and give things you and I can do to hopefully make our online presence, personally and organizationally, much better. Read More

Also See:
Church Attendance Is Dying. What Next?
Don’t Burn Bridges.

Monday's Catch: Train Up a Teen and More

Train Up a Teen: Young Evangelicals Mostly Keep Their Parents’ Faith

Pew Research finds that even the most devout young believers don’t agree with Mom and Dad on everything. Christian parents weigh in on the challenges of teenage discipleship. Read More

Evangelical Teens More Likely to Retain Faith, Pray Compared to Mainline Peers

Parents and teens in the U.S. generally share the same faith (or lack thereof), a new study published by Pew Research finds. While the study results may not be surprising, at least one point is interesting: Teens raised in evangelical households are more likely to identify with the faith of their parents than their mainline Protestants peers. Read More

Want Faithful Teens and Young Adults: Disciple Faithful Parents

Despite the perception of many teenagers (and their parents), it is difficult to overstate the importance of parental influence on the present and future religious devotion of their children. Significant studies from Pew Research and LifeWay Research demonstrate the outsized role parents play. Read More

Keeping the Mission in This Moment

We are starting to hear terms now like “Covid fatigue” as the pandemic moves past six months in our country. While most of us would love to return to the way things were before March, things are still far from normalized at this point as the virus is still very much among us. Churches continue to try and balance gathering for worship with protecting the vulnerable. The biblical call for perseverance as we run the race in this season seems particularly relevant (Hebrews 12:1-2). While we do this based on guidelines and wisdom, there are some things we can continue to practice. Read More

The Missional Power of Preparation 

How do we prepare in the midst of uncertainty? Read More

7 Reasons We Can't Give Up on Our Non-Believing Friends

Maybe you’ve prayed for a non-believing family member or friend for a long time – so long, in fact, that you’re close to giving up on him or her. If that’s where you are, here are some simple reasons not to give up today.... Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 13, 2020) Now Online

The daily rhythm of praise and prayer has helped generations of Christians in difficult times like our own. It focuses our attention on what is most important—our relationship with God. Everything else in its time will fade away. But our relationship with God lasts forever.

All Hallows Murray offers its weekly services of Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings with that thought in mind. It does not matter who you are, the walk of life from which you come, or where you are in your faith journey, these services are offered to help you to draw closer to God and to live in harmony with God and your fellow human beings. May they prove a lasting blessing to you and to whoever with whom you share them.

The Scripture reading for Sunday evening (September 12, 2020) is Luke 18: 9-14.

The homily is titled, "Bow and Be Humble"

A new addition to the All Hallows Evening Prayer repertoire is the Shaker song, "'Tis a Gift to Be Simple," composed by Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. (1797-1882), Alfred, Maine, 1848.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/09/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday_12.html#more.

Please feel free to share this link with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

Previous services are online at: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/.

Saturday Lagniappe: Quarantine Anger and More

Why Has Quarantine Made Me So Angry?

What causes anger? It’s complicated, isn’t it? Of course! And we can’t possibly cover everything here. But what I’m hoping to do, at least, is to prod and poke into the specifics of what Scripture says about the roots of anger, because here we find exposure of what is ugly, but also of what is beautiful. Read More

Why Unhealthy People Crave Controversy

Often, quarrelsomeness is a desperate attempt to find a purpose or to find a place to feel important or to answer a gnawing boredom with the everydayness of life. Read More

The State of Our Theology in 2020 Is Pretty Concerning

In its biennial “State of Theology” survey, Ligonier Ministries uncovered rampant confusion about basic Christian beliefs and a continued need for clear biblical teaching. The 2020 State of Theology survey, commissioned through Lifeway Research, was completed in early March, just before the pandemic caused widespread shutdowns. Three thousand U.S. adults, including 630 professing evangelicals, responded to 35 statements about faith-based and ethical issues. Read More

3 Reasons Pastors Don't Connect With Millennials

Can your preaching reach the up-and-coming generations? Tyler Braun points out the most common barriers. Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (September 12, 2020) Now Online

The daily rhythm of praise and prayer has helped generations of Christians in difficult times like our own. It focuses our attention on what is most important—our relationship with God. Everything else in its time will fade away. But our relationship with God lasts forever.

All Hallows Murray offers its weekly services of Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings with that thought in mind. It does not matter who you are, the walk of life from which you come, or where you are in your faith journey, these services are offered to help you to draw closer to God and to live in harmony with God and your fellow human beings. May they prove a lasting blessing to you and to whoever with whom you share them.

The Scripture reading for Saturday evening (September 12, 2020) is 1 Peter: 5: 5b-11.

The homily is titled, "The Mind That Was in Christ."

A new addition to the All Hallows Evening Prayer repertoire is the Shaker song, "I Will Bow and Be Simple," arranged by Kevin Sigfried.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/09/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday_12.html#more

Please feel free to share this link with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

Previous services are online at: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/.

Friday's Catch: The Humility of Hobbits and More

Let Hobbits Teach You Humility

Even though the ending of J. R. R. Tolkien’s classic Lord of the Rings series isn’t entirely happy, we rejoice that something has been made right. The humble triumph over the power-hungry, and peace extends across the land. We long for that to happen in this world, too. And so these lowly hobbits help us comprehend, deep in our hearts, the beauty of humility and the horror of self-serving power. Read More

A Dozen Reasons God Hates Lying & Liars

Deception, in one form or another, is a regular part of many people’s lives in our world today. However, much to the church’s shame, many Christians continue to give in to the temptation to lie their way through life as well. What does God think of this? Proverbs 6:19 includes on the list of things that God hates, “a false witness who utters lies.” Why does God hate lying? And why does he not only hate lying, but liars as well? The Bible provides many reasons. Here are twelve of them. Read More

Developing a Framework for the Secular Mind

How do we break the stereotypes surrounding Christianity? ... I believe Christians perpetuating COVID-19 conspiracies will do irreparable harm to our gospel witness for generations. Spreading conspiracy theories and fooling a disproportionate number of Christians during a global public health crisis will not only call into question our good judgement but only reinforce what many in broader culture already believe about Christianity today.Dumb. Anti-science. Brain-washed. Read More

When You Don't Hit a "Home Run" Sermon

I preach verse by verse through books of the Bible. On the one hand, this keeps me from the temptation of cherry-picking my favorite texts each Sunday. But on the other hand, it means I may have to preach not-so-favorite texts. Read More

While I have nothing against verse-by-verse expository teaching, I believe that we are living in a time when congregations, whether in person or on the internet, need to hear what Jesus and the apostles taught. Many Americans who identify themselves as Christians have been poorly discipled or not discipled at all. They do not pattern their lives on Jesus's teaching and example or the teaching of his apostles. Until the COVID-19 pandemic they were indistinguishable from the rest of the population except for their habit of attending church. Now they do not have that to set them apart from other Americans in many parts of the United States.

The Christian And the State

To be a Christian is to belong simultaneously to two different kingdoms. If you are a child of God through faith in Christ then you are a citizen of the here and coming Kingdom of God and you are subject to various lesser but legitimate human authorities.

How does that work out in practice?

What if the demands of the one run contrary to the demands of the other?

Thankfully, the Bible was written in times, and by people, for whom that was a very relevant concern. As we begin to enter a new reality in terms of the relationship between Christianity and western culture, it may be helpful for us to revisit the whole counsel of God on this important matter. Read More

5 Keys to Preaching to the Kids in Your Pews

The teaching and preaching of Jesus might be the best model for us as we reopen our buildings following COVID-19’s forced closure.

Some of us will be preaching to a smaller audience made up of younger worshippers.

The children who may have previously been engaged in a children’s ministry may be sitting in socially distanced worship services with their parents.

Here are five ways I’m tweaking my preaching for the next season of my ministry. Read More

Age segregation is a relative new phenomena in the Christian Church. Until the twentieth century children worshiped with their parents or guardians. They "caught" the Christian faith from their parents or guardians and the other members of the congregation. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided an opportunity to recover this ancient practice. In the 1970s it was found that children who worshiped with adults from an early age generally were well-behaved in church services and were less likely to leave their church when they became adolescents or young adults. This lesson was lost on evangelical churches.  

Thursday's Catch: Digital Church and More

Creating a Structure for Digital Church

As we have learned from churches and researched best practices, we have determined that there are 5 models for doing virtual ministry.... Read More

5 Digital Tools to Reconnect Pastors to Their People

Despite challenges of a pandemic, churches can regain visibility. Read More

Survey Reveals Many Evangelicals Hold Unbiblical Beliefs

A new survey reveals the theological beliefs of Americans about God, sin, salvation, heaven and hell, the church, and the Bible. And the results for evangelicals aren’t encouraging. Read More

The Top Generosity Trigger for Most Churches

The top trigger of a financially generous act toward a cause is engagement. The more engaged a person is in living the vision of the organization, the larger and more frequent their gifts become. Read More

6 Posts on Mentoring--That Is, Discipling Like Jesus Did

Seminary is a great place to find a mentor, but that search must begin in the home and the local church. Read More

Wednesday's Catch: Momentum and Growth in a Season of Chaos and More

Finding Momentum When Everything Is Working Against It

So you’re leading in a tougher environment than you’ve ever led through in your life. How do you find momentum and growth in a season when everything you spend your life working toward changed overnight? Read More

Why Someone You Love Might Join QAnon

For Christians broaching conversations with those persuaded by an increasingly popular conspiracy theory. Read More

Despite its use of Biblical language as well as its citation of Biblical texts, QAnon is not Christianity any more than the Prosperity Gospel is Christianity. Christianity is focused on the person and teaching of Jesus Christ. The origins of the Prosperity Gospel can be traced to the teaching of Phineus Quinby and the New Thought movement. The origins of QAnon are less clear. The one thing that these two sets of beliefs have in common is that they are the kind of false teaching against which Jesus and the apostles warned.

Evangelism: Reconsidering Our Approach in a Pandemic

Pursuing creative, personal opportunities for evangelism during COVID-19. Read More

The Core of the Qur'anic Worldview

At the center of the Qur’an’s view of reality are three concepts: The oneness of God, the day of judgement, and prophethood. Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Wednesday Evening (September 9, 2020) Now Online

The daily rhythm of praise and prayer has helped generations of Christians in difficult times like our own. It focuses our attention on what is most important—our relationship with God. Everything else in its time will fade away. But our relationship with God lasts forever.

All Hallows Murray offers its weekly services of Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings with that thought in mind. It does not matter who you are, the walk of life from which you come, or where you are in your faith journey, these services are offered to help you to draw closer to God and to live in harmony with God and your fellow human beings. May they prove a lasting blessing to you and to whoever with whom you share them.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/09/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for_9.html.

Please feel free to share this link with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

Previous services are online at: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/.

Tuesday's Catch: 'Pay Attention to the Narratives' and More

Pay Attention to the Narratives

Claiming our personal rights in America keeps us from seeing a corrosive problem in our culture and in our own hearts. Whether we wear a mask is not about party alignment or civil liberty. It reveals our moral character. A refusal to cover our faces is not just about people taking a stand for their freedom. It’s that people value themselves and their comfort more than others. It’s about character and our desire for the well-being of others, especially the vulnerable population. Read More

State of Theology Finds Americans Embrace Conflicting Beliefs

More than half of Americans say religious beliefs are a matter of personal opinion, not objective facts. And that’s made clear by examining the varying, and sometimes contradictory, theological doctrines they hold. Read More

State of Theology: Evangelicals Hold Steady on Doctrine, More Outspoken on Politics

American evangelicals make mostly incremental changes around some common heresies. In the latest survey of Americans’ theological views, evangelicals stood out for their love of their Savior and Scripture, but like the rest of the country, they still have significant gaps in belief and interpretation. Read More

The State of Theology: The Report

What do Americans think about Jesus Christ, the Bible, truth, and ethics? Ligonier Ministries’ State of Theology survey provides insights. Every two years, we take the theological temperature of the United States to help Christians better understand today’s culture and equip the church with better insights for discipleship. Read some of our key findings from 2020 below and explore the data for yourself. This survey was completed in early March as concern related to COVID-19 began to rise. Read More

The Biblical Doctrines Many Evangelicals Get Wrong

It’s not surprising that most evangelicals in the U.S. believe God is perfect and the Bible is true. What is surprising perhaps is the level of confusion around some basic tenets of the Christian faith. Read More

Why Our Sunday School Disciples Christians in Politics

If discipleship is about following Jesus with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength—a wholehearted commitment of all we think, do, love, and say—shouldn’t this include our politics as well? If believers are being formed by radio hosts and news programs, pastors must bear at least some burden to speak to these things too. Read More

A Sunday school class on the Christian faith and politics may be too little too late. Based on their posts on the internet I am led to believe that the Christian Church has done any abysmal job in instructing clergy and laity in the teaching of Jesus and the apostles and discipling them as followers of Jesus.

Be Careful What You Put Your Hope in, Including Politics

When people put their hope in political parties and beliefs, these can become gods. Christians sometimes view political leaders and their platforms with a degree of faith that should be reserved only for God and his Kingdom. And sometimes they display a degree of hatred and scorn that should be reserved for Satan and his demons. Read More

When a pastor demonizes his fellow-Christians and neighbors over a political issue, an issue that is not very important in the larger scheme of things, what does it say about who is following? Sadly he may not have the insight to realize that he is not following Christ. His congregation may not have the insight to realize that in following his lead, they are also turning their backs on Christ. If God is testing Christians' faithfulness to Christ, which includes his teaching, many Christians are failing that test.

Monday's Catch: 'Launching a Kids Learning Lab' and More

Launching a Kids Learning Lab

A Kids Learning Lab is one way a church can serve the community during the pandemic. Learn More

Distributed Church and the New Normal of the Pandemic World

There is no going “back to normal.” We must now learn to live into a “new normal.” The future has come in the night and we are here now. COVID-19 has thrust us fully into the new world that has been forming beneath the surface for quite some time. Read More

Seven Sentences We Never Expected to Hear in Churches in 2020

I can only imagine how we would have responded in 2019 if someone had told us we needed to be prepared not to gather in-person in worship services for several months in 2020. Indeed, if we had been given a glimpse of this crazy year ahead of time, we would have thought the world had gone crazy. It probably has. Read More

When Looking for a Church, Beware the “Right Fit”

There are good reasons for joining and leaving a church, and not so good reasons. There are sensible reasons and sinful reasons. But among the most common is what I often call a spiritualized version of natural selection. Read More

The Power of Love: Who Do You Say That You Are?

My maternal grandmother wore her white hair long, pulled back from her face, and falling straight down her back. She spoke broken English with a heavy German accent. Her name was Marie. And she loved me. Read More

Love What’s Near

“Our generation is prone to radicalism without follow-through,” Kevin DeYoung writes. “We want to change the world and we have never changed a diaper.” Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Sunday Evening (September 6, 2020) Now Online

The daily rhythm of praise and prayer has helped generations of Christians in difficult times like our own. It focuses our attention on what is most important—our relationship with God. Everything else in its time will fade away. But our relationship with God lasts forever.

All Hallows Murray offers its weekly services of Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings with that thought in mind. It does not matter who you are, the walk of life from which you come, or where you are in your faith journey, these services are offered to help you to draw closer to God and to live in harmony with God and your fellow human beings. May they prove a lasting blessing to you and to whoever with whom you share them.

The variable psalm for Sunday evening is “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.” It is a paraphrase of Psalm 84, written by Jonathan Asprey and sung to Daniel Kallman’s choral arrangement of the traditional Irish ballad tune, THE HOMES OF DONEGAL.

The Scripture reading for Sunday evening is Luke 16:19-30. It is traditionally read at the Holy Eucharist on the First Sunday after Trinity in the Anglican Church.

The homily is titled “Who Do You Serve?” It takes a look at Jesus’ teaching on how material prosperity and wealth may prove a curse rather than a blessing.

The dismissal hymn is “The Summons,” written by John L. Bell and Graham Maule and set to the traditional Scottish melody, KELVINGROVE.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/09/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-sunday.html#more. Please feel free to share this link with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

Previous services are online at: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/.

Pride Goes Before Destruction...

By Robin G. Jordan

It is painful to watch a Christian leader destroying his own credibility. Last Sunday John MacArthur told the congregation of Grace Community Church, “there is no pandemic.” He cited the erroneous claim that only six per cent of the total deaths reported by the CDC are attributable to COVID-19. This false claim has been circulating online since at least mid-June. BBC Reality Check in its article, “Coronavirus: The US has not reduced its Covid-19 death toll to 6% of total,” examines how this bogus claim went viral when President Trump and a number of other influential Twitter users posted it at the end of August despite the repeated explanation by the CDC that people were misinterpreting its report.

MacArthur went on to claim that the reports of the pandemic’s severity were the work of the devil. He further claimed that no one in Grace Community Church’s congregation had contracted COVID-19, maintaining that this unverified fact was proof that the severity of the pandemic has been exaggerated.

There are a number of plausible explanations of why there have been no reports of COVID-19 cases in Grace Community Church’s congregation. MacArthur and the elders of Grace Community Church may be withholding that information from the members of the congregation and the larger community. It would prove a serious embarrassment to them. It would also give the state and the county further grounds that they could use to take legal action against the church.

Members of the congregation who have contracted the virus may also be withholding that information from MacArthur, the elders, and their fellow congregants. These congregants may not want to embarrass them or themselves. At least one online post claimed that the reason the members of congregation were not contracting the virus was that they were God’s chosen. In such an environment an admission of having contracted the virus would be seen as an admission that the congregant who contracted the virus was not one of the elect. There would be considerable pressure to keep quiet and to not say anything.

In a congregation the size of Grace Community Church’s it is easy to overlook COVID-19 cases. The level of denial in the congregation may be high enough that any COVID-19 symptoms might be explained away as symptoms of something else. Congregants might seek treatment with a sympathetic doctor who would not report their case to the county or they might go to another county for treatment in which case their case would counted as one of that county’s cases.

MacArthur may himself have fallen into a snare of the devil. While Jesus has defeated the devil, the evil one’s defeat does not prevent him from inflicting as much damage on Jesus’ followers as he can. This includes destroying the reputations of church leaders and their churches. In his refusal to properly safeguard the congregation of Grace Community Church and the larger community and in his spreading of false rumors MacArthur has created opportunities for the devil. The devil has studied our weaknesses and will exploit them to the fullest.

It would take only one super-spreading event to bring MacArthur’s world toppling down and to destroy his ministry. MacArthur would not be the only one hurt by his downfall. All the other pastors who have aligned themselves with him would also suffer. Their own credibility would be thrown into doubt. Christians, in general, would also take a hit.

To my mind, MacArthur is treading on very dangerous grounds. President Trump may applaud him. The president’s supporters may do the same. But they are not the ones who will experience the most damage when MacArthur suffers a fall. As the Book of Proverbs warns, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” Proverbs 16:18). We all would be wise to heed that warning.

Evangelicals Need to Address the QAnoners in Our Midst

QAnon has been making headlines but Evangelical Christians should not be swept up in the bizarre movement.

QAnon has been making headlines in recent weeks. It's going to make more.

QAnon is, among many things, an expansive conspiracy theory built around the idea that a "deep state," or cabal of elite leftists, is clandestinely working against President Donald Trump. A person (or small group) known as "Q" drops revelations in various forms online. At the core of the appeal is its ability to generate fear. Suggesting that there is a powerful figure or group subverting the country and empowering all manner of evil is frightening.

Some of the headlines about QAnon in recent days have connected it with evangelical Christians. In addition, many proponents describe their mission in religious and quasi-religious terms. Read More

Also See:
QAnon, Conspiracies, and Discipling the Way Out
Conspiracy Theories, Engaging Online, and Wisdom: The Intersection of the Three and How to Respond Biblically

If You Plan to Be Social for Labor Day Weekend, Here's How to Lower Your Risk of Covid-19 Infection

Labor Day weekend is one of the biggest social gathering holidays in the US, which poses added risk to most celebrations when they coincide with a pandemic. But that doesn't mean you have to stay indoors, either.

In fact, getting outdoors, taking a hike or long bike ride, finding an uncrowded swimming hole or even gardening are safe ways to celebrate a holiday that honors how much we work by taking a break from it.

If you must gather, here are some of the safest ways to do so, according to epidemiologist Ali Mokdad, a professor of health metrics sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, and other experts.... Read More

This week has been the deadliest of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Since last Sunday 66 people have died from the virus. Friday "marked the fourth consecutive day where the number of new cases exceeded 800."

Among the factors that have been identified as having contributed to the infection rate in the Commonwealth, in addition to the refusal of a segment of the state's population to comply with the public health measures that state and local authorities have implemented to protect Kentuckians and out-of-state visitors, has been small gatherings of friends and family such as barbecues, birthday parties, and the like particularly on weekends.

In my county the local state university, when it reopened for the fall semester, implemented a number of strict measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection to students, faculty, staff, and the larger community. The university has so far not experienced the large number of new COVID-19 cases that other universities have experienced.

The county, however, continues to see a steady increase in the number of new cases. This can be attributed to a number of factors--the chief of which is that one segment of the population refuses to acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic and refuses to comply with the state and local public health measures such as face-masks, social distancing, self-quarantine, and avoidance of unnecessary travel.

During a trip to the grocery store two weeks ago a young man who was not wearing a face mask brushed by me in one of the aisles. I only go to the store during the special shopping hours that the store provides for older people and those with pre-existing conditions.

This week I came across a store employee not wearing her face mask properly and a woman representative of one of the companies that supplies the store stocking shelves and chatting with store employees while wearing no face mask. This was also during the special shopping hours that the store provides for customers like myself.

It does not do much good to offer these hours and post a sign at the store entrance stating that the store is complying with the governor's executive order to wear face masks, if people are allowed in the store without face masks. Allowing them in the store defeats the whole purpose of the special shopping hours.

Saturday Lagniappe:'Streaming Video is NOT Church Online!'and More

Streaming Video is NOT Church Online!

Church online is direct-to-camera. Church online is interactive. Church online is an intentional effort to disciple a growing online congregation. Streaming video is passive. With streaming video (live or recorded), the viewer is an observer, not a participant. Read More

Church is Essential. Your Form of Church is Not.

Church is absolutely essential for the follower of Jesus. When Christ called us into relationship with Himself, He also called us into community with others. A Christian not committed to Church is an oxymoron and a confounding contradiction. Christians are commanded to “not neglect gathering together as some are in the habit of doing but to encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:25) because through encouragement we are not “hardened by sin’s deception” (Hebrews 3:13). In other words, God uses His people to keep His people tender and receptive to His leading. Read More

I would contend that church online(as opposed to streaming video), while its gatherings may not be the form of church that we prefer also serve the purpose of encouraging participants in the Christian life and faith. While in-person gatherings may be desirable, Hebrews 10:25 does not preclude online gatherings as some interpreters of that verse would like us to believe. The early Christians met where it was safest for them to meet in times of persecution. Those who meet online are doing the same thing. They are meeting where it is safest for them to meet during a pandemic.

Churches and the Vulnerable in the Time of COVID-19

Churches may be re-opening for some, but they remain inaccessible to our most at-risk. As churches open, I am beginning to wonder if we have a place anymore in the church. You see, my son was born with Down syndrome. As churches have begun their return to in-person gatherings, rather than having a communal space in which to find support, care, and encouragement, I have felt more isolated than ever before. Why? Because many churches, in trying to return to “normal” are unknowingly returning to structures that favor the abled. Read More

Why Is Doctrine So Important?

What Is Christian Doctrine? Doctrine is a body of teaching. Christian doctrine is the teaching found in the Bible—about who God is, who we are, why the world exists, and so on. The subject merits careful thought because it plays a vital part in every Christian’s life. Read More

7 Ways to Increase Your Support Network and Why it Matters

I can’t tell you the number of people who write to me looking for help in the midst of a full-blown crisis. They have no support network—no ready-made shelter now that the storm has hit. Finding a good counselor can be hard. And it’s even harder when you needed it. . . yesterday. You likely check in with a medical doctor. You get that your body needs nourishment, exercise, and periodic check-ins to stay healthy. Yet so many of us don’t give the same attention to our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Here’s the best piece of advice I can give: Don’t wait until you’re in crisis to set up a support network. Read More

All Hallows Evening Prayer for Saturday Evening (September 5, 2020) Now Online

The daily rhythm of praise and prayer has helped generations of Christians in difficult times like our own. It focuses our attention on what is most important—our relationship with God. Everything else in its time will fade away. But our relationship with God lasts forever.

All Hallows Murray offers its weekly services of Evening Prayer on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings with that thought in mind. It does not matter who you are, the walk of life from which you come, or where you are in your faith journey, these services are offered to help you to draw closer to God and to live in harmony with God and your fellow human beings. May they prove a lasting blessing to you and to whoever with whom you share them.

The variable psalm for Saturday evening is “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.” It is a paraphrase of Psalm 23, written by Henry Baker and sung to John Ritter’s choral arrangement of the hymn.

The Scripture reading for Saturday evening is 1 John 4:7-21. It is traditionally read at the Holy Eucharist on the First Sunday after Trinity in the Anglican Church. It is particularly suitable for our times when the conflicts that are roiling our country are also roiling the Church.

The homily is titled “God Is Love.” After examining the implications of the Scripture reading for Christians, it touches upon how God is working in us to restore his image in us.

The dismissal hymn is “Christ Be Beside Me.” It is an adaptation of St. Patrick’s Breast Plate and was written by James Quinn. It is sung to Laura Wasson’s tune ST. ROSE.

The link to the service is: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2020/09/all-hallows-evening-prayer-for-saturday.html#more. Please feel free to share this link with anyone whom you believe might benefit from the service.

If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.

Previous services are online at: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/.

The Litmus Test of Genuine Christianity

In our pluralistic culture, churches have become so varied that they spread confusion about what it really means to be a follower of Christ. When it comes to hot-button issues like gun rights, abortion, and homosexuality, professing Christians line up on opposite ends. Can Christianity legitimately be so divided? Or, to put it another way, can anyone discern the “real deal”? Is it possible to know what functional, practical Christianity truly looks like?

James, the brother of Jesus, says yes—and he gives us a simple litmus test:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world (Jas. 1:27).

James provides a short, two-item checklist: (1) love—helping those in need, and (2) holiness—separating from worldly influence. These two traits summarize the practical outworking of a life changed by the gospel.

Much of the current division within the church comes from overemphasizing one trait over the other. Some churches tend to emphasize love, whereas others tend to prioritize holiness. But neither is negotiable. Both are essential for living the Christian life. Read More

Also See:
If You’re Fighting the Culture War, You’re Losing

Why People Object to Laws That Save Lives

Wearing a seat belt or a face mask is known to save lives, so why do some people still refuse to put them on and even protest against laws requiring them?

“I just hate them,” says one woman when asked why she refused to put one on. “I think I hate them because you have to wear them, and I think it’s more of a ‘you’ve got to wear it’, so I don’t want it.”

“I think, whether you’re male or female, it’s a dominance thing,” replies the man next to her. “I’m in charge, you don’t tell me what to do.”

It’s the sort of reasoning you might expect from protestors who refuse to wear masks when out in public during the pandemic. Their objection is not just about comfort, or even scepticism that they can save lives. It’s also resentment about being told what to do by authorities. Except the interviewees above were not upset about laws that have made face masks mandatory in public spaces in many countries. Instead, they were talking about seat belts. Read More

Also See:
How Covid-19 Myths Are Merging with the QAnon Conspiracy Theory
QAnon: What Is It and Where Did It Come From?
Fact Check: A Guide to 9 Conspiracy Theories Trump Is Currently Pushing
How President Trump's Lies Are Different From Other People's
I Study Liars. I’ve Never Seen One Like President Trump.

What is the connection between refusing to wear a face mask, COVID-19 myths, QAnon conspiracy theories, President Donald Trump and lying?  They are all contributors to an alternative world view that is displacing the teaching of Jesus Christ and the apostles among a number of American Christians. This alternative world view, however, is no longer confined to the United States but is exerting in an influence in other countries such the United Kingdom and Germany. At the center of this alternative world view is President Donald Trump who has a long history not only of promoting conspiracy theories but also of telling untruths and half-truths and misrepresenting the facts. This alternative worldview collides with God's eighth commandment to not bear false witness, Jesus' warning against false prophets and his identifying of those who spread falsehoods as children of the devil, and the apostles' warnings against those who seek to deceive the followers of Jesus Christ with their false teaching. Indeed it has been argued that it is a major heresy that threatens the Christian Church today.

Thursday's Catch: Praying against the Coronavirus and More

Praying Against the Coronavirus

Prayer still remains our strongest and most powerful weapon against this world pandemic. Read More

We should do all that we can do humanly possible to contain the pandemic while at the same time praying for divine intervention. Some of us may believe that the only appropriate way for God to intervene is with a miracle. In fact, we will go as far as insisting that he must intervene that way. But if we recognize the sovereignty of God, we also recognize that he may intervene in any way that he chooses, including through our own efforts. Indeed it is God's grace that enables us to do what little we are doing to check the virus. It is presumptuous for us to insist that he act only in a miraculous fashion. Unfortunately we have a long history of telling God how he should accomplish what we desire. One has only to look at the epicleses of the eucharistic prayers in the more recent Anglican service books, for example.

Latin American Pastors Kept Ministering During COVID-19. Now More Than 100 Have Died.

With mixed messages from leaders, evangelicals in Nicaragua and Bolivia have been especially hard-hit by the pandemic. Read More

Are Christians More Confident in Politics Than in Christ?

Just as the pandemic has exacerbated the problem of Christians being more shaped by online pundits than in-the-flesh pastors, it has also intensified political tribalism. With few places to converse other than our online communities, the levels of vitriol and contempt have risen to insufferable levels. Read More

I fear that politics has taken the place in the heart of a growing number of Christians, which rightfully is Christ's. Politics has become the idol before whom they bow down and to whom they offer sacrifices. I have come to believe that the events of the day are God's way of testing our faithfulness to Jesus and to his teaching and example. The life of discipleship to which Jesus calls us is not the property of one political party. Indeed it is not the property of any political party. In Psalm 146: 3-5 God warns us against putting our trust in political leaders instead of him.

Will People Leave Your Church Over Politics?

The new reason people are leaving churches today is American politics. It’s not necessarily about the pastor being too political, as would be the common claim before our current political climate. Today’s criticism is more focused on what the pastor is not. This usually takes form in two different outrages.... Read More

Free Audiobook: How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics?

How Can I Love Church Members with Different Politics? offers six practical recommendations for Christians who are divided on political issues. Authors Jonathan Leeman and Andy Naselli propose that Christians should learn how to disagree on many such issues with a spirit of gracious understanding by recognizing the importance of what binds us together as a local church body. Learn More

I have not listened to this audiobook so I cannot offer an opinion on its contents. I am posting a link to the article about it because the divisions politics is creating in American churches has become a serious problem and is interfering with their God-given mission to spread the gospel and to make disciples.

Are You Driving Home the Right Sermon Points?

When we use preach and exposit the word of God we need to not be content to say something once and then move on. The legendary professor Haddon Robinson said, “To nail a truth into the mind requires that it be hit several times.” Read More