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In Leadership, Church, and Ministry

Elevation Church and its Easter ad: Sure, invitations are important. But what matters more is what comes next

3 Comments 6 Mins Read

Elevation Church is no stranger to controversy. The North Carolina megachurch and its founding Pastor, Steven Furtick, frequently provide plenty of reasons to critique and criticize their methods or their message. And most of that criticism is justifiable. Furtick is a prosperity preacher whose messages display faulty (if any) exegesis and which seek to foster a feel-good version of Christianity that barely resembles biblical, historical, or orthodox Christianity. But, that said, this week the critics…

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In Christian Living, Relationships, and God's Love

After Easter: What does the resurrection really mean for Christians?

No Comments 7 Mins Read

The film Jesus Revolution portrays the spiritual awakening of the 1960s and the way that one young man, Greg Laurie, was swept up, saved by grace, and called by God to be a Christian pastor and evangelist. Baptisms anchor the film, and the most pivotal is the baptism of Laurie (Joel Courtney). The depiction of Laurie’s baptism is a moving reminder of what we believe about death, burial, and resurrection. Though he is clutched firmly…

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In God, Jesus, and the Bible

War, Jesus’ resurrection, and five facts to remember this Easter*

3 Comments 7 Mins Read

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine started February 24 and continues unabated. And the longer it goes, the more the world sees the capacity for evil that has been hiding behind the Iron Curtain, just waiting for the chance to pounce. Thousands of people have died, millions have become refugees, and tensions are rising between the world’s most powerful militaries. At home our economy is unstable, and our leaders are wringing their hands and wiping their brows…

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In God, Jesus, and the Bible

The Dead Sea Scrolls, the Bible, and our confidence at Easter*

No Comments 5 Mins Read

In mid-March, archeologists uncovered a fresh fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls in a cave on the outskirts of Jerusalem. It is a small piece around 2,000 years old, and it bears a verse from a Greek translation of the Old Testament prophets. The first batch of the Dead Sea Scrolls was discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin herder who tossed a rock into a cave and heard a cracking sound. He investigated and found…

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In Leadership, Church, and Ministry

Social distancing, drive-in churches, and what we learned about our relationship with the government on Easter Sunday 2020

No Comments 7 Mins Read

When the coronavirus began to spread and churches joined their communities in reluctantly “social distancing,” we all shuddered just a bit with Easter just a few weeks away. Would we be able to enter our sanctuaries again for Easter Sunday? Even President Trump acknowledged this critical benchmark. Tuesday, March 24, during a Fox News virtual townhall, Trump affirmed that he “would love to have the country opened up and just raring to go by Easter.”…

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In God, Jesus, and the Bible

Revisiting Bethel Church’s prayers, Olive’s tragic death, and the remarkable truth about resurrection that we need to remember at Easter

No Comments 7 Mins Read

The tragic death of 2-year-old Olive Heiligenthal on December 14 rattled the Christian community of Bethel Church in Redding, CA. And their prayers for her resurrection ignited a national conversation. At the time, blogs, news reports, and the church’s own social media provided exhaustive coverage. And as I read these reports and blogs, I noticed that in the clamor to condemn or condone something critical was either brushed past too quickly or ignored altogether. So,…

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In God, Jesus, and the Bible

He might not be who you expect. But He’s exactly who you need

No Comments 5 Mins Read

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were visiting a private Catholic school near London on March 20, shaking hands and greeting excited fans of all ages. But when Prince Harry reached out to shake hands with four-year-old Emmanuel Osei, the boy appeared confused. “When is Prince Harry coming?” he asked. “But I’m Prince Harry,” the Royal replied. But Emmanuel just figured this man didn’t understand the question, so he repeated…

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In Truth, Culture, and Apologetics

Easter, Chocolate Eggs, and CS Lewis

No Comments 4 Mins Read

Lately, I find myself quoting C.S. Lewis a lot. Not that I agree with his particular slant on everything. But what I do agree with resonates with me so much that I want other people to see things that way, and to encounter this extraordinary intellect that God saved from atheism and transformed into one of the 20th century’s most influential Christian apologists. Take Easter, for instance. When Lewis reflected on Easter, he used the…

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