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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

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 God, Jesus, and the Bible

Do you use a Bible app in church? Consider carrying a Bible instead. Here’s why.

7 Mins Read

This week an ad for “The Glorify App” popped up on my social media feed. Their pitch is simple: “We believe in making bite-sized worship routines available to everyone, whilst reimagining how we connect with God through technology.” The Glorify App is promoted by such evangelical luminaries as Priscilla Shirer and Sadie Robertson Huff. Tools that help us connect with God are always good. We use devotional books, journals, and study guides for that reason.…

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In Leadership, Church, and Ministry

“Preacher Don,” the mentor God knew I needed, and embracing the inevitable unpredictability of pastoral ministry

7 Mins Read

I was gripping the handle of a hand truck, balancing a washing machine, when my mother-in-law called out from the house, “Bob, you have a phone call. It’s Don Ingle.” My wife and I had just departed Texas and returned to North Carolina. Except for some remote work, seminary was finished, so we were seeking God’s open door for ministry, hoping to serve a church as its Pastor. In the thick humidity of August 1992,…

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In Leadership, Church, and Ministry

Our church staff’s case of Covid, my 14 days in quarantine, and what I learned along the way

7 Mins Read

On Monday, November 2, a member of our church staff began having allergy-like symptoms. No worries. She had simple seasonal respiratory issues in the past. But on Tuesday, she was worse. On Wednesday, she was suffering. And on Thursday, she tested positive for Covid-19. Her end of this story is one of isolation, frustration, and sickness. After fever, aches, nausea, alarming respiratory distress, and two trips to the ER, she is on the mend. But…

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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

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 Leadership, Church, and Ministry

Covid-19, “social distancing” for churches, and why we’ve suspended services during the pandemic

7 Mins Read

Despite government requests for churches to participate in “social distancing,” Florida Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne declined to suspend services at his church, The River. Howard-Browne encouraged his congregants to greet one another at the March 15 service. “Well I know they don’t want us to do this, but just turn around and greet two, three people,” he said. “Tell them you love them, Jesus loves them.” He asserted that he had no intention of closing his…

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In Truth, Culture, and Apologetics

If religious liberty is censored, can the government force Christians to comply? Not likely. Here’s why.

5 Mins Read

In November Beto O’Rourke dropped out of the Democratic field without much fanfare. But not before swiping aggressively at some of America’s most revered and protected Constitutional rights, including religious liberty. You’ll recall that at an October 10 LGBTQ town hall, CNN anchor Don Lemon asked O’Rourke if churches should be stripped of their tax-exempt status if they refuse to support same-sex marriage. O’Rourke immediately responded, “Yes.” The crowd applauded, and O’Rourke elaborated, explaining that…

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In Truth, Culture, and Apologetics

What the Scouts’ Name Change Really Means

5 Mins Read

I wrote this blog in 2018, and it seems especially relevant again. Today, February 18, 2020, the Scouts announced that the organization was filing for bankruptcy. We should mourn the loss of this once great organization, and we should be deeply concerned about what it says about our culture. The purpose of this corporation shall be to promote, through organization and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and…

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