Posts in Evangelicals
Some Notes On The Great Southern California Mass Baptism of 2023

(ANALYSIS) On the Sunday before Memorial Day, which was also the day of Pentecost, Christians inspired by “Jesus Revolution” decided that they ought to do a mass baptism at Pirates Cove, the same place a lot of the baptisms had taken place in the Jesus movement 50 years before.

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Pastor Rick Warren Tackles Southern Baptist Church’s Mass Decline in New Video Series

Warren’s video series, named “SBC at the Crossroads,” aims to state the problems plaguing the Baptist denomination and examine a biblical path to revive and revitalize the hearts of Baptist Church congregants, and thereby the entire denomination. 

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Hulu Series Shows The Gravity Of Hillsong’s High And Low Notes

(REVIEW) “The Secrets of Hillsong” uncovers Hillsong culture, abuse and Carl Lentz. The four-part documentary dropped on May 19th. Since Carl Lentz’s fall from grace due to his affair with Ranin Karim, many celebrity gossip and media voices have chimed in to tell Lentz’s story. For the first time since the scandals, both Carl and Laura Lentz tell their own stories in the documentary. 

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Tim Keller: A Witty Outsider Who Came To New York To Stay

(OPINION) Only 1% of New York City was “evangelical” when Keller arrived in 1989, and homicides hit 2,245 during his first full year of ministry in the tense city. Yet there was a “cracking in the ice” as immigrants from a variety of faiths poured into the city’s boroughs. Soon, many new churches were born.

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Pastor And Bestselling Author Dr. Timothy Keller Dies At 72

Once a seminary professor, Pastor Tim Keller planted Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City in the early 1990s and ministered to the, arguably, unchurched elite of Manhattan in New York City. In rented auditoriums, Keller preached in professorial style to thousands of young professionals and families.

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The Inside Story Of The King’s College Death Spiral Of 2023

The perilous state of The King’s College in New York City developed over decades, hit turbulence in the past two years, then turned into a stunning death spiral in the spring 2023 semester. 

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War At Home: Former Army Officer Aids Texas Massacre Victims, Seeks God’s Healing

Steven Spainhouer arrived before most first responders to the scene of the nation’s latest mass shooting. The massacre lasted less than four minutes but left eight dead, including three children, and seven wounded.

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Prayer And Protest: Nation’s Latest Mass Shooting Highlights Competing Messages

Clashing messages about God and guns came a day after an assailant opened fire at a Dallas-area outlet mall, killing eight people — including three children — and wounding seven.

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Cultivating A Society That Doesn’t Read The Bible: What Are The Consequences?

(OPINION) Late last year, the American Bible Society published its annual “State of the Bible” report, and the results signal a dramatic decline in Bible reading. It seems clear that we are cultivating a society that does not care to make Bible reading a regular habit.

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Seeking Absolution: Inside the Jesus Movement That Shaped My Childhood

(BOOK EXCERPT) While there were elements of hippie culture in the Jesus Movement, there was also a rejection of the purely hedonistic, live-and-let-live ethos of the 1960s. The 1960s had ended with assassinations, domestic terrorism, massive social unrest, incredible racial tension, and the peak of the Vietnam War. By the time the 1970s rolled around, America was in a dark, foul mood.

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During This Orthodox Easter, Consider How The Cross Is About More Than Redemption

(OPINION) Quantum theory can widen how we imagine the cross of Christ. Jesus did redeem us on the cross. But wondrously beautiful things happened simultaneously to his blood being shed. For instance, Jesus married (betrothed) us. In Jewish tradition, a redeemer was a male relative responsible for caring for a deceased relative’s possessions, including the widow.

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Reading The Post-Pandemic Tea Leaves In Modern Church Pews

(OPINION) Surveys since 2020 show that a "steady share of Americans — about 40% — say they have participated in religious services in the prior month one way or the other," according to a Pew Research Center report. But other details are blurry, since the "share of U.S. adults who ... attend religious services once a month or more has dropped slightly, from 33% in 2019 to 30% in 2022."

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‘He Gets Us’ — But Do We ‘Get’ Those Ads?

(OPINION) The least remarkable thing about the “He Gets Us” campaign — at least the most tiresome thing — is the knee-jerk reactions from both extremes of the  political-religious divide. Both sides have found much to hate.

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Museum Of The Bible Offers Up Faith, History and Easter Activities

Washington, D.C.’s Museum of the Bible is fascinating for Christians of all denominations and even for people who identify with another faith tradition. The museum — in addition to highlighting Hebrew texts and the time Jesus lived — also integrates how the Bible and Christianity have influenced American culture and society since the early 1600s to the present.

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Has Sunday Become A Day for ‘Concerts,’ Not ‘Worship’?

(OPINION) In the latest wrinkle in what researchers have long called the "worship wars," some church leaders are asking a blunt question about the decision to trade traditional hymnals for contemporary Christian music. That question: Has the typical Sunday service become a semiprofessional concert instead of a communal worship experience for all believers?

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Author, Investor and Pundit David L. Bahnsen Talks About The King's College in New York

“I do believe that there is a need for a school that is worldview minded and is a degree-granting undergraduate institution that is based in the city. I think that there is a benefit where the cultural capitals of media and finance and arts and so forth (are located). As a Kuyperian, I believe that this matters.”

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Is Pope Francis ‘The Only One Who Can Make A Difference’ In Uganda’s Anti-LGBTQ Bills?

Reuters reported that more than 30 African countries, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations. But the new law emerging in Uganda would be the first to outlaw people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer, according to Human Rights Watch.

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Why Are The Church And Hollywood At War?

(ESSAY) For almost a century, two of the most powerful and culturally influential institutions in the West — the church and Hollywood — have lived in near constant enmity with each other. Why is this? Does it have to be this way? Is there hope for unity? Much like Scripture, I was taken with the wonderful narratives I was invited into through film. But it was confusing to see an inspiring and entertaining movie on Saturday night and then be told how evil it was on Sunday morning.

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‘David Beats Goliath’: Faith Coalition Celebrates Oklahoma’s Recreational Marijuana Defeat

Supporters of legalizing recreational marijuana in Oklahoma outspent opponents by millions of dollars. Yet when the votes were counted Tuesday, the anti-marijuana side — backed by prominent faith leaders and law enforcement officials — prevailed.

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