A revival historian looks at four possible lessons from Asbury. The best-known evangelical interpreter of revivals, Jonathan Edwards, taught that no one can judge a revival secondhand. Edwards lived prior to telecommunication, but I think he would have said that the spiritual reality of a revival is not available remotely, however technologically sophisticated the transmission…
While tens of thousands flocked to campus, school officials met in a storage closet to make decisions that would “honor what is happening.” The shofars didn’t start until Saturday. With them came the would-be prophets seeking to take center stage at the Asbury University chapel where students had been praying and praising God since Wednesday…
Majority white churches can learn from the spiritual practices Black believers have cultivated for centuries. Lent is a season of darkness just before the light that comes with the celebration of Eastertide—a time where we are reminded of our mortality. It is a period of reflection, repentance, and preparation when we seek the Lord in…
Four other congregations with female pastors were also determined to be not in “friendly cooperation” with the SBC, as well as one removed over its abuse response. One of the country’s biggest and best-known megachurches, Saddleback Church, is no longer a part of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) after bringing on a female teaching pastor…
Even our most beautiful rituals and reflections can’t bring relief from the reality of death. I started going to Ash Wednesday services when I was working in New York City, in an office a few blocks from the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. From the sidewalk, the cathedral is intimidating, all filigree and turrets….
The Premier League winger known for his faith was killed in the earthquake in Turkey. Christian Atsu kicked his last goal on February 5. He ran up to the soccer ball and slammed it with his deft left foot, shooting it past 10 opposing players and a goalie in the fifth minute of extra time….
Conversions credited to women evangelists sharing the good news one-on-one in conversations. Tanuja Ghale saw a young woman on the street in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and told her she was beautiful. The woman started weeping. “Her husband had beaten her the same morning and told her that she was the worst woman in…
The way out of overcommitment runs through God’s temple. I often begin writing a new song—or even something as ordinary as a letter to a friend—because I have seen a spark, a shimmer of God’s renewal in the world. But sometimes I have to weather a few false starts. Some seeds we plant seem to…
Until a chance encounter with my mom’s old Bible opened my eyes. I grew up a small-town country boy in Ohio, the youngest of eight. Our home was a Christian home, and as a child I heard the message of salvation many times. I remember asking Jesus into my heart on our family stairway when…
Jesus, when he rose from the grave, was mistaken for a gardener. It is my favorite story. It is often when conditions seem the most damp and dark, when the rain has poured and patience runs thin, that green shoots of new life will begin to emerge. The seed that has died and been buried…
