Should Conservative American Christians Be Alarmists?

The Christian Post
March 16, 2017


"Alarmist" has become the newest label given to conservative Christians who raise concerns about the current trajectory of the culture in general or churches in particular. Like other labels — fundamentalist, theocrat, reconstructionist — the word itself is now used as a slur, and once deployed, the user feels no need to justify the accuracy of their claim.

Do conservative American Christians have legitimate reasons to be alarmed?

The meteorologists warning of winter storm Stella this week were alarmist also. Was that a bad thing?

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In marijuana-ripe region, church defends the faith

Baptist Press
March 16, 2017

REDWAY, Calif. (BP) -- "At one time there were three very healthy churches in Redway and now we are the last church standing."

Dave Seaford, pastor of First Baptist Church in the northern California town of 1,200, ventured to one of the nation's most fertile regions for growing marijuana, legally and illegally, in 2014.

The small congregation -- some aging, others part-time workers -- felt a burden for Redway's secularity and "sacrificed to bring us here," said Seaford, former pastor of a North Carolina church founded by Norm Geisler, one of the leading experts in the field of apologetics. Seaford, likewise, is a seasoned defender of the Christian faith, with a reach of more than 2,500 Facebook friends.
First Baptist, organized in 1952, was without a fulltime pastor for three years. Knowing they needed a strong counterpoint to the free-thinking mindset of most people in the area, they approached Seaford.

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FROM SWEAT SHOP TO SWEET SERVICE

Christian and Missionary Alliance
March 14, 2017

One of the blessings from serving in Thailand almost 25 years is getting to experience “more of the story”—how God works in marvelous ways in the lives of His people.

We first met Noi at the second church we helped plant in 2003. She was 18 years old and had already been in Bangkok for six years. She worked 10–16 hours a day in a sweat shop making silver jewelry.

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Three Questions to Ask Before Watching a Movie

DesiringGod.com
February 15, 2014

It’s never been easier to watch movies, and lots of them.

Netflix, which leads the race as the top online streaming service, provides more than 10,000 movie options for its 40 million subscribers — and it’s flanked by formidable competitors like Hulu Plus, Redbox, and Amazon Prime. Considering the sheer crowd on this track, and each one’s continued efforts to specialize its features, the movie industry doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

Add to this online surge the weekly box office numbers, and one thing is clear: a lot of us are watching a lot of movies.

And let’s face it, they’re not all good movies. In fact, many of them are bad. And I mean bad in every sense — poor storylines, debaucherous scenes, shaky acting — there are plenty of ways it could go wrong. Which means, there are plenty of ways to ruin your evening by watching a movie. Therefore, we should think carefully before devoting hours of our lives to the screen, whether at home or in a theater. So, in hopes of more thoughtful entertainment, here are three questions a Christian might ask before watching a movie.

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Movie Review: The Shack

ChristianAnswers.net
March 12, 2017
After 10 years, the best-selling novel by William Paul Young has become a major motion picture release. The Shack was a novel that stirred much controversy within evangelical circles when it was first published, and that has not changed with the movie. Major evangelical leaders have flown new flags of warning against the dangers in the film, but others have taken up the flag and championed the movie, buying blocks of tickets and encouraging their followers to see the movie. Outreach, an evangelical, nondenominational magazine that often features articles by many of the leading mega-church pastors, has published a sermon guide and other materials intended to help churches teach from the movie’s themes and engage their communities, hoping to bring people closer to God.

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Gaston church rebuilds after being wrecked by truck

NWI.com
March 9, 2017
Siding is still being installed on the outside of the church, but the congregation is getting ready to worship this Sunday at the Living Hope Christian Church.

The sign outside the church reads "Church is a gift from God some assembly required"; while this might otherwise mean it takes a congregation to worship, this saying takes on a different meaning for a church that has literally had to reassemble the pieces after a semi pulling a flatbed trailer on Interstate 69 crashed through the building in December, severely damaging the structure.

The damage has been repaired and a few updates made to the spaces that were destroyed. That means it is time for the church congregation homecoming.

Claudette Shields, a member since the church's founding 12 years ago, said it was like coming home.
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God Inspires would like to ask all of our readers and members to keep this church in your prayers. It is obvious that God has something special in mind here and we are believing His Glory will be manifest by the love and service that these church members are experiencing. Praise God there are churches like this one who know how to pick up the pieces and keep going...

Taylor lecture addresses religious freedom

Chronicle-Tribune
March 10, 2017
The Heritage Foundation’s Ryan T. Anderson tackled pressing arguments about religious liberty and LGBT discrimination in the United States at Taylor University Thursday night.
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Mennonite Youth Choir Festival is next weekend

The Elkhart Truth
March 5, 2017
“Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,” Ephesians 5:9. This Bible scripture verse is basis and mission of the 26th Mennonite Youth Choir Festival set for March 11 -12 at Goshen College and featuring 125 young singers from throughout the Midwest who will perform sacred choral music.
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Church Announcements for Connersville, Indiana

Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 1501 Indiana Ave., will again be distributing free food Monday from 5-6:30 p.m.

The Fayette County Ministerial Association’s annual Good Friday service will be April 14 at noon at Crosspointe Biker Church, 1130 E. Baseline Road.

BetterDayz Thru Jesus Christ continues to meet in Connersville at Faith Christian School, 2635 Iowa Ave., on Mondays at 5 p.m. Visit the Facebook page for more information.

Celebrate Recovery meets Fridays from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Calvary Baptist Church, 309 West 24th St.

An anxiety support group meets Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Community Gospel Church, 250 Erie Ave. Dress is casual and all denominations are welcome.

Brianna’s Hope Cambridge City Chapter addiction support group meets every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at The River Assembly of God Church, 601 South 5th St. Visit the Facebook page for more information.