Guest Viewpoint: Five Lessons I Learned from a COVID-19 Spike at Our Church

In March, April and May, our church staff braced for a wave of COVID-19 cases to sweep through our church family. It never happened. In fact, for the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak, our church family of about 1,500 only experienced a handful of coronavirus cases. As far as we know, none of […]

Guest Viewpoint: Thinking Biblically About Nation’s Racial Division

Our country is going through a serious time of COVID-19 disruptions and racial division. Most of us look to health-care leaders for answers about the coronavirus. But where do we look for answers about racial division? As Christians, our first look should be to God and the wisdom of His Word. Scripture reveals that all […]

Guest Viewpoint: Why Your Church Must Continue Online Ministry

A popular meme going around depicts Forrest Gump sitting on his bench in Savannah with the caption: “Just like that, all the pastors became televangelists.” It’s true. Since quarantine, the vast majority of churches have figured out some way to have an online ministry. Some pastors propped up their iPhone and shot a sermon from […]

Guest Viewpoint: Losing Sight of ‘the Likeness of God’

What do genocide, spousal abuse, abortion, and the killing of George Floyd — an African-American man — by a white police officer have in common? Let’s answer that question with another question that Jesus asked the religious leaders in His day when they tried to trap Him with a question of their own. “And they […]

Guest Viewpoint: We Need to Remember Who We Are

“After this I looked, and behold a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who […]

Guest Viewpoint: Two Memorial Day Videos

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then two videos recorded on Memorial Day are worth millions. One video was taken in the morning at the Ramble, a large retreat area in Central Park, that’s popular with birdwatching enthusiasts. Christian Cooper, who is black, went to watch birds, and a white woman (Amy Cooper, […]

A Personal Resolution

I hesitate to write this for fear of being misunderstood, and it is not in any official capacity that the following is offered. I am writing this simply as a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and seeking nothing more than to be faithful to the Word of God and devoted to the gospel of […]

Counterpoint: Should Accept Emergency Payroll Assistance

The question of the day is whether or not churches and Christian non-profits should accept the emergency payroll assistance from the Federal Government as a result of the challenges faced by the coronavirus. Many organizations have seen significant reductions in giving and income, and are contemplating reducing the payroll and/or laying off employees. The CARES […]

Point: Applying for Government Aid Poses Risks

The extraordinary impact of the coronavirus on Americans and our economy is unprecedented. To mitigate the spread of the virus, virtually the entire country has been in a lockdown. Churches and businesses have closed temporarily. The economic fallout from the lockdown may have a greater and more lasting impact on lives of working Americans than […]