ROME, Ga. (BNC)— Preacher Michael Farris shared reasons in his sermon July 9 why the gospel is glorious. He offered these reasons to the congregation as a “study to share with every soul.”
House to House hits record 3.2 mil magazines in latest issue
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. BNC— The bimonthly magazine, House to House/Heart to Heart will mail out 3.2 million copies of their July/August issue, the ministry said July 6.
More than 1,300 congregations are joining together with House to House to reach the greatest number of families ever. Continue reading “House to House hits record 3.2 mil magazines in latest issue”
Alabama women make mats and blankets for homeless
MADISON, Ala. (BNC) by Jamie Suiter— The ladies of the Madison congregation have started making mats and blankets by recycling what most people throw in the trash.
I talked with Pam Waller at the Madison church July 6, and she said they are using crochet to make mats from plastic bags and blankets from flannel shirts and old blue jeans. Continue reading “Alabama women make mats and blankets for homeless”
Video: Baptism is a work—of God, says missionary
PORIRUA, NEW ZEALAND (BNC)—Missionary Lance Mosher released a video June 27 about why John baptized. He went on to explain the various baptisms in the New Testament and which is the one baptism of Ephesians 4. It’s well explained and presented.
He shows from Colossians that baptism is a work. It expresses “faith in the working of God.” Continue reading “Video: Baptism is a work—of God, says missionary”
Illustrated Bible readings for children
ALKEN, BELGIUM (BNC) — A website has been launched with illustrated Bible readings for children.
It is sometimes difficult to find Bible story books that are true to the Scriptures. In this case, actual readings from the Bible have been selected that are suitable for children.
The beautiful illustrations were made by James R. Padgett (1931-2009) who was exceptionally careful to follow the Biblical account. The pictures have been made available for general use by the copyright holder, Sweet Publishing, under a “Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.”
The WEB audio recordings are available copyright-free from Audio Treasure.
At launch there are only a few readings for the Old and New Testaments but week-by-week new readings are to be added by the publisher, Roy Davison.
The material can be accessed by PCs, handheld devices, and by TVs with an Internet connection.
Many children have their own tablets and phones with which they can listen to the readings. Sunday school teachers can use them if they have an Internet connection in the classroom.
‘God ready for Mt Juliet to do big things:’ Church deals with loss of David Shannon
MT JULIET, Tenn. (BNC) — Preacher David Shannon will assume the presidency of Freed-Hardeman University in a few weeks, meaning the loss of his presence in the pulpit and life of the Mt Juliet congregation. After 18 years of David’s ministry and a growth from 500 to 1000 saints, the congregation must now deal with a big change.
Tim Martin, one of their ministers, wrote May 3 about the inevitable change that occurs in life, including that of a congregation. Continue reading “‘God ready for Mt Juliet to do big things:’ Church deals with loss of David Shannon”
Writer ‘appalled’ Steven Hawking calls for humans to leave earth
AMARILLO, Tex. (BNC) — Christian blogger Mike Riley said Thursday he is “appalled” at famous physicist Steven Hawking’s statement that humans must leave earth and find another planet on which to live, because it reveals “that an educated man such as professor Hawking is obviously ignorant of the most important book in the world — the Bible.”
Hawking believes that humankind will destroy itself and life on earth. To avoid perishing, people must find another place to live.
Mike reminded his readers that all people will leave earth when the whole universe is burned up, but there will be no planet left to go to. Then he says, Continue reading “Writer ‘appalled’ Steven Hawking calls for humans to leave earth”
David Shannon chosen as 16th FHU president, reactions positive
HENDERSON, Tenn. (BNC) — The Freed-Hardeman University Board of Trustees selected David Shannon, preacher with the Mount Juliet, Tenn., congregation, as the 16th president of FHU at their meeting Friday, April 21. He will begin his duties this summer, according to a press release yesterday. Continue reading “David Shannon chosen as 16th FHU president, reactions positive”
Saints worship under tree after fleeing Pajok violence
Ngomoromo, Uganda, BNC – On April 16th, the first Sunday after this group of Christians was forced to flee to Uganda from the war zone in Pajok, South Sudan, they met under a tree for worship. Continue reading “Saints worship under tree after fleeing Pajok violence”
Pray for Saints in South Sudan!
South Sudan, Pajok – On Monday, April 3rd, the town of Pajok in South Sudan was attacked by soldiers who blocked the exits from the town and killed residents indiscriminately. Since South Sudan became a sovereign state on July 9, 2011 the country has been racked by internal warfare among conflicting armies. Continue reading “Pray for Saints in South Sudan!”
Do not sell your birthright!
Oklahoma City, OK (BNC) – As a warning to other congregations, I recently published a history of the (Quail) Springs Church of Christ in Oklahoma City, showing how they were led astray.
Their leaders were influenced by church-growth methods coming from the Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and from Rick Warren’s book “The Purpose Driven Church,” and also by teachings of Contemplative Spirituality proponents such as Richard Foster.
Evaluations have been added to the Quail Springs history explaining the errors of these influences:
Willow Creek
http://www.quailspringschurchofchrist.com/19900500a.html
Rick Warren
http://www.quailspringschurchofchrist.com/19971000a.html
Contemplative Spirituality and Spiritual Disciplines
http://www.quailspringschurchofchrist.com/20000600a.html
The (Quail) Springs Church teaches that women may speak in the assembly and that instruments of music may be used in worship.
When a Ghanaian brother in Belgium, who had been exposed to this teaching, asked me if all preachers of churches of Christ in America taught such things, I clarified that the Springs Church of Christ is not recognized as a faithful congregation by churches of Christ in general. Their history demonstrates the horrible consequences when God’s elect sell their birthright for a denominational “mess of pottage” in the hopes of pleasing men.
Roy Davison
Race relations then and now: Hugh Fulford recalls 1968 merger
GALLATIN, Tenn. (BNC) — Preacher Hugh Fulford recalled today the merger of two congregations in Clarksville, Tenn., one black, the other white, in 1968. He worked with the latter congregation. No news was published about the merger at the time of its occurrence. But it serves to dispel the accusation of widespread racism among Christians.
Hugh ended his recollections with an application for today. Continue reading “Race relations then and now: Hugh Fulford recalls 1968 merger”
Online history of Quail Springs church
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – A history of the Quail Springs Church of Christ has been placed online at www.quailspringschurchofchrist.com by Roy Davison, long-time missionary to Belgium and publisher of the Old Paths Archive.
The history traces the changes that have occurred though the years since 1953, when the congregation began as a church of Christ and gradually became what is now referred to as a Progressive Church of Christ, using instruments of music and allowing women to speak in the assembly.
Dylann Roof’s death sentence affirms sacredness of life
(BNC) — For his crime of killing nine black people in a Charleston, S.C., church, Dylann Roof was sentenced to die by a federal jury Jan.10.
Some in the media have protested the sentence, as a part of a long-standing opposition to the death penalty. Others have supported the judgment. Continue reading “Dylann Roof’s death sentence affirms sacredness of life”
Fortune cookie or heavenly Father?
AUSTIN, Tex. (BNC) by Sofia Newton — The other day after a delicious Chinese dinner out with my family, I went for my fortune cookie. It was delicious, too. Of course I read my “fortune.”
It said, “New financial resources will soon become available to you.”
I had a good laugh and said out loud, “Sure! Who do I get to sign on this to guarantee it? The restaurant manager?” Continue reading “Fortune cookie or heavenly Father?”
Germany’s Rent-A-Jew suggests idea for Christians
(BNC) by Greg Wanderman — Rent-A-Jew. That’s what it said. At first I thought, it must be a Mel Brooks joke. Then it seemed downright offensive. Then, after careful consideration, I decided to take a closer look. Now, I say, “Bold move, Germany.” Despite your, eh, “checkered past,” you might be on to something.
The “Rent-a-Jew” program is a joint effort by Germany’s Justice Ministry and Jewish volunteers. The efforts are aimed at stemming a rising anti-Semitism in Europe, and especially in Germany. It may be hard to believe, but 2015 saw a rise from 691 to 2,083 cases of hate-crimes and hate speech against Jews in Germany. It seems that Germany needs a bit of a refresher. Continue reading “Germany’s Rent-A-Jew suggests idea for Christians”
Gatlinburg on fire, saints lose homes, church loses building
GATLINBURG, Tenn. (BNC) — The resort town of Gatlinburg in East Tennessee is burning, and much of the city may be lost. The city is under a mandatory evacuation order, as well as part of the neighboring city of Pigeon Forge. Continue reading “Gatlinburg on fire, saints lose homes, church loses building”
LST’s association with instrumental churches
HURST, Texas (BNC) – “Let’s Start Talking” was begun as a ministry by Mark and Sherrylee Woodward in 1981. The idea was to make contacts and give Bible instruction by offering people in other countries the opportunity to learn English by reading the Bible with American students.
Recently, I was surprised when someone mentioned that not all workers sent by LST are members of the church of Christ. For verification I sent this question: “Are all those sent on LST campaigns active members of the church of Christ?” Continue reading “LST’s association with instrumental churches”
New Zealand saints shaken by earthquake
New Zealand (BNC) by Jamie Suiter — Brethren in New Zealand were shaken Monday by 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Continue reading “New Zealand saints shaken by earthquake”
Plants become bomb-sniffers. What else might they tell us?
CLOVER, S.C. (BNC) by Greg Wanderman — If plants, trees, animals, and the earth itself, could warn humans of danger, what would they say? Well, as it turns out, plants are talking…and you really want to hear what they are saying!
In a journal article in Nature Materials, MIT researchers explained how they have helped turn spinach plants into “bomb sniffing machines.” The plants were embedded with tiny carbon tubes to help them detect “nitroaromatics” (chemical compounds used in explosives). Once the plant detects the compound in the air, it emits a fluorescent signal that is picked up by an infrared camera and wirelessly notifies a smartphone. Continue reading “Plants become bomb-sniffers. What else might they tell us?”