- Fred Harrell - Caroline Harries - Joshua Harris - Alex Harris - Shannon Harris - Matthew Harrison - Brian Hastings - Stanley Hauerwas - J Russell Hawkins - Kevin Hay - Michael AG Haykin - Timothy Head - Travis Hearne -
==Fred Harrell======== |
Rev. Fred Harrell founded City Church San Francisco in 1996 andserves as the faith community’s senior pastor. In this role, Rev. Fred Harrell preaches the Christian gospel, visits members, and oversees the church’s staff.
The Rev. Fred O. Harrell is a native of Central Florida and is a graduate of the University of Florida (degree in economics) and Reformed Theological Seminary (graduate degree in theology and pastoral care). Before coming to San Francisco, he founded and led a university-based ministry designed to answer the questions of thoughtful seekers and to equip Christians for transformational ministries in and through the church. He and his wife, Terely, have been married since 1986, and they have four children.
The Rev. Fred O. Harrell is a native of Central Florida and is a graduate of the University of Florida (degree in economics) and Reformed Theological Seminary (graduate degree in theology and pastoral care). Before coming to San Francisco, he founded and led a university-based ministry designed to answer the questions of thoughtful seekers and to equip Christians for transformational ministries in and through the church. He and his wife, Terely, have been married since 1986, and they have four children.
Dec 5, 2022: Fred Harrell: Reformed Journal: Curiosity and How Listening and Learning Transformed My Life in Ministry
July 1, 2015: Politico: I’m Gay, Christian—And No Longer an Outcast
Fred Harrell, City Church’s senior pastor, invited me to spend a full day with his staff team a few days before San Francisco Pride.
Mar 16, 2015: Religious News Service: Prominent San Francisco evangelical church drops celibacy requirement for LGBT members
“We will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and demand lifelong celibacy as a precondition for joining,” senior pastor Fred Harrell Sr. and six board members of City Church, one of the largest members of the Reformed Church in America denomination, wrote in a letter emailed to members Friday (March 13).
Fred Harrell, City Church’s senior pastor, invited me to spend a full day with his staff team a few days before San Francisco Pride.
Mar 16, 2015: Religious News Service: Prominent San Francisco evangelical church drops celibacy requirement for LGBT members
“We will no longer discriminate based on sexual orientation and demand lifelong celibacy as a precondition for joining,” senior pastor Fred Harrell Sr. and six board members of City Church, one of the largest members of the Reformed Church in America denomination, wrote in a letter emailed to members Friday (March 13).
Jan 21, 2021: Baptist News: These churches will resume in-person gatherings only when it’s safe for all
“Rather than looking for some date, we are values-driven about when and how we will resume in-person gatherings,” Harrell said. “That includes data and guidance from scientists, and we are also driven by the value of inclusivity. We are reticent to pick and choose who can participate: Until larger gatherings are permitted, we can’t imagine getting together.”
“Rather than looking for some date, we are values-driven about when and how we will resume in-person gatherings,” Harrell said. “That includes data and guidance from scientists, and we are also driven by the value of inclusivity. We are reticent to pick and choose who can participate: Until larger gatherings are permitted, we can’t imagine getting together.”
==caroline harries======
“Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
WEARY = The command to “not grow weary” warns us that succumbing to weariness will be a temptation while waiting. For more see Luke 18:1, 2 Cor 4:1, 2 The 3:13
IN DUE TIME = Just like for any farmer, there is a proper season to reap a harvest after planting seeds. There is a process including planting, watering and more!
HARVEST = The harvest is produced from the seeds sown. You are responsible for what you produce based on what you sow. For more see Galatians 6:7-8.
IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP = “If” indicates the harvest isn’t guaranteed. Growing weary and giving up will prevent the harvest from happening. --Caroline Harries; In Due Time
WEARY = The command to “not grow weary” warns us that succumbing to weariness will be a temptation while waiting. For more see Luke 18:1, 2 Cor 4:1, 2 The 3:13
IN DUE TIME = Just like for any farmer, there is a proper season to reap a harvest after planting seeds. There is a process including planting, watering and more!
HARVEST = The harvest is produced from the seeds sown. You are responsible for what you produce based on what you sow. For more see Galatians 6:7-8.
IF WE DO NOT GIVE UP = “If” indicates the harvest isn’t guaranteed. Growing weary and giving up will prevent the harvest from happening. --Caroline Harries; In Due Time
==alex harris=================
June 7, 2023: Baptist News Global: How to connect the dots while watching Shiny Happy People
The Gospel Coalition wasted no time hiring Alex Harris, the conservative evangelical brother of former Sovereign Grace pastor Josh Harris who was interviewed for the Amazon series, to write a review of Shiny Happy People on the day it was released.
“It can be messy and confusing when outsiders poke around and try to tell a story about the church,” he wrote. “There will inevitably be examples of where these storytellers paint with too broad a brush or give a free platform to people eager to throw stones at a faith they’ve left behind.”
Harris admitted some embarrassing abuse has occurred. But he doesn’t think the docuseries “fairly represents us or our faith.” And despite being raised as part of “The Joshua Generation,” which he and Shiny Happy People define as his generation rising up and attaining “positions of power and influence in government, law and beyond,” Harris says he had “a wonderful homeschool experience, for which I’ll always be grateful.”
“I know people who had positive experiences with IBLP,” Harris wrote. “These were homeschool families with parents who genuinely sought to honor God and do what was best for their children.”
Then, criticizing the series itself, Harris wrote: “On the few occasions the filmmakers try to connect Gothard’s teachings to broader themes in Christianity, the attempts are invariably heavy handed, often equating Gothard’s genuine extremism with beliefs held by the vast majority of evangelicals.” But the outsiders Harris characterizes as throwing stones are women and children who were abused within the hierarchical tower conservative evangelical ministries have built. Harris and The Gospel Coalition cannot pretend to value listening to survivors of abuse when they merely give lip service to their suffering, as evidenced by the way they question their “agenda” and characterize them as outside stone throwers.
The Gospel Coalition wasted no time hiring Alex Harris, the conservative evangelical brother of former Sovereign Grace pastor Josh Harris who was interviewed for the Amazon series, to write a review of Shiny Happy People on the day it was released.
“It can be messy and confusing when outsiders poke around and try to tell a story about the church,” he wrote. “There will inevitably be examples of where these storytellers paint with too broad a brush or give a free platform to people eager to throw stones at a faith they’ve left behind.”
Harris admitted some embarrassing abuse has occurred. But he doesn’t think the docuseries “fairly represents us or our faith.” And despite being raised as part of “The Joshua Generation,” which he and Shiny Happy People define as his generation rising up and attaining “positions of power and influence in government, law and beyond,” Harris says he had “a wonderful homeschool experience, for which I’ll always be grateful.”
“I know people who had positive experiences with IBLP,” Harris wrote. “These were homeschool families with parents who genuinely sought to honor God and do what was best for their children.”
Then, criticizing the series itself, Harris wrote: “On the few occasions the filmmakers try to connect Gothard’s teachings to broader themes in Christianity, the attempts are invariably heavy handed, often equating Gothard’s genuine extremism with beliefs held by the vast majority of evangelicals.” But the outsiders Harris characterizes as throwing stones are women and children who were abused within the hierarchical tower conservative evangelical ministries have built. Harris and The Gospel Coalition cannot pretend to value listening to survivors of abuse when they merely give lip service to their suffering, as evidenced by the way they question their “agenda” and characterize them as outside stone throwers.
==joshu harris=====
Al Mohler’s Disingenuous Distancing from His “Dear Friend” Joshua Harris
Joshua Harris was Al Mohler’s “dear friend for many years.” Mohler spoke at his New Attitude conferences and had Harris on the Albert Mohler Program in order to commend his work and promote his book, Dug Down Deep – Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters. Mohler was a fanboy. When Joshua renounced biblical Christianity, Al wrote a piece titled, “The Tragedy of Joshua Harris.” Al never mentioned his long standing friendship nor his zealous promotion of Josh over the years.
(BrentDewiler.com 7/10/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Joshua Harris was Al Mohler’s “dear friend for many years.” Mohler spoke at his New Attitude conferences and had Harris on the Albert Mohler Program in order to commend his work and promote his book, Dug Down Deep – Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters. Mohler was a fanboy. When Joshua renounced biblical Christianity, Al wrote a piece titled, “The Tragedy of Joshua Harris.” Al never mentioned his long standing friendship nor his zealous promotion of Josh over the years.
(BrentDewiler.com 7/10/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==shannon harris===============
The Top 10 Religion Stories of 2023
1. A Memoir's Sharp Look at Christian Marriage PW spoke with author Shannon Harris about purity culture, evangelical Christianity, and her book, The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife. “I wanted to contribute my story to the discussion about churches misusing power and authority,” she said. “I believe women need to share our stories so we can bolster each other's courage. It takes a lot of guts to be the woman you are rather than the woman people want you to be.”
(Emma Winner/Publishers Weekly 12/13/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
1. A Memoir's Sharp Look at Christian Marriage PW spoke with author Shannon Harris about purity culture, evangelical Christianity, and her book, The Woman They Wanted: Shattering the Illusion of the Good Christian Wife. “I wanted to contribute my story to the discussion about churches misusing power and authority,” she said. “I believe women need to share our stories so we can bolster each other's courage. It takes a lot of guts to be the woman you are rather than the woman people want you to be.”
(Emma Winner/Publishers Weekly 12/13/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
==matthew harrison=============
Feb 22, 2023: Religion News: Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod president calls for excommunicating white nationalists
In a letter dated Feb. 21, LCMS President Matthew Harrison said he was “shocked to learn recently that a few members of LCMS congregations have been propagating radical and unchristian ‘alt-right’ views via Twitter and other social media.” He noted far-right members were causing “local disruption” for congregations and alleged that LCMS leadership and deaconesses had fallen victim to online threats, some of which he described as “serious.”
In a letter dated Feb. 21, LCMS President Matthew Harrison said he was “shocked to learn recently that a few members of LCMS congregations have been propagating radical and unchristian ‘alt-right’ views via Twitter and other social media.” He noted far-right members were causing “local disruption” for congregations and alleged that LCMS leadership and deaconesses had fallen victim to online threats, some of which he described as “serious.”
==brian hastings=============
June 28, 2023: WGLT: Bloomington-Normal churches join a campaign to erase medical debt
When a North Carolina church's debt jubilee service went viral back in April, Bloomington-based pastor Brian Hastings saw the headlines online and was intrigued — but he didn't immediately watch the video or read the corresponding articles and posts about it.
When a North Carolina church's debt jubilee service went viral back in April, Bloomington-based pastor Brian Hastings saw the headlines online and was intrigued — but he didn't immediately watch the video or read the corresponding articles and posts about it.
==stanley hauerwas================
Stanley Martin Hauerwas (born July 24, 1940) is an American theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual. Hauerwas originally taught at the University of Notre Dame before moving to Duke University. Hauerwas was a longtime professor at Duke, serving as the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School with a joint appointment at the Duke University School of Law. In the fall of 2014, he also assumed a chair in theological ethics at the University of Aberdeen. Hauerwas is considered by many to be one of the world's most influential living theologians and was named "America's Best Theologian" by Time magazine in 2001. He was also the first American theologian to deliver the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland in over forty years. His work is frequently read and debated by scholars in fields outside of religion or ethics, such as political philosophy, sociology, history, and literary theory. Hauerwas has achieved notability outside of academia as a public intellectual, even appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
How Stanley Hauerwas Inspired Us to Have More KidsIf there’s a theologian known for upsetting categories—and unsettling listeners—it’s Stanley Hauerwas. He has been a top voice in virtue ethics, a critic of Reformed theology (to which I hold), and the only theologian I’ve known to cuss in class. He can lob a fiery critique at Christian nationalism, only to tell off the theological left for where they’re not even Christian. Time named him “America’s best theologian” in 2001, eliciting his dry response that “best” isn’t a theological term he recognizes. (The Gospel Coalition 1/11/24)
READ MORE>>>>
READ MORE>>>>
I started with the question, “What reason would you give for you or someone else wanting to have a child?” And I would get answers like, “Children are fun,” or “Children are a hedge against loneliness.” Then I recommended getting a dog. They would come up with that one big answer that sounds good. “We want to have children in order to make the world a better place.” And by that, they think that they ought to have a perfect child. And you get into the notion that you can have a child only if you have everything set—finances in good shape, the house, and so on. . . .
The crucial question for us as Christians is what kind of people we need to be to be capable of welcoming children into this world, some of whom may be born disabled and even die. . . . In a world of such terrible misery . . . having children is an extraordinary act of faith and hope. --Stanley Haeurwas; The Hauerwas Reader; (c) 2001
The crucial question for us as Christians is what kind of people we need to be to be capable of welcoming children into this world, some of whom may be born disabled and even die. . . . In a world of such terrible misery . . . having children is an extraordinary act of faith and hope. --Stanley Haeurwas; The Hauerwas Reader; (c) 2001
July 17, 2023: Anxious Bench: Church-Hopping in Texas
We did this, even though my partner and I have had our fair share of awkward July 4th celebrations. During our undergrad days at Southwestern Assemblies of God, in Waxahachie, Texas, we were proselytized into a peace witness by a young ethics professor who had read a lot of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas. During the early aughts, (the years we were active in Pentecostals for Peace and Justice,) we refused to do nationalistic things in church–most especially for July 4th. We sat when others stood. We stood but didn’t sing, and so forth. We’ve never figured out how to negotiate July 4th church services. We just always feel awkward.
We did this, even though my partner and I have had our fair share of awkward July 4th celebrations. During our undergrad days at Southwestern Assemblies of God, in Waxahachie, Texas, we were proselytized into a peace witness by a young ethics professor who had read a lot of John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas. During the early aughts, (the years we were active in Pentecostals for Peace and Justice,) we refused to do nationalistic things in church–most especially for July 4th. We sat when others stood. We stood but didn’t sing, and so forth. We’ve never figured out how to negotiate July 4th church services. We just always feel awkward.
May 21, 2023: Current: Stanley Hauerwas on the Christian church: “My sense is that God is making us leaner.”
Longtime readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of John Inazu’s work, especially his book Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference. Until I read this interview at Inazu’s Substack, I did not realize the Washington University law professor includes Duke University theologian Stanley Hauerwas among his mentors. Here is a taste of the interview, which focuses heavily on the work of moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre.
Longtime readers of this blog will know that I am a big fan of John Inazu’s work, especially his book Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference. Until I read this interview at Inazu’s Substack, I did not realize the Washington University law professor includes Duke University theologian Stanley Hauerwas among his mentors. Here is a taste of the interview, which focuses heavily on the work of moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre.
==j. russell hawkins======
We now have a formidable body of scholarship that establishes the depth and extent of these features of the American evangelical tradition, confirming and expanding on Richard Hofstadter’s legendary analysis in his 1964 book, Anti-intellectualism in American Life. This new body of scholarship is the work of a remarkable generation of young historians who have yet to receive the credit they’re due, so I name some of them here: Darren Dochuk, Matthew Sutton, Anthea Butler, Timothy Gloege, Jesse Curtis, Lerone Martin, J. Russell Hawkins, Stephen Young, Daniel Hummel, Daniel Silliman, and—the only one in this cohort to gain wide media recognition--Kristin Kobes Du Mez, author of the justly famous and marvelously titled, Jesus and John Wayne. Sadly, while the majority of these scholars have written for Religion Dispatches, the conclusions of these bold and creative scholars have been largely ignored in the discussion of religion and politics found in the pages of The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and other media of comparable reach and influence.
--David Hollinger; Religion Dispatches; The Critiques of Evangelical Writers Opposing Christian Nationalism Fail to Recognize Evangelicalism’s Troubling History 6/18/24
--David Hollinger; Religion Dispatches; The Critiques of Evangelical Writers Opposing Christian Nationalism Fail to Recognize Evangelicalism’s Troubling History 6/18/24
==kevin hay=====================
Kevin Hay serves as the Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church in Kenova, West Virginia. He is a DMin student in Expository Preaching at The Master’s Seminary and is the editor of the book, Assurance: Our Confidence in Christ by Thomas Goodwin.
This portion of our text gets to the heart of why God has designed the church to be led by supernaturally empowered, biblically qualified, shepherds. Specifically, it’s because the church is comprised of people whom God compares to sheep. As one author rightly noted, “It is no accident that God has chosen to call us sheep…The behavior of sheep and human beings is similar in many ways…sheep do not ‘just take care of themselves’ as some might suppose. They require, more than any other class of livestock, endless attention and meticulous care. --Kevin Hay; First Baptist Church in Kenova, West Virginia.
==MICHAEL AG HAYKIN===============
Sept 2, 2022: Michael AG Haykin: Desiring God: A Meal for the Journey
June 30, 2020: Southern Equip: Michael AG Haykin: How church history will help you defend the faith
Jan 7, 2015: Vimeo: #ChooseAFaculty: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Haykin
Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety. Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.
Jan 7, 2015: Vimeo: #ChooseAFaculty: A Conversation with Dr. Michael Haykin
Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is the Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality and Director of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is also the editor of Eusebeia: The Bulletin of The Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. His present areas of research include 18th-century British Baptist life and thought, as well as Patristic Trinitarianism and Baptist piety. Haykin is a prolific writer having authored numerous books, over 250 articles and over 150 book reviews. He is also an accomplished editor with numerous editorial credits.
==timothy head=============
Timothy Head is the executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Prior to joining Faith and Freedom, he was the district director for a member of the Texas congressional delegation. He also has served as chief of staff and as policy adviser to members of the Texas legislature and worked on the Texas Republican Party's 2010 Victory Texas effort. Before working in public policy, Head did missionary work in Asia, the Middle East and Europe and worked on staff at Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. He holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in social work and a law degree, all from Baylor University.
==travis hearne==================
“Everybody understands God’s righteousness and his punishment for sins in their conscience and by nature,” Horton said. “It’s the gospel that is surprising. It’s the ‘but God’ that interrupts karma. As the Law mediated the Old Covenant, Christ as the new Adam mediates the New Covenant and provides his righteousness for those who believe.”
Horton believes contemporary challenges to the biblical doctrine of justification undermine the sufficient work of Christ by falling into legalism and antinomianism. A particular error Horton corrected was the teaching of the so-called new perspective on Paul, which is commonly associated with James Dunn, E.P Sanders, and N.T. Wright. Contrary to proponents of the new perspective on Paul, the Reformers understood Paul’s teaching on justification correctly as a great exchange where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the faithful.
“Justification is not about the ethnic problem of inclusion or how to get in and stay in the covenant,” Horton said. “It’s the opposite. The question of the true nature of Israel is provoked by the coming wrath of God, not whether Jews must circumcise Gentiles. The questions they were asking were, 'How must we be saved? Am I among that Israel?”
Therefore, according to Horton, Paul’s concern with legalism was a secondary concern to his main concern—that Christ alone is our salvation. The Reformation doctrines of the solas, which include Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, and to the glory of God alone, all require the central teaching that man is dependent on Christ alone for faith, grace, and true understanding of Scripture.
“Paul totally rejected self-dependence. He saw man as completely depraved and dependent on God. God, through Christ, provided Paul with a salvation that the law could not provide. The prerequisite for that salvation was the quality Abraham had—faith.” --Travis Hearne; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Michael Horton Delivers Norton Lectures at Southern Seminary 9/15/23
Horton believes contemporary challenges to the biblical doctrine of justification undermine the sufficient work of Christ by falling into legalism and antinomianism. A particular error Horton corrected was the teaching of the so-called new perspective on Paul, which is commonly associated with James Dunn, E.P Sanders, and N.T. Wright. Contrary to proponents of the new perspective on Paul, the Reformers understood Paul’s teaching on justification correctly as a great exchange where Christ’s righteousness is imputed to the faithful.
“Justification is not about the ethnic problem of inclusion or how to get in and stay in the covenant,” Horton said. “It’s the opposite. The question of the true nature of Israel is provoked by the coming wrath of God, not whether Jews must circumcise Gentiles. The questions they were asking were, 'How must we be saved? Am I among that Israel?”
Therefore, according to Horton, Paul’s concern with legalism was a secondary concern to his main concern—that Christ alone is our salvation. The Reformation doctrines of the solas, which include Scripture alone, faith alone, grace alone, and to the glory of God alone, all require the central teaching that man is dependent on Christ alone for faith, grace, and true understanding of Scripture.
“Paul totally rejected self-dependence. He saw man as completely depraved and dependent on God. God, through Christ, provided Paul with a salvation that the law could not provide. The prerequisite for that salvation was the quality Abraham had—faith.” --Travis Hearne; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; Michael Horton Delivers Norton Lectures at Southern Seminary 9/15/23