M-4 PEOPLE-FILES
- Brett McCracken - Lynn McDonald - Josh McDowell - Joel McDurmon - James McGrath - Lee McIntyre - Alistair McIntosh - Doug McKelway - Alyce McKenzie - Vashti McKenzie - Dwight McKissic - Rebecca Laughlin - Brian McLauren - Willie McLaurin - C Matthew McMahon -
==brett mccracken==================
Brett McCracken is a senior editor for the Gospel Coalition and the author of Uncomfortable ; Hipster Christianity ; and Gray Matters. He lives with his family in Southern California, where he serves as an elder at Southlands Church.
How Local Churches Can Bridge a Widening Gender Divide
A recent Financial Times article sparked a frenzy of hot takes when it described how survey data across the developed world showed an “emerging global gender divide” along ideological lines. Author John Burn-Murdoch argued that in places like the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Poland, and South Korea, there’s a widening gap between women (becoming increasingly progressive) and men (leaning more conservative). Gen Z, Burn-Murdoch says, is “two generations, not one.” While Burn-Murdoch perhaps overstates his case—other data suggests the gap isn’t quite so large—he isn’t the only one in recent years citing evidence of a growing political gender gap. Late last year, the Washington Post even ran an editorial arguing the growing gender ideology gap posed an ominous threat to the already beleaguered institution of marriage.
(Brett McCracken; Gospel Coalition 2/14/24) READ MORE>>>>>
A recent Financial Times article sparked a frenzy of hot takes when it described how survey data across the developed world showed an “emerging global gender divide” along ideological lines. Author John Burn-Murdoch argued that in places like the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Poland, and South Korea, there’s a widening gap between women (becoming increasingly progressive) and men (leaning more conservative). Gen Z, Burn-Murdoch says, is “two generations, not one.” While Burn-Murdoch perhaps overstates his case—other data suggests the gap isn’t quite so large—he isn’t the only one in recent years citing evidence of a growing political gender gap. Late last year, the Washington Post even ran an editorial arguing the growing gender ideology gap posed an ominous threat to the already beleaguered institution of marriage.
(Brett McCracken; Gospel Coalition 2/14/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Brett McCracken
If there’s one big takeaway from this summer’s hits, it’s that contemporary culture is fragmented and at war—not only with “the other side” but also with itself. Without a solid biblical foundation upon which to build coherent works, a culture is bound to produce discordant spectacles that may strike a chord with certain audience segments, but fail to harmonize meaning in any lasting or universal sense. Into this chaos, Christians should strive to be voices of coherent truth and consistent conviction, creating transcendent works of culture that don’t just play well with one side or the other but that speak gospel truth fearlessly to all sides, come what may. --Brett McCracken; Gospel Coalition; Taylor, Oliver, ‘Barbie,’ ‘Freedom’: Pondering 4 Summer Sensations 9.2.23
Brett McCracken
Honoring sacrifice does makes sense in the context of belief in eternal life, however. If we believe the creedal words “I am not my own” and that there is life beyond this life, then what is it to die? To be cut down in the prime of life in service of some cause (even a questionable cause) may still be undesirable, but it becomes more tolerable, or even honorable. Humans can suppress, but never quite escape, our God-given knowledge that there’s something more than this life. Perhaps that’s why mainstream audiences are so stirred by war movies that depict soldiers in the line of duty, willing to courageously pay the ultimate price. They capture the beautiful valor and “into the fray” grit that comes more naturally when we anchor our lives in truths and hopes beyond this world. --Brett McCracken; Gospel Coalition 5.27.23
==lynn mcdonald================
Jan 31, 2023: Christian Post: Andy Stanley to host conference for Christian parents of LGBT-identified kids
With a stated goal of helping “parents demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus,” the Unconditional Conference includes a scheduled lineup featuring Stanley, Embracing the Journey co-founders Greg and Lynn McDonald, former megachurch pastor John Ortberg, North Point Ministries’ Debbie Causey, and LGBT advocate Justin Lee.
With a stated goal of helping “parents demonstrate the unconditional love of Jesus,” the Unconditional Conference includes a scheduled lineup featuring Stanley, Embracing the Journey co-founders Greg and Lynn McDonald, former megachurch pastor John Ortberg, North Point Ministries’ Debbie Causey, and LGBT advocate Justin Lee.
==josh mcdowell=================
Joslin "Josh" McDowell (born August 17, 1939) is an evangelical Christian apologist and evangelist. After his conversion, his plans for law school turned instead to plans to tell a doubting world about the truth of Jesus Christ. After studying at Kellogg College, Josh completed his college degree at Wheaton College and then attended Talbot Theological Seminary, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Master of Divinity degree. In 1961, Josh joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ International. Not long after, he started the Josh McDowell Ministry* to reach young people worldwide with the truth and love of Jesus. He is the author or co-author of over 150 books. In 2006, his book Evidence That Demands a Verdict was ranked 13th in Christianity Today's list of most influential evangelical books published after World War II. Other well-known titles are More Than a Carpenter, A Ready Defense and Right from Wrong..
April 7, 2023: CBN: Cold-Case Investigator Tries to Disprove Christ's Resurrection, Gets Shocked by the Evidence
As a young atheist, Josh McDowell set off to write Evidence That Demands a Verdict to show the evidence about Christ, including His Resurrection, was so weak, the verdict would be "Not True."
"The Resurrection was one of several things I knew I had to refute as a non-believer," McDowell recalled.
As a young atheist, Josh McDowell set off to write Evidence That Demands a Verdict to show the evidence about Christ, including His Resurrection, was so weak, the verdict would be "Not True."
"The Resurrection was one of several things I knew I had to refute as a non-believer," McDowell recalled.
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Dec 10, 2022: CBN: 'I was Homosexually Raped': Josh McDowell on How He Overcame Childhood Abuse
Since 1960, the 73-year-old has written or co-authored more 147 books. But in an interview with CBN News, McDowell said it was the Bible that radically transformed his life after he was sexually abused as a child. "In my life from six to 13 years of age, for seven years, every week I was homosexually raped," said McDowell. |
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==JOEL MCDURMON================
Joel McDurmon, Ph.D., has worked for over a decade as a public theologian. He has authored and edited over twenty books, including The Problem of Slavery in Christian America and Restoring America One County at a Time. Joel lives near Atlanta, Georgia with his wife and five children. American Vision is a United States nonprofit organization founded in 1978 by Steve Schiffman. It operates as a Christian ministry, and calls for "equipping and empowering Christians to restore America’s biblical foundation." The organization promotes Christian Reconstructionism and Postmillennialism, and opposes dispensationalism. Gary DeMar was the organization's president from 1986 to 2015. From 2015 to March 2019 Joel McDurmon was president, during which time Demar was Senior Fellow. Gary Demar returned as president in March 2019 when McDurmon resigned.
Aug 4, 2021: Capstone Report: Guy who attends Woke J.D. Greear’s church sides with Wokesters in attack on Voddie Baucham.
The allegation of plagiarism and misattribution arose from Woke Joel McDurmon. And as you can see in that Twitter thread, the Woke delusion is strong with McDurmon. He slandered Samuel Sey.
The allegation of plagiarism and misattribution arose from Woke Joel McDurmon. And as you can see in that Twitter thread, the Woke delusion is strong with McDurmon. He slandered Samuel Sey.
“Love is not coercion, and the state is only an agent of coercion. It has no other function and can work no other way. Its job is to be the last resort in society: the coercion of criminals through punishment. Its nature and its funding are coercion. Any solution it offers will inescapably be coercive. When we make it the primary agent of healing, we fundamentally alter the nature of society. We ought to have a society in which the power of love drives us to break down all social, class, and political barriers, and to effect healing through private means, private associations, private institutions, counselors, networks, schools, hospitals, charities, businesses, etc. It ought to be driven by giving. Love is giving; selfishness is taking. When we make the state the mover, we make the primary solution one of taking rather than giving. This inverts God's designed order for all human relations, including race relations and racial healing.”
― Joel McDurmon, The Problem of Slavery in Christian America; 2017
― Joel McDurmon, The Problem of Slavery in Christian America; 2017
“While slaveowners worked vigorously to allow slaves only so much biblical teaching as to make them good, docile, submissive slaves, even the most basic moral elements of Christian truth proved revolutionary. This phenomenon arises clearly with the commandment against theft. Reading the proslavery defenses from the antebellum era, one encounters consistent references to slaves stealing and "pilfering" from their masters' stores and livestock, etc. This is always held up as evidence of their incapacity for civilization. Yet it was hardly any lack of capacity; it was resistance and restitution in their keen understanding of their masters' hypocrisy. "While white preachers repeatedly urged 'Don't steal,' slaves just as persistently denied that this commandment applied to them, since they themselves were stolen property." Former slave Josephine Howard retorted to those slaveholders who preached against theft: "[T]hen why did de white folks steal my mammy and her mammy? . . . Dat de sinfulles' stealin' dey is." A Virginian slave preached back at his master, "You white folks set the bad example of stealing—you stole us from Africa, and not content with that, if any got free here, you stole them afterward, and so we are made slaves." Former Georgian slave George Womble agreed: "Slaves were taught to steal by their masters." [...] It is no wonder that whole audiences full of slaves were known to get up and leave the preaching services of missionaries when they began to preach on stealing. They simply could not stomach the hypocrisy.”
― Joel McDurmon, The Problem of Slavery in Christian America; 2017
― Joel McDurmon, The Problem of Slavery in Christian America; 2017
“American slavery was specifically racist slavery. It could not exist apart from racism, and could not be separated from it. Slavery was a massive institution, but its evil was only enabled by the constraints of law and power. Change the law, and you can end the slaver, for the slavery rested on law. But racism rests in the heart and mind. You can change laws, but changing hearts is a whole different matter. Once the slavery was taken away, the racism still existed. The hearts of millions of whiles hated and despised blacks just as before, only now even more so. Now they would have the added insult of an occupying government and military force attempting to make them live as equals - politically at the very least. If the racism remained, unrepentant and unhealed - and it certainly did - the evil would only manifest in a new way.”
― Joel McDurmon, The Problem of Slavery in Christian America; 2017
― Joel McDurmon, The Problem of Slavery in Christian America; 2017
==james mcgrath================
Dr. James F. McGrath is the Clarence L. Goodwin Chair in New Testament Language and Literature at Butler University. His PhD is from the University of Durham in England. His interests include not only early Christianity but also the Mandaeans, science fiction, and the intersection of religion and science. He blogs at Exploring Our Matrix on the Patheos web site. Among his many writings, McGrath both co-edited of Religion and Doctor Who: Time and Relative Dimensions in Faith and served as editor for Religion and Science Fiction.
There certainly is a culture war going on between different camps each of which wants their own values to be the dominant ones in their society. Christians who engage in the culture war have by definition already lost. A culture war casts aside love of enemy, willingness to learn from those who disagree with us, and countless other essentials of the teaching of Jesus and the history of Christianity, all in the interest of “winning.” Sometimes (to quote the movie War Games) the only way to win is not to play. But that doesn’t mean that Christians, and in particular progressive Christians and Baptist like myself, should not be engaged. Unless one is going to follow the path of fascism and try to enforce the dominance of one religion and/or ethnic group by law and force of arms, then the alternative is pluralism and guarantees of freedom for all. Baptists have historically stood for freedom of religion and separation of church and state, having experienced how forces that promote the dominance of Christianity inevitably end up promoting the dominance of their brand of Christianity, to the detriment not just of other religions but other denominations of the same religion. Baptists have also historically emphasized that making Christianity politically and culturally attractive does harm to the effort to promote genuine personal faith.
--James McGrath; Religion Prof; Kirk Cameron at the Indianapolis Public Library 12.29.22
--James McGrath; Religion Prof; Kirk Cameron at the Indianapolis Public Library 12.29.22
==lee McIntyre==================
Lee Cameron McIntyre (born 1962) is an American author, researcher, and academic. He is a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and an instructor in ethics at Harvard Extension School. He has published numerous nonfiction book and articles on the philosophy of the social sciences and attempts to undermine science. In 2023, he became a fellow with the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
Disinformation threatens global elections – here’s how to fight back
With over half the world’s population heading to the polls in 2024, disinformation season is upon us — and the warnings are dire. The World Economic Forum declared misinformation a top societal threat over the next two years and major news organisations caution that disinformation poses an unprecedented threat to democracies worldwide. Yet, some scholars and pundits have questioned whether disinformation can really sway election outcomes. Others think concern over disinformation is just a moral panic or merely a symptom rather than the cause of our societal ills. Pollster Nate Silver even thinks that misinformation “isn’t a coherent concept”.
(Lee McIntyre/The Conversation 2/15/24) READ MORE>>>>>
With over half the world’s population heading to the polls in 2024, disinformation season is upon us — and the warnings are dire. The World Economic Forum declared misinformation a top societal threat over the next two years and major news organisations caution that disinformation poses an unprecedented threat to democracies worldwide. Yet, some scholars and pundits have questioned whether disinformation can really sway election outcomes. Others think concern over disinformation is just a moral panic or merely a symptom rather than the cause of our societal ills. Pollster Nate Silver even thinks that misinformation “isn’t a coherent concept”.
(Lee McIntyre/The Conversation 2/15/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Lee McIntyre
“Even if you are on the virtuous side of facts and truth, [social] fragmentation is dangerous,” Lee McIntyre wrote in On Disinformation. He continued, “Remember that the goal of a disinformation campaign is not merely to get you to doubt, but also to distrust anyone on the other side. When you get to a point where you think of the people who disagree with you as your enemy, the autocrat’s work is easier. In that environment, facts don’t matter.” -Lee McIntyre; On Disinformation; August 2023
==alistair mcintosh=============
Alastair McIntosh is a Scottish writer, academic and activist. He was brought up in Leurbost on the Isle of Lewis and is married to Vérène Nicolas. He is involved with Scottish land reform especially on Eigg and campaigned successfully against the Harris superquarry in Lingerbay. He is a fellow of the Centre for Human Ecology, an Honorary Fellow of the Schumacher Society, and helped to set up the Govan based GalGael Trust of which he is Treasurer and a non-executive director. In 2006 he was appointed to the honorary position of Visiting Professor of Human Ecology at the University of Strathclyde (Department of Geography & Sociology) – the first such post in Human ecology in a Scottish university. Alastair also features on Nizlopi's mini album 'Extraordinary' on the track titled 'Homage To Young Men'. He holds a BSc in geography, submajoring in moral philosophy and psychology from the University of Aberdeen (1977), a financial MBA from the University of Edinburgh (1981), and in 2008 the Academy of Irish Cultural Heritages (of which he is a Visiting Fellow) at the University of Ulster approved the award of PhD by Published Work based on Soil and Soul and twelve supporting publications presented with a short linking thesis, 'Some Contributions of Liberation Theology to Community Empowerment in Scottish Land Reform 1991-2003'. Parts of this were published in 2008 as Schumacher Briefing No. 15: 'Rekindling Community: Connecting People, Environment and Spirituality'.
Alistair McIntosh Files
May 2, 2023: Insights:THE INFLUENCE AND IMPACT OF WALTER WINK’S ENGAGING THE POWERS
Scottish activist and Quaker, Alistair McIntosh, writes in Engaging Walter Wink’s Powers – An Activist’s Testimony that one of the most important things that transformed him from teenage agnostic activist was encountering Wink’s works while at a Quaker and Iona Community event at Peace House led by Helen Steven. Wink’s work, she believed, “was of profound importance to activism, and especially nonviolent activism, because it took the understanding of power into realms deeper than she had ever previously encountered in theological writing.” Wink also offered a practical formula for activist application:
1) Name the Powers. . . finding the courage to break silence and simply state the abuse of power.
2) Unmask the Powers . . . revealing the social, economic, psychological, and spiritual dynamics by which they oppress.
3) Engage the Powers—wrestling so as not to destroy them—not to take life—but rather, to call them back to their higher, God-given calling.
This model has continued to be taught by Wink and others since the 1980’s as a life-affirming and proactive way of resisting the Powers in the world. McIntosh uses Engaging the Powers as a text for Spiritual Activism classes at Strathclyde University in Scotland. He also gives a number of practical examples where he utilised the model for successful outcomes including land reforms in Scotland, resisting environmentally damaging mining in Papua New Guinea and Scotland, explaining non-violence to military officers and exposing the destructive nature of cigarette advertising.
Scottish activist and Quaker, Alistair McIntosh, writes in Engaging Walter Wink’s Powers – An Activist’s Testimony that one of the most important things that transformed him from teenage agnostic activist was encountering Wink’s works while at a Quaker and Iona Community event at Peace House led by Helen Steven. Wink’s work, she believed, “was of profound importance to activism, and especially nonviolent activism, because it took the understanding of power into realms deeper than she had ever previously encountered in theological writing.” Wink also offered a practical formula for activist application:
1) Name the Powers. . . finding the courage to break silence and simply state the abuse of power.
2) Unmask the Powers . . . revealing the social, economic, psychological, and spiritual dynamics by which they oppress.
3) Engage the Powers—wrestling so as not to destroy them—not to take life—but rather, to call them back to their higher, God-given calling.
This model has continued to be taught by Wink and others since the 1980’s as a life-affirming and proactive way of resisting the Powers in the world. McIntosh uses Engaging the Powers as a text for Spiritual Activism classes at Strathclyde University in Scotland. He also gives a number of practical examples where he utilised the model for successful outcomes including land reforms in Scotland, resisting environmentally damaging mining in Papua New Guinea and Scotland, explaining non-violence to military officers and exposing the destructive nature of cigarette advertising.
==doug mckelway===============
Doug McKelway is a 40-year news veteran, former Washington, DC correspondent with Fox News and currently anchor/host of TBN's Centerpoint program.TBN, which claims to be the largest global Christian broadcasting network, made a concerted pivot to news broadcasting this past spring when it launched Centerpoint, a weeknight news show headed by ex-Fox News staffers. The half-hour program, which airs at 7:30 p.m, ET, is anchored by veteran Fox News correspondent Doug McKelway, who “retired” in 2020, and produced by Michael Clemente, a former Newsmax CEO who was once right-hand man to Roger Ailes back at Fox News.
June 2, 2023: Media Matters: American theocracy: Trinity Broadcasting Network’s nightly news program is spreading Christian nationalism
Anchor Doug McKelway questioned if God would “allow for revolution” to get the United States “back in order.” McKelway asked his guest, “If we are unable to get our house back in order according to God's tenets, Jesus’ tenets, … is he willing to allow for revolution?” [TBN, Centerpoint, 4/10/23]
Anchor Doug McKelway questioned if God would “allow for revolution” to get the United States “back in order.” McKelway asked his guest, “If we are unable to get our house back in order according to God's tenets, Jesus’ tenets, … is he willing to allow for revolution?” [TBN, Centerpoint, 4/10/23]
==alyce mckenzie================
Dr. Alyce McKenzie is Le Van Professor of Preaching and Worship at Perkins School of Theology and Director of the Perkins Center for Preaching Excellence at SMU.
Alyce McKenzie
Ways Preaching and Stand-up Comedy are Not (necessarily) Alike
Their Purpose
I can’t speak with authority about what stand-up comedians view as the purpose of their craft since I’m not one. I’ve experienced their work as an audience member and can speak to the various impacts it has had on me. It can make me laugh at myself or picture a ridiculous situation that is uniquely familiar. It can help me escape for a few moments, from an overriding anxiety. It can make me uncomfortable with certain attitudes and life patterns, as, for example, when a comedian did a bit on how his owning an Infinity instead of a Ford Focus contributed to thousands of hunger related deaths a year. It was only funny in a “this is dark and too true to be funny, but I’ll laugh nervously along with everyone else: “heh, heh, heh,” sort of way. Comedy can make me laugh without wondering about its purpose. I’m guessing the question “What is the purpose of my comedy?” is not always foremost in a comic’s mind. But I could be wrong about that.
I do know as a preacher that the question “What is the purpose of my comedy? does have to be a primary consideration. Lots of things make people laugh that are not the gospel, that undermine the gospel. The preacher activates the same knack for noticing and hyperbolizing that the comic does, but for the purpose of pointing up the human condition’s habitual tendencies and patterns in the context of God’s creative, forgiving grace. Throwing in humor to mask weak biblical work or sloppy theology is a cop out. It’s an insult to the genre of comedy as well as that of preaching.
The Source of the Speaker’s Confidence
Humor is a gift; it can be a means of grace; it has healing properties. I consider the ability to see the humor in life and convey it to others is a talent that can be used to build up the Body of Christ when it is used in a loving way. This perspective comes out of my recent work with 1 Corinthians in which Paul tells us there are many gifts but one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31) The spiritual gifts include teaching, knowledge, interpreting the present in light of God’s will, leadership, and healing (both physical and emotional/spiritual). The spiritual gifts are the road, our talents are our car and Love is the destination. --Dr. Alyce McKenzie; Perkins Center for Teaching Excellence; The Preacher as Last Comic Standing; 3.11.18
Their Purpose
I can’t speak with authority about what stand-up comedians view as the purpose of their craft since I’m not one. I’ve experienced their work as an audience member and can speak to the various impacts it has had on me. It can make me laugh at myself or picture a ridiculous situation that is uniquely familiar. It can help me escape for a few moments, from an overriding anxiety. It can make me uncomfortable with certain attitudes and life patterns, as, for example, when a comedian did a bit on how his owning an Infinity instead of a Ford Focus contributed to thousands of hunger related deaths a year. It was only funny in a “this is dark and too true to be funny, but I’ll laugh nervously along with everyone else: “heh, heh, heh,” sort of way. Comedy can make me laugh without wondering about its purpose. I’m guessing the question “What is the purpose of my comedy?” is not always foremost in a comic’s mind. But I could be wrong about that.
I do know as a preacher that the question “What is the purpose of my comedy? does have to be a primary consideration. Lots of things make people laugh that are not the gospel, that undermine the gospel. The preacher activates the same knack for noticing and hyperbolizing that the comic does, but for the purpose of pointing up the human condition’s habitual tendencies and patterns in the context of God’s creative, forgiving grace. Throwing in humor to mask weak biblical work or sloppy theology is a cop out. It’s an insult to the genre of comedy as well as that of preaching.
The Source of the Speaker’s Confidence
Humor is a gift; it can be a means of grace; it has healing properties. I consider the ability to see the humor in life and convey it to others is a talent that can be used to build up the Body of Christ when it is used in a loving way. This perspective comes out of my recent work with 1 Corinthians in which Paul tells us there are many gifts but one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31) The spiritual gifts include teaching, knowledge, interpreting the present in light of God’s will, leadership, and healing (both physical and emotional/spiritual). The spiritual gifts are the road, our talents are our car and Love is the destination. --Dr. Alyce McKenzie; Perkins Center for Teaching Excellence; The Preacher as Last Comic Standing; 3.11.18
==dwight mckissic======
10 Evangelical reactions to Trump's guilty verdict: 'A very sad day'
Dwight McKissic, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, shared his thoughts
about the verdict on X Thursday. “I’m baffled as to the factual basis as to why white evangelicalism feels like an injustice occurred today,” he remarked. McKissic cited the reaction to the verdict as the latest example of how “there are two Americas, and two churches.” He pondered whether the “disappointment & disapproval of today’s verdict” was based on white Evangelicals’ “belief that DJT didn’t have sex with SD,” if it was “based on a belief that DJT didn’t pay $130,000 to cover up his affair so as not to hurst his election chances” or “based on not believing DJT’s own recorded words admitting to as such.”
(Christian Post 6/22/23) READ MORE>>>>>
Dwight McKissic, the senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, shared his thoughts
about the verdict on X Thursday. “I’m baffled as to the factual basis as to why white evangelicalism feels like an injustice occurred today,” he remarked. McKissic cited the reaction to the verdict as the latest example of how “there are two Americas, and two churches.” He pondered whether the “disappointment & disapproval of today’s verdict” was based on white Evangelicals’ “belief that DJT didn’t have sex with SD,” if it was “based on a belief that DJT didn’t pay $130,000 to cover up his affair so as not to hurst his election chances” or “based on not believing DJT’s own recorded words admitting to as such.”
(Christian Post 6/22/23) READ MORE>>>>>
==vashti mckenzie================
Vashti Murphy McKenzie (born May 28, 1947) is the interim president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. She is also a retired bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and author of six books. In 2000, McKenzie became the first woman to be elected as bishop in the denomination's history. She later served as President of the Council of Bishops, becoming the first woman to serve as Titular head of the AME Church.
NCNW Holds Signature Uncommon Height Gala at Gaylord Hotel
The 18th Biennial Uncommon Height Awards Gala sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) on Dec. 8 at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland, proved to be an event to honor groundbreaking women, such as Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, and empower guests for the future. “This has to be one of the most inspiring and uplifting events that I have ever been to,” said Kaersten Deeds, a 40-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. “I don’t think I have ever been in a room full of well-dressed people who hold powerful positions and make such an impact on society. These folks are making a difference. And I really liked that they gave an award to Bishop McKenzie. She is deserving of that.” (Washington Informer 12/13/23) READ MORE>>>>>
The 18th Biennial Uncommon Height Awards Gala sponsored by the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) on Dec. 8 at the Gaylord National Harbor Resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland, proved to be an event to honor groundbreaking women, such as Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, and empower guests for the future. “This has to be one of the most inspiring and uplifting events that I have ever been to,” said Kaersten Deeds, a 40-year-old resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. “I don’t think I have ever been in a room full of well-dressed people who hold powerful positions and make such an impact on society. These folks are making a difference. And I really liked that they gave an award to Bishop McKenzie. She is deserving of that.” (Washington Informer 12/13/23) READ MORE>>>>>
May 4, 2023: Word & Way: Faith Leaders Ask Biden to Mark Mother’s Day With Prayer Day Against Gun Violence
Signatories on the letter include the Rev. Jesse Jackson of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Bishop Vashti McKenzie of the National Council of Churches, Rabbi Jill Jacobs of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Shane Claiborne of Red Letter Christians and the Rev. Liz Theoharis of Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice.
Signatories on the letter include the Rev. Jesse Jackson of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, Bishop Vashti McKenzie of the National Council of Churches, Rabbi Jill Jacobs of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, Shane Claiborne of Red Letter Christians and the Rev. Liz Theoharis of Kairos Center for Religions, Rights, and Social Justice.
==brian mcLaren==============
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Jan 12, 2023: Texas Observer: A QUESTION WITH NO EASY ANSWERS
Brian McLaren's book "Do I Stay Christian?" challenges the faithful to examine the harm caused by modern religion. |
Although he was raised as an evangelical Christian, he later embraced a more inclusive kind of Christianity. In 1982, he co-founded Cedar Ridge Community Church, a nondenominational faith community, with others who shared his desire to welcome spiritual seekers of all kinds. The church’s vision statement invites people to “imagine a community … where everyone is accepted and respected and their journey cherished, regardless of their background, beliefs, or place in society.” McLaren served as its pastor for 24 years before becoming a full-time author, speaker, and teacher. |
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May 1, 2014: Tim Challies: Challies.com: The False Teachers: Brian McLaren
A few months ago I set out on a series of articles through which I am scanning the history of the church—from its earliest days all the way to the present time—to examine some of Christianity’s most notable false teachers and to examine the false doctrine each of them represents. Along the way we have visited such figures as Joseph Smith (Mormonism), Ellen G. White (Adventism), Norman Vincent Peale (Positive Thinking), and Benny Hinn (Faith Healing). Today we turn to a man who helped lead the Emerging Church and who was once named by TIME as one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. |
In A New Kind of Christianity he insists that Christians have long been reading the Bible through the distorted lens of a Greco-Roman narrative. This narrative produced many false dualisms, an air of superiority, and a false distinction between those who were “in” and those who were “out.” These three marks of false narrative have so impacted our faith that we can hardly see past them. His book attempts to do that, and to reconstruct the Christian faith as it is meant to be. Leading the way is his view of the Bible. He does not see the Bible as God’s inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative Word. He displays this, for example, in his interpretation of the account of Noah by saying, “a god who mandates an intentional supernatural disaster leading to unparalleled genocide is hardly worthy of belief, much less worship” (A New Kind of Christianity). 5.1.14 |
==rebecca laughlin==============
Rebecca McLaughlin holds a PhD in renaissance literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. She is cofounder of Vocable Communications and former vice president of content at the Veritas Forum, where she spent almost a decade working with Christian academics at leading secular universities. She's the author of several books including Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion, and Is Christmas Unbelievable?
The Luis Palau Association and Gloo Launch a Free, First-of-its-Kind Evangelism Master Class to Christ Followers Across the U.S.
These key leaders include Christine Caine, Mark Mittelberg, Lisa Fields, Tyler Staton, Andrew and Wendy Palau, Rebecca McLaughlin, and many more. Within each episode, a keynote speaker leads the way in addressing common cultural barriers to evangelism and reveals the opportunities God has given us within those same challenges. Then, Ed and Kevin host rubber-meets-the-road conversations with vocational ministry leaders to better understand how Gospel sharing plays out in everyday life. As each episode draws to a close, viewers receive a practical challenge to engage culture in their own lives.
(Missions Box 10/19/23) READ MORE>>>>>
These key leaders include Christine Caine, Mark Mittelberg, Lisa Fields, Tyler Staton, Andrew and Wendy Palau, Rebecca McLaughlin, and many more. Within each episode, a keynote speaker leads the way in addressing common cultural barriers to evangelism and reveals the opportunities God has given us within those same challenges. Then, Ed and Kevin host rubber-meets-the-road conversations with vocational ministry leaders to better understand how Gospel sharing plays out in everyday life. As each episode draws to a close, viewers receive a practical challenge to engage culture in their own lives.
(Missions Box 10/19/23) READ MORE>>>>>
==Willie McLaurin===============
Aug 18, 2023: The Alabama Baptist: Deal with the Problems of the Self by the Cross through the Exercise of our Spirit
When Alabama’s Neal Hughes was elected chair of the second presidential search team for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee on June 1, he consistently stated a commitment to “due diligence” in the process.
That commitment allowed a potentially scandalous situation related to Willie McLaurin to be handled prior to a nomination, vote and likely election as the next SBC EC president.
McLaurin, considered the recent frontrunner in the presidential search, resigned from his role as interim president and CEO on Aug. 17, effective immediately.
Effective Aug. 18, Jonathan Howe, EC vice president for communications, stepped into the role temporarily.
McLaurin’s resignation came in response to the search committee’s discovery of falsified academic credentials on his current resumé.
When Alabama’s Neal Hughes was elected chair of the second presidential search team for the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee on June 1, he consistently stated a commitment to “due diligence” in the process.
That commitment allowed a potentially scandalous situation related to Willie McLaurin to be handled prior to a nomination, vote and likely election as the next SBC EC president.
McLaurin, considered the recent frontrunner in the presidential search, resigned from his role as interim president and CEO on Aug. 17, effective immediately.
Effective Aug. 18, Jonathan Howe, EC vice president for communications, stepped into the role temporarily.
McLaurin’s resignation came in response to the search committee’s discovery of falsified academic credentials on his current resumé.
May 19, 2023: Only Sky: The Southern Baptist Convention had its worst EVER membership drop in 2022
Interestingly, this letter is not signed by any Executive Committee members—except for Willie McLaurin, its Interim President. Since the list is arranged alphabetically, he appears near the end. Drowning out his name, we see various other big-name Southern Baptist officers: seminary presidents, missionary organization presidents, the president of their financial planning group, leaders of important groups like Lifeway, and even the president of the Southern Baptist Convention himself, Bart Barber.
Interestingly, this letter is not signed by any Executive Committee members—except for Willie McLaurin, its Interim President. Since the list is arranged alphabetically, he appears near the end. Drowning out his name, we see various other big-name Southern Baptist officers: seminary presidents, missionary organization presidents, the president of their financial planning group, leaders of important groups like Lifeway, and even the president of the Southern Baptist Convention himself, Bart Barber.
==C Matthew McMahon=======
C Matthew McMahan
“The Bible is Complete. By the completeness of the Bible is meant that it contains all the extant revelations of God designed to be a rule of faith and practice to the Church. Nothing can rightfully be imposed on the consciences of men as truth or duty which is not taught directly or by necessary implication in the Holy Scriptures. If Christians are to stand fast in the liberty in which Christ made them free, they must adhere to the principle that in matters of religion and morals the Scriptures alone have authority to bind the conscience.”
― C. Matthew McMahon, Systematic Theology Made Easy
― C. Matthew McMahon, Systematic Theology Made Easy
