Month: March 2020

Church Worship in a Time of “Social Distancing”

With the continuing development of our country’s efforts at controlling the spread of COVID-19, and with the most current release from the Center for Disease Prevention recommending cancelling or postponing gatherings of 50 people or more, churches are feeling the need to get creative with weekly worship services. It is important for the church to gather regularly to draw near to God, hold on to the confession of faith and watch out for one another within the gathered covenant community (Hebrews 10:19-25). But like many other seasons of church history, current events are challenging us to find creative ways to do this.

Much has been written lately on reasons for gathering, and on avoiding judgmental or condemnatory remarks toward your pastor or other churches’ decisions as we all try to navigate this season with both faith and thoughtfulness. I echo these sentiments. Here I hope to offer some practical ideas for the church who would like to comply with the CDC’s recommendation without neglecting the privilege of gathering together in weekly worship. Here are some considerations as you navigate these waters in your church context. One size will not fit all, but perhaps one of these will be a workable solution for you, or perhaps it will give you an idea on which to build toward creating your own contextualized solution.

1. Meet in groups of 50 or fewer in multiple rooms on your church campus. If your campus has a number of medium-sized rooms, set up chairs for 50 or fewer and have separate worship services on your campus in these rooms. I imagine you have several musicians who can divide up between the gatherings and lead smaller, simpler worship sets with songs everyone knows by heart. Pastor, consider sharing your sermon notes with several capable men in your congregation and having them preach/teach live in each venue. Or, livestream (Facebook or YouTube) the video of the sermon and have someone plug their phone into the TV/Screen in the other venues so they can watch the sermon together live after singing in their smaller spaces.

2. Organize in-home worship groups and send the congregation out between them. Church staff and lay leaders can lead several smaller worship services, including music and preaching, from house to house using the same sermon text or sermon notes for each gathering space. Or, scale down the on-campus gathering to only the worship team, tech team and pastor then livestream the whole service and have smaller, in-home groups put the livestream feed on a TV where they all watch and participate together.

3. Encourage guided family worship. The pastor can record a 15-20 minute sermon/devotional video on his smartphone and post it online Sunday morning, or send it via email and dropbox (or some other cloud storage space) to church membership; each family can gather by themselves, in their homes on Sunday morning, and watch the video. If the video is not an option for you, consider producing a family worship guide. Include specific Scripture readings, worship song suggestions with YouTube links, and an organized devotional guide with discussion questions geared toward all ages. In this way, families are worshipping in their own homes, but the church family is being guided in the same spiritual direction by the church leadership.

4. Communicate clear pathways for faithful giving. Most church members want to know how they can continue to give their tithes and offerings as an act of worship. If your congregation has a platform for online giving, share it regularly with the people. Also encourage regular giving through mail-in offerings if they would rather use this vehicle. Some can give online and others cannot. Create pathways and communicate those pathways clearly and regularly. The act of faithful, sacrificial giving is no less worshipful when it is done electronically or through snail-mail than when it is placed in an offering plate as it passes by.

5. If you need help, reach out. The church is really good at coming together during times like this. If you need help setting up video livestreaming, find a sister church in your area that is doing livestreaming well and call them. I am 100 percent sure they would be willing to come and help you get set up. Call your associational office or your state convention and ask for someone who can help you set up video livestreaming or help you think through specific contextual challenges. We’re on the same team. We are one family on one mission. The church shines brightly in seasons such as this. If you need help, ask. And watch how the Lord will build relational bridges that may last a lifetime between you and your sister congregations.

The church has been gathering in small groups and “from house to house” for millennia. In itself, this is not a tragedy nor does it need to be devastating. If you feel it is best to reorganize your weekly gatherings into smaller groups, get creative and get to work. You can do this. And you just might experience some unexpected wins along the way.

New leaders will rise to the occasion when given the opportunity. Families may learn to worship together for the first time. Neighbors, friends, and coworkers may be more likely to gather in the homes of someone they know than in a large facility where they feel singled out. You might find that using technology in worship is easier and more beneficial than you thought. And you just might see the body of Christ mobilized and energized like never before.

The very gates of hell will not prevail against Jesus’s church. With this biblical conviction, COVID-19 presents much more of an opportunity than a threat. Let’s show the world what it looks like for Jesus’s church to lead the way in faith, joy and love during this season.

Tony Wolfe is director of Pastor/Church Relations for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. He blogs at tonywolfe.net.

$19 billion in Cooperative Program giving is the “financial fuel to reach every person for Jesus Christ”

At the Feb. 25 Cooperative Program lunch during the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention’s annual Empower conference, SBC Executive Committee president Ronnie Floyd highlighted the over $19 billion given by Southern Baptists since the inception of the Cooperative Program in 1925.

“Reaching every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation: that is what the Cooperative Program is all about,” he said.

“We believe one day in the near future that there will be a multitude from every language and people and nation, knowing and worshipping our Lord Jesus Christ,” he continued. “Yet we have this looming problem before us today that separates us from that grand vision that will one day occur in heaven.”

Floyd pointed out that at least 4.5 billion of the world’s approximate population of 7.7 billion are “unreached,” and that less than two percent of those are Christians.

“Southern Baptists had better ask ourselves how in the world we can rationalize before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ that we were too occupied with other things than the words of our Lord when he said in Mark 16:15, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’”

The Cooperative Program’s inception was a response to Southern Baptists’ desire to see the gospel go to the ends of the earth. Floyd indicated that the health of the CP was directly tied to the SBC’s ability to fulfill the Great Commission at a time when so many people have never heard the gospel.

“People need Jesus, and people need Jesus now,” he said. “We must get back to the main street of evangelism and missions in our churches, our state conventions and our Southern Baptist Convention.

“With our 47,500 churches, we can do more together than we can ever do by ourselves. And this is why in 1925 the Southern Baptist Convention created the Cooperative Program. The Cooperative Program is the financial fuel to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation. And when your church gives to the Cooperative Program it doesn’t matter what size of a church you have or the size of the town in which you dwell or you minister, you are able to partner with a vision that is much bigger than your own,” Floyd said.

“And when your church gives through the Cooperative Program of the Southern Baptist Convention,” he added, “you are investing in reaching people for Jesus Christ regionally, state-wide, nationally and internationally.”

Floyd pointed out that the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention has always made the Cooperative Program a priority, forwarding more than $245 million of the roughly $439 million given by its churches since the SBTC’s inception in 1998. Currently, the SBTC forwards 55 percent of its total receipts to the CP, placing it first among state conventions in terms of giving percentage.

“And this means at least 55 percent of your Cooperative Programs gifts have been forwarded outside of Texas for the nations for Jesus Christ,” Floyd said. “Southern Baptists of Texas, you may have already taken that for granted, you have forgotten. But that is pace-setting, and it’s amazing.

“We are in the midst of our 95th year of giving through the Cooperative Program,” he added. “From 1925 through September 30^th, 2019, our Southern Baptist churches have given $19,113,902,211 through the Cooperative Program for the purpose of reaching the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Of this total, Floyd pointed out, state conventions have forwarded to the national convention over $7.2 billion. This amount that has been distributed to convention entities such as the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board, as well as to the six Southern Baptist seminaries.

“The more monies out 47,500 churches give through the Cooperative Program,” he said, “the more we can extend the gospel throughout the world.”

Floyd said that one of the reasons he believes God has put him in place as president of the Executive Committee is “to try to move us forward in a unified, Great Commission vision that every church can grasp, regardless of their size. That every association can grasp because they understand how important it is. That every state convention can get a hold of and believe in deeply. And that we can rally our leaders from all parts of the globe, including our missionaries, towards this grand, Great Commission vision.”

He went on to debut “Vision 2025,” a five-year vision which the trustees of the Executive Committee had approved one week earlier and will serve as the basis for his leadership over the next half-decade.

“I’m speaking about a unified, Grand Commission vision that unites us,” he said. “It has simplicity and clarity, something that every one of us can get our arms around. But it’s all built off this grand call, and I believe it’s the grand call of the Lord Jesus in all of his commission passages you find in the text. Vision 2025 is a call to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state and every nation.

“Sending missionaries is the heart of the Southern Baptist Convention. That’s who we are. The more missionaries we can send,” he said, “the more people we can tell about the powerful love of Jesus Christ.”

Southern Baptist Convention entities provide resources to help churches respond to COVID-19

DALLAS As COVID-19 spread to over 100 countries and claimed more than 4,000 lives worldwide, on March 11 the World Health Organization designated the virus a pandemic. U.S. national response to the crisis has ranged from the president’s declaration of a 30-day travel ban on most travel from Europe to the National Basketball Association’s cancellation of the remainder of the season to many universities shifting the remainder of their spring semesters to online-only.

Churches, too, are responding, even as Easter season approaches. Members with flu or viral symptoms are urged to stay home. Cleaning crews are working overtime to disinfect surfaces and ensure safe environments.

Many SBTC churches are engaged in watchful waiting, especially in areas where the virus is not yet prevalent. Frank Corte, director of church administration at University Baptist Church in San Antonio, told the TEXAN that his church is “paying attention,” listening to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisories and discouraging sick employees from coming to work.

“We’ve got to be prudent, but at the same time, we don’t want to live in fear,” Corte said.

To help churches prepare for what could happen, Southern Baptist Convention entities are responding to the crisis with resources for pastors and congregations.

GuideStone, the SBC’s financial services organization, created a resource page “Coronavirus: Preparation and Information” on its website with links to “trusted resources” on COVID-19. Type “COVID-19” into the GuideStone webpage search feature to access the following or simply click here: https://www.guidestone.org/Promotions/Coronavirus.

The link takes visitors to postings by the CDC and WHO and a “coronavirus dashboard” from earlyAlert.com featuring up-to-date information on areas to which the virus has spread, numbers of cases and casualties, travel restrictions and advisories.

The GuideStone coronavirus web page features links concerning risk assessment from the CDC, strategic preparedness from the WHO and employer obligations during pandemics from risk management and employee benefits giant Lockton. For those participating in GuideStone’s medical plans, links to Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Teledoc and Express Scripts also appear.

The GuideStone web link designated “Prevention/Planning Guidance for Churches and Ministries” leads to the CDC’s guidelines specifically geared for faith-based organizations: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html.

The CDC “Prevention” link includes tips for planning, acting and following up in event of a COVID-19 outbreak in one’s community.

In addition to GuideStone’s web resources, LifeWay, through its Ministry Grid service, is also offering free online training videos and downloadable resources relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To access the free course, “How to Prepare for the Coronavirus at Your Church,” visit https://ministrygrid.com/coronavirus, click on the “Access this course” link and either log in to your LifeWay account or create one. You will then be able to access the following four training 4-16 minute videos:

How to Create a Pandemic Response Plan for Your Church
Three Phases of a Pandemic Response Plan
Your Church’s Leadership Pipeline in a Pandemic Response Plan
Pandemic Planning Considerations

Ministry Grid downloads available include sample pandemic response policies and sample planning consideration documents for your church. Also downloadable are documents concerning cleaning considerations for churches, a checklist for guest services, a checklist for kids ministry, cleaning considerations for kids ministry and a well-child policy for kids ministry.

The LifeWay Ministry Grid course also includes links to the CDC’s Preparing for the Flu Communication Toolkit and Faith-Based Organization Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Checklist.

The TEXAN’s guide to CDC tips on planning and preparedness for COVID-19

The following is adapted from the CDC’s “Prevention/Planning Guidance for Churches and Ministries” link to guidelines for faith-based organizations and available on the GuideStone website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-community-faith-organizations.html.

PLAN

Update existing emergency operations plans. Determine who is responsible for coordinating this plan and review all aspects: personnel, systems, services. Prepare for prevention strategies.

Consider the needs of older adults, persons with disabilities and people with access and functional needs.

Establish relationships with community partners, including the local health department, other community and faith leaders, businesses and schools.

Identify services which might be limited or temporarily discontinued during an outbreak. Find alternative solutions that will ensure continuity for your community, especially for vulnerable populations.

Promote the practice of everyday preventive actions.

Provide COVID-19 prevention supplies at your church for staff, volunteers and those you serve: soap, hand sanitizer, tissues, trash baskets and disposable facemasks for those who become ill at church.

Plan for absences. Plan for alternate coverage of responsibilities by staff members and volunteers should some become ill.

Develop a method for monitoring and tracking COVID-19-related staff absences.

Identify spaces or even restroom facilities that can be used to separate sick people.

Plan ways to limit face-to-face contact between people at your organization.

Review your process for planning events, programs, and services. Identify actions necessary if you must postpone or cancel events, programs and services.

Plan ways to continue essential services if on-site operations are scaled back temporarily.

Update your emergency communication plan for distributing timely and accurate information. Maintain up-to-date contact information for everyone in the chain of communication.

ACT

Establish a “buddy” system to ensure vulnerable and hard-to-reach community members stay connected to COVID-19 related news and services.

Meet regularly with your emergency operations planning team, even if it is by telephone or video conference.

Stay informed about the local COVID-19 situation from local public health officials. Be aware of school dismissals and closures.

Communicate frequently with those in your communication chain. Update community partners regularly. Share information about how your organization is responding to the outbreak.

Provide information that explains why and when on-site operations and services may be temporarily scaled back. Make plans for canceling large group activities and events, especially for high-risk groups like the elderly.

Distribute health messages and materials to staff, volunteers and community. Continue to promote everyday preventive actions.

Provide COVID-19 prevention supplies to staff, volunteers, and those you serve. Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily (tables, countertops, light switches, doorknobs and cabinet handles) using a regular detergent and water.

REVIEW: “I Still Believe” is a powerful romantic film every teen should see

Melissa is a cheerful, optimistic college student who promised her sister she wouldn’t get distracted by romance this semester.

But then a new student named Jeremy entered her life.

He’s outgoing. And funny. And, like her, a Christian. He’s also a great singer—a quality she seems to enjoy.

She reluctantly agrees to date him and soon realizes he may be the one.

Yet before Jeremy can propose, she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given a grim prognosis that seemingly derails their budding romance.

Jeremy and his friends pray for a miracle. Will one come?

The new faith-based film I Still Believe (PG) releases in theaters this weekend, telling the true story of Christian singer Jeremy Camp’s marriage to his first wife, Melissa Henning. After her death, Camp wrote the popular Christian song that has the same title as the film.

I Still Believe has received crossover appeal thanks to its inclusion of mainstream talent. It stars K.J. Apa (Riverdale) as Jeremy Camp, Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland, A Dog’s Purpose) as Melissa Henning, Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13) as Camp’s father, and singer Shania Twain as Camp’s mother. Melissa Roxburgh (Manifest) plays Henning’s sister.

It was co-directed by Christian filmmakers Jon and Andrew Erwin, who also made I Can Only Imagine, Woodlawn, Mom’s Night Out and October Baby.

I Still Believe may be their best movie yet. It features first-rate acting, but doesn’t compromise the gospel message. It provides romance and love, yet in an innocent, culture-challenging way. It offers plenty of surprises, even though you know how the story ends.

“If one person’s life is changed by what I go through, it will all be worth it,” Melissa says.

Apa and Robertson carry the film with their excellent on-screen chemistry, although the gospel—and it’s self-sacrificing message about love—is at the heart of the story.

I Still Believe is the romantic film every teenager and young adult needs to see. It’s also a movie churches can get behind and support.

Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!

(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)

Violence/Disturbing

Minimal. Death is discussed, and we see a main character pass away, but nothing is graphic.

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

None. Jeremy and Melissa share 3-4 brief kisses.

Coarse Language

None.

Other Positive Elements

The film subtly promotes chastity. We never see Jeremy and Melissa alone in either of their dorm rooms. She also doesn’t kiss him on the first date.

The movie also integrates the wonders of the universe into the plot, as the couple visits a planetarium and discusses God’s love for humanity.

“God is so infinitely vast. And this is his painting,” Melissa says. “We paint with brushes. He paints with a billion stars and a trillion galaxies. And He knows my name.”

Life Lessons

Love is sacrificial: The love displayed in I Still Believe is selfless. It’s sacrificial. It’s a dramatic contrast to our me-centric culture’s definition of love.

There is hope in the midst of tragedy: Melissa believed there was a reason for her suffering. “What if I’m not supposed to be healed?” she asks. She grew in her faith to the very end.

God’s plan is perfect: Jeremy didn’t understand why God allowed Melissa to die, but in hindsight, we can see how God worked through that tragedy for good (Romans 8:28). The film wonderfully delivers this message.

Miracles don’t always come: The film doesn’t have the typical fairy tale ending to its love story, even if the film’s final scenes are inspiring and filled with hope.

Worldview/Application

Our society’s view of love is reflected in its movie titles (Sex and the City), its sordid book plots (Fifty Shades of Grey), and its divorce rates. It’s a self-pleasing, self-serving view of love that puts sex, pleasure and materialism at the center—and then sends sacrifice, selflessness and resolve to the back of the line.

In other words, it’s the opposite of Christ’s view of love.

That’s one reason I Still Believe stands out from other films. It promotes ideals our society has forgotten—ideals the Apostle Paul championed in 1 Corinthians 13: patience, kindness and selflessness. It’s the love that does not envy, does not boast and is not proud. It doesn’t keep records of wrongs. It always protects and always perseveres.

Jeremy Camp could have walked away from Melissa, but he didn’t. He pursued her and never left her side. That’s a picture of love our world needs to see.

Final Verdict

I Still Believe is one of the best films I’ve seen.

Discussion Questions

1. How would you define love?

2. What is the secret to a marriage that lasts?

3. What does I Still Believe teach about love? Contrast that with what our world teaches about love.

4. What is the film’s message about prayer? About miracles?

Rated PG for thematic material.

Entertainment rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Sunday fire damages sanctuary, other areas at Texas church

TEXARKANA—A fire hours after Sunday (March 8) services damaged the sanctuary at First Baptist Church in Texarkana, Texas, and destroyed the television control room and several offices.

Pastor Jeff Schreve praised God that no lives were lost, and expressed trust in Him after the tragedy.

“This is a difficult time for us,” he told Baptist Press Monday, “but we are trusting the Lord. We’re looking to Him. We know that He’s the God Who takes bad things and turns them to good.”

Around 3 p.m. Sunday a custodial employee and two others were in the church when they heard noises as if a door were slammed. The three smelled smoke and safely exited the church, Schreve told BP. The Texarkana Fire Department and several volunteer units extinguished the fire in about 90 minutes, Schreve said, and firefighters believe the fire started in the TV control room.

The TV control room and three offices were destroyed, and a portion of the 2,350-seat worship center was damaged.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to get things going here to where we can be in our gym and do some things like that—multiple services …,” Schreve told BP. “But it’s still kind of early yet, so we’re just going to have to rebuild.”

Firefighters cut through an exterior wall to fight the blaze, Schreve said, and three firefighters were treated at an area hospital for smoke inhalation and released.

The church just remodeled its sanctuary and TV control room a couple of years ago, the pastor said.

The church will require “extensive cleanup,” and the worship center may not be usable for months, Schreve said. “The smoke was really, really thick and heavy and dangerous. So we’re still trying to clean up the air now (Monday midday), but it’s been tough in different spots.”

Many people have come to his aid.

“I just appreciate people’s care and concern. The community has just been tremendous, really coming together and wanting to help,” he said. Schools and hotels have offered free space.

IMB recommends that mission volunteers postpone travel due to coronavirus risk

Press Release | March 9, 2020 4:00 pm

In light of the continuing global expansion of the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus), the International Mission Board’s coronavirus task force and senior leadership recommend that mission volunteers from U.S. churches postpone international mission-trip travel through April 30. This date could be extended and will be reevaluated by April 15.

IMB also recommends that people who have not yet purchased tickets for future travel wait and monitor continued risks of travel before buying tickets. Individuals with pre-existing conditions or immunocompromised health issues are encouraged not to travel.

The task force, which was formed to monitor the situation and make recommendations on behalf of the global organization, is extending recommendations to churches based on personal health risks, risks of spreading the virus, and the possibility of quarantine or delay by local governments including the U.S.

“We are thankful for the churches that partner with our IMB personnel around the world. The churches and their mission teams are vital to our work,” said IMB President Paul Chitwood. “This is an unusual time for all of us, but we know that God is sovereign and that His work will not be stopped by this virus.”

“This situation is changing moment-by-moment. We just don’t know where a group might be delayed or which countries may not allow international travelers to enter or exit,” said Chitwood. “We’ve already had to cancel several overseas meetings due to sudden travel bans and challenges associated with government-imposed quarantines. This recommendation for delayed mission-trip travel is temporary, but we believe it is necessary at this time.”

The organization continues to recommend that everyone follow CDC travel guidelines and U.S. State Department guidelines. IMB personnel are not currently traveling to or through CDC level 2 or 3 countries, as well as Hong Kong.

IMB leadership remains in prayer for all those affected and does not foresee any long-term cessation of mission activity.

Updates will continue to be added to the IMB’s coronavirus response webpage.

Empower Conference evangelizes, equips for Hispanic ministry

EULESS—The 2020 Empower Conference drew 400 Hispanics and saw 18 professions of faith in Christ during its Spanish session on Feb. 21-22.

Through the conference, held at Cross City Español (First Euless Español), the SBTC sought to gather the community and preach the gospel that people would be saved, as well as to equip the saints for the work of the ministry in their Hispanic context. Those purposes were accomplished in two ways. On Feb. 21, the SBTC hosted Fiesta Familiar (Family Party), with food, face-painting, piñatas and games.

“We are here for the people … and we want to open the doors of our building to welcome everyone that they may have fun and praise God,” said Humberto Gonzalez, pastor of Cross City Church Español.

The evening event also included a concert by international Christian performing artist Julissa, and a gospel message with a call to repentance by Misael Rodriguez, evangelist and pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church Español in Cedar Hill, Texas.

“We hope to see God’s glory and to see Him move even more than he already is … that he stir our hearts through His word,” Rodriguez said, prior to the event in a radio interview with Radio Luz Dallas.

Of 400 people in attendance, 18 professed faith in Christ, according to Bob Sena, director of Spanish studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, who was one of the conference’s speakers.

“Texas is the fastest-growing state in the nation with a total population of about 29 million people and a Hispanic population of over 11 million,” Sena said. “Hispanics are on pace to become the majority ethnic group by 2022. Taken by themselves, the estimated 9 million unsaved Hispanics would comprise the 12th largest state in the country.”

The Apoderados (Empower) Conference officially kicked off the next day. During the morning session, pastors and leaders had a choice of workshops focused on equipping them for evangelism in a Hispanic context.

The workshops included ministering to single moms, raising up evangelists, reaching Jewish people, reaching Muslims, children’s evangelism, evangelistic missions’ leadership, responding to Catholic affirmations, creative evangelism and discipleship and evangelism.

The afternoon session included an inspirational message from Sena focused on the state of Hispanic evangelism in the Southern Baptist Convention, as well as a panel discussion on the topic and praise and worship.

Jen Wilkin addresses biblical literacy crisis

The church is in trouble, enmeshed in what author Jen Wilkin called “a full-blown discipleship crisis” that is “predicated on a Bible literacy crisis.” Wilkin’s remarks came as she addressed some 230 women during the Monday afternoon session of the Empower conference, Feb. 24 at the Irving Convention Center in Las Colinas.

Wilkin, executive director of Next Gen Ministries at the Village Church in Flower Mound, urged her audience to disciple others by using personal and collaborative Bible study with the Great Commission mandate to “Go ye therefore and make disciples …“

To portray this, she led the group through hand motions of the Ten Commandments for easy recall and gave a pop quiz of 20 Bible facts to help underscore the need for a discipleship environment within local churches to teach Bible truths.

Wilkin added an urgent plea to discern accurate biblical teaching as she asked, “How many women go to a Christian bookstore and pick up whatever’s on the shelf, trusting what’s in there because it has been baptized by Christian publishing, believing they are going to teach them the Bible? Something is wrong.”

She quoted Al Mohler, president of Southern Seminary, from an article, “The Scandal of Biblical Literacy” where researchers said, “Americans revere the Bible—but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates. Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two or three of the disciples. According to data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate.”

“That was written in 2004, 16 years ago. It’s gotten worse,” Wilkin said.

She encouraged the crowd to “regain a pure definition for Bible study and to show honesty in moving forward to teach others to obey what he has commanded.”

“We’re all spending time in the Word, but not all of the ways that we’re approaching the Scriptures are yielding us a people who are quick on our feet when it comes to knowing what this sacred text says. Let’s see what we can do about it so that 16 years from now Al Mohler’s article might seem like a comical memory to us instead of an accurate indicator of the church today.”

“People don’t value things you lower the bar on,” Wilkin said, “They value the things you raise the bar on. Women are going to Whole 30; they can come to a 10-week Bible study.”

She went on to say, “We become what we behold. If we want to become like the Lord, we will behold him as often and as faithfully as possible and we will devote ourselves with discipline to the task of being conformed by the power of the Spirit.”

The session ended with Wilkin proclaiming that, “The Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. It will carve you up. It will render you whole. It will render you in the image of the one you were created to image in the first place.

REVIEW: Disney’s “Onward” celebrates fatherhood, brotherly love

Ian and Barley Lightfoot are two elf brothers who seemingly are polar opposites.

Ian—a 16-year-old high schooler—is skinny, awkward and struggles to make friends. Barley—a 19-year-old in the middle of his gap year—is husky, confident and boisterous.

They have little in common on the surface, but if you dig a little deeper you’ll discover they share a common bond: They miss their late father.

Barley has a few memories of his dad. Ian has none.

“What was dad like when he was my age?” Ian asks his mother. “… I wish I’d met him.”

Ian wears his father’s old sweatshirt. He listens to his dad’s voice on cassette tapes. He talks to his dad’s friends, asking them what they remember about him.

And then one day, mom gives the boys a treasured gift their father left for them: a magical staff, accompanied with a spell that could bring him back to life for 24 hours.

But the boys quickly learn that magic isn’t as easy as it seems: The spell only brings back half of their dad—specifically, his legs. And to cast another spell—that is, to bring his top half into the world—they’ll need a special crystal known as a Phoenix Gem.

With the clock ticking, Ian and Barley set out on a road trip to find one.

The Disney-Pixar animated film Onward (PG), now in theaters, follows Ian and Barley on a back-country quest to meet the father they’ve always missed.

It stars Tom Holland (Spider-Man) as Ian, Chris Pratt (Jurassic World) as Barley, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld) as Laurel Lightfoot, and Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) as a winged lion known as The Manticore.

The film is set in a fantasy world of elves, fairies and unicorns, although most residents in this world don’t practice magic, having replaced it with modern conveniences such as appliances and smartphones. (The brothers’ father, we’re told, was an accountant—not a wizard.)

Onward attracted much attention for a scene involving a secondary LGBT character—more on that below—yet its father-centric plot is the dominant theme. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to say Onward celebrates the traditional family.

Warning: minor/moderate spoilers!

(Scale key: none, minimal, moderate, extreme)

Violence/Disturbing

Minimal. For children, the film’s most disturbing element may involve Ian and Barley chatting with their “half dad” — even though it’s played for comedy.

The brothers escape plenty of predicaments. They enter a house that appears haunted, only to discover it’s a restaurant filled with happy customers. Later, they anger a fire-breathing Manticore (a winged lion) but easily escape. Ian casts a spell that allows him to walk on air and cross a bottomless pit. The brothers are shot at by arrows. They nearly drown, but their “half dad” goes underwater to help them escape. The film ends with a dragon-like creature (it’s made of rocks) battling the boys.

Sexuality/Sensuality/Nudity

None. We see the brothers’ mom kiss her boyfriend. We also see the top of Barley’s rear end in a plumber-type gag.

Coarse Language

None. Although we do hear an unfinished “son of a …” and an unfinished “what the …” (twice). We also hear “dang” and “screw up.”

Other Positive Elements

Ian and Barley’s mother has heroically raised her sons as a single mom, and the film includes several touching moments of her talking to them. The movie also gives a positive nod to step-dads. (The mother is dating a centaur policeman she eventually marries.)

Other Stuff You Might Want To Know

The magic in Onward is similar to that in Frozen. (We’re told magic is used to help those “in need.”) Ian casts several spells during the journey, including one that allows him to walk on air across a bottomless canyon.

The LGBT-identifying scene involves a female police officer who pulls over a male driver for speeding and reckless driving. Sensing he’s nervous because he is with his step-son, she says, “It’s not easy being a new parent. My girlfriend’s daughter got me pulling my hair out.” We don’t see her again, and we don’t see her girlfriend, either.

Life Lessons

Siblings are a blessing: Too often, rivalries develop between brothers and sisters. In Onward, the brothers become best friends.

Fathers are essential: The mom in Onward is a hero, but Ian still misses the father he never knew. Eventually, he welcomes another father figure into his life (his step-dad).

Worldview/Application

It’s ironic that a film championed by the mainstream media for its (very brief) LGBT inclusion actually champions the traditional family instead. In other words, a film with a lesbian character in reality teaches us about the necessity of fathers (and mothers, too). It’s a lesson straight from the book of Genesis.

This doesn’t mean, though, that Onward is a perfect movie—and it doesn’t mean I’m recommending it. It still has a plot involving a dead father coming back to life. (The film, set in a fantasy world, glosses over the “where was he?” question.) It still has Frozen-like magic that repels many moviegoers. And it still has an LGBT-inclusive scene that may go over the heads of many children—although some kids may leave the theater asking tough questions.

Still, it’s nice to see God’s design for the family dominate the plot — and firmly in the spotlight.

Sponsors

McDonald’s, Old Navy, Whirlpool, Ashley, Mixtiles and Happy Socks.

Discussion Questions

1. How can you bring comfort and healing to someone who has lost a parent or family member?

2. Why do siblings sometimes argue and fight? What is the solution to sibling rivalries? Are brothers and sisters a blessing?

3. For teens and parents: Did the film contain a mixed message about the family? Why or why not?

4. What is your opinion about magic in children’s movies?

Rated PG for action/peril and some mild thematic elements.

Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars. Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.