Dialogue is important. It’s healthy to discuss issues, express convictions, and voice opinions prayerfully. However, when dialogue leads to continually questioning biblical truth it becomes problematic. The reason for this is there are certain teachings that are so central to Christian faith and practice that there’s no need to debate them. In fact, we shouldn’t … Continue reading Strange Teachings
Navigating the digital landscape can be challenging. At some point, we’ve all said something that wasn’t received the way it was intended. The digital world seems to magnify these unintentional missteps. Social media, while beneficial, undoubtedly leaves a void as it pertains to authentic relational connections. I’m convinced that it’s nearly impossible to really “get … Continue reading Navigating Digital Misunderstandings
Political correctness in and of itself is not a bad thing. In the simplest of terms, it’s a way of treating people with respect regardless of ethnicity, gender, race, religion, socio-economic status, and other things that have the potential to divide. According to that definition, Jesus was politically correct. He treated everyone with dignity because … Continue reading Political Correctness
General Assembly is the quadrennial gathering of the global family that is the Church of the Nazarene. Every four years delegates from all over the world come together to celebrate what God has done, discern how the Holy Spirit is leading, and make decisions about how to faithfully advance the mission of Making Christlike Disciples … Continue reading General Assembly Resolutions
The call to pastoral ministry is often depicted with the metaphor of “Shepherd and Sheep.” The shepherd is one who leads, serves, and protects the flock. In every church I’ve pastored I have taken that call very seriously. I stress the word “protect” as it relates to the shepherd’s staff. The staff was used to … Continue reading Remember The Methodists
Becoming vulnerable is the first step toward freedom. Vulnerability exposes our weakness and enables God to break down strongholds. We cannot function in freedom until we become brave enough to confront the strongholds that hinder the advancement of the Kingdom in our lives. God is so much better than we give Him credit for. I … Continue reading Repentance & Holiness
In the late 90s on our way home from visiting Washington DC in mid-July, Heather, Jake, and I were traveling I-95 southbound headed back to North Carolina. Lunchtime had passed and we were all hungry. Jake was around seven years old and he wanted to eat at McDonald’s. However, for some reason, I was set … Continue reading Hosting the Holy Spirit
The Bible—it’s been a source of lively discussion for centuries. It’s a shame when it moves from being a source of healthy dialogue to a form of division, especially among those who claim to represent what is contained therein. I love the Bible. I trust the Bible. I believe the Bible is reliable. I believe … Continue reading I Believe—Literally
“The chief danger of the twentieth century will be religion without the Holy Spirit, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.” ~William Booth (founder of the Salvation Army) Like so many other ideas, “tolerance” has been redefined in our postmodern society. Tolerance is something that focuses largely … Continue reading Compromised Church
Passionate, mission-minded, revivalistic, evangelical, Spirit-filled followers of Jesus that started in a Glory Barn believing in the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit… That’s who we are. It’s who we’ve always been. It’s what makes us unique. For some time it seems we’ve been struggling with an identity crisis. Some within our tribe lean toward … Continue reading Nazarene Generations
Brian L Powell 