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Responses to our May/June issue.

Edits by Christianity Today / Source Image: Lumina Images / Getty

Our Pulpits Are Full of Empty Preachers

As a retired pastor, I cannot help but reflect on the financially transactional nature of the pastoral “calling.” The question I ask of any active pastor today, whether struggling in frustration or soaring in satisfaction, is “If you won the lottery tomorrow, would you still be an institutional pastor in 12 months’ time?” The answer tells me everything I need to know about the nature of the situation.

Brad Gustafson Charleston, SC

When Doubters Declare the Glory of God

Worship tunes—“corporate” in community and commerce—often feature lyrics of such positivity that they are simplistic and narrow, even to the point of banality. The best Christian art, music included, emanates from and speaks to the soul with nuance, even ambiguity.

Tom Hynes (Facebook)

I question the use of doubters. Secular doesn’t mean nonbeliever. There are many Christians and people of other religions who aren’t in Christian music. In some ways, the mainstream artists who are Christian can reach others who may not listen to Christian or gospel music. Even some of the artists that didn’t always promote a Christian lifestyle will still [mention] God, heaven, and Christian themes. Bob Dylan went through an evangelical Christian period. He returned to his Jewish roots. I wouldn’t label him a “doubter” either.

James Hucke (Facebook)

The Scottish Complementarians Who Teach Women to Preach

For a few weeks, my May/June CT had been sitting out waiting for me. I was intrigued by the [text] on the cover: “Scotland’s Brave Women.” I was amazed to find an eight-page spread about Niddrie Community Church (NCC). My sister’s husband is an elder of this church. They joined NCC about three years before Mez McConnell was hired. For a hundred years, Niddrie had been a dependent mission station of Charlotte Chapel Baptist Church, the big, rich, historic church in the center of Edinburgh—a paternalistic relationship. Mez was just the right person to lead Niddrie as it became an independent church, and he has gone far beyond that in providing leadership with 20schemes. I love visiting NCC whenever I’m over visiting my family. In the 1930s my grandmother moved to Niddrie, about 200 yards from NCC, as new social housing was built. But my mother lived with her grandmother a few miles away. I was born in Edinburgh but lived there only sporadically, as my parents were missionaries. Whenever I would be there with my relatives, I was in a matriarchal world with a distrust of men who were considered unreliable, just as the article described. A big thank you to Kara Bettis for writing such a fine article, and to CT for publishing it.

Bernard Bell Cupertino, CA

They Might Be Giants. (Or Angels. Or Superhuman Devils.)

Another explanation of the Nephilim is that this text represents a long-held folk memory of Neanderthals. It is well established that Neanderthals and humans interbred, and there is fossil evidence in Israel. The text continues, “They were the heroes of old, men of renown.” The scientific probability that Neanderthals were physically stronger than humans would fit well. But what about Numbers 13 reporting that the 12 spies stated, “We saw the Nephilim there” (v. 33)? This reports the spies’ own interpretation of what they saw. Scripture itself is not claiming that the Nephilim were still living at this time.

David Misselbrook London, UK

As for Me and My Household, We’ll Resist Mammon

The Biblical life I experience fits neither the utopia Andy Crouch describes nor the “Mammon” he imagines to be its antithesis, so I have to wonder what the Scriptural support is. Other than the one verse setting an unexplained Mammon against God, Crouch gives us nothing. This appears to be a book excerpt, but nothing here leads me to believe that paying for and taking the time to read the rest of the book would answer my questions. That’s disappointing in a piece that purports to offer us something better than the status quo.

Tom Pittman Grants Pass, OR

I agree that Mammon and technology have put us in the service of things and that we need to do something about it. What it left me wondering is if the household is enough of an answer. Unless we can take back our communities and relearn to depend on our neighbors, there is little hope for change.

Rick Voss Stafford, VA

Secularism Doesn’t Have to Be Bad

Our ecclesiology is taken from contemporary American culture, and it’s resulted in few disciples being made. We’re also trying to be a “Christian nation,” which isn’t the interest of Jesus.

Marcus McClain (Facebook)

Is There a Tiny Puritan Living in Your Head? Tell Him to Get Lost.

I loved this article. Good reminder that God has joy in seeing us joyful. Thank you, CT.

Angelin Higgins (Facebook)

Also in this issue

Our cover story this month argues that Christians have a unique opportunity, in our difficult housing market, to model for the watching world better kinds of community—not only inside our homes, but also out in the towns and cities where we live. Also in this issue: Dallas Willard's worries, enforcing abortion bans, and Afghanistan refugees a year after the pullout.

Cover Story

There Are Many Mansions in Heaven, but We’d Like Something Sooner

The Grain of Truth Grows Slowly

Revelation Is Good News for Today, not a Game Plan for the Future

Echoes of Greatness

Testimony

Police Work Nearly Broke Me

If God Is Your Father, You Have Seven Mothers

Stopping Abuse Is Sexual Ethics 101

News

The Curious Case of Coronavirus Contagion in Church

News

Something Old, Something New. Something Borrowed, Something Pew.

News

Christian Nonprofit Buys Luxury Yacht

New & Noteworthy Books

Our September Issue: Modeling Home

Excerpt

Those God Sends, He First Humbles

How Americans Got Away with Abortion Before ‘Roe v. Wade’

Why Shamelessness Is a Superpower

News

Back to Bolsonaro? Evangelicals Hesitate Ahead of October Election

Americans Forgot How Long Refugee Resettlement Takes

News

Four Out of Five Victims Don’t Report Sexual Assault. Can Christian Colleges Do Better?

Dallas Willard’s 3 Fears About the Spiritual Formation Movement

Playing the Cultural Long Game

Review

The Unsung Heroes of the Underground Railroad

Review

There Is No One Fully Optimized, Not Even One

View issue

Our Latest

Wicked or Misunderstood?

A conversation with Beth Moore about UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect Luigi Mangione and the nature of sin.

Why Armenian Christians Recall Noah’s Ark in December

The biblical account of the Flood resonates with a persecuted church born near Mount Ararat.

Review

The Virgin Birth Is More Than an Incredible Occurrence

We’re eager to ask whether it could have happened. We shouldn’t forget to ask what it means.

The Nine Days of Filipino Christmas

Some Protestants observe the Catholic tradition of Simbang Gabi, predawn services in the days leading up to Christmas.

The Bulletin

Neighborhood Threat

The Bulletin talks about Christians in Syria, Bible education, and the “bad guys” of NYC.

Join CT for a Live Book Awards Event

A conversation with Russell Moore, Book of the Year winner Gavin Ortlund, and Award of Merit winner Brad East.

Excerpt

There’s No Such Thing as a ‘Proper’ Christmas Carol

As we learn from the surprising journeys of several holiday classics, the term defies easy definition.

Advent Calls Us Out of Our Despair

Sitting in the dark helps us truly appreciate the light.

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