The American Civil War finally came to an end 150 years ago this week on April 9, 1865. Reflecting on this moves my heart in a profound way, partly because of the sacrifice of prayer in my family—who were formerly slaves.
By Thom Rainer
Nine out of 10. That’s a lot.
Nine out of 10 churches in America have an average worship attendance of less than 350. And that percentage has not changed significantly for many years. Yet the unchurched pool of persons is increasing in most communities. There are people yet to be reached.
While there’s plenty of news about churches that are declining or leaders who are messing up, how about some good news for a change?
In his best-selling 2009 book, The Islamic Antichrist, Joel Richardson’s stunning research and analysis suggested that the biblical Antichrist and Islam’s primary Messiah figure, the Mahdi, could be the same person.
It really takes a special kind of lowlife to stop a chaplain from ministering to the family and colleagues of a dead sailor.
On April 3-4, Jewish families in Israel and around the world will gather to recount the ancient, but never old, story of Passover.
By Sandra Teplinski
Younger generations will hear from their elders the miracle-packed narrative which, they will be told, should be heard as if they personally lived through those historical events. But Passover is not an exclusively Jewish holiday. God invites “whosoever” to join in His story of deliverance and redemption. It is a story to help steady you if you follow Messiah today—and if, like observant Jews, you hear it as if you yourself personally experienced it. Because in many ways, you have.
