Ahead of his speech Saturday at the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, Rick Warren, founder of Saddleback Church in California, warned believers must re-evangelize nominal Christians to fulfill the Great Commission, adding that some followers of Christ have traded "spiritual power for political influence." ... Read full Story
A Dallas church best known for the preaching of former Pastor Steven Lawson continues to grapple with fallout over Lawson's alleged romantic relationship with a reportedly younger woman, with elders noting this week that "church discipline" is necessary to be a New Testament church. ... Read full Story
A group of more than 100 former members and people affiliated with MorningStar Ministries in South Carolina have signed a petition calling for an investigation of allegations that leaders in the ministry founded by Rick Joyner enabled the sexual abuse of multiple minors. ... Read full Story
Southern Baptist theologian Al Mohler has some advice for young men in ministry who want to avoid the fate of Pastor Steven Lawson and others alleged to have engaged in sexual misconduct: don't allow yourself to be alone with a woman. ... Read full Story
The Church must be fully engaged in sharing the Gospel in the digital world if it seeks to make disciples of future generations, according to Michael Oh, global executive director of the Lausanne Movement. ... Read full Story
The Lausanne Congress apologized Wednesday to the many delegates who were offended by a speaker’s comments rebuking dispensational eschatology and her claim that Israel was holding hostages. ... Read full Story
A former Gateway Church member who had her membership revoked and was allegedly forced off church property by armed guards for publicly criticizing the Texas megachurch for its alleged lack of transparency and accountability amid child sex abuse allegations against founder Robert Morris is now speaking out. ... Read full Story
“God is for sex.” That was the clear message from the Rev. Canon Vaughan Roberts, rector of St Ebbe's Church in Oxford, England, who advised Christians globally on how to respond to the myriad harms caused by sexual revolution and the distortion of God’s created order. ... Read full Story
United Methodist Church bishops have publicly condemned Christian nationalism, claiming that it fundamentally contradicts God's love and prioritizes power over compassion. In a pastoral letter released last week, Bishop Tracy S. Malone raised concerns about the increasing polarization and division within communities and nations. ... Read full Story
Keion Henderson, founder and CEO of The Lighthouse Church & Ministries in Houston, Texas, has professed his unyielding loyalty to popular televangelist T.D. Jakes after the arrest of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, with whom Jakes has been controversially linked, because he has been "good to me." ... Read full Story
Evangelical pastor, author and radio personality Chuck Swindoll will be retiring as a pastor at his Texas megachurch and plans to preach his final sermon in October. However, he will continue his long-running program, "Insight for Living." ... Read full Story
The Seoul Statement released by the Lausanne Movement at the Fourth Global Congress on World Evangelism is not a new, stand-alone response to the missional challenges that the global Church is facing today. Instead, it builds on the legacy of the Lausanne Covenant, the Manila Manifesto and the Cape Town Commitment. ... Read full Story
Months after announcing his battle with kidney cancer, former Southern Baptist Convention President Steven Gaines, says he’s stepping down as senior pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, but the move has nothing to do with his health. ... Read full Story
Founder of City Church in Batavia, New York, Pastor Marty MacDonald has denied allegations that he sexually molested a woman 40 years ago when she was just 12. ... Read full Story
Michael Oh, global executive director of the Lausanne Movement, called on the 5,000 Christians gathered from over 200 countries at the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization believers this week to humble themselves and work together to spread the Gospel worldwide effectively, urging them to repent of four things. ... Read full Story
Each week in Christian history brings anniversaries of impressive milestones, unforgettable tragedies, amazing triumphs, memorable births and notable deaths. Some of the events drawn from over 2,000 years of history might be familiar, while others might be unknown to many people. ... Read full Story
Southern Baptist Convention President Clint Pressley has squashed speculation that the denomination was considering settling a defamation lawsuit filed against the organization by former president, Johnny Hunt in March 2023 in which he was accused of sexually assaulting a young minister’s wife. ... Read full Story
Organizers hope that millions worldwide will participate in the Global Day of Prayer for America on Sunday, praying for the well-being of the United States during what has been labeled a "season of distress." ... Read full Story
Amid decreasing revenue and mounting legal expenses stemming from investigating its handling of sexual abuse, Southern Baptist Convention officials have announced a plan to sell the denomination's seven-story headquarters in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, to help stabilize finances. ... Read full Story
Scott Crenshaw, the senior pastor of Lake Country Church in Fort Worth, Texas, claims he was wrongfully fired for looking at "inappropriate images" and intends to seek a public apology and reinstatement to his job, says his attorney Mark Lane. ... Read full Story
“The Handel & Hendrix [House], on 23 and 25 Brook Street in central London, reopens 18 May.... The 18th century German composer George Frideric Handel called number 25 home for some 36 years, up until his death in 1759. Here, he manufactured hits like coronation/Champions League belter Zadok the Priest, and the Music for the Royal Fireworks with such voraciousness, his manuscripts were often bespattered with food and beer stains. Perhaps you'd equate such sloppiness with Jimi Hendrix; his tenancy in a flat at 23 Brook Street was altogether fugacious; he was only here from 1968-9—though in that time, used it for countless interviews, jam sessions—and referred to it as the only place he ever lived that felt like home.” — Will Noble, The Londonist, 18 May 2023
Did you know?
The word fugacious is too rare and unusual to qualify as vanilla, but the vanilla plant itself can be useful for recalling its meaning. Fugacious (which comes from Latin fugax, meaning “swift, fleeting,” and ultimately from fugere, “to run away”) describes the ephemeral—that is, those things in life that last only a brief time before fleeing or fading away. The word is often used to describe immaterial things, such as emotions, but botanists like to apply the word to plant parts (such as seeds, fruits, petals, and leaflets) that are quickly shed or dropped. Vanilla plants, for example, are said to have fugacious blossoms, as their flowers last only a single day during the blooming season. You may remember this the next time you’re baking with vanilla, and perhaps wishing that its rich, fugacious aroma would linger just a little bit longer.