Activist Faith

Dr. Paul Chappell is the senior pastor of the Lancaster Baptist Church and president of West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California. He has been married to his wife, Terrie, for over thirty years and is the father of four married children all serving in Christian ministry. 1.You’ve had a tremendous ministry at Lancaster Baptist…

A new Barna Group study is receiving attention for noting Generation Z–today’s 13-18-year-olds–are twice as likely to identify as atheist or LGBT. However, another aspect of the story reported by Christianity Today notes another concern: One out of five teens in the Barna study imagine Christianity as negative and judgmental. Some of the biggest barriers…

[Note: This is the third in a three-part series. Part 1 and Part 2 are also available.] What is the heart of true activism? We’ve looked at six traits Jesus communicated in his Sermon on the Mount. However, there is one final challenge Jesus gives that remains vital for true activism today. Matthew 6:1-4 shares:…

What is true activism? In my previous post, I noted that in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus starts with teachings rooted in the Old Testament and offers a higher standard related to our inward motives. Between his section on being the fulfillment of the Law and the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus notes seven areas that…

Do you realize an increasing number of “activists” are paid positions? You can find these positions on websites like Idealist.org or SimplyHired.com by searching for activists. Other positions are listed at Craigslist and similar sites to find everyday people looking to hold a sign, collect petition signature, and generally make a scene about an issue…

Jeff and Lorie had been married 25 years and had eight children. It all ended in 2014 in a difficult divorce that caused tremendous grief to their family. Over the course of the next three years, Jeff changed careers. Both Jeff and Lorie sought new ways to reflect on their past and move forward with…

According to YouVersion.com, the most popular verse of the past years was Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” These words also offer four powerful ways to build your faith on…

As many of us face record-low temperatures across the nation, the temptation grows to stay inside where there is warmth and comfort. While this may be fine for dealing with cold weather, it is not an adequate response for our spiritual lives. God calls us to move forward in faith, not to stay comfortable. How…

Are you tired of the negative news in our culture? An increasing number of people are turning off the news and prefer to avoid it rather than to deal with the daily headlines of natural disasters, political controversies, and sexual scandals. But I’m convinced there’s a better way to make a difference in the coming…

Many of us say we want to live out our faith, but how do we go about it? Instead of accusing the church of being full of hypocrites or highlighting the problems in the contemporary church, what if we focused on “being the change” we wish to see in 2018? After several years of attempting…

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