A late historian explores how crusade hymns told both the classic story of gospel salvation and the evolving story of evangelical worship music.Crowds of over 50,000. Famous special guests. Hundreds of cities in the US and around the world. Beloved, catchy songs. For many, these might sound like readouts from the Taylor Swift Eras Tour hype machine. But exchange the glittery girl power for the gospel in baritone, and you have one of the most successful musical touring acts in the postwar world: the Billy Graham Crusades.The first association that “Billy Graham Crusade” may evoke is not musical at all, but rather a close-up shot of the evangelist, with his penetrating, wide-eyed gaze and raised forearms, thundering, “The Bible says …” Admittedly, music was not the main focus.Yet as the late historian Edith Blumhofer shows in her final book, Songs I Love to Sing: The Billy Graham Crusades and the Shaping of Modern Worship, neither Graham’s ministry nor the late-century rise of contemporary Christian music can be understood without it. As crusade song leader Cliff Barrows pursued his main goal—“sing to save”—he and his teammates bridged stylistic, cultural, and generational divides, transforming evangelicals’ music into the harmonic blend of old and new that is familiar today.Mining rich resourcesBefore unpacking this highly original book, a few words about the author. Blumhofer is an American religious historian renowned for her empathetic biographies of hymnist Fanny J. Crosby and evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson, as well as broader studies of evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. She concluded her career with this new study, sadly succumbing to a battle with cancer in the process.To finish the project, she tapped Jesus People expert Larry Eskridge, with whom she had for many years directed the Institute ...Continue reading...

Most of my time and effort go into our Revival Meetings these days. Our “Calendar” appears here on the Website. The Tab is at the top of the Home Page. The rest of the time is invested in our video Bible Studies. We are currently concentrating on the Epistle of 2nd Peter. Watch one and […]

? Last night we saw an answer to the prayers of many people. It has been our desire for many years now to have the opportunity to serve in the local jail by leading Bible studies. Over the last year, especially, Joseph Reidy has kept this prayer requests before us. We are so thankful this […]The post New Ministry at the Forsyth County Jail appeared first on Vision Baptist Church of South Forsyth.

Canadian evangelical scholar and commentator John G. Stackhouse lost his job as a religious studies professor following a six-month investigation into accusations of inappropriate behavior toward students, spurred by an online campaign.The post Canadian Evangelical Scholar Fired Following University Investigation appeared first on Baptist News Global.

Holding Fast the FaithRick HoukTue, 07/25/2023 - 13:19 How Understanding “The Faith” Strengthens Daily Faith Many Christians think of doctrine as irrelevant to their daily lives. They hope their pastor studies it, but they don't think of it as having practical importance to the average Christian on a Thursday afternoon. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. You see, it is understanding and believing “the faith” that allows us to exercise daily faith.  When Jude wrote to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3), he addressed his epistle “to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called.” In other words, that's every Christian. So, if strong doctrine leads to strong faith, what should we know about developing strong doctrine? Our Faith Rests on the Word of GodFor a Christian, all doctrine comes from one final authority: the Word of God. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine . . .” (2 Timothy 3:16). God revealed His truth that he wanted us to have, recorded it in the inspired words of Scripture, and preserved it for all generations. Jesus told His apostles that He would give them His truth and they were to pass it on to the early church. In Acts 2:42, we learn that after three thousand souls were saved on Pentecost, the believers “continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship . . . .” The moorings of the early church and the rapid spread of the gospel was dependent upon sound doctrine to unify the believers in the local churches. The early church delivered the gospel and the faith to their generation, who in turn passed it on to the next generation, and now we have these precious truths today. All of this transfer happened through the written Word of God. What God delivered to us through “holy men of God” who “spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21) is all we need. It is final, complete, infallible, inerrant. It is absolute truth. Our understanding of truth may grow, but the Word of God itself is, like God, immutable, infallible, and eternal. Our Faith Is Kept by Sound TheologyThe faith once delivered to the saints can only be maintained and grow when we live and practice sound doctrine. Paul told Titus in Titus 1:9, “Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.”Without sound doctrine, would we know the truth about salvation, eternal life, and eternal security? Would our faith have any stability or confidence? Would we be able to adequately give godly counsel? Would we be able to witness to the unsaved with confidence? Would we be able to defend our faith? Would we not be deceived by false teachings? Would we know how to walk in the Spirit and live a holy life? The answer to all of these is “no.” To live and propagate our faith it must be built upon the sound teachings of the Scriptures.Our Faith Should Lead to Daily ApplicationA.W. Tozer said, “There is scarcely anything so dull and meaningless as Bible doctrine taught for its own sake. Truth divorced from life is not truth in its biblical sense, but something else and something less.” Our doctrine should affect our behavior. James 1:22 admonishes us, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” A wealth of theological knowledge is practically meaningless unless we are regularly applying truth to our daily lives. Then, and only then, will our theology bring growth to our lives. Category Christian Living Tags Apologetics Bible Study

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Family Research Council's Dr. Jennifer Bauwens, Director of the Center for Family Studies, testified before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government. The hearing was titled, "The Dangers and Due Process Violations of 'Gender-Affirming Care' for Children," and analyzed and exposed how adults in authority have used their influence in children's lives to lead them into life-altering, medically unsound, permanent gender transition procedures without full understanding of the future impact on their lives....

The post Transformed Women Spring 2021 Bible Studies appeared first on Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.

The post Transformed Women Spring 2021 Bible Studies appeared first on Ashland Avenue Baptist Church.

Study the Psalms, to have honest conversations with God.

These were your favorite studies on this topic.

Malone Mukwende is a second-year student at St. George’s Medical School at the University of London. But in his studies, he noticed the lack of representation in clinical teaching materials. Malone said, “We were often taught to look for symptoms, such as rashes, in a way that I knew wouldn't ...

Jason Shuler and his fiancé Desiree Ayon will join the Eastland Baptist Church staff after their wedding early this summer.  Bro. Jason Shuler is a graduate of West Coast Baptist College and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Religious Education in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in church ministries.  For the past year Bro. Jason has served [...]

There are many reasons to teach but the one I am concentrating on today is a benefit for the teacher.  Today is the last of a 13 lesson series of Bible studies for ladies and I realize that one of the greatest benefits for me has been that I am forced to think about the inconsistencies [...]

Americans still remain the most generous people on the earth, but studies show they are giving less to churches.  Americans today are forced to make tough financial decisions.  Many families face the challenge of deciding what gets cut from the budget.  A recent Gallup poll found that the percentage of people giving to religious organizations [...]