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Ministering to the Depressed: Lessons from Ruth and Naomi
“Dad!” Victoria said. “I do not want you to pour syrup on my pancake!” “Why not?” I asked. “Because I want Mom to,” she said. “Mom is getting ready for church,” I said. “It will be a little while before she’ll be downstairs to pour your syrup.” Anna arrived on the scene. “I will let…
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Should I Care About My Safety? Missions in “Dangerous Places”
by Mary Lynn Derstine (originally published on December 10, 2020) “Do you feel safe?” is a question people often asked me while I was in Iraq. Safety is a concern to many. I hear parents wondering if they should let their teenagers go places and get jobs because, “Is it safe?” We try to be…
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Meeting Christ at the Cross
We meet Christ at the cross. If we have not felt the sharp pain of the piercing cross into the core of our being, and experienced the disgraceful death that is found there; the dying exposed, before the scorn and scoffing of the whole world; then we have not known Christ.
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The Case for Christian Nonviolence (on Tiktok!)
Ever wanted an easy-to-follow guide to Christian nonviolence you could share with friends? How do you answer the common objections folks might have? Derek Kreider from the Fourth Way Podcast has produced a 14-part TikTok series on Christian nonviolence, covering the Scriptures, early church history and objections from history, the Scriptures and real life. He…
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On Being Seen and Heard: Revoice as a Coming Home
Eric Miller shares his experience at Revoice21, a conference from October 7-9, with the mission “to support and encourage gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other same-sex attracted Christians—as well as those who love them—so that all in the Church might be empowered to live in gospel unity while observing the historic Christian doctrine of marriage and…
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Growing Greener Grass: A Challenge to Kingdom Christians
At different times throughout “plain” Anabaptist history, there have been new movements that have had a significant impact on the Anabaptist movement as a whole. Many religious movements gain traction whenever there are significant missing components within a particular segment of the church that truly need addressed, whether spiritual, scriptural, or relational in nature. Doctrinal…
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The Broken Body: Communion and Community
Communion is an extremely important event for Christians, or at least it should be. Jesus tells us that it’s something we ought to do in remembrance of him, and many faith traditions believe that there is a very real, but mystical means of grace which is manifested in the meal. Our church, and many other churches in…
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Rejecting the World’s Narratives, Embracing Jesus
Two southern Baptists decry the treatment of Christian martyrs overseas. In the next sentence, they doom local Catholic and Orthodox attendees to hell all by themselves, for their idolatrous practice. Maybe they know those martyrs overseas were Orthodox, maybe they don’t. A short drive north from there, similar-minded evangelicals are praising the Catholic souls trying…
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Constantine, Compromise and Consequences
Major changes in the Church were about to occur. Constantine was a Roman emperor. He wanted to rule the world. He saw a sign in the sky. It was the sign of the cross and the words, “In this sign, conquer.” He went to battle believing that he would be victorious if he went with…
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Unsung Heroes: Women of the Radical Reformation
When you grow up in an Anabaptist culture, the history of your ancestors is often taught across the pulpit, in school, and even at home. Names like Conrad Grebel, Michael Sattler, Dirk Willems, Menno Simons, and many more are names that are almost as familiar as Moses, Noah, Abraham, and David. Our ancestors believed that…
The Kingdom Outpost 