A Former Satanist Speaks Out on Halloween
A Former Satanist Speaks Out on Halloween Last year I posted a question on our Facebook page asking Christians whether or not they celebrate Halloween. Well, actually I asked: "Does it matter to you as a Christian that Halloween was a pagan belief that on one night of the year…
Evangelism is Coming Back!
Evangelism is Coming Back! Recently Charisma magazine published a very encouraging article called “Evangelism is Coming Back!” It began by reporting about an apparent rise of salvations in colleges and universities across America. One campus minister stated that it is an unprecedented time of openness to share the gospel unlike…
They Just Don’t Get it! Rethinking Youth Ministry
THEY JUST DON'T GET IT! Rethinking Youth Ministry There's has been a massive new interest in the last few years among churches and pastors who are rethinking youth ministry. It has gotten much attention because of surveys by Barna Research Group that report as many as 70% of our Christian teens…
Bill Nye the Science Guy and Creationism
Bill Nye the Science Guy and Creationism Yesterday I was asked by the Huffington Post to take part in an online discussion on the topic, “Should Creationism be Taught in Schools” alongside of Evolution. They wanted me because of my well-known role in the 2006 Oscar nominated documentary film Jesus…
You Have to Actually Train a Child to Train Them
I recently wrote an article about the scripture “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (See here.) We discussed what the Old Testament people interpreted it to mean compared to modern day western Christians. If you have…
Kids Theology & Worldview Today
What is our kids theology and worldview today? Christian Smith, prolific author and sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, coined the term "moralistic therapeutic deism" to describe it. The creed of this “religion” looks something like this in today’s kids’ theology and worldview. A god who…
Movie Review on PARANORMAN
Helpful movie revue for parents and children's ministers about the new kids movie PARANORMAN. Here's what Karl Bastian at Kidology has to say: Overview Norman Babcock is a sweet middle school kid. He is a tad different and his family does not appreciate or understand him. As he walks to…
Revolutionary Parenting: Intentional Discipleship
What is Revolutionary Parenting? Since we started in 2001, our focus in Kids in Ministry International was to "redefine children's ministry in the 21st century. " That is, we focused on the primary arena where everyone has assumed child discipleship takes place--the local church. As far as training and equipping…
Make Sure You Teach The Essential Four by Billy Burns
If you ever have the privilege of meeting Children's Pastor Billy Burns, you won't forget him easily. Smiling, jovial, hilarious, and serious about leading kids into revival. I first met BillyBurns at the Empowered21 conference in Tulsa, OK.It was quickly apparent that we had the same vision, the same passion,…
God’s Glory Showed Up
A children's minister can spend days and weeks in preparation for any type of conference for kids. But what makes it all worthwhile is when God shows up in His Glory. Our deepest desires came true last week at our first Kids and family conference of the season. After dozens…