A fifth person has been arrested on charges in the deaths of two women from Hugoton, Kan. Veronica Butler and Jilian Kelley, a minister’s wife, went missing March 30 and were found dead on an Oklahoma farm April 14.   On Wednesday, Paul Grice, 31, was booked into the Texas County Jail in Oklahoma on two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of kidnapping, and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a statement Wednesday. The charges are identical to those faced by the first four suspects, who were ..read more

This is an excerpt from the final portion of Virgil Felton’s Reflections column titled “Stones, Bones, and Clones” from May 6, 1984. Felton founded New Churches of Christ Evangelism, Grand Ledge, Mich.  _ _ _ Stones, Bones, and Clones  By Virgil Felton  May 6, 1984; p. 9  Clones—In one sense Christians are clones. Webster defines a clone as “a twig, slip, akin, the aggregate of the sexually produced progeny of an individual.”  We are cloned in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).   We are cloned by a new birth (John 3:5).   We are cloned as new creatures (2 ..read more

BOB VERNON Bob Vernon, 97, an Ozark Bible College graduate who, with his brothers, was a pioneer in Christian television broadcasting, died April 14. The brothers’ program, Homestead USA, was broadcast nationally in the 1950s. In the mid-1960s, Bob’s 90-minute special Back to Jerusalem was shown nationally on CBS. We featured Bob Vernon’s story in a feature article last year. Our friend and Ozark booster Meredith Williams announced Mr. Vernon’s death via his Facebook page. _ _ _ David and Dolores “Dolly” Nicholson will retire from full-time ministry and move to west-central Michigan this summe ..read more

By David Faust   It’s time to take a new look at old age.   On my sixtieth birthday my grandchildren gave me a serviceberry tree to plant in my backyard. Before that day I didn’t know serviceberry trees existed, but it turns out, they are common in Indiana where I live. If you manage to keep the birds away, by early June the trees produce delicious red berries that taste like tart cherries. My grandkids said, “Papa, we want you to have a serviceberry tree because serving God is important to you.”   I enjoyed my birthday celebration, but unpleasant questions crossed my ..read more

By Edwin White  “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust” (Matthew 12:18-21* [from Isaiah 42:1-4]).  Isaiah’s picture of the gentle Servant of the Lord presents him as one who does not seek confrontation, whose voice is not like a protester s ..read more

Unit: 1 Corinthians (Part 2)  Theme: The Powerful Church  Lesson Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 16-27, 50-58  Supplemental Texts: 1 Corinthians 15:5-15, 28-49; 1 Peter 1:3-9  Aim: “Give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).  _ _ _ Download a PDF of this week’s lesson material (the study by Mark Scott, the Application by David Faust, and Discovery Questions): LOOKOUT_Apr28_2024 Send an email to cs@christianstandardmedia.com to receives PDFs of the lesson material each mon ..read more

By David Faust  Jesus Christ is risen indeed! Aren’t you glad? The miracle of Jesus’ resurrection is the turning point of history, the backbone of biblical theology, and the foundation of the Christian faith.  Resurrection Consequences  If Christ didn’t rise from the dead, the New Testament wouldn’t have been written, the gospel wouldn’t have spread around the world, and the apostles wouldn’t have given their lives as martyrs. Without the resurrection, Christians wouldn’t gather and worship on the first day of the week, baptism would be an empty ritual, and the Lord’s Supper wou ..read more

Question for Group Discussion based on Mark Scott’s Bible lesson for April 28, 2024 _ _ _ 1. When and how did the reality of Jesus’ resurrection first impact your life?  Ask two people to read aloud 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, 16-27, 50-58, one after the other, preferably from different Bible versions. Then ask a third person to briefly summarize the passages.  2. What did Paul mean when he wrote, “By this gospel you are saved” (v. 2)?  3. In what way are the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ foundational to the Christian faith and hope?  What is the point of bapti ..read more

Dr. Richard E. “Dick” Brown, 86, who served many years as professor and academic dean at Nebraska Christian College, died peacefully, with his wife by his side, at Atlantic (Iowa) Specialty Care on April 17, 2024.  DR. RICHARD E. “DICK” BROWN He was born in Clearfield, Iowa, and graduated from Bedford (Iowa) High School in 1956. He earned a BA from Nebraska Christian College, an MA and an MDiv from Lincoln Christian Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He ministered with churches in Orchard, Neb.; Akron, Iowa; Fowler, Ind.; and Council Bluffs ..read more

Exponential has announced a new strategic partnership with Ed Stetzer to operate and steward the Church Planting Leadership Fellowship (CPLF). This collaborative effort aims to amplify the network’s impact and extend its reach within the church-planting community, according to an announcement at Exponential’s website.  “After several months of fruitful and encouraging conversations with Dave Ferguson and the Exponential team, I am thrilled about our partnership,” said Stetzer, a missiologist and author who serves as dean of Talbot School of Theology at Biola University (La Mirada, Calif ..read more