Rex D. Edwards

Jesus of Nazareth was the greatest Leader in the history of the world. But something set Him apart from all other leaders. Someone once said that, “If Alexander the Great or Charlemagne or Napoleon were to come into a room, we would all stand…

ADDRESSING himself to the assembly of the saints, the apostle says: "At any rate there has been no selfish motive. The very spring of our actions is the love of Christ" (2 Cor. 5:14, Phillips).*

How can we gauge its strength? It is…

EXCOMMUNICATION has been regarded by ecclesiastics as the ultimate disciplinary measure. As a "weapon" it has been conspicuous for its abuse. It has been employed as a penalty, often plunging the defendent into a situation of abysmal…

His scarcely audible voice expelled from quivering lips four words that betrayed the emotion of the moment—"I will do it!"

For more than twenty years this soft-spoken individual had been the target of his well-intentioned wife peppering…

What is stewardship? Julius Earl Crawford in The Stewardship of Life gives the following definition: "It is the recognition and fulfillment of personal privilege and responsibility for the administration of the whole of…

Scene 1: Church members on a week end retreat have been asked to introduce themselves by sketching a "coat of arms." Each sketch is to deal with the question: "Where do you fit in the body of Christ?" One of the group shares his drawing a…

A "revolution" within the church might well be initiated if church members were aware that their profession of faith in Jesus brought with it the responsibility of ministry. Elton Trueblood reminds us that if such a concept took root in the…

Perusing an old edition of Advertising Age (a national newspaper on marketing), my eye was captured by the title to an article, "Direct Mail Separates Suspects From Prospects!"

Two words in that title, suspects and prospects,…

It was a bitterly cold January day in 1527. A boat on the River Limmat was carrying Felix Manz to his execution. At his trial Manz had freely confessed to being a teacher of doctrines forbidden in Switzerland. "We bring together those who…

We often hear it said that the Christian minister today is in search of an image. For many centuries he had a unique and honored place in society, but in the last generation there has been a rapid erosion of his position, though the conditions…

Our church members have tended to think of stewardship as the giving of money for the support of the church and its activities. They know that in theory it comprises more than this. Yet in practice, the officer appointed to stewardship in…

Where should one look to find Christ's church? In the reaction against ecclesiastical dominance, modern reformers have advanced the theory of the invisible church. This theory also appeals to those of a mystical mind. They imagine that external…

We all have them: church members who have failed to make an accurate assessment of their abilities and graces. Paul counsels all to "think your way to a sober estimate" of the gifts "that God has dealt to each of you" (Rom. 12:3). ^*…

In our day the attitude has become dominant that being a Christian makes relatively small demands on a person. We have come to think of the Christian life in terms of petty moral requirements and institutional relationships. This mind-set…

As a pastor in the last half of the twentieth century, I have grown accustomed to the companionship of perplexity. In every significant area of my ministry integrity of ideals and actuality of practice collide mercilessly. This is certainly…

In "Northern Farmer, " Tennyson described one man's perspective on a sermon: "An 'eard 'um a-bummin' away like a buzzard-clock owermy 'ead, And I niver knaw'd whot a mean'd, but I thowt a 'ad summut to say, And I thowt a said whot a owt to…

Continuing education is not new! The current emphasis on professional growth experiences appears to be rather recent, but the practice is not. Regular academic graduate programs, summer conferences, denomination-wide seminars, extension schools,…

Some years ago I attended a district promotional rally for some good cause at which, without warning, one elderly minister was called upon for prayer. His efforts soon degenerated into a confused monologue that, like Mother Hubbard's apron,…

Faith in God means the union of commitment and criticism. Commitment recognizes the vast difference between God and human beings in which no boasting is appropriate. As a result every idea, thought, deed, and institution is subject to correction.

Countless…

Never before has there been such an emphasis upon an incarnational approach—to the world to those suffering from poverty, injustice, distress, and discrimination. Christ, "the man for others," is pro claimed as the pattern…

A church historian writes, "In spite of its affirmation of the priesthood of all believers, there is perhaps no function which Protestantism has so much neglected. Not only have Protestant laymen not assumed the priestly role, but until recently…

Someone defined a pessimist as a fellow who has had to live with an optimist. Few things in life distress one more than having to face a disastrous situation with someone who cannot be serious. I suppose it is better to have a congenitally…

According to the elderly Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner, one of the burning questions of the day concerns what he terms "the trouble with preaching." This trouble is the failure to relate the Christian message to the everyday world. "Many…

A few months ago in a remote town of northern Vermont I picked up a book of sermons by distinguished Methodist preachers. Published in the year 1853, it contained sermons by Nathan Bangs, Wilbur Fisk, and other worthies…

In his Life of Samuel Johnson James Boswell recorded the following inter change between Oliver Goldsmith and Samuel Johnson. Goldsmith said "that he wished for some additional members to the Literary Club,…

Can traditional forms of worship communicate to contemporary people? The critics of these forms react to them by so emphasizing human understanding and the human situation that the importance of God and His activity in worship is practically…

A four-day conference "Fragile Earth, Island Home" promises to help clergy understand "preaching connections for theology and science"; a university extension program announces its top billing, "From Civilization…

David H. C. Read, then chaplain to the University of Edin burgh, gave a vivid description of what a certain ministerial intern considered the ideal building plan for church and manse: "The salient feature was a long, straight corridor with…

The pastoral office is an acted parable. It is a gracious likeness to the life of the church in its calling to unite the Word of God and the work of God. It is a lively reminder of the inseparable wholeness of the…

The Rev. Mr. Ingham was a studious New England minister sorely beset with demands upon his schedule. He at tended so many public gatherings that he found himself unable to devote due time to sermons and pastoral work,…

An enquirer once asked a priest to define the position of a layperson in the Roman Catholic Church. The priest replied succinctly, "The layman has two positions. He kneels before the altar; that is one. And he sits below the pulpit; that…

Christian ministry is a gift. It is the gracious provision God has made in Jesus Christ for doing His work in the world. That work is essentially telling the story of salvation, the proclamation of something that…

In 1928 the July issue of Harper's magazine carried an article by Harry Emerson Fosdick in which he criticized expository preaching as outmoded and undesirable. Rather than focusing upon incidents involving…

The ritual of a Christian wed ding ceremony in most cases includes this significant statement: "By the authority committed unto me as a minister of the church of Christ, I declare that [names] are now husband and…

Martin Luther suggested that the city of Wittenberg ought to be divided into four or five sections, each with a minister and several deacons. He wanted to charge them with the responsibility of preaching, visiting the sick, and serving the…

The scene is like a clip from a horror movie! A huge oil painting hangs in the well-lighted exhibit hall. It portrays a man standing in the middle of a dingy room, staring vacantly ahead; on the bed next to him lies his wife, dead. Blood…

In thinking about evangelism, some call to mind Elmer Gantry, the anxious bench, sawdust trails, tent meetings, altar calls, and endless verses of "Just as I Am." Others picture the charismatic power of a Dwight L.…

What is it that makes the "divine service" live? In a technical age there must be a technique of worship so that the maximum of life is imparted to the service. Technique does not mean some kind of trick, but simply the study and application…

I have some concerns for my church. It is unlike me to express my quarrels because of my love for the church, its people, and its leaders. Nevertheless, I have encountered these concerns and felt the need to encourage them.

First,…

They came from Estonia in the east and England in the west, from Iceland in the north and Israel in the south. They came from Amsterdam and Athens, Tirano and Turku, Riga and Radom. They came from 22 countries that constitute the Trans-European…

Terry Anderson, the longest-held American hostage in the Middle East, refused to hate his captors. "I have no room for hatred, no time for it," he said. "My hating them is not going to hurt them an ounce. It's only…

To speak of God's Word as being "relevant" is almost equal to saying that God may be "useful" to humanity. And to say that preachers can "make" the Word relevant, as if they could "assist" God in making Himself known, is little short of blasphemy.…

"Church" is a very flexible word. People have different views of what it is. Some see the church as a building with tower and bells. Victor Hugo described it as "God between four walls." Others view the church experientially, "a shrine of…

Pastoring is a drastically different experience today than a generation ago.Along with a rapidly growing membership, we have an increasingly embarrassing nonattendance at worship.

Members are more than willing…

The call to serve a church in any capacity is a call to serve people as a leader. Leadership in the church raises several questions. Is it possible for a pastor's leadership to be out of harmony with the Christian ethic even though the objectives…

The layperson is but a sheep! In his 1906 encyclical Vehementer Nos Pope Pius X wrote: "This flock, those who hold rank in the different degrees of hierarchy and the multitude of the faithful; and those categories are so distinct…

The task of a leader," said Henry Kissinger, "is to get his people from where they are to where they I have not been." Could this happen in the spiritual organism of the local church, however, if a pastor's leader…