Today is a good day. Five prisoners have been released by the Iranian government, and among them is Saeed Abedini. An Iranian native and convert to Christianity, Abedini was arrested in 2012 by the Iranian government during a trip to help build a state-run secular orphanage. How is such a deal successfully brokered? The Director […]
This article appeared on Karen’s personal blog on December 17, 2015. It has been reposted with her permission. —– On this silent Advent night, I’ve invited my sister and friend Sarah Lewis to share her thoughts on the extra-ordinary humanity of the little family of Promise. I’m honored to carry her meditation on my blog. […]
Karen Ellis shares her thoughts on who the Church ultimately serves.
Before we can explore the contours of growing domestic persecution, we must first be clear on our baseline for persecution in the first place. What defines persecution? Is it defined by the actions of a surrounding culture? Is it a particular pattern of legislation in more advanced governments, or the overthrow of a more sympathetic […]
A church in flames against the backdrop of night is a strong and evocative image. The tension swirling around the recent rash of Southern church fires in the US is understandable, given the history of terrorism against African American churches. The most recent fire at Mt. Zion AME Church in Greeleyville is being investigated by […]
Is there a correlation between the persecuted church and church growth? Some research says no. Karen Ellis notes one problem with that conclusion.
Since 2002, Jim Ward has been the Director of Music at New City Fellowship, a Reformed, multicultural congregation in Chattanooga Tennessee. Ward is a highly skilled musician with a love for God, a passion for sound theology, and a great respect for the musical expressions of other cultures. Add to that mix the chops to […]
A word once spoken can never be taken back. So goes the old African proverb, wisdom no doubt gleaned from a lesson that was learned the hard way. Last week, we all watched the train wreck that resulted in Paula Deen’s removal from the Food Network. While Ms. Deen’s racial slurs were reprehensible and offensive, […]
I see myself as a walking paradox. There are many manifestations of the human condition that I find repugnant, yet that I also find present in me. Some would say that this makes me conflicted at best, hypocritical and self-loathing at worst. Yet and still, I know I’m not alone, as many similarly struggle with […]
by Karen Ellis, Regular Contributor A curious command and promise opens Isaiah 54: 1 “Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor! 2 For the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her who is married,” […]
This is Part 2 of a two-part series by Karen Ellis. Read the first part here. Women of Color and Discipleship In light of the Black woman’s unique history and our culture’s demeaning preconceptions, a key element to discipling women of color must include a plan that integrates the full person, both body and spirit. […]
Editor’s Note: This is Part One of a two-part series by Karen Ellis. Stayed tuned for Part Two, “Women of Color and Discipleship.” Don’t tell my husband’s mom, but I bought her one of those giant boxed hearts full of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. I really can’t think of anyone who enjoys chocolates more than […]
by Karen Ellis, Main Contributors In an address to Covenant College students in Honor of Martin Luther King Day 2013, RAAN contributor Karen Angela Ellis discusses: 1. Human rights, which finds its theological underpinnings rooted in the image of God, as the basis for Civil rights. 2. The relationship between the “suppression of truth in […]
