Israel-Hamas War: Resisting an Impulse

By Lucas Suddreth / October 27, 2023 / Comments Off on Israel-Hamas War: Resisting an Impulse

Israel-Hamas War: Resisting an Impulse
By Everett Huffard

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Psalm 78: Teaching the Next Generation

By Lucas Suddreth / August 25, 2023 / Comments Off on Psalm 78: Teaching the Next Generation

Psalm 78: Teaching the Next Generation

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Confronting Sex Abuse in the Church Session 3

By Matt Carter / April 13, 2022 / Comments Off on Confronting Sex Abuse in the Church Session 3

Host: Dr. Mark E. Powell – HST dean, Professor of Theology Presenter: Jimmy Hinton – preacher, consultant on sex abuse in the church In this session Hinton discusses Jesus’s Model for Loving and Protecting the Wounded. Important Take-aways: Be aware of language that blames the victim intentionally or unintentionally Help pay for counseling for victims…

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Who are We as God’s People?

By Matt Carter / March 21, 2022 / Comments Off on Who are We as God’s People?

What do the Apostles Peter and Paul mean when they refer to the church – both Jewish and Gentile Chrisiains – as the People of God? Join Professor of New Testament Richard Oster as he shares this important Bible study to help us understand the mission of God and the place of the church in…

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Confronting Sex Abuse in the Church Session 2

By Matt Carter / March 17, 2022 / Comments Off on Confronting Sex Abuse in the Church Session 2

Host: Dr. Mark E. Powell – HST dean, Professor of Theology Presenter: Jimmy Hinton – preacher, Consultant on Sex Abuse in the Church In this session Hinton discusses why churches typically do not do well in protecting children from abuses. Reasons include: Bad theologies that protect abusers and ignore victims Prioritizing forgiveness above repentance A…

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Confronting Sex Abuse in the Church Session 1

By Matt Carter / February 17, 2022 / Comments Off on Confronting Sex Abuse in the Church Session 1

How Abusers Routinely Get Away with Abusing Victims in Front of Our Eyes Due to the graphic nature of some of the content, this video is restricted to age 18 and older. For the purpose of age verification, you must be signed in to YouTube to watch this video. Host: Dr. Mark E. Powell –…

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Why Study the Old Testament at HST?

By Matt Carter / September 14, 2021 / Comments Off on Why Study the Old Testament at HST?

Dr. Jim Martin, Vice-President of Harding University and HST, sat down with Dr. Lance Hawley, Professor of Old Testament at HST, to discuss the value of studying the Old Testament at HST. Dr. Hawley shares his insight on studying the Old Testament for personal spiritual growth and for congregational ministry. Key Thoughts: If we want…

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Ministry Resource: Review of Pursuing God’s Will Together by Dr. Steve Cloer

By Matt Carter / September 14, 2021 / Comments Off on Ministry Resource: Review of Pursuing God’s Will Together by Dr. Steve Cloer

Dr. Steve Cloer shares a ministry resource that he will be requiring in a doctoral seminar this fall. The book is Pursuing God’s Will Together* by Ruth Haley Barton, and Dr. Cloer highlights three key prayers from the book that can help any Christian in faithful decision-making. A Prayer of Trust: Lord, we don’t know…

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When Good People Disagree – Bob Turner

By Matt Carter / August 11, 2020 / Comments Off on When Good People Disagree – Bob Turner

Have you noticed that we sometimes argue most strongly about things that are not central to who we are? Bob Turner looks at Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind* and Krister Stendahl’s Three Rules for Religious Understanding to give us a better framework for talking with people with whom we disagree. *(Amazon affiliate link – As…

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Gupton and Turner – ReOpening Resources for Churches During COVID-19

By Matt Carter / May 8, 2020 / Comments Off on Gupton and Turner – ReOpening Resources for Churches During COVID-19

Dr. Carlus Gupton has provided a curated list of resources relating to reopening the church. This is the blog post he references in the video and you’ll find links to many resources on the blog post. In this video, he and Bob Turner discuss twelve pointers for effective reopening. Don’t be in a rush to…

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ReOpening Resources for Churches During COVID-19

By Matt Carter / May 8, 2020 /

There are no clear playbooks for churches during this crisis. We are all “building the plane as we fly it.” At this stage there are questions about reopening, and there is a plethora of resources. It may help to have a vetted list. Here are my top suggestions: Practical, Procedural Perspectives – Ken Braddy’s blogs…

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Russ Turman and Bob Turner – Video Production for Worship

By Matt Carter / May 8, 2020 / Comments Off on Russ Turman and Bob Turner – Video Production for Worship

Russ Turman, Media Minister at the Highland Church of Christ in Memphis, talks with Bob Turner about his workflow and some of the equipment he uses. Russ has made several videos for HST over the years, which you can see on . Here are Russ’s notes about the gear he uses: I realize this equipment…

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Clay Fowler and Bob Turner – Building a Church Streaming Studio on a Budget

By Matt Carter / May 1, 2020 / Comments Off on Clay Fowler and Bob Turner – Building a Church Streaming Studio on a Budget

HST student and Church of Christ at White Station minister Clay Fowler built a studio on a Coronavirus budget to make the church’s live streams better. Equipment mentioned: Adobe Premier Pro, iMovie Camera: Panasonic HC-V770* (any video recorder with a quality lens will suffice) Capture Card: Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Recorder (HDMI to Thunderbolt 2)* –…

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Jessi Berger – Supporting the Mental Health of Church Members

By Matt Carter / April 27, 2020 / Comments Off on Jessi Berger – Supporting the Mental Health of Church Members

HST alum Jessi Berger, a licensed professional counselor, joins Bob Turner to talk about supporting the mental health of our friends and church members during the time when people are in stay-at-home situations. Key Take-aways: Keep your routines and healthy habits. Meaningful work and meaningful rest are important. Don’t compare your productivity to others. Do…

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Carl Williamson – Ministry during Communal Trauma

By Matt Carter / April 21, 2020 / Comments Off on Carl Williamson – Ministry during Communal Trauma

Dr. Carl Williamson (professor of discipleship and church planting at Harding University) and Matt Carter talk about ministry during communal trauma. Carl was leading a church plant when Superstorm Sandy devastated his community. He shares insight from that community trauma that can help ministers serving now during the Coronavirus pandemic. Key Take-aways: Don’t underestimate the…

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Kevin Shelby and Matt Carter Discuss Ministering in Communal Grief

By Matt Carter / April 17, 2020 / Comments Off on Kevin Shelby and Matt Carter Discuss Ministering in Communal Grief

Dr. Kevin Shelby serves as a professor in the Master’s in Professional Counseling program at Harding University on the Memphis campus. He and Dr. Matt Carter talk about the grief and trauma associated with this pandemic and how ministers can help their congregations and their own health during this time. Key Take-aways: Grief is the…

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Bro. Olu Shabazz – Ministry in a Virus Hotspot

By Matt Carter / April 14, 2020 / Comments Off on Bro. Olu Shabazz – Ministry in a Virus Hotspot

Dr. Olu Shabazz preaches for the Harlem Church of Christ in New York City, NY, in the midst of a virus hotspot. He visits with Bob Turner to share insight and hope for ministry in these difficult times. He also has served in patient relations in a hospital trauma center and brings this experience to…

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Gupton and Turner – Learning from the Daily Improv

By Matt Carter / April 10, 2020 / Comments Off on Gupton and Turner – Learning from the Daily Improv

Dr. Carlus Gupton and Bob Turner discuss insights and practices for church leaders in their daily work with new technology and social realities. Key takeaways: Be who you are. Stay out in front for your people. Your non-anxious presence is more important than your performance. Focus your lessons on the current need. As a general…

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Gupton and Turner – 2 Models for Helping Others Navigate Times of Crisis

By Matt Carter / April 8, 2020 / Comments Off on Gupton and Turner – 2 Models for Helping Others Navigate Times of Crisis

Dr. Carlus Gupton and Bob Turner discuss two models for church leaders to use to equip others to navigate these times of crisis. Key takeaways: The first model asks, “What do I want to be during COVID-19?” Three zones: Fear, Learning, Growth. Churches that move from fear to growth have a great opportunity to flourish…

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Jimmy Stokes and Matt Carter

By Matt Carter / April 6, 2020 / Comments Off on Jimmy Stokes and Matt Carter

Jimmy Stokes from the Northeast Side Church of Christ and HST’s Matt Carter discuss ministry in the age of online church. Topics covered: Communicate to your church: The church is not the building. We are still together in spirit even if we can’t touch each other. Now we’ve learned another way to reach the world.…

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Eric Gentry and Bob Turner Discuss Coronavirus Ministry Survey

By Matt Carter / April 2, 2020 / Comments Off on Eric Gentry and Bob Turner Discuss Coronavirus Ministry Survey

Eric Gentry (Highland Church of Christ) and Bob Turner (Church of Christ at White Station) discuss a survey of ministers about how they are handling ministry and worship during social distancing. The survey was published March 27, 2020 by Renew.org, a collaborative network, equipping millions of disciples, disciple makers, and church planters among all ethnicities.…

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Juan Meza and Bob Turner – Coronavirus and Latinx Churches

By Matt Carter / March 27, 2020 / Comments Off on Juan Meza and Bob Turner – Coronavirus and Latinx Churches

Juan Meza from Iglesia de Cristo at the Church of Christ at White Station speaks with Bob Turner about how the Coronavirus distancing is effecting Latinx congregations. Originally from Torreón, México, Juan Meza has served at White Station since 2014. He was baptized in the summer of 1995 and graduated from preaching school in 2004.…

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Josh Ross and Matt Carter – Communicating with your Church in an Online World

By Matt Carter / March 27, 2020 / Comments Off on Josh Ross and Matt Carter – Communicating with your Church in an Online World

Josh Ross, preaching minister at the Sycamore View Church of Christ, shares insight on how to communicate with our congregations during these challenging times. Here are some take-aways: The congregation’s vision/mission are to root of how we communicate and how we carry out the mission in this difficult time. You don’t need to reinvent this!…

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Dr. Mark Powell – Bonheoffer’s Life Together

By Matt Carter / March 26, 2020 / Comments Off on Dr. Mark Powell – Bonheoffer’s Life Together

Dr. Mark Powell shares some thoughts from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together (available free here) as an example for us to follow during the time of this global health crisis. During the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer’s church and seminary were forbidden from meeting publicly. Here is a key quote: It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of…

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Psalm 1: The Minister as Stability, Dr. Dave Bland

By Matt Carter / March 26, 2020 / Comments Off on Psalm 1: The Minister as Stability, Dr. Dave Bland

Dr. Dave Bland walks through Psalm 1 to encourage ministers to provide stability while many church members feel disconnected, anxious, and confused as we deal with Coronavirus. Key take-aways: In the Psalm, the wicked are busy, described with many action verbs. The righteous are at peace, meditating, standing like a tree as the wicked are…

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Bob Turner and Jim Martin – Preaching Online and Anxious

By Matt Carter / March 26, 2020 / Comments Off on Bob Turner and Jim Martin – Preaching Online and Anxious

HST Library Director Bob Turner and Vice President Jim Martin share wisdom for preachers who find themselves in a new situation of preaching online during an anxious time. As church assemblies have moved online during the current global health crisis, preachers who have trained hard and spent a career preaching in pulpits are now preaching…

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Church Responses to COVID-19, Dr. Carlus Gupton

By Matt Carter / March 26, 2020 / Comments Off on Church Responses to COVID-19, Dr. Carlus Gupton

Coronavirus is impacting churches in profound ways. Here are several links with helpful resources: Coronavirus and the Church is the best one-stop for articles, white-papers, and how-to guides on most issues churches are facing. It is hosted by Dr. Rick Warren and Dr. Ed Stetzer and sponsored by The Peace Plan, The Billy Graham Center…

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Introduction to Q

By Matt Carter / July 2, 2019 / Comments Off on Introduction to Q

Dr. Allen Black, dean and professor of New Testament, gives an introduction to Q. The Gospel writers used sources as they wrote their Gospels (Luke talks about this in Luke 1.1-4). Scholars believe that Matthew and Luke used Mark, but there is also about 230 verses, mostly sayings of Jesus, that appear in Matthew and…

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The Synoptic Gospels

By Matt Carter / June 27, 2019 / Comments Off on The Synoptic Gospels

Dr. Allen Black and Bob Turner discuss Allan Barr’s Diagram of Synoptic Relationship. The Synoptic Gospels are Matthew, Mark, and Luke, which follow the same general timeline in telling the story of Jesus and contain a lot of the same material. “Q” is the name scholars give to the material that is in Matthew and…

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The Septuagint

By Matt Carter / February 8, 2019 / Comments Off on The Septuagint

Dr. Allen Black and Bob Turner discuss the Septuagint on International Septuagint Day. The Septuagint (abbreviated LXX) is the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek done in the third or second century before the time of Christ. Dr. Allen Black is the dean of HST and Professor of New Testament. He has been at…

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Bob Turner – Resources on Parables

By Matt Carter / July 24, 2018 / Comments Off on Bob Turner – Resources on Parables

Subscribe to Footnotes, a free curated collection of resources, provided by your favorite ministers and scholars. Subscribe These are the books Bob referenced in the video. (These are affiliate links, so if you follow the link and purchase any of the books, HST will receive a commission without adding to your cost.)

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The Conundrum of Leading as a Preacher – Dr. Evertt W. Huffard

By Matt Carter / February 26, 2018 / Comments Off on The Conundrum of Leading as a Preacher – Dr. Evertt W. Huffard

There are many challenges for preachers and other church leaders working together. The preacher often is between the elders and the other members. He may not be empowered to actually lead even if he has the most training and education. The leaders may view the preacher as a hireling. Dr. Huffard offers suggestions for making…

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The Conundrum of Preachers Leading

By Matt Carter / February 22, 2018 / Comments Off on The Conundrum of Preachers Leading

Here is the document referenced in Dr. Huffard’s video, The Conundrum of Preachers Leading.

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Bob Turner and Allen Black – Bible Manuscripts

By Matt Carter / July 26, 2017 / Comments Off on Bob Turner and Allen Black – Bible Manuscripts

Dr. Allen Black and Bob Turner talk about two important New Testament manuscripts. The New Testament was copied by hand for centuries, and today we look at two of the most important of these early manuscripts. These facsimiles and others are found in the HST Library. Key take-aways: A codex (plural codices or codexes) is…

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