COVER STORY “Holiness Defined for a New Generation,” by Frank Moore The time has arrived for us to translate the biblical message of holiness for a new generation. How can we state timeless truth in the fresh language of the new day while remaining true to the biblical text and the heritage of our faith? The best approach challenges contemporary minds with the claims of the gospel set in everyday, common words that people understand Read this story now

FEATURES

• “The Culture of Interactive Holiness,” by Karen Pearson and Tim Milburn. The younger generations will begin to understand holiness only when they see it lived out through the community of faith, when they feel safe enough within that community to tackle the difficult issues, and when they feel secure enough to ask the hard questions–even if we don’t have all the answers.

• “Unwrapping the Terminology,” by Susie Shellenberger. Putting sanctification into “teen lingo” doesn’t mean we water down the message of holiness. It means we are intensely committed to speaking understandably in an effort to “become all things to all men so that by all possible means [we] might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22).

• “Who Cares About Holiness Anyhow?” by Gordon J. Thomas. Hand-me-down doctrines, sermons, and testimonies from our spiritual ancestors leave many younger Nazarene preachers and teachers feeling vulnerable and ineffectual in their efforts to communicate holiness. What do we need, then, to be equipped to promote the message of holiness with conviction?

• “To Serve the Present Age,” by Jan Simonson Lanham. From its inception, the Church has grappled with how to translate the gospel to each new culture and to each new generation. Today families and local congregations must create an environment where a new generation will be challenged with our core values: what it means to be Christian, to embrace holiness, and to be missional.

COLUMNS

• Essay:“Taking It to the Streets,” by Jeff Crosno. Wherever you discover a neighborhood, you can expect a call to be neighborly.

• Gen X:“A Time for Questioning,” by James K. Hampton. All teenagers struggle through a period when they question everything they have ever learned about God, the Church, and Christianity.

• Editor's Forum:Is it possible to be a Christian and knowingly be out of God’s will? Can God be your Savior but not your Lord? This month’s forum looks at these questions as well as the scriptural and historical basis for the move from polygamy to monogamy.

• Portraits:“Dick Fields: As for Me and My Publishing House, We Will Serve the Lord,” by Dean Nelson. Dick Fields says, “For me, nothing could be more satisfying than getting the word of God out to the world.” But his contribution has been more than just getting the printed word into the hands of millions of people. He has helped clarify the call of ministry for many who have worked at NPH.

• The Deeper Way:“A Normal Christian Life,” by Merrill Williams. We Nazarenes don’t believe it is impossible to sin; we do believe it is possible not to.

• Change Agent:“Will We Be the ‘Weakest Link’?,” by Jon Johnston. We’re the conduit, the connector, the relay transmitting what we’ve received to those who are next in line.

• Interconnected:“Looking Forward in the Strength of the Past,” by Judith A. Schwanz. I know that God cares for me entirely: my heart, my head, and my spirit. I know this because the Bible–and my grandparents–told me so.

• Family Tree:“Pastor Dave,” by Jerry Cohagan. I went to church that Sunday and every Sunday after that for the next few months. Not because I was in love with church but because I began idolizing “Pastor Dave.”

• Commission:“What’s Fair About Life? ,” by James H. Diehl. I come bringing unwanted news: “Life isn’t fair.”

• Holiness:“It’s Transformation We Need,” by Wesley D. Tracy. A lifetime of ongoing transformation into the image of Jesus Christ awaits every saved and sanctified Christian.

NEXT MONTH – Seize the Road: Navigating the Senior Years

• “Full-Serve or Self-Serve?” by Jerry D. Hull. As we enter later life, God calls us to more than fellowship and self-indulgence. The road to productive engagement, meaning, and significance lies before us. We dare not squander our years of greatest wisdom by thinking we ever retire from full service to God.