COVER STORY Postmodernism: Feet Firmly Planted in Midair by Jon Johnston In a real sense, postmodernism is both good and bad. For believers, it comes down to an “eat the fish and spit out the bones” issue. And to decipher accurately which is which, we must commit to dedicated learning and vigilant awareness. Read this story now

FEATURES

• “Syncretism: Religious Insanity,” by Kent R. Olney
  Christianity makes exclusive claims about being the only way to heaven. Syncretism, on the other hand, is inclusive; it fuses diverse religious ideas together and leads to a smorgasbord of options.

• “Secularism: Is God Dead?” by Edwin de Jong
  The question is not whether people are willing to respond but first of all whether we are willing to confront them with the message of Jesus Christ.

• “Legalism: Lay Aside the Weight,” by Richard Benner
  No amount of piety, discipline, or keeping of rules can substitute for holy living.

• “Consumerism: What's Not For Sale?” by Jamie Gates
  Consumerism has done more than challenge or attack the Church; it has become a dominant socializing force that shapes Christians and calls them to something other than the life of holiness.

COLUMNS

• Essay: “Church Shopping,” by Jeff Crosno
  Since our Holiness forebears intentionally championed a church for the poor, isn't it ironic that we are now obsessed with ministry facilities and forms that make it clear we can't afford to fill our pews with anyone but paying customers?

• Gen Next: “A Search for Truth,” by James K. Hampton
  If the Church is going to get hold of our children and youth for Christ, it will need to speak the postmodern language.

• Editor's Forum: This month's forum answers questions about children taking Communion and why some people find victory over sin while others, seemingly equally sincere, never seem to find true victory.

• In the Mirror: “Project Clutter Control,” by Justine A. Knight
  Tomorrow I would organize, and things would be different. Perhaps then we could walk through the house without endangering our lives.

• Portraits: “Tomoyuki Hirahara: From Gurus to God,” by Debbie Salter Goodwin
  Tomo's search for truth became a passion to share the Truth.

• The Deeper Way: “Martha, Martha,” by Linda Seaman
  In our striving to serve Him, even when our motivation is pure, are we missing the better part?

• Front Line: “Wally Marais: Pitching Tents Toward Heaven,” by Debbie Salter Goodwin
  “We've got to plant churches. If you don't have a church for new believers, you lose them.”

• Family Tree: “Lighten Up,” by Les and Leslie Parrott
  A marriage without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs—jolted by every bump in the road.

• Commission: “The Christian Witness Amid Pluralism,” by Jim L. Bond
  Christians today face intense pressure to concede that Jesus is merely one of many ways to God.

• Metro: “Perplexed in the City,” by Fletcher L. Tink
  Could someday that ancient message of Christianity, now languishing in a valley of dry religious bones, rise up and live again?

NEXT MONTH – Persecuted, But Not Forsaken

• “Persecution Today: A New Holocaust,” by Charles Gailey
  When some of our fellow Christians around the world take up their crosses, they carry them all the way to death.