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A Reluctant Pilgrim: “One Voice” Premieres Thursday, March 12

A Reluctant Pilgrim: “One Voice” Premieres Thursday, March 12

by | Feb 29, 2020

Amy Garlett, who plays Tamar, and Tori Roberts, who plays Tabitha, rehearse for One Voice with the rest of the Jerusalem crowd.

“We are a family knit together by the deep examination of the richest of texts… A family with a foundation of shared faith.”

Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Barukh shem k’vod malkhuto l’o lam va’ed!
Ani Adonai eloheikhem.

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.
Blessed is the name of God’s glorious kingdom forever!
Your God, Yahweh, am I.

So begins the prologue of One Voice. So began the unexpected journey of a very reluctant pilgrim. A few years ago, our university president, Dr. Cone, asked me to produce a biblical show. “Something with Biblical themes and values?” I asked. “Redemptive themes? A Christ figure as a protagonist? Something with definite allegorical parallels to the Christian experience? A modern parable?” 

“No,” he said, “a real, Bible times, Bible character, biblically true story, dramatized.” (Apologies toDr. Cone for the paraphrase!)

My heart sank. My mind was screaming! “AHHHhh! No…not a bathrobe musical! Shoot me now!”

But he wanted one. If I were going to do Shakespeare or a classic every four years, he wanted a biblical production as in Sight and Sound every four years. I protested we certainly didn’t have the technical capacity to pull off Noah, but he patiently steered me back to what was possible.

I went home, and the dam burst as excuses flooded the turbines! I can’t do cheesy Christian drama. There’s no good material. It all makes me gag. Often, the genre is emotionally manipulative. It’s end result is frequently counterproductive; it’s intended for unbelievers to encounter the truth but instead they’re offended by the method, while Christians remain in their comfort zone. Everything I’ve ever taught about conflict, character, plot, theatricality, and truth will be violated. My students will crucify me. At the very least, they’ll  brand me, and I will be forced to join Hester Prynne, wearing instead a scarlet H, a hypocrite condemned to roam the earth to the end of my days!

The boss was not to be dissuaded, so I settled down in my white leather office chair for a blue funk. I didn’t even know where to begin. It was then a wee niggle at the back of my cranium began to tickle. Many years ago, my mentor and good friend, Deborah Craig Claar, had given me a musical she had written with a collaborator, Robert Sterling. She had recently dusted it off for two large churches who had commissioned them to expand it to a full length musical. Twenty years ago, it was one of the few overtly Christian pieces of theatre I actually liked. So I took another look.

Fast forward to this moment with a cast of 27 intrepid players at Calvary, a distinctly Christian University. This is a cast composed primarily of Calvary undergraduates, but in our ranks are a retired Bible and theology prof, a mother getting a masters in education, a young woman with operatic training who once had high hopes of being a nun, two retired Sergeant Majors, an IT specialist, and the list goes on. A disparate group, but one rich in community. We are a family knit together by the deep examination of the richest of texts. A family with a bridge built of questions. A family with a foundation of shared faith. A family who understands what Jesus meant when He asked us to take up our cross daily. A family who desires truth in the inmost parts. A family with one voice.

For years my metaphor for creating story has been undergirded by making the word flesh from John 1. Never have I ever attempted to take the greatest story ever told and give it flesh. Examining the goals and obstacles of these flesh and blood biblical characters has made them come to life for me as no Bible study or sermon ever has. Meditating on their given circumstances, their humanity, and their fears has been a key to understanding my own. And so this reluctant pilgrim ends her journey surprised by joy, humbled by God’s gift, and standing in awe. May it bless you in the same way. Ani adonai eloheikhem!

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Calvary Grad Uses Media in International Ministry

Calvary Grad Uses Media in International Ministry

by | Feb 28, 2020

Seminary graduate Dr. Leandro Tarrataca serves as president of ABECAR in Brazil.

Dr. Leandro Tarrataca graduated from Calvary Theological Seminary with a Master of Theological Sciences in 2007 and headed home to Brazil to put his degree to work. Now he serves as president of ABECAR (Brazilian Association of Culture, Education, Service, and Religion), a ministry focused on discipling believers through various forms. Tarrataca said, “The main thing we do is making disciples; that’s our Great Commission. In order to get that task done, we have different areas in process.”

ABECAR works to fulfill the Great Commission through strategic church planting, running children’s camps throughout the year, children’s programs, and media ministry. The camp program frequently involves teams coming from American churches to host English camps. The idea for the children’s program was developed by Tarrataca’s wife, Julie; she created a plan for buses to pick up underprivilaged children, who receive meals, help with homework, and recreation time. Tarrataca said, “It’s not only social work, it’s a social program because we want them to come to Christ.” He said over 1,000 children have been through the program, and as they grow up, they are becoming “doctors and dentists and teachers” instead of turning to drugs or other destructive habits.

The media aspect of ABECAR’s ministry sprouted from Back to the Bible’s work in Brazil, and follows a similar format. In the past, Tarrataca was “the voice of Back to the Bible to the Portuguese speaking world,” and he brings that experience to his current work developing podcasts and video sermons. He loves the analytics of modern technology that gives ABECAR statistics on their viewership base that has reached over 360,000 viewers in Brazil, Japan, and throughout Europe and the Americas. The media presence also plays a critical role in the educational side of ministry. ABECAR offers long-distance education across the country, supplemented with on-campus modulars that train believers and pastors in their faith.

When Tarrataca started his own education, he said, “[I knew] that I would be engaged with some sort of media ministry… that was my crystal-clear thing that I should be doing.” The other aspects of his current work—children’s ministry, church planting, and directing ABECAR—were unexpected. As he evaluated the ways God is working in Brazil, he said, “I really think we have to answer these things, not based on feelings, but on what Scripture says… I think our aim of making disciples is a biblical command… [and] we see people coming to Christ and being baptized… [So] first, what we’re doing is biblical; second, people are coming to Christ; and third, people are growing spiritually.” Based on that, he said he fully trusts that God is working in and through the ministry in Brazil.

Dr. Tarrataca with wife Julie, son Leonardo, and daughter Melina.

Dr. Tarrataca serves as president of ABECAR, a distance learning system that is roughly translated, “A theological faculty as close as your television.” 

Dr. Tarrataca’s personal website is “Communicating Hope in the Digital World.”


Dr. James Clark Publishes Book on Biblical Counseling

Dr. James Clark Publishes Book on Biblical Counseling

by | Feb 20, 2020

Dr. James Clark, President Emeritus, Calvary University and the cover of his new book. 

“My experience as a youth pastor, pastor, chaplain, and then directing our counseling center at Calvary has convinced me that lives can change by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.”

Calvary University President Emeritus, Dr. James Clark, recently published a new book: Biblical Counseling: A Guide for the Church and Community. According to Dr. Clar, the book, “describes the role of counseling as a ministry of the ‘one anothers’ in the local church and community” and explains the process of identifying leaders to serve as a counseling team to assist pastoral staff.

Clark said the book arose from his history teaching Biblical Counseling in the Church for many years, “and there wasn’t a textbook on the subject. There were several books on counseling but not a specific book to help the church.” To address this need, Clark wrote Biblical Counseling trying “to keep in mind the pastor and leaders along with the believers in the pews.”

Explaining the need for this book and the hole it fills, Clark said, “Many people in the church today need hope, healing, and answers (biblical) for their problems… However, the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth said the Church is to do all things decently and in order. That implies that the counseling ministry must be approached in an orderly way, as well. In the book I describe how the church is to protect itself. I cover the legal aspects regarding establishing a counseling ministry. This includes forms, files, counseling offices, what is lawful and unlawful.”

Clark’s book covers the difference between secular and biblical counseling, as well as several logistical aspects of counseling in the church. He said, “My experience as a youth pastor, pastor, chaplain, and then directing our counseling center at Calvary has convinced me that lives can change by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. I recognize, however, it is work! Recruiting, training, and leadership in church doesn’t just happen.” Biblical Counseling: A Guide for the Church and Community seeks to help prevent “the church from falling into the pitfalls of haphazard disorganization, lack of knowledge in creating a proper counseling ministry, and face the embarrassment and even litigation by not doing their homework in establishing such a ministry.”

As his book begins circulation, Clark says, “I would love to see pastors and laymen get excited about making a difference in the lives of their people through a viable counseling ministry. It is such a need today.”

Dr. Clark’s book is available for purchase in ebook or print format at graceacrespress.com.

Calvary Starts Collaborative Conversation over Think Tank

Calvary Starts Collaborative Conversation over Think Tank

by | Feb 19, 2020

Think Tank focuses on relationship between the church, school, and missions agency.

As part of the Conference on Global Engagement, Calvary held its first-ever Partners in Ministry Think Tank. The Think Tank was geared to address the question of how the church, mission agency, and school can work together in training missionaries for the field. Josh Paxton, Director of the Burnham Center for Global Engagement, organized the event designed to bring local pastors, Calvary leadership, missions agency representatives, and students together around the idea of, “How do we do this better together?”

The event took place Friday, January 31, with “around forty-five people in the room, including twelve pastors, missions reps, and a handful of students and some faculty members.” Paxton said, “We had some great discussion on partnership between the church, the agency, and the school.” Think Tank sessions covered the state of the world, the obstacles that hinder partnership, and the varied roles of the church, agency, and school in missions. After lunch, attendees discussed possible solutions to the complex problem of forging healthy partnerships. Paxton shared about Synergy and learning contracts as a couple of solutions for partnerships, and some other ideas were developed.

Paxton said one theme of the conversation “was definitely mentoring: with the pastor, with the mission agency, and at the school level.” Another significant topic was communication, “keeping open lines of communication, which of course requires relationship… There needs to be a system in place for ensuring those relational connections, because they don’t happen naturally.” Attendees discussed ways to forge stronger relational links between the three entities.

Terry Glidden, pastor at Grace Bible Church, said the Think Tank “was well worth the time … because of the opportunity to interact with and be introduced to like-minded men and women who have a heart to achieve reaching the world with the gospel.” Calvary staff member Jolayne Rogers said she and her husband “serve on our church’s Missions Committee and I picked up some really useful ideas from the Think Tank that I shared with the committee. They sparked some great discussion that I think will enhance our relationship with the missionaries we support.”

Josh Paxton, Director of the Burnham Center on Global Engagement, led a Think Tank in connection with the Conference on Global Engagment at Calvary University. 

The 2020 Conference on Global Engagement at CU included a Think Tank which brought together local pastors, Calvary leadership, missions agency representatives, and students around the idea of, “how do we do this better together?” 

Calvary Gears Up for Leadership Conference

by | Feb 10, 2020

Christian Leader’s Conference to address “What Makes Counseling Biblical?” Next Monday, February 17

On February 17, Calvary will hold the fourth annual Christian Leader’s Conference. This year’s topic is “What Makes Counseling Biblical?” Dr. Smith, Department Chair of Biblical Counseling, said this year’s conference subject matter “is two-fold… One point we’re trying to make here is what makes counseling biblical.” He pointed out that the term biblical counseling is used frequently, so specification of exactly what is encapsulated in the discipline is needed. “We’re going to try to look at the mechanics and elements of biblical counseling, and some of the fundamentals.”

The second aspect the conference will address, according to Dr. Smith, is “some misconceptions about the field of psychology. Is psychology a secular vocation? Can it be something that biblical counselors can utilize, something we should even be involved in?” Through the format of presentations and panel discussions, the Christian Leader’s Conference will address these questions and how they affect leaders in the Christian arena.

The Christian Leader’s Conference will feature presentations by Calvary faculty members Dr. Luther Smith, Dr. Christopher Cone, Dr. Thomas Baurain, William Stebbins, and Dr. Jeff Cox. Smith said, “The goal when people leave is to understand what biblical counseling is in contrast to all these other models. And, too, that they would have a more informed approach to disciplines, especially psychology.”

Click Here For Schedule and Sign-up