Faith Facts

• Chris McCurley, minister at Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson, Tennessee, completed eight weeks of radiation treatment for stage four metastatic prostate cancer while continuing his ministry duties
• Despite his diagnosis, McCurley maintains that “cancer can be a ministry,” using his journey to minister to fellow patients at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and document his faith journey on social media
• The husband and father of three continues preaching and serving his congregation while undergoing ongoing hormone therapy and medication, declaring “God wins” as his guiding principle

The sound of victory echoed throughout the halls of Nashville’s Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center on May 7 as Chris McCurley pulled the rope and rang the gold bell, ending eight weeks of radiation treatment.

For many cancer patients, ringing the bell signals the end of their journey. But it marked another milestone in an ongoing battle for McCurley, minister for the Walnut Street Church of Christ in Dickson, 40 miles west of Nashville.

The preacher has spent the past two years navigating prostate cancer, a journey that led to a diagnosis of stage four metastatic disease. In its most advanced stage, the cancer spread outside of its original location earlier this year.

While radiation successfully targeted tumors, his treatment continues through hormone therapy and medication.

Yet throughout daily chemotherapy treatments and hour-long commutes to Nashville, McCurley has embraced a phrase that has shaped his outlook: “Cancer can be a ministry.”

“I don’t believe God gave me cancer, but I certainly believe he’s used it,” the husband and father of three said.

‘Why am I scared?’

McCurley’s cancer journey began in February 2024, when rising prostate-specific antigen levels signaled to doctors that a malignant growth could be developing. An MRI and biopsy confirmed a small cancerous tumor, measuring about 1 millimeter in diameter, or about the tip of a needle.

Doctors offered the 49-year-old preacher several treatment options, including radiation and proton therapy. He ultimately chose radical prostate surgery to remove the tumor.

“To me, I had cancer and I wanted it out,” McCurley said. “And it wasn’t hard to convince me.”

Although the surgery appeared successful, post-operation pathology revealed that the growth extended beyond the prostate capsule. Still, for nearly a year and a half, McCurley’s prostate-specific antigen levels remained undetectable.

In early 2026, as he prepared for the birth of his second grandchild, doctors found that the cancer had returned and progressed to stage four metastatic prostate cancer.

“I was scared. And I feel bad about that,” McCurley said. “I’m a man of faith. I’m a preacher. Why am I scared?”

As the cancer spread to the bones, including the spine, femur and iliac bone, McCurley said he found peace in his relationship with God, leaning on a saying: “It’s you and me, no matter what, and it’s going to be OK.”

From that point forward, the diagnosis — and the faith that came along with it — became a daily reality, defined by chemotherapy treatments, long drives to Nashville and what he describes as unseen opportunities to share his faith.

‘This is life now — you’re a cancer patient’

After the stage four diagnosis, McCurley said the challenge shifted from treatment decisions to daily endurance. Working out at a higher intensity and taking naps on the couch in his church office became part of a new daily rhythm.

“This is life now,” he said. “You’re a cancer patient.”

For eight weeks, McCurley’s routine began early in the morning, with coffee and Bible reading before departing his Dickson home for the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. There, he underwent a series of 10- to 15-minute radiation treatments.

Waiting for him at many of those appointments was Trace Pierce, a radiation therapist at Vanderbilt and a fellow member of the Walnut Street church. Pierce first reached out after watching McCurley announce his diagnosis on Facebook, offering support and connections with medical resources at the hospital.

As treatment progressed, the two developed a strong bond.

“The hardest part sometimes is just waking up every day and driving in for 39 treatments,” Pierce said. “That takes a toll in itself.”

As the weeks passed, McCurley began to feel the side effects of radiation on his body. But even on days when the preacher wasn’t feeling his best, Pierce said, few people in the waiting room and during his treatments would have known.

“He’d still come in, talk to everybody, ask how they were doing and offer to pray with them,” Pierce said. “That’s just who he is as a person.”

Those interactions became an unexpected blessing in a new season of life. McCurley said he does not miss the radiation, but he does miss the fellowship shared in waiting rooms and hospital hallways.

“There is a sense where I’m going to miss these because you develop these friendships,” he said. “You sit in the lobby and meet these people who are there every day that had a brain tumor removed, and you get to sit there and counsel with them and do ministry, and they do ministry with you.”

The same openness that led McCurley in forming relationships at Vanderbilt reinforced a belief that had guided him throughout his walk: Even cancer can be a ministry.

“Cancer has been such a big blessing to me in so many ways,” he said. “There are things I would never have experienced if not for this diagnosis.”

‘This is a God story’

For the Walnut Street minister, that ministry did not end when he left Vanderbilt’s waiting room. Even with stage four metastatic cancer and ongoing hormone therapy through medication, McCurley continues preaching the glory of God.

The cancer and an uncertain future remain, but so does his trust in faith, family and his belief that “God wins.”

Between treatments and sermon preparations, McCurley avoided turning his cancer journey into the focus of his mission. Instead, he documented every step through a series of Facebook posts, providing updates and showing appreciation for prayers.

What started as simple updates became a lifeline for many members of his congregation looking for ways to support their preaching minister.

“The videos keep us informed so we know how to pray for him,” said Joanne Brown, who has attended Walnut Street since 1976. “He’s definitely seeing that love and support full-fledged because of what he’s going through.”

The updates also reflect a philosophy that, church leaders say, has defined McCurley’s ministry since he joined the congregation in 2022, long before his diagnosis.

“Ministry is not a thing you do on Sundays. It’s your life,” Walnut Street shepherd Brian Reagan said of McCurley, who’s authored multiple books and hosted over 200 episodes of the “Dear Church” podcast. “Chris has extended that into speaking in very real, transparent terms about what’s going on in his life.”

Even as the possibility of recurrence remains, McCurley said he does not view his story as one defined by illness but by faith. The bell at Vanderbilt marked the end of his radiation treatment but not of his ministry.

“This is not a Chris McCurley cancer story. This is a God story,” he said. “It’s a story about how God has navigated Chris McCurley through cancer, and how Chris McCurley is going to win because God wins.”

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Faith Facts

• A Christian café in Leipzig, Germany, suffered 26 violent attacks by radical extremist groups in just over one year
• Zeal Church’s ‘Stay’ café will be forced to close its doors at the end of June 2025 due to ongoing targeted harassment and sabotage
• Pastor René Wagne confirmed the closure comes after sustained persecution from organized anti-Christian activists

An evangelical church in Leipzig, Germany, is being forced to close its community café after enduring relentless attacks from radical extremist groups. The café, called ‘Stay,’ opened in 2024 as an outreach ministry of Zeal Church in the city of 630,000 residents.

Pastor René Wagne announced the difficult decision, explaining that the café suffered 26 separate attacks and acts of sabotage over the course of just one year. The closure will take effect at the end of June.

The pattern of harassment represents a troubling escalation of anti-Christian persecution in Europe. These were not random incidents but coordinated efforts by organized extremist groups specifically targeting the church’s ministry.

The café was intended as a welcoming space where Christians could serve their community and share the love of Christ through hospitality. Instead, it became a battleground where believers faced ongoing hostility simply for living out their faith in the public square.

Pastor Wagne’s church now joins a growing list of Christian ministries across Europe facing intimidation and violence for their witness. The targeting of a simple café demonstrates how even the most benign expressions of Christian community life are increasingly under assault.

The closure marks a sobering reminder that religious freedom is under threat even in nations with strong democratic traditions. When Christians cannot operate a café without facing two dozen attacks, something has gone deeply wrong in the culture.

This incident should serve as a wake-up call to believers everywhere about the importance of defending religious liberty and supporting persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ. The same hostile forces operating in Leipzig exist in varying degrees throughout the Western world.

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Faith Facts

• SpaceX’s recent stock market flotation has sparked widespread cultural excitement about Mars colonization
• Christians are called to prioritize stewardship of Earth over escapist fantasies of planetary abandonment
• The Gospel teaches us to invest in our God-given responsibilities on this planet rather than chasing technological distractions

The race to Mars has captured America’s imagination like few things in recent memory. With SpaceX’s historic stock market flotation making headlines, millions of Americans are swept up in the dream of humanity becoming a multi-planetary species. But should Christians be joining this chorus of excitement?

The answer requires us to step back and examine what the Bible actually teaches about our calling on this Earth. Our mission isn’t to abandon the planet God entrusted to us—it’s to faithfully steward it.

The cultural fascination with Mars reflects something deeper than scientific curiosity. It reveals a society increasingly captivated by wealth accumulation, technological salvation, and the fantasy of escape. When we strip away the glossy marketing and futuristic promises, the Mars obsession represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the Christian calling.

God placed humanity on Earth with clear instructions: to tend it, to care for it, to be fruitful and multiply here. Genesis establishes that this world—broken though it may be by sin—remains our God-given assignment. The Great Commission wasn’t a call to evangelize Mars; it was a mandate to make disciples on the planet where God placed us.

The billions of dollars being poured into Mars missions could transform countless lives right here on Earth. Clean water systems in impoverished nations. Medical care for the vulnerable. Support for struggling families. Education that builds strong communities rooted in faith and character.

Instead, we’re watching resources flow toward what amounts to an expensive escape plan for the wealthy elite. This isn’t stewardship—it’s abandonment dressed up in the language of progress.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with scientific exploration or technological advancement. God gave humanity the gift of curiosity and the capacity for innovation. But when that innovation becomes an idol, when it replaces our core biblical responsibilities, we’ve lost our way.

The Mars dream also reveals a troubling lack of faith in God’s sovereignty. The implicit message is that Earth is beyond saving, that we need a backup plan because God’s plan has somehow failed. This pessimism contradicts the biblical narrative of redemption and restoration.

Scripture promises that God will make all things new. That promise doesn’t require us to flee to another planet—it calls us to faithful presence and work where we are.

Christians should be the most hopeful people on Earth, not because we’re naive about the world’s brokenness, but because we serve a God who redeems and restores. The Mars obsession, by contrast, reeks of despair disguised as optimism.

Our culture worships at the altar of endless growth and expansion. But the Gospel offers a different vision: one of sacrificial service, humble stewardship, and investment in eternal rather than temporal treasures. A Mars colony won’t save humanity from its fundamental problem—sin and separation from God.

The real frontier isn’t 140 million miles away in space. It’s in the hearts and souls of people right here on Earth. It’s in broken families that need restoration, communities that need healing, and individuals who need the transforming power of the Gospel.

This isn’t a call to reject science or innovation. It’s a call to maintain proper priorities. When Christians get more excited about Mars than about the Great Commission, when we invest more energy in futuristic fantasies than in present-day faithfulness, we’ve traded our birthright for a mess of space-age pottage.

The stewardship principle runs throughout Scripture. We will all give an account for how we used the resources, time, and opportunities God entrusted to us. How will we answer when asked why we prioritized escape over engagement, abandonment over stewardship?

God didn’t make a mistake when He placed humanity on Earth. This planet, with all its beauty and brokenness, is exactly where He wants us—for now. Our job is to be salt and light here, to work for flourishing in our communities, and to point people to the hope found only in Christ.

The Mars mission represents the ultimate expression of human pride: the belief that we can engineer our way out of every problem, that technology will save us from the consequences of our choices. But Christians know better. Our hope isn’t in rockets or colonies on distant planets.

Our hope is in the One who spoke the universe into existence and who promises to return and make His dwelling with humanity. That future isn’t on Mars—it’s right here, on a renewed and restored Earth.

So while the world celebrates SpaceX and dreams of Martian cities, let Christians keep our feet planted firmly on the ground God gave us. Let’s invest in the mission that matters: loving our neighbors, serving our communities, caring for creation, and proclaiming the Gospel to every creature on this planet.

The race to Mars may capture headlines and imaginations. But the race that matters is the one Paul described: running with perseverance toward the prize of our high calling in Christ Jesus. And that race has always been, and will always be, right here on Earth.

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