Evan Woodson, a senior at Oklahoma State University, recently wrote an editorial for his university's student newspaper about how his college experiences have helped him come to recognize that the common suburban understanding of Christianity isn't as revolutionary as it should be. While his whole story is well worth the read, Woodson's questions are ones that must be answered by each person who seeks to follow the way of Jesus: How did we get to a point where everyone we sit by at Read More …
Opinions on Educational Technology (#0863)
The Leading Education by Advancing Digital (LEAD) Commission, a non-governmental organization exploring the opportunity to use technology to improve education in the United States, recently released the results of a poll on the opinions of teachers and parents about educational technology in K-12 education. Findings include: 96% of teachers and 92% of parents believe that schools’ integration of technology in teaching and learning is important to the education of American students Read More …
Review of Evolution of the Word (#0862)
Meet the Author Marcus Borg is Canon Theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Oregon. He is also professor emeritus in the philosophy department at Oregon State University, where he was the Hundere Chair in Religion until his retirement in 2007. Borg is among the most widely known and influential voices in progressive Christianity. He is best known for his work as a fellow in the Jesus Seminar, his biblical scholarship, and as the author of Read More …
Smartphone Habits (#0861)
The Pew Research Center's Pew Internet & American Life Project has been tracking cell phone ownership and use for the past eight years. Earlier this month they released a new infographic on our smartphone habits: So What? More people today are buying smartphones than traditional cell phones. Smartphone ownership has been increasing for some time, and all indicators suggest that continued growth is likely. In addition to more people having smartphones, more Read More …
Weekend Activities (#0860)
Lam Thuy Vo's recent piece explores just how Americans actually spend their weekends. The data contained in Vo's infographic comes from the American Time Use Survey, which is conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So What? The average American spends a little over half an hour every weekend volunteering and/or participating in religious activities. Is this number higher or lower than you would have guessed? What are the implications of this statistic for your Read More …
Largest & Fastest Growing Churches (#0859)
Outreach Magazine's new special issue focused on the largest and fastest growing churches in America is packed with information. While I always look at the lists of the 100 fastest growing and the 100 largest congregations (based on worship attendance), this year I was struck by the classification of the congregations making both lists. More specifically, both lists are dominated by churches characterized as nondenominational or interdenominational. They comprise Read More …
Before Visiting a New Church (#0858)
Before visiting a new church, most people seek some basic information online. Evan Courtney, Family Life Pastor and Communications Director at The Fields Church, provides the following list of website must haves for would be first-timer guests: What does the pastor look like? What size of church is it? What do I wear? What happens in a service? Will I be asked to give money? What do my kids do? How do I get to your church? So What? Most first impressions are virtual. Read More …
God Is (#0857)
Tripp Hudgins recently blogged about God. He writes: God is who God says God is. God is bigger than the craft that is religion. God is not what we do. Nor is God some Collective Self. God is more than we can contain in even our most imaginative moments. God is more than the people who have claimed God over the years. God is more and thus, when we want to know God we have to pull the Moses Hat out of our bag and ask the Almighty "Who do I tell them sent me?" God is a Who. This is Read More …
Elders + Social Media (#0856)
While senior centers, assisted living facilities, and organizations focused on mature adults have been providing computing classes for years, many have recently added "how to" sessions on Facebook, Twitter, and blogging. Julie Andrews recently wrote about some of the benefits older adults experience when they use social media, including increased connectivity to family and friends. So What? Church is a community. It should also be concerned with connecting people to one Read More …
Review of Why Did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha & Mohammed Cross the Road (#0855)
Meet the Author Brian McLaren served in pastoral ministry for twenty years as the founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church. In 2006, he stepped down from that role to devote his time to writing and speaking. McLaren has written over a dozen books, including Naked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words (2011 - read my review), A New Kind of Christianity (2010), and Everything Must Change: When the World’s Biggest Problems and Jesus’ Good Read More …